Faithfulness, Gifts and Callings
“God, through whom you have been called into intimacy with Jesus, our Savior, is faithful.” — 1 Corinthians 1:9
In a blog post this week, the Episcopal theologian, Diana Butler Bass, a member of the laity, offered these thoughts about the Season known as Epiphany (quote): “The word epiphany means ‘manifestation,’ ‘revelation,’ ‘unveiling.’”
“Following Christmas, it is the time of the year in which Christians consider how God has appeared to us, where God is seen, how God is made manifest in the world. Epiphany, its primary symbol the star”— a symbol, I might add, found not in Luke with its pastoral manger scene but in Matthew with its scenes of power and intrigue and violence— “Epiphany, its primary symbol the star, is about seeing the light.”
‘The roots of Epiphany’ she goes on to say, “are found in the Hebrew Bible.... many prophets experienced ‘epiphanies,’ where God appeared to them. Indeed, the Jewish festival of Hanukkah is an epiphany celebration— the light of God seen on earth. Early Christians borrowed the word epiphaneia from the Greek version of the Jewish Scriptures. There it refers to the visible presence of God in the world.” (Slight pause.)
Emmanuel, God with us, the one we know as Jesus, the one we know as the Christ, the revelation of light, the visible presence of God in the world, is the One of whom we Christians speak in the Season of Epiphany. We celebrate God made manifest to the whole world, God revealed in Jesus, God no longer distant or only the God of the ancient Israelites. This God is, indeed, visible to all who open their eyes. (Slight pause.)
Now... we, as a nation, have come through a difficult week. Hence, it is no wonder that, in this meditation on Epiphany, a meditation about light which is visible to those who open their eyes, that Diana Butler Bass, in a plea that we open our eyes, referenced those four words Barack Obama used about Representative Gabrielle Giffords: “Gabby opened her eyes.” These were, says Bass, four simple words, four very spiritual words— “Gabby opened her eyes.” [1] (Slight pause.)
The Chief Executive went to say we should (quote): “...expand our moral imaginations... and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.” Then the President spoke about the nine year old girl who died: Christina Taylor Green.
“...here was a young girl,” he said, “who was just becoming aware of our democracy— just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship, just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future.... She saw all this through the eyes of a child”— through the eyes of a child.
“I want us to live up to her expectations,” he said. “I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it.... we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.” [2] (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as First Corinthians: “God, through whom you have been called into intimacy with Jesus, our Savior, is faithful.” (Slight pause.)
All the true letters of Paul— note: the true letters are not the 13 attributed to the Apostle; scholars say only 7 are in the voice of Paul— all the true letters of Paul start with introductions very similar to the one heard today. Despite the fact that all the introductions of the letters sound alike, there is much substance to be found in each of them.
And one of the prime topics here is the gifts we all have, gifts granted by God. Thereby, this reading proclaims the initiative of God in calling forth the people of God with the gifts necessary to proclaim the communal, even public, character of faith.
This calling belongs not only to “church leaders.” Paul speaks of the Christians as “called to be saints.” For Paul, each and every Christian is called and empowered by God with gifts. Paul is, in the introduction of this letter, specifically grateful for the gift of ‘speech and knowledge of every kind.’
Further, in this letter Paul insists considerations about the community as a whole outweigh the prerogatives of individuals or groups. The reason lies not in the inherent good of the group but that all members of the community are empowered by God.
In short, we are called to the greater good because the call of God is to community and the good of all in the community. And who is the community? It is all of us. It is you and you and you and me, together. (Slight pause.)
This weekend we also celebrate a prophet who constantly called us to the greater good of community, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What I’d like to do right now is just share several sayings of Dr. King. And, indeed, one of the things at which Dr. King excelled was inviting people to be faithful and to open their eyes. (Slight pause.)
I’ll start with this one: “I am convinced that the universe is under the control of a loving purpose and that the struggle for righteousness has cosmic companionship.” “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. We have a moral obligation to be intelligent.” “Here and there an individual or group dares to love and rises to the majestic heights of moral maturity.”
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle, the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” “The ultimate measure is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where one stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” “Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill-will.”
“It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of high maturity, to rise to the level of self-criticism.” “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” “I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states.... Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”
“Let no one pull you low enough to hate.” “Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But, conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one that it is right.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”
“I refuse to accept the idea that we are mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life unable to influence the unfolding events which surround us. I refuse to accept the view that humankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.” “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”
“The time is always right to do what is right.” “Peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” “Our problem is not to be rid of fear but rather to harness and master it.”
And yes, Dr. King also said this: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (Slight pause.)
The children... it all come down to the children. So, can we see faith, can we be faithful, can we have the moral imagination to see through the eyes of children? Indeed, do we, can we open our hearts like children? Can we open our souls like children? Can we open our eyes... like children? Amen.
01/16/2011
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. It needs to be noted that at the “Children’s Time” the pastor had two signs, one of which said “Holiday” and the other of which said “Holyday” and asked if the children had a vacation day on Monday (1/17/2011). Then the pastor explained that it may be a “Holiday” but it was also, for those in the church a “Holyday” because of the work of the Rev. Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. That have been explained, this is an précis of what was said as the pastor held up those signs again: “Holiday... Holyday... for God each and every day is a Holyday.”
[1] Diana Bulter Bass, Gabby Opened Her Eyes: May We Also Open Ours; 01/14/2011; Beliefnet.com blog.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/christianityfortherestofus/2011/01/gabby-opened-her-eyes-may-we-also.html
[2] NY Times ~ 01/12/2011 ~ Obama’s Remarks in Tucson
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/us/politics/13obama-text.html?scp=1&sq=Obama’s Remarks in Tucson&st=cse
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