August 13, 2023 Sermon - Return

When the honeymoon ends…

           You know the expression, “The honeymoon is over,” referring to occasions when something new and exciting – like a new married couple of their honeymoon - becomes routine, mundane, ordinary, humdrum… maybe even a little boring. Obviously, “honeymoons” – whether in marriages or anything else – are a wonderful, but a false reality. Everyday life just can’t live up to the thrill of the honeymoon.

The early stages of a new marriage, or a new job, or a new friendship, or a new exercise routine, or moving into a new house, or buying a new car can be very exciting. But, in a relatively short time, the newlyweds’ routine returns to “life-as-normal”: dividing household chores, getting used to each other’s idiosyncrasies, paying bills, returning to a normal work schedule, writing endless thank you notes for wedding gifts. A new house or new car soon need maintenance and repairs. The new job has the same work-place challenges as the last job. The new boss is just as demanding as the old one. The new customers are just as demanding as the old ones. Etc., etc.

All of that is normal. There is, by necessity, intentional effort required to recapture the original excitement and passion that may fade over time.

           I know, even as a pastor, the importance – from time to time, when ministry is challenging, and it is sometimes! – the need to return, remember, and reflect on my original sense of call, times when I’ve seen God working, and why I became a minister in the first place.

           This is true spiritually, as well. Many of us have had profound spiritual experiences – perhaps on a mission trip or a retreat. Maybe you were part of a youth group or a campus ministry, that really stimulated your spiritual hunger. Maybe you’ve experienced a profound spiritual encounter or conversion. Maybe you’ve had seasons when God seemed especially close, your prayer life was especially rich, and your spirituality was especially life-giving. Maybe you’ve had moments of deep clarity regarding your calling and life-purpose. Maybe you’ve had one of those grand “ah-ha” moments, that took your breath away.

           If you know what I’m talking about, I suspect you also remember times it felt like “the honeymoon ended,” spiritually speaking. Overtime, that initial spiritual passion fades. Life happens – demanding more of us, leaving less time for lofty spiritual pursuits. Maybe you moved, or grew up, and haven’t found the same kind of spiritual community you once knew. Maybe you’ve experienced some pain and suffering, wearing down your spiritual vigor. Maybe, something else – a new job, a new relationship, a new hobby - has become more exciting. Maybe a church conflict or controversy turned you off. Maybe God didn’t answer your prayers – or, at least, not the way you’d hoped.

           Maybe you need to spiritually “Refresh” – which is our new sermon series. Maybe you need to “Return” – today’s theme – to a renewed spiritual vigor you once knew so well.

Ephesus, and the Seven Churches of Revelation…

           The Book of Revelation begins with seven letters, from the Resurrected Christ, to the seven churches of Asia Minor, who were enduring terrible persecution during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, who demanded to be worshipped as a god. Obviously, monotheistic Christians refused to recognize Domitian’s alleged divinity, causing a backlash on the churches. Revelation is a book of hope for persecuted, struggling Christians, promising God will ultimately intervene and prevail over evil. But, Revelation is specifically written to these seven churches –targeted for persecution - as a challenge, encouragement, and a warning to be strong; to carry on with the work of Christ, endure, not give in to pressure, and not to waver while enduring suffering.

           Throughout my education and ministry, I’ve had spiritual directors – wise, prayerful, listening Christians – whom I’ve met with regularly to discuss my prayer life. One of those Spiritual Directors, back in the 1990s, was a Franciscan monk. One day, I was complaining about some struggle in ministry, and the negative affect I felt it was having on my relationship with God. To which he said, “I think you’ve forgotten your first love,” and he referred me to today’s reading from Revelation 2 … “I have this against you: you have let go of the love you had at first. So remember the high point from which you have fallen. Change your hearts and lives and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:4-5, CEB)

           The Message version says, “You walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen?”

           The New Living Translation says, “I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.”

I know…

           Each of the letters to the seven churches share the same basic format: beginning with an affirmation for all they’re doing well, then a critique on places of weakness and vulnerability, and then a warning to fix what’s broken and be strong in the face of opposition. 

