The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost - October 28

Doing Religion
Mark10:46-52
Stewardship

One of the more significant insights I have gained recently from the insights and scholarly work of others is the recognition that for the early Christians faith was a verb. Faith was what you DID, not what you believed. To be a person of faith was to act in a certain way. The church has spent centuries exploring and articulating doctrines that are the corpus of belief. And these can be extremely helpful in our journey Godward. But I think we can also benefit greatly by reclaiming the ancient understanding of faith as what we do, more than what we believe.

Faith is what we do. Today’s Gospel brought this to mind again. Jesus says to formerly blind Bartimaeus, “You faith has made you well.” Our first thought is probably to assume that it was what Bartimaeus believed about Jesus that was important. But maybe, just maybe it was because Bartimaeus called out, because he asked for help, because he sprang towards Jesus… maybe it was these words and actions that moved him towards God and God’s wholeness. Maybe the faith that led him into healing was what he did, not what he believed.

I’m going to springboard from this understanding of faith to talk about religion. Faith is individual. Religion is corporate. What if we think of religion in the same way the early Christians thought about faith, except that it is corporate. What if we define religion as what WE DO together? Faith is what I DO; religion is what WE DO. It is less then about what we, as a group believe, which is probably how most of us would have defined religion. Religion is what we, plural, do together. It is the group expression of faith. You will sometimes hear people speak dismissively of “organized religion.” But, yes, religion is organized… Religion is a group activity. Group activities have to be organized to some degree.

It’s interesting to me that the words religion and ligament come from the same root. It means to connect, or bind together. And doing religion, participating in the group activities that are religion, clearly connect us to one another as sisters and brothers in Christ. But doing the group activities of religion also connect us to God, to our own individual faith (beliefs and actions), and to the needs of the world.

How are theses connections built? For example, our corporate worship connects us to God. It’s certainly possible for an individual to feel connected to God, but as we worship together we are surrounded by the words and witness of the saints…. Both the historical saints who populate our windows, and also the saints sitting next to you in the pews. Their witness, their words lift you to God beyond your individual efforts. Our awareness of God immanence is heightened by the sights and sounds of altar and music. And the sacraments, the heart of our corporate worship, bring us beyond connection into communion with the living God. Doing worship as a group connects us to God.

The activities of organized religion, our group activities also connect us to our individual faith (both its beliefs and activities). Religion nurtures faith, more than vice versa, I think. You do not have to have a deep personal faith to do religion as part of the group. And participation in the group activities of religion deepens and strengthens your individual faith. Remember that the great doctrines of belief were developed in messy group meetings. In conversation, discussion, group study we are connected to the faith within us. These help us see and know God better and live our individual faith better.

Doing religion as a group also connects us to one another. We are knit together through Christ into caring community. A community where Democrat and Republican love one another. And I’m not being flip! God, the world needs communities like these. We are connected to a community where our individual needs are met with prayer, support and compassion and our joys celebrated together. Where no one ever need be isolated or alone.

Doing religion as a group also connects us to the needs of the world. We serve others best as the Body of Christ. Yes, an individual can do a lot to help others in need, and secular agencies also do good work. But we serve the needs of the world best as the Body of Christ.

So religion is a verb. It is what we, plural, do together. Group activities like worship, fellowship, learning and conversation, outreach. When we do these activities together, they connect us to God, to our own faith, to our fellow human beings, both within the church and beyond. We need those connections. We need to do religion.

You need religion.
The world needs religion.
Your neighbor, your kids, your parents need religion.

We need to be a part of these group activities that connect us to God and to one another.

Religion is not an abstract set of beliefs; it is not some institution with an organizational chart. It’s what… WE. DO. What we do together. And we do it in the parish. The parish is the group, the community that does religion.

You are that group. But to be a part of it, you have to be a part of it. It’s not like public radio where you can get the music or the news without participation. You have to do religion, do the group activities that connect us to God, enrich our faith, bless our lives, heal the world.

The only way to do religion is to be a part of the group.

Showing up is very important. Your presence, your prayers, your voices are important. Showing up regularly is very important. For you; for all of us. Your presence makes the group.

But the group activities also need your participation, your offering of yourself. The religious activities of this parish community cannot happen without your time and your talents. For these things to happen it means you doing tasks, some interesting, some less so, you attending meetings, you giving generously of your money and your self. To do religion, it certainly helps to have a building and at least some staff. Maintaining those are up to you.

Religion is what we do to connect us to God, to our faith, to a caring community, to the needs of the world.

Are you doing all you can to help us do religion?