Legacy

Rev. Steven DeFields-Gambrel

The tiny old woman smiled, shook my hand, and said, “I’m hard of hearing; I haven’t heard a word you’ve said for the last five years, but I’m sure it was a very good sermon.” 

As I turned out the lights and locked up the church I thought of a curmudgeonly elder from decades ago. Floyd had strong opinions on, well, everything, and the scripture that Sunday required me to say things that I knew Floyd would not like. I feared that he would leave the church over the sermon I was about to preach. 

To my surprise, after the service, Floyd said, “Best sermon you’ve ever preached, Steve.” As he summarized what he’d heard I realized that he had heard exactly the opposite of what I had preached. Being no fool, I just smiled and said, “Thank you, Floyd.” 

I’ve often quipped that by Tuesday no one will remember anything I said on Sunday. It used to be funny. Starting my car today I wondered, “After twenty-seven years in the pulpit have I made any difference? Any difference at all?”

Creeping slowly through the parking lot, I think about that fact that I am among a generation of preachers who have presided over the largest decline in the history of Christianity. By the time I retire, three of the four congregations I have served will have closed their doors, and I’m not so sure about the fourth. This is my legacy, and it hurts, every single day.

This Sunday afternoon my wife and I are traveling to the tiny town in which I was ordained and pastored my first church. We are going to the birthday party of the woman who was my first church secretary. Catherine was like a mom to me. In fact, the whole family sort of adopted me. I am looking forward to reconnecting with these old friends. 

We arrive, and I whisper to my wife about how old they’ve all gotten, as if I haven’t. She rolls her eyes. As we sit with old friends eating fried chicken and potato salad and reminiscing, three young adults with toddlers in tow ask for a private moment. In a quiet corner a tall young man, about thirty years old, says, “We all want to thank you for the impact you’ve had on our lives.” He reminded me of something I apparently preached one day in 1999. He would have been maybe ten years old at the time. I have no memory of that sermon, but he said, “That’s always stuck with me, and I’ve tried to live my life accordingly.” Then his cousin, now a young mother, quoted back to me something else I once said. Another cousin remembered another line that “always stuck with me.” The father of the tall young man, inspired by a parable I once told, even wrote a song, put it on a CD, and still sings it. 

That was twenty years ago! That little church has closed its doors forever. Those kids grew up, moved on, and in most instances do not attend Disciples churches. But as Isaiah said, “[M]y word…shall not return to me empty...”

They heard, and have not forgotten. I have left a legacy.

What Do We Preach?

Rev. Dr. Miseon Choi

Jesus demonstrated and taught his disciples and countless others how to build the reign of God into their lives throughout his life. His words were powerful messages that could reshape the identity of his followers in their current lives. With a new identity, they could discover a new direction for their lives and live life to the fullest as a little “christ” who follows Jesus’ teaching. (By "christ," I mean those who "live" according to the values and spirit of the reign of God that Jesus proclaimed: “Love God and love your neighbor” (Matt. 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; and Luke 10:25-28).

예수는 그의 생애에 걸쳐 제자들과 수많은 사람들에게 하느님의 나라를 그들의 삶 가운데 세우는 삶을 보여주시고 가르치셨습니다. 예수의 말씀(오늘날 설교)은 청중들이 처한 현재의 삶에서 그들의 정체성을 새롭게 형성할 수 있는 강력한 메시지였습니다. 그 말씀은 새로운 정체성으로 새로운 삶의 방향을 발견하고, 예수를 따르는 작은 ‘그리스도’로서 자신의 삶을 온전히 누릴 수 있게 합니다. (여기서, ‘그리스도’란 예수가 선포한 하느님 나라의 가치와 그 정신을 따라 “사는 삶”과 그러한 “사람”을 의미합니다: “하느님을 사랑하고 이웃을 사랑하라” (마 22:34-40; 막 12:28-34; and 눅 10:25-28). 

In particular, Jesus used his audience’s society and culture to help them understand his words, often through storytelling. The Hebrews of the Old Testament also used storytelling to teach, and the biblical writers used stories to convey their messages. As Hebrew biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann argues, "story" was a fundamental mode of education in the Israelite faith.

특히, 예수는 청중들이 쉽게 이해할 수 있도록 그들의 사회와 문화를 말씀의 소재로 활용하였고, 주로 스토리텔링으로 전달하였습니다. 구약의 히브리인들 역시 스토리텔링 방식으로 가르쳤고, 성서 기자들의 메시지 전달 방법도 이야기를 활용했습니다. 히브리 성서학자 월터 브루게만이 주장하듯, “이야기”는 이스라엘 신앙의 근본적인 교육 방식이었습니다.

Considering that Jesus’ words connected deeply with the lives of his audience through narrative, our sermons from the pulpit today should also be meaningful words that connect deeply with “each and every one of us,” because a sermon that is disconnected from life is meaningless. Therefore, we who follow the values of the Kingdom of God must ask how we should love God and our neighbors, what challenges we face today, and who our neighbors are.

예수의 말씀이 내러티브를 통해 청중의 삶과 깊숙이 연결되었다는 것을 생각할 때, 오늘날 강단에서 전하는 우리의 설교 또한 “청중들 한사람 한사람”과 깊숙이 연결되는 의미 있는 말씀이어야 할 것입니다. 삶의 현장과 동떨어진 설교는 무의미하기 때문입니다. 따라서, 하느님 나라의 가치를 따르는 우리들이 어떻게 하느님을 사랑하고 이웃을 사랑해야 하는지, 오늘날 우리가 직면한 도전은 무엇이며, 우리의 이웃은 누구인지를 물어야 할 것입니다. 

