"THE COSMOS IS FLAT"

Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31

In the last year or so,

Thomas Friedman from the New York Times

came out with a book,

the title of which I think is no surprise to any of us:

The World is Flat.[1]

In other words,

the world is connected.

No more can any of us live in isolation from one another,

no matter where we live in the world.

No more can people in power

assume that they are safe from the so-called powerless.

The playing field has been leveled.

Friedman declares

that you and I are now living in what he calls

"Globalization 3.0,"

which, if you're like me and need explanation for computer terms,

means that he believes we're in the third version of globalization.

The first stage, globalization 1.0,

began around 1492 with the explorations ofColumbus

and went up to about 1800.

All the discoveries of Columbus

and all the inventions of the Renaissance,

like the printing press,

shrunk the world from a size large to a size medium.

In 1.0, it was countries and nations

that were the driving force behind change.

Globalization 2.0 began around 1800

with the dawn of the industrial revolution

and lasted until just about the year 2000.

This was the era

in which not countries, but companies

became the driving force behind change.

This time, the world shrank from a medium to a small

as multinational corporations changed the way we do things -

even here, when Bonham got its own Super Wal Mart.

Now, he says,

we are in Globalization 3.0.

The world has shrunk from a size "small" to a size "tiny"

because now, it's neither countries NOR companies

which are driving the way we live our lives.

It's individuals.

An entrepreneur in India

has just as much chance of becoming a billionaire

as a recent graduate of MIT.

One opinionated blogger //

or one videographer with access to YouTube //

can bring down a career politician

just by unearthing an obscure story.

No one has an advantage anymore, Friedman believes.

Each of us

has just as much potential to create or to destroy

as all of us.

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Our three scripture readings today

are saying that a parallel process to globalization

has been going on in the cosmos.

Cosmosization 1.0, you could say,

lasted from the beginning of time

through the formation of the nation of Israel,

for at least thousands of years.

Cosmosization 2.0 began, I would say,

just before the birth of Christ

and went through his resurrection -

just about thirty to thirty-five years.

And then Cosmosization 3.0, I believe,

began with Pentecost - the birthday of the church -

and goes down to this day.

And in that movement from 1.0 to 3.0,

the same "shrinking" process has occurred:

from God as the creator of all,

to Jesus as the savior of all,

to the Holy Spirit as the enabler and empowerer of all.

Friends, what our scripture readings are saying today

is that the cosmos is flat!

The playing field has been leveled!

And what that means for us

is that by the grace of God,

through the life of Jesus,

in the unity of the Spirit,

we are all shareholders in the kingdom of God -

right here, right now.

The actions of the saints in Bonham and Telephone

and Ivanhoe and Whitewright and Ravenna

have an impact on the new world order

that God is bringing to pass.

The bottom line is this:

what you and I as Christians say,

and do, and think,

matters.

The cosmos is flat.

The playing field has been leveled.

God's plan includes, and requires,

each and every one of us.

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This is interesting news on All Saints Day, isn't it?

All Saints Day is usually a time

when we remember those who have gone before,

those saints whose warts and rough edges

have been worn down and smoothed over

by the passage of time.

This is a day

when we think we are supposed to pray nicely

in gratitude for nice people

who did nice things.

Not hardly.

All Saints Day

is the day when we celebrate the connection we have

with men and women and boys and girls,

very human human beings just like us

who have been made more than they were

by being engrafted into the kingdom of God.

It's the day we celebrate that connection,

even as we hope for our own engrafting,

even as we hope to be made more than we are.

And if the cosmos has indeed been leveled,

then today, here and now,

we are on an equal footing with the saints

in carrying out the will of God.

And so part of what's required in a flat cosmos

is the living of ethical lives -

not later on, but today.

Not only is that necessary to God's plan for salvation,

it's one of the blessings of God for us here and now.

What we say and do here in the name of Jesus

carries as much weight

as anything that might go on in heaven.

Our words and our actions reflect who we really are.

If we say with our lips that we are a follower of Jesus

but then follow it up with rumors

and backbiting and lies,

indeed we have shown who we really are.

Our words and our actions have a bearing on life in the world.

What we say and do

can set the tone for what others say and do.

You remember that Helen Hunt movie, "Pay it Forward?"

Gratitude for blessings received

is lived out in blessings given to others.

Who then give them to others.

Who then give them to others.

Our words and actions have a ripple effect

which we may never see directly,

but which we will very definitely experience.

But most of all,

our words and our actions

are a way that God brings about change in our world.

In other words,

it's about more than just being nice.

You and I who profess to be believers in the risen Son of God

have been given that same power described in Ephesians today.

You and I! Imagine it!

Paul says so to the Ephesians:

"In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance,

having been destined according to the purpose

of him who accomplishes all things

according to his counsel and will,

so that we?might live for the praise of his glory."  (Eph 1:11-12)

What we do, whatever we do,

 we do for God's kingdom in God's name.

And in God's name,

we have inherited the power to effect incredible change.

God provides us with what we need

to do what God needs to have done.

This is a little hard to hear

when you're in the kitchen making a bologna sandwich

but it's true.

Our deeds must match our words.

What you and I do,

what we say,

how we act,

matters.

It's not easy to keep in mind every second of the day,

but it's essential.

Even when we're making bologna sandwiches.

When we're jockeying for a good parking spot at Wal-Mart,

when we're having a conversation with loved ones,

when we're having a conversation with folks we don't love so much,

we have to remember that the cosmos is flat.

We've been given power to share,

power from above that enables us to love enemies,

to do good to those who hate you,

to bless those who curse you,

to pray for those who abuse you,

to do to others as you would have them do to you.   (Luke 6:27-31)

Power that enables us to change the world.

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Another thing that this means

is that the table you see before you this morning

is not only flat,

it's much larger

and much more crowded than it might appear.

We are not the only ones who gather around this table today.

We are dining with untold others who,

along with us,

are stakeholders in the kingdom of God.

You know,

some people might say this sounds pretty arrogant,

to say that you and I have anything at all to do

with the salvation of the world.

Well, I'm just repeating what I've been told

by Daniel, and Luke, and Jesus, and the apostle Paul,

among others.

I think there's something worse than arrogance

about something this important.

And that is not knowing who we are,

or what we are supposed to be up to as followers of Christ.

It's far worse

to believe that what we do and say has no purpose,

that you and I have no connection to each other

or to the saints,

that the things I do and say as a believer

are no one else's business but mine and God's.

That's what I would call arrogance.

Those who would so isolate themselves

and so write off the power and strength that God has given each of us

are most to be pitied.

Friends, you and I have the opportunity every day,

every hour,

maybe even more frequently than that,

to speak a word of grace to someone in God's name,

to challenge someone to answer their call to serve,

maybe even to rise to the occasion ourselves. 

If the cosmos is truly flat,

then you don't need a degree or a pedigree

to serve God right where you are, as you are.

God has given you and I exactly what we need.

Let's get to it.

Amen.