Annoviceuute-

» SERMON ee
» ABUGUST 19, 1973
/ y Corinthians 12:27-13:13

How else to begin except by saying we lave looked forward to this hour for 12_weeks: |

so much that we are here a week early One of the notorious falts of preachers is that
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we invest too much significance in every word we say from the pulpit.\ So - I worried a
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great deal about what I might say on my first Sunday back\ Somehow, I wanted to convey
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to you how much it means simply to be here - doing the work that for me is life itself:
on \ Es. =e

back among the people I have come to trust and loves\noderatiing a Session of honest,

committed christianss\singing the great hymns of the Church with an organist who knows
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how they were meant to be playeds|1istening toa choir that obv iously loves its role

in the service and consistantly_brings a caliber of music to the congregation that

exceeds the expectation of far largex_and wealthier churches: \working with a_secretary
and treasurer and D.C.E, who together give their special gifts to the rest of us in a

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way they would be embarrassed to.claim - but which makes this congregation very unique.

I'm glad to be back - and it needs saying before I go on to anything else. | wnat has
transpired in my life in three months time cannot be ignore either\ I don't_propose to
do a travelogue this morning and yet it would seem artificial to simply take up where I
left off last May as if nothing had happened.\ Every Sunday morning in Scotland I would

muse to myself dout the possib ility of American tourists traveling through Kinlochleven

and stopping at the Church to hear some Church of Scotland preaching:\ and then settling

—————

back in the pew to be greeted by my combination Pennsylvania/Hoosier twang. \ The same dillema

presents itself this morning to any who may be visiting and looking for at ical sermon -

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or to members who haven't been here since May - or to members_who didit even know I was

So

gone.\ In any case - if you fall in one of those categories I apologize to you, because

——

you're going to hear a little bit about Scotland: and at the end some personal reflections

that might if your definition is flexible - be called_a sermon.

—— ESS

I wanted to go to Scotland for years ‘ever since I learned that my family came to

this country from there\ my desire was heightened as I began to learn the important role

Scotland played in the Reformation and that Presbyterianism was born there under the guid-
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ing hand of Ki% John Knox. \ I wanted to go because the political philosophy of this

country - individual liberty and representation government - first stifled the hearts of

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English speaking men in the centuries of conflict between the fiercely independent
Scots and the English Crom. \ 1 wanted to go because there is so much history in the

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very soil of Great Britain I wanted to taste it and feel it and live it - from inside

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as @ part of the Church of Scotland. \1 wanted to see the sights and more than that - to

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know the people

Our expectations were ulfitied.\ and we are convinced that this summer will continue

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to be one of the most significant experiences in our lives and the lives of our children.
AT, lira reaes

Scattand is not far\we did not experience the kind of cultural shock associated with

moving from American to the Far East, for example. \ Me are related to Great Britain -

historically, ligustically, philosophically and theologically.\ It's not appropriate to

generalize ~ but the typical British attitude toward America can be compared to an older
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brather watching a younger brother - atready stronger, already the tughest kid on the

block ~ go through the pain of adolescence.\ It's a kind of patronizing patience over our

interantional and internal probisms, combined with an admiration for our strength and

ae. ee peice niblirnraieniciiicy

wealth.

—_—_——

There are difference, of course.\ scottane - the same stze as Indiana, is a state of
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mind.\ Along with Wales, Northern Ireland and England it is part of te United Kingdom -
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with a monarch, a common tradition and political authority lodged in part ianent \ But there
is a fierce pride and identity in Scotland, particularyly in the Highlands, that remains
Scottish and that clings desparately to the traditions of the past.\ In 1745 the last major

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rebellion took place, and while that ended in defeat, the Scots still regard their nation
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as a distinct place - and if not a sovereign state - at Teast a proud and sovereign state

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of mind.

