The 'invisible product' is all around us
Episcopal News Service. October 30, 2008 [103008-02]
Fred Fenton, Retired Episcopal Priest, Concord, California
The comedian Bill Maher believes religion is detrimental to humankind. He has produced a film called "Religulous," which is for the most part a tour of religious snake oil salesmen around the world. Maher plays his interviews with them for laughs, and in that he succeeds.
In a recent appearance on "Larry King Live," Maher was asked if he duped some of these characters into appearing in his movie. He replied: "This is so funny, religion accusing me of deception. Religion, the greatest scam in the history of the world, selling the invisible product for thousands of years, accusing us of deception."
Is that what religion offers to the world, an "invisible product?"
God is made visible to all in a living saint like Archbishop and Nobel Prize winner Desmund Tutu, whose joyful proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed is known to everyone. We also see God in saints closer to home.
Our small suburban parish in California is graced by the presence of Deacon Christie McManus, who runs Midwives on Missions of Service (MOMS) with her spouse, Deacon Patricia Ross. The two regularly risk their health and even their lives, training native midwives in remote villages of Sierra Leone.
In spite of these saints among us, there remains too much about God and God's plans for us that are "invisible" in our individual and community lives. Let us reveal more clearly God and God's plans for us in both our worship and witness.
On Sunday, too often the prayers of the people follow the forms provided in the Book of Common Prayer without the addition of anything but the names of national and diocesan leaders and of the sick of the parish.
Visiting St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Eugene, Oregon, I first heard included in the community prayers the names of soldiers who had died in Iraq the week before. This brought tears to my eyes. It touched every soul present and made visible our heartfelt concern for those serving and dying in the armed forces.
Too many sermons confuse preaching the Gospel with Bible study. We often hear an educated explication of the text without contemporary stories. We long for practical demonstration of how biblical truth is to be lived in our daily lives.
Churches often have special prayers for birthdays, anniversaries, and other blessings. A money gift by the person who comes forward should be included. These offerings of gratitude can be designated for some need in the community or the wider world. This makes visible the congregation's concern for others, which is at the heart of the Gospel.
We need to think deeply about how our life's work, our vocation, reveals God at work in and through us. A corporate lawyer told me his pro bono work as a defense attorney was the most meaningful part of his professional life. How do we make God visible in our daily occupations?
Cursillo taught me to be a blessing to at least one person each day. "Why are you doing this for me?" a stranger will ask. We shy Episcopalians need to make a simple, sincere reply: "Because I am a Christian."
A high priority for congregations should be to enable mission trips for youth. So often we disappoint the idealism of our young people by showing concern only for the needs of the local congregation. Try one week helping rebuild New Orleans or constructing a medical clinic in Central America.
At home the challenge is to involve youth in the whole range of parish ministries, not just as participants but as leaders. They can move beyond the traditional role of acolyte to serve as readers, ushers, altar guild members, and to elect their own representative to a position on the vestry. I would not be a priest today if a wise padre had not responded to a young girl asking if she could sing in the choir. He had a small robe sewed especially for her. Years later, that little girl introduced me to the Episcopal Church and became my wife.
Community issues need to be the concern of each congregation. St. James, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where I was privileged to serve in the '90s, is known for its important contribution of volunteer time and money to non-profit agencies. St. James, which has a fine parish day school, "adopted" an inner city public school and made a real difference.
I am encouraged by the courageous stands made by our Presiding Bishop, Executive Council, and General Convention on controversial issues such as racism, sexism, homosexuality, the environment and war.
In these ways, we make "the invisible product" visible and show the love of God for the world. When by God's grace we do it well, possibly even our strongest detractors will sit up and take notice.