12/29/2013 ~ First Sunday after Christmas Day, i.e.: the First Sunday After the Feast of the Incarnation ~ Isaiah 63:7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23 ~ HYMN SING ~ 5TH SUNDAY.
The Other Story
“Now after they, the Magi, had left, an angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and Mary, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you otherwise. Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” — Matthew 2:13.
I had a friend, a member of the laity, a woman in her early 20s, who was put in charge of patching a Christmas Pageant together at a church in a metropolitan area. As is true in a lot of churches today, this was not a pageant just for children. A broad range of age groups were to be included in the cast— all ages— adults and children.
In this particular church happened to be very, very few children between the ages of say 3 or 4 and 11 or 12. Often this age group would be seen as prime candidates to populate these productions.
On the other hand, there were a lot of what we sometimes and quite loosely call youth— ages 13 through 17. Further complicating matters, there were about 8 boys and one girl.
My friend, being very organized, had obtained a script from some religious publisher. And that script relied heavily on quotes from Scripture, not necessarily a bad thing. But that’s where the trouble started.
In this case, that script relied on the King James Version of the story as we find it in Luke. The Twelfth Verse of the Second Chapter in Luke turned out to be quite problematic.
For those of you who, off the top of your head, cannot bring the Twelfth Verse of the Second Chapter of Luke in the King James translation immediately to mind, let me refresh your memory. The angel says to the shepherds (quote:) “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (Slight pause.)
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What’s the problem?” The problem was teenage boys. Or more accurately, since I do not want to condemn all teen age boys as a group (I was, after all, a teen age boy once), the problem was one teen age boy.
The oldest among the aforementioned boys, their ring leader, a natural cut up, had been cast as the angel, precisely because he was the ring leader. The first time the youngster read through that twelfth verse, this is what it sounded like: “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe...” Oh, wow! There’s a babe in this play. Is the babe an angel too?” And then he laughed and he laughed and he laughed. (Slight pause.)
That is when my friend decided the one girl present would read the part. And she decided none of the boys would have a speaking roles in this pageant. (Slight pause.)
We do find these words in the work known as Matthew: “Now after they, the Magi, had left, an angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and Mary, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you otherwise. Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” (Slight pause.)
I have another story of a Christmas pageant gone amuck. This one concerns a large Episcopal Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The pastor felt fortunate that a professional actor, a young lady all of twelve years old who had already appeared in two Broadway plays, was available to play the part of Mary.
The young actor was given the script. So she went home to study it. This script included, as many pageant scripts do, the arrival of the Magi. Of course, it conflated, merged the Luke version and the Matthew version of the story— two very different stories.
Now, just like many other pageant scripts, it did not include what happened after the Magi arrived, everything you heard in today’s reading. It left out the fact that Mary and Joseph and Jesus flee to Egypt and Herod slays all the children under two.
Now, the young actor who had been assigned the part of Mary decided she needed to consult the source material, the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and even looked at some commentaries for background. After all, she was a professional actor. That is what professional actors do. They research the part.
Having read the Gospels and some of what is said about them, she made an appointment with the pastor. When she came in she demanded to know why the script left out some important details. She had a whole list. I’ll mention two.
The shepherds were terrified when they angel appeared. The script did not say that. She also demanded to know why the script said nothing about Herod sending the palace guard out to kill all the children under two. (Slight pause.)
I need to be clear. I am not recommending churches suspend Christmas pageants. I am suggesting we do need to be clear that what we find in Scripture is not what we find in Christmas pageants.
Indeed, when we read portions of the Second Chapter of Luke on Christmas Eve, this introductory comment is made. (Quote:) “Our culture fails to recognize the announcement is not meant as a pastoral tale, but is meant as a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah that the birth of the Messiah will be announced to the poor and the outcast. The shepherds, in this era, would have been counted among the lowest of the low on the cultural ladder” (unquote).
Further, as must be clear to you, especially given the reading from Matthew, one of the things Scripture strives to deal with— one of the things Scripture strives to do— is to deal with reality. Indeed, earlier we heard The Coventry Carol.
As the write up about the carol in the bulletin says, it was a part of The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. [1] The pageant in which this carol was presented dates from at least as early as the Fifteen Hundreds, the Sixteenth Century. Historians are fairly confident it was performed for Henry the VIII— this pageant.
And this play did depict— did depict— the part of the Christmas story from Chapter Two in the Matthew. The carol, itself, clearly refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, as it is called. In short, the generation alive in the Sixteenth Century was dealing with the real issues this passage presents, perhaps more so than our so called modern society.
