Come Holy Spirit
"Western Theology"
Pentecost C, May 27, 2007
A Sermon by Fr. James Haney V
(All quotations in this sermon are either from Western Theology by Wes Seeliger, or its summarization by Brennan Manning in Lion and Lamb)
Today is Pentecost Sunday {SLIDE 2}, the birthday of the church, the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Next week is Trinity Sunday {SLIDE 3}, when we focus on the triune nature of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Now, if we're not careful, concepts like Church, or Trinity, or Holy Spirit can get esoteric or complicated really fast. So today, I want to take a step back, and approach some of these concepts from a different angle.
Today I want to focus on a wonderful book {SLIDE 4} called Western Theology. It was written 34 years ago, and is a tiny bit dated in a few places. But by and large, it is mostly as fresh and relevant as it was in 1973.
The book is written by an Episcopal priest, the late Fr. Wes Seeliger. Wes has two huge strikes against him in my book--he's a graduate of the University of Texas, and was the college chaplain at Texas A&M. Given such a sordid background, his book would have to be remarkable indeed to overcome my biases. Fortunately, it is a wonderful book.
Wes didn't only write the book, he also illustrated it. So we'll look at his pictures as well.
{SLIDE 5} The main premise of Western Theology is that there are two basic views of Christianity, two basic theologies, two basic ways of looking at God, and the church, and what it means to be a Christian. And Wes sets them both in the setting of the old West.
He calls one viewpoint, "Settler," {SLIDE 6} and the other "Pioneer." {SLIDE 7}
According to Fr. Wes, Settlers and Pioneers come at faith from two very different perspectives, different sets of lenses, that color everything that they believe.
Wes says, "Settler Theology, is an attempt to answer all the questions, define and housebreak some sort of Supreme Being. Pioneer Theology is an attempt to talk about what it means to receive the strange gift of life."
Settler theology is all about the maintaining the status quo. Pioneer theology is all about life as a journey or pilgrimage.
{SLIDE 8} "In Settler Theology, the church is the courthouse. It is the center of town life. Within the courthouse walls, records are kept, taxes collected, trials held for the bad guys. The courthouse is the settler's symbol of law, order, stability, and—most important—security. The mayor's office is on the top floor. His eagle eye ferrets out the smallest details of town life."
{SLIDE 9} "In Pioneer Theology, the church is the wagon train. It is always on the move. It's not where one goes, it's where one lives. It moves toward the future and doesn't bother to glorify its own ruts. (Being in) the wagon train isn't always comfortable, but the pioneers don't mind. They are driven (forward) by the vision of what is to be."
These two competing visions of what the church is lead to differing visions of who God is.
{SLIDE 10} "In Settler Theology, God is the mayor. No one sees him or knows him directly, but since there is order in the town, who can deny that he is there? The mayor is predictable and always on schedule. The mayor controls the courthouse, which in turn runs the town."
{SLIDE 11} "In Settler Theology, Jesus is the sheriff. He's the guy who is sent by the mayor to enforce the rules. The Sheriff's job is to see that nothing disturbs the tranquility of the Settler City. He ‘saves' the settlers by offering security."
{SLIDE 12} On the other hand, "In Pioneer Theology, God is the trail boss. He is rough and rugged, full of life. The trail boss lives, eats, sleeps, fights with his people. Their well-being is his concern. Without him the wagon wouldn't move. The trail boss often gets down in the mud with the pioneers to help push the wagon, which often gets stuck. He prods the pioneers when they get soft and want to turn back."
{SLIDE 13} "In Pioneer Theology, Jesus is the scout. He rides out ahead to find out which way the pioneers should go. He lives all the dangers of the trail. The scout suffers every hardship. Through his words and actions he reveals the true intentions of the trail boss. By looking at the scout, those on the trail learn what it means to be a pioneer."
These two theologies lead to very different ideas of what it means to be members of the clergy. And since 1973 was before the rebirth of the diaconate, the focus is on priests and bishops.
{SLIDE 14} Briefly, for settlers, the priests are bank tellers, dispensing benefits to the people a little bit at a time. {SLIDE 15} The Bishop is the bank president, who sits in the corner office and carries the title, "Defender of the Bank."
{SLIDE 16} For pioneers, the priests are chuck wagon cooks who feed the people to allow them to continue on day by day. {SLIDE 17} And the bishop is the dishwasher, supporting the work of the cooks.
Which brings us to my favorite part of the whole book, {SLIDE 18} the two different views of the Holy Spirit.