Sadly, however, the main teachings that have historically shaped our faith identity and theology have actually been the so-called “mainstream view.” The “word of God” that has been proclaimed from the pulpit has been mostly from the perspective of Westerners and male preachers. The reign of God through their eyes, gender through their eyes, children through their eyes, social structures through their eyes, and so on...

그러나 안타깝게도, 역사적으로 우리의 신앙 정체성과 신학을 형성했던 주요 가르침들은 사실 소위 말하는 “주류의 관점”이었습니다. 그동안 설교를 통해 선포되었던 “하느님의 말씀”은 대부분 서양인, 그리고 남성 설교자들의 시선이었습니다. 그들의 눈으로 본 하느님의 나라, 그들의 눈으로 본 이성, 그들의 눈으로 본 어린이, 그들의 눈으로 본 사회 구조… 

We need to understand that these mainstream perspectives are not absolutely right on every issue, because the experiences of silenced minority voices and marginalized groups can provide important perspectives that are often overlooked by mainstream perspectives. Furthermore, the inclusion of minority experiences and voices not only broadens our narrow view of the Bible but is central to the “reign of God,” where God’s love and justice is truly accomplished.

이러한 주류의 관점이 모든 문제에 대해 절대적으로 옳은 것은 아니라는 점을 우리는 이해해야 합니다. 왜냐하면 묵인되었던 소수의 목소리와 소외된 그룹들의 경험은 종종 주류의 관점에서 간과되는 중요한 시각을 제공할 수 있기 때문입니다. 나아가, 소수의 경험과 목소리의 포용은 성서를 대하는 우리의 편협하고 좁은 시각을 넓혀줄 뿐만 아니라, 진정한 하느님의 사랑과 정의를 이루는 “하느님 나라”의 핵심이 됩니다. 

Christian educator Anne Wimberly has developed a new biblical narrative that is liberating and vocational from an African American perspective. Similarly, practical theologian Evelyn L. Parker approaches biblical narratives anew with a critical eye toward racism, sexism, classism, and heterosexism. In particular, she draws on the Bible to listen to the stories of African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, and other diverse social and racial groups. Likewise, HyeRan Kim-Cragg and EunYoung Choi revisit biblical stories from migration and intercultural perspectives. Kwok Pui-Lan also insists that we need to pay attention to those who are oppressed and subordinated in biblical stories. Others, such as Dori Baker, Norma Bowles, Susan Shaw, Peter Fitzele, and many others, have attempted to rediscover the marginalized and silenced voices of today’s marginalized neighbors in traditional biblical narratives and approach their experiences anew.

기독교 교육학자인 Anne Wimberly는 아프리카계 미국인들의 관점으로 해방적이고 소명적인 새로운 성서 이야기를 발전시켰습니다. 또한 실천 신학자인 Evelyn L. Parker는 인종차별, 성차별, 계급주의, 이성애주의에 대한 비판적 시각으로 성서의 내러티브를 새롭게 접근합니다. 특히, 그녀는 성서를 바탕으로 아프리카계 미국인, 아시아계 미국인, 유럽계 미국인, 라틴계 미국인, 아메리카 원주민 등 다양한 사회적 위치와 인종 그룹, 그리고 그들의 이야기에 귀 기울입니다. 마찬가지로, 김혜란과 최은영은 이주민과 다문화의 관점에서 성서 이야기를 재해석하였습니다. 곽퓨이란 역시 성서 이야기에서 억압받고 종속되는 사람들에게 관심을 기울일 필요가 있다고 주장합니다. 그 밖에도, Dori Baker, Norma Bowles, Susan Shaw, Peter Pitzele 등 많은 이들이 전통적인 성서 내러티브에 오늘날의 소외된 이웃들과 묵인된 목소리를 재발견하고 그들의 경험에 새롭게 접근하는 시도를 하였습니다. 

In light of this, what do we preach from the pulpit today? 

Who is the main character you usually pay attention to in your sermons? 

그렇다면, 오늘 우리는 강단에서 무엇을 설교합니까? 

여러분이 설교에서 주목하는 주인공은 주로 누구입니까? 

Through the words conveyed from the perspective of those marginalized in the Bible and from the perspective of those who were forcefully silenced in the sermon, we will be able to warmly invite members who belong to our community but are marginalized. I hope and pray that we can not only widen our perspectives and increase the inclusivity of our community by revisiting the stories, experiences, and values of those who were excluded, but also we can experience God’s reign which is harmonized with diversity during the sermon.



성서 속 주변인의 시각에서, 그리고 설교에서 묵인되었던 성서 인물들의 시각에서 전달되는 말씀을 통해, 우리는 우리 공동체에 속해 있지만 소외된 구성원들을 따뜻하게 초대할 수 있을 것입니다. 손쉽게 배제되었던 그들의 이야기와 경험, 그들의 가치를 재조명함으로써 우리 공동체의 시각과 포용성을 넓힐 뿐만 아니라, 다양성 가운데 조화를 이루는 하느님의 통치를 설교 시간에 경험할 수 있기를 기원합니다.