The geography of the Highalnds is breathtaking \ The mountains are unlike anything
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I've ever seen:\ dark, still, rough, brooding mountains that rise from sea level :\ uninhabt-

table except for sheep and the very hearty. Shorn of top soil and trees, rocky - magni-

—

ficient and inspiring. \ They sing Psalm 121 4"E to the hills Tift up mine eyes" } and you do.

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Kinlochleven sits at the head of Lock Leven, surrounded on three sides by mountains.

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Until 1900 there was no way to get there except by boat up the pocn\ bu in 1906 British
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Aluminum located a foundry there which dominates the village - and which produces its own

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hydro electric power from a resevoir up in the itis. \there are 1,500 people almost all

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related in one way or another to the factory\\ During the war there were,1,000 employees:

today there are 300 - thus the majority of the villagers are retired aluminum workers,

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or their widows, passing their days tending to the most exquisite rose gardens I've ever
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seen.

Down the road is Glen Coe - where the Campbells massacured the entire Cian MacDonald
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in the 17th Century - a narrow Glen where we spent much time walking and boking: Up

Fanaa

the road is Fort William, established by the Crown in the 18th Century to control the
fe aed mes mm MTL.

Highflands~a goal that was never realized:\now a busy tourisf# town of 4,000.
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We found the people friendly but quite reserved. \They treated us kindly and politely

as soon as we got off the plane\ But it was diffemt and we weren't sure at first if we

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were, in fact,welcomed and accepted. \ approached my first Sunday in the pulpit with great

fear and trembling: \and afterward - the congregation filed out in silence, As they passed
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the door they said("Good Morning, Mr. Buchanan") that's a11.\ No more than three said,
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(‘wet come ~ We're glad you're here") \arter the evening service they said('Good night,
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Mr. Buchanan") in a way that caused me to expect a delegation of Elders to call and suggest
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that we might pack up and leaye\\ It took two weeks to understand that you don't engage in
_——_. — ed

small talk with the minister after the service:\that my sermons were being received with

i i ity. i d told in ma loquent
enthusiasm and a growing curosity \and by the time we left they had told us In many e/oqu
ways that they were as sorry to see us go, 45 we were to leave then.\ Throughout it all I

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kept thinking that David Black must be literally overwhelmed by what happens here normally
after each service.

The Church itself has been in Kinlochleven for a long tine: \the current building was
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erected in 1930.\ It is plain, sparse but adequate. \ There are no crosses on it or in it -

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to assure that no one might confuse it with a Roman Catholic Church.\ And while the
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animosity is long gone, the tradition remains \ There are 250 communicant members - and yet
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because it is a Parish Church - the concept of "belonging to it" is not nearly as
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important ax to them as it is to us. \ there were 4 other churches in town, none with a

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resident clergymen - amg village was the Parish, \ The minister. simply as a matter of

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course, was expected to meet the pastoral needs of the people.
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—_—_—

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__—

The Church of Scotland is Presbyterian and so the similarities were obvious But

there were many differences\ The service of worship was slow and diliberate: 4
aeneenll weer mm in zannecetcenict

intentionally non liturgical - they don't like responsive readings or unison prayers -
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to the point that the Lord's Prayer is said only at Communion \ And yet, while the thought

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of a bulletin, or a liturgy was-obatets, they expected the same thing to happen at 10:30
avery sunday.\ Tt was unthinkable that they might begin with a hymn instead of a Psalm:

t mcadt iaidiemianentll , staiieminiati al

and I had a little difficulty convincing the organist that the roof wouldn't fall in if we
eT emis aenaaammissial en

sang four hymns instead of Five\ The effect of it is that people come to hear a sermon:
Mer ctorceaeprnetce” wer ets

preaching is where it's at:\and while I'm comfortable with that as a preacher, I felt that