For the settlers, the Holy Spirit is {SLIDE 19} Miss Dove who runs the Olive Branch saloon. She's kind of like Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke. She comforts the settlers. She gives them warm fuzzy feelings. She is cozy. "She tickles them under the chin and makes everything OK again." Her job is to make everyone feel content and comfortable.
For pioneers, the Holy Spirit is very different. {SLIDE 20} His name is Wild Red. He's a big brawny buffalo hunter who rides a buffalo named Pentecost. He is wild and tough, and absolutely uncontrollable. He comes riding into town whooping and hollering. If you're getting too set in your ways, he'll shake you up. But he also provides all the meat for the wagon train. He's not cozy and comfortable. But he brings the food for the pioneers every day. "Without Wild Red, (the pioneers would) wither up and blow away like tumbleweeds."
Which now brings us to the crux of the matter. What does it mean to be a Christian in each of these worldviews?
{SLIDE 21} First, the settler, sitting there sipping his glass of warm milk. "He fears the open, unknown frontier. His concern is to stay on good terms with the mayor and keep out of the sheriff's way. 'Safety first' is his motto. To him the courthouse is a symbol of security, peace, order, and happiness." He goes to weekly worship out of a sense of duty.
Settlers are tied together by three things: "Fear of the frontier, obedience to the Mayor, and strongest of all, inertia."
{SLIDE 22} For Pioneers, life is anything but settled and secure. Every day on the wagon train takes them "farther and farther into the unknown." They know life is not always easy. But they trust the direction set by the trail boss. They listen for his voice, "the voice that says 'life' where only death can be seen; the voice that says 'hope' where there is not hope; the voice that says 'courage' when fear chills them to the bone." He goes to weekly worship, not out of duty, but out of necessity. It is worship that recharges him and allows him to go for another week along the trail.
"It is (only) by the call of the Trail Boss, the leading of the Scout, and the daily sustenance of the Buffalo Hunter that a pioneer is what he is."
{SLIDE 23} Today is Pentecost, the birthday of the church. What kind of church will we choose to be?
{SLIDE 24} Today is Pentecost, the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. But which kind of Holy Spirit do we long for?
I don't know about you, but there's a lot of settler in me. I do have a part of me than longs for a Miss Dove type of Holy Spirit. I want to be nurtured and comforted. I want to be safe and secure.
But is settling for a settler mindset what God wants for us? Is it the Miss Dove Spirit that called Abraham to leave his home and travel to a far off land?
Is it the Miss Dove Spirit that called to Moses to leave behind his flocks and stand before Pharaoh?
Is it the Miss Dove Spirit that made Paul do a 180° turn, leaving behind the security of certainty and venturing off into a new ministry that God had for him?
Is it the Miss Dove Spirit that caused the founders of Good Shepherd to build this place in the middle of a wheat field out past the edge of town?
Or has Wild Red been around, stirring the pot, calling us to more, calling us and equipping us to venture forth along the path that the Trail Boss calls us to follow?
I believe it's clear that over and over again, it is the pioneer Spirit that leaps from the pages of scripture and calls us to leave security behind and venture forth following the voice of God.
We live in a culture that's obsessed with comfort and security. Does the God of scripture really want us to have a Christianity that's also focused on our own comfort and security? Does God simply want our religion to mirror our culture? Or is there something more?
After all, as Americans, we have been given so much. The most average American is incredibly wealthy in the sight of the world.
{SLIDE 25} This is Manuela. She's 9. She lives in Mexico, in the Yucatan, with her parents and two brothers. And the five of them have to live on $48 a month. That's a number that blows my mind. $48 a month.
Over half the people in the world live on less than $60 a month. One sixth of the people in the world live on less than $30 a month.
What's $30 to my family? It's pocket change. It's a dinner out. Which is why my family decided to sponsor Manuela for $30 a month through a group called the Christian Foundation for Children. To us it's very little. To her, it can make a big difference.
Does our sponsorship of Manuela solve all the problems of poverty in the world? Of course not. But it is a small start. Perhaps, we can make a difference in her life.
What does God want?
{SLIDE 26} Does God want us to settle for being settlers, interested in our own comfort, our own security, our own personal relationships with God?
Or does God want us follow his voice, to step out in faith, to leave our comfort zones, to be more and more concerned with the comfort and security of others?
This is a broken and hurting world. If God's people won't reach out their hands to help, who will?
Will you be a settler, or a pioneer?
To quote Fr. Wes,
"Make up your mind and put it on the line.
The wagon train is moving out."
The Rev. James P. Haney V
Good Shepherd, Wichita
May 27, 2007
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