All of which leaves us with a key question: if we look at the message underlying the angels in Luke and the message underlying today’s reading, both of those messages— as we theater people might say, the sub-text in those messages— are about reality. So what conclusion can be drawn from that?
What conclusion can be drawn about the reality that Scripture, itself, addresses? (Slight pause.) God cares. God cares about human pain and human suffering in this world, right now. (Slight pause.)
There is one more conclusion which can be drawn from the two very different nativity stories: God is real. The birth of Jesus is retold in the Gospels to send us that one unmistakable message. God... is... real. (Slight pause.)
You see, I think one of our problems, especially in modern times, is we have actually trouble with the concept of the reality of God. So, for some reason, we find it easier to transform the reality of these stories into something which, perhaps, feels like magic.
In its own way, that substitution of magic denies a singular and basic truth about God. God seeks justice. God seeks equity and through justice and equity God seeks peace and joy and hope and love.
Jesus, you see, represents the true light of God. The true light of this God who seeks justice and equity and peace and joy and hope and love. And Jesus has come into the world to illuminate this truth, this reality, this light that God does, in fact, seek justice, equity, peace, joy, love.
All of which is to say God invites us to engage in the real world with all of its trials and all of its challenges. And God also reminds us with the birth of Jesus that the presence of God is with us always as we strive to engage the world.
God walks with us. God guides us. Dare I say it— God is still speaking to us. And I believe my friends, that this is a reality which we should not deny. Amen.
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Churches more liturgical than ours celebrate The Feast of the Holy Innocents sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Gospel from that Second Chapter of Matthew is read. Episcopal Theologian Diana Bass recently said this in reference to that feast (quote): ‘The Feast of Holy Innocents is always disturbing. The powers of this world want to destroy the Light; those who deny the justice and love of God seek to end the reality of light in its infancy.’”
BENEDICTION: Hear now this blessing from the words of the Prophet Isaiah in the 60th chapter (Isaiah 60:19-20a): The sun shall no longer be / your light by day, / nor for / brightness shall the moon / give you light by night; / for Yahweh, God, will be your everlasting light, / and your glory. / Amen.
[1] This was the write up in the bulletin.
THE COVENTRY CAROL
The Coventry Carol is a Christmas carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was performed in Coventry in England as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors.
The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew. The carol refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed.
The lyrics of this haunting carol represent a mother’s lament for her doomed child. It is the only carol that has survived from this play.
It is notable as a well-known example of a Picardy Third (the use of a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key). The composer of the carol is unknown.
The oldest known text was written down by Robert Croo in 1534, and the oldest known printing of the melody dates from 1591. The carol is sometimes sung a cappella.
The only manuscript copy of that text to have survived into recent times was destroyed by a fire in 1875. Hence, our knowledge of the original lyric is based on two very poor quality transcriptions from the early nineteenth century. As a consequence, there is considerable doubt about many of the words.
Indeed, it can be difficult to make sense of some of the transcribed words. For example, in the last verse “And ever morne and may For thi parting Neither say nor singe” is not clear.
Various modern editors have made different attempts to make sense of the words, so such variations may be found as “ever mourn and say,” “every morn and day,” “ever mourn and sigh.” The following is one attempted reconstruction.
Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Lullay, thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.
That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ever mourn and sigh,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Carol
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
SERMON ~ 12/24/2013 ~ “The Glory of God”
12/24/2013 - 12/25/2013 ~ Nativity of the Christ, Known in Some Traditions as the Feast of the Incarnation, Known in other Traditions as the Feast of the Birth of the Messiah, Commonly Known as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ~ Proper I ~ Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20) ~ Proper II ~ Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20 ~ Proper III ~ Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14.
The Glory of God
“An angel of God suddenly stood before them and the glory of God shone around them— and they were terrified.” — Luke 2:9.
Benjamin did not know his father. Neither did he know his mother. His parents were never present to him.
Left on the street when he was an infant, he had been abandoned. A couple from the village took him in. By the time he was ten he was living on the streets of Bethlehem. By the time he was eleven he was part of a gang, hoodlums.
By the time he was twelve, he was adept at stealing fruit off carts at the bazaar without being noticed. By the time he was thirteen, he could easily climb a fence, gently pick up a chicken, keep the foul from squawking, be back over the fence and off with it in moments. Often it would be hours before anyone noticed the count of birds was off.
Many people knew exactly who he was. Most looked on him with scorn. Many people knew exactly who was in the gang. Most people looked on the gang with scorn.
The gang was, however, family to him, family for him. And they were family to one another, looked out for one another.
When any one of them was sick, the gang offered care, protection, food, shelter. They lived together in tents set up in a field, not far from town.