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people had not worshipped in the sense of investing themselves in a corporate act which

drew them in personally.
That tradition is expressed in the custom each week of an Elder bringing the Bible
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to the pulpit as the service begins, opening it and then returning to allow the minister

to enter the sanctuary.
Church life is radically aifferent.\ tt consists of two services on Sunday, a loose
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Sunday School and a Bible Study on Wednesday night.\ When I told them what happens in this
building in a typical week, they wre anazed, \The expectation level for the professional

ministry was, therefore, quite different. \ The minister is expected to preach twice a week
et =o

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call on the sick, donduct funerals, and weddings and that's ai. \ iF anything else needs

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doing the Elders handle it. church administration, program development whexe were aHAKE
aed eon ee iniammiie nl seaeenaien

alien concepts.\ There was no office, no study in the house, no secretary, and ng mémeo-

graph - that item X@XXNWAKK which for Presbyterians ranks directly beneath the communion
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chatice.\ So I read everything in’sight, and spent a lot of time talking with people and

concluded that if I were there permanently and entertaining notions of maintaining my
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marriage I would either need a tent in the back yard or an 8 hoypaday job at the
—_— Se reaamiinie “ao esnasamienianemiaia

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Aluminum factory.

We traveled - about 3,500 miles, mostly one day trips - seven of us in a 5 passengar

car with no mishaps except recurring car sickness. \We loved every minute of azz it] Sue,

——e eS

Diane, Susan and I had 9 days in England, 5 in London and 4 on the road.\ We saw what we
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ed
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wanted to see and what every tourist sees: Wig Ben, The Tower, 10 Downing Street: The
es memmenenll Fmarmniaaminadl

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Changing of the Guard: bath) s ge, Stratford on Avon, Coventry, Canterbury, Dower
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—

windsor. \ Four days were spent in Edinburgh - a lovely, fascinating city - and one in
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Sterling - where 140 determined Scots held off the entire army of England from their castle

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high én a rock - 120,000 of them. Sue and I flew to Ireland to see where her grandparents
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were born, baptized and farmed\ We stayed on the farm - with her relatives - and had an
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experience that will be unforgetable.
I could go on indefinitely. \ We feel that we have learned and grown more than we could
a arene mae
have in any other way We are grateful to God, to you - and to our new friends, in Scotland
for the experienge.\ And we are grateful tote home - safely\| Wee Brian expressed it for
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all of us- He had slept in nine different beds and been in and out of more homes that he

can comprehend. \ Hone _- had ceased to have meaning for im. \ But as we rounder the corner of

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our subdivision he péeked up and something began to fall into place and when our house
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came into view he chuckled and laughed spontaneously ~ beautifulty\ He was _pome,and he
knew it.

My hope is that all the parties in the exchange have benefited from the experience.

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As I heard of the way David Black was received fre - and as I experienced what it feels
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like to be a minister in the Church of Scbtiand, I knew that he was being given a whole
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new visions\and that he was helped to see the church as a fellowship of caring, helping
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——

people in a new vay.\ Your grace made me proud - and I want to thank everyone of you Ha

who entertained the Blacks, who made them feel at home here, and extended your lives into
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theirs. \! want to thank those of you who took time to write to us while we were away.

—

News was always gladly welcomed and the arrival of the post man was anxiously awatnted.

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I will be a bong time reflecting on the meaning of my experience, | I expect it will
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continue to teach me and to provoke myintellect. \py way of thinking about it theologically,
rr eamammamiie Smetana ot nanan Faerie tic

it has already confirmed for me the idea of oneness in christ, \on a personal Tevel I
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expertenced that oneness as I was received by a congregation of total strangers, and as our
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common faith in Jesus Christ allowed strong bonds of trust and friendship to develop in

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a relatively brief period of time.

in our New Testament Lesson this morning Paul was talking to the people of Corinth

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about their unity in Christ in spit@of the fact that each individual was different and

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untque. \ 1 think that's important. In Scotland I found a different theology. | ir the
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congregation 1 found a small group of people who are so enthusiastic about their particular
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theological stance that anyone who differs is relegated to the category of second class

Christian. | t's the same_dynamic that operates here - between denominations, and in con-

gregations betwean people of different thealogical persuasions.