           Each letter includes the words, “I know…” In other words, Christ is saying, “I know. I’m watching. I’m paying attention. I know what’s happening to you. I know what you are going through, and how well you’re enduring.”

           To the church in Ephesus, Christ says, “ I know your works, your labor, and your endurance. I also know that you don’t put up with those who are evil. You have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars. You have shown endurance and put up with a lot for my name’s sake, and you haven’t gotten tired. (Revelation 2:2-3)

           In other words, “I’m watching. I see all that you are doing well. You’re strong and hanging on. I see that. You have that going for you.”

           But, then the critique: “I have this against you: you have let go of the love you had at first.” Love for who? God? Their church family? Probably both, as love for God and neighbor go hand-in-hand. Then, “Remember the high point from which you have fallen. Change your hearts and lives and do the things you did at first. If you don’t, I’m coming to you. I will move your lampstand from its place if you don’t change your hearts and lives... If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. I will allow those who emerge victorious to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.” (Revelation 2:5-7)

           Did you hear the words? Remember. Change. I’m using the word, “Return.” Some versions say, “Repent,” which is a more theological way of saying return: return to the path you were on before, get your spiritual lives back on course, make a U-turn – you’re heading in the wrong direction.

           Undeniably, there’s a bit of threat in these letters from Christ to the seven churches: “I will move your lampstand from its place if you don’t change.” Though I’m not a fan of making or receiving threats, there are times when situations are so urgent that anything less falls short. If you’ve parented, or been a teacher, you know there are times and occasions when every other trick of parental motivation has been tried and failed, and threat is all you have left – “If you do or say that one more time… I will… or else…”

           The situation is urgent for the seven churches. They’re under attack, and may not survive. They needed to be strong, hold together, and persevere – without wavering. The threat is not a sign of God’s wrath, but a call to fix what’s broken in order to endure.

           Maybe think less in terms of threat, and more in terms of necessary ultimatums – for our own good. Imagine being told by a trusting, caring, authoritative source…

·     If you don’t change, your spouse will leave you.

·     If you don’t change, you’re going to have a heart attack and die.

·     If you don’t change, you’re going to be fired.

·     If you don’t change, the bank will foreclose on your house and repossess your car.

Sometimes, we need ultimatums to shake us out of complacency, and to make necessary changes to improve our lives. Maybe, sometimes, God loves us too much to let us continue in patterns of self-destruction.

 Kathleen Norris writes, “I suspect the Christian religion has always harbored those who relish the thought that some people are hopeless reprobates, destined for damnation. It has also had proponents of the view that God’s love is so great, and God’s power so unfathomably vast, that ultimately God will find a way to redeem us all.”

I think that’s the spirit of Christ’s call to change; based in love and compassion, and a desire to save and redeem us – sometimes from ourselves.

 The Old Testament Prophet Joel wrote, “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive.” (Joel 2:12-13)

Return…

I wonder, if Christ were to write a letter to First Church Orlando, what would it say? What would it say Christ observes in us? What would Christ tell us needs to change? I wonder the same, if Christ were to write me a letter. How about you? What would Christ say to you?

           I suspect all of us would hear, to one degree or another – “Return to me. You’ve forgotten your first love. Return.”

           The point of warning, in the face of threat and opposition, is to return to place of spiritual commitment, spiritual priority, spiritual focus. I’m reminded of Jesus saying, “Don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?  (in other words, all of the distractions)...  Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:25&33) 

           But, to return, to repent, to go back to God, we need to know God wants us. We need to know God’s door is open. We need to know God is waiting for us, with open arms. We need to remember that God’s only movement is toward us – never away. Too often, we assume God’s distance is God withdrawing, when actuality, we’re usually the ones who – like preverbal lost sheep – have gotten lost all on our own.

           Richard Rohr writes, “Remember, the only thing that separates you from God is the thought you are separate from God!”

           Capturing the spirit of Christ’s letter to the church of Ephesus, Marcus Borg writes, “We need to be born again. It is the road of return from our exile, the way to recover our true self, the path to beginning to live our lives from the inside out rather than from the outside in, the exodus from our individual and collective selfishness… it is the process of internal redefinition of the self whereby a real person is born within us.”