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the story is told of a little boy who carried a pail of water to his father while they

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were vacationang at the sea shore saying “Daddy, here_is the pcean".\ Sewnantically, the

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little fellow was correct.\ But actually,there was a Tot more to the ocean than he was able

to carry in his Jittle bucket So it is with Christian faith \ We all have our little
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buckets - our little container of eternal truth\, But there's more gut there than any of
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us can comprehend - and it is a serious sin of arrogance and self righteousness to assume
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that I know the mind of God and you don't. Nicholas Berdyeay“has ob served that:| "People
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manage to deduce from Christianity the most disgusting morality that has ever been known,
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the morality of heavenly egotism "The good' are so anxious to get into the kingdom of

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Heav en that, in the crush at the entrance, they are ready to trample on a great number of

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the neighbors and push them down to hell... This &% the worst defeat that Christianity has

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suffered in human hearts”. i 2 heenp ance
We are one in the Church of Jesus christ. \our oneness is expressed in our common

humanity - and that in turn is xpressed in our shared faith and hopes - our dreams and hurts
aamieniniiiiinnd a Del

and fears.\ scottish people cry when someone dies. \ They fear the same thing They hope for
7

the same thing. \And the Church stads with them - that is, we all stand with them because

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we are one in Jesus Christ.
I was in Kinlochleven just a week when I had my first funeral | 1 called in the home
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b efore and went to see the widow, Mrs. MacRae, afterward.\ She was a warm, courageous. lady

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and we feél in love with her. \ She babysat for the children and gradullay began to share
heaps arene POPU, sell ed
with us what her life was iiek.Tike. \ one day she told us about a Highland Custom called
Ty, rr

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Clooty burping: \botTed for three hours in a péliow slip, made only on birthdays and other
treicnees icrre meen

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special occasions - and deep inside buried a thrupenney bit (a three pence piece) .\ We
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d asked 11 th tions we could think éf.\ On the night before
were entranced and asked her all the questions ou \ y

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we left Mrs. MacRae knocked on the door and handed us a Clotty Dumpling - and aur own three

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pence piece - to bring home. {ve $i hugged and she left with tears all around \ We are
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one in the grace 6f Jesus Christ - and Mrs. MacRae knew that and expressed it more
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ay eloquently than all the theology in the world.

Paul went on th suggest te the Corinthian people that love is the most excellent

way of alt. | And my reflections on my experience are that that idea is profoundly true.

Being away allowed me to look at my country and my church through a different set
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of spectacles, as it were.\ 1 could see Watergate and Cambodia in a new A§X light.y 1

_——

could see the turmoil and upheaval in the United Presbyterian Church from a distance ~

and therefore, I think with a little more clarity.) And I am more convénced thah ever

ie. matin eee a ani
that what the church has - and al] the church has - is the Good News that God is tove: {that
ree eed se einiaamemmeanelll i ed

God Toves us - that in loving each other we are experiencing the richest dimensions of human
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life: and that his love for us is eternal.

That was what I said in my last sermon in Scotland. And it is what I want to say to
URE acess

you as plainly as I can as we begin to worship and work together again.

—_—_e

Paul said it B&kE best:

SepetergEC

XMHXYKM "Neither life nor death...nor anything else in creation can
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Take everything else away - all the ecclesiastical trimmings, all our fancg theology..

steel

our building, programs, even out precious arguments about who is right and who is wrong ..
a, ee eed * Fe muisdniniamiamammsk sienna

and all we have left is all we ever had in the bekg beginning.. a Lord who died that we might
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live:\a Lord who suffered that we might see how greatly we are loved:ja Lord who, by dying,
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forever defeated the power of death...

“See from his head, his bands, his feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did eter such love and sorrow meet
or thorns compose so Mich a crown?

Were the whale realm of nature mine

That were an offering far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine

Demands my soul, my life, my all." AMEN