Occasionally the local authorities would come from the village, burn tents to the ground, scatter whatever else they found. The gang would rally, rebuild their tents still further out into the hills. (Slight pause.)
As Benjamin grew older— he was now seventeen— he moved into the leadership ranks of the gang. And he realized the problem with being a crook is the profession relies on opportunity. An opportunistic profession is always feast or famine.
When you steal chicken or fruit, it’s feast. But days might pass before another opportunity presented itself— famine. (Slight pause.)
Eventually, the gang decided moving still further out into the fields was smart, since they— the gang— had made peace with many farmers who were scattered over the hills away from the village. That peace grew from the fact that they had started to tend sheep for the farmers.
Sheep will eat nearly anything. The farmers needed someone to herd the sheep, to keep them away from the crops. Benjamin’s rag-tag crew may have been hoodlums, brigands, in town. But out in the hills they were just what the farmers needed.
This was hard work, marginal work. But it gave the gang just enough food and shelter to exist. Unlike the feast or famine business of burglary, it offered consistency. There was always just enough. Somehow, if felt peaceful— like a sanctuary. (Pause.)
And so, on a cold spring night the gang gathered outside their tents around a soft fire. [1] The full moon was as bright as Benjamin had ever seen it. In the distance they could hear jackals howling. (Slight pause.)
Benjamin once had a conversation with a Rabbi who told him ritual was important and prayer was important. So, as their leader, Benjamin had developed a ritual they followed before turning in each night.
They stood in a circle. They held hands. They prayed. They felt mutual support. They felt energy transfer from hand to hand to hand to hand. They were... family. (Pause.)
That night he was unsure what happened as they prayed. No one else in the gang could ever explain what happened, either.
All they knew was this: first, everything was suddenly dark. A full moon had been there moments ago. It was gone. Darkness surrounded them.
They were family, so they tightly held onto each other’s hands. And, despite or perhaps because of that hold on one another, it felt as if they were they were levitating. Their feet no longer touched the ground. (Slight pause.)
And then there was light. Or was it light? If felt like light, but it could not really be seen. It was more like a presence— like the Hebrew word kabod— glory: the presence of God. That was as close as any of them could come to describing how it felt.
And that was how they later described it: whatever was happening, was not seen. It was not heard. It was a presence. It was felt.
Then there was something which sounded like a voice. But the voice was not heard, either. It was felt. Again, the Hebrew word kabod— glory— seemed apt. The presence of God was close. That was the only way any of them could describe it. (Pause.)
Suddenly they were again standing around the fire. The moon was full. The jackals screeched. Yet something had changed. They felt at peace. They did not know what to make of it. (Slight pause.)
They were unsure why, but together, they started to drift toward town. When they were on the outskirts, they wandered toward a barn. They found a man, a woman, a newborn.
They formed a circle. They held hands. They prayed. This time there was no darkness. But there was this same presence— kabod— glory. Was it because of a child?
Benjamin looked around and saw... family. He had not known his father. Neither had he known his mother. His parents were never present to him. But he sensed this child was present to him, present to them. It felt... safe.
The child seemed to be somehow present to everyone in the circle, present to the family. He did not feel abandoned.
Was that possible? Could a child have that kind of presence— a sense of kabod— a sense of glory.
He did not know. He squeezed the hands of the shepherds on either side of him. They all let go. In unison they nodded to the man. They nodded to the woman. They bowed to the child. They turned and headed back toward the hills.
As they walked Benjamin had but one thought— kabod— a sense of the presence of God. Is it real? Is it possible? Can even lowly shepherds be so blessed as to experience the real presence of God? (Slight pause.)
Maybe that was what the presence of God— the glory of God— is about. It is about God Who is present, Who is real to all people, no matter who they are. (Slight pause.)
As they wandered back toward the hills Benjamin fully realized kabod was what he felt in the presence of the baby. And that was when Benjamin also fully realized there was something he had to do.
He had to tell everyone he met that God is real, that God is present for everyone. After all, God was present in the child. Amen.
12/24/2013 ~ Christmas Eve
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. This is an précis of what was said: “I have often said Christmas is the most important Christian feast on the secular calendar. At the very least for we Christians Easter, Pentecost, the Epiphany and Trinity Sunday should be counted as more important than Christmas. Which is not to say Christmas lacks importance. It is to say we need to reclaim Christmas as a Christian feast. In an effort to reclaim real Christmas, let me make a suggestion, one I make each year. Please do not wish people a ‘Merry Christmas.’ When you greet someone say ‘Happy Christmas.’ People can be merry about the new year, but let’s be happy about what we celebrate tonight: the birth of the Messiah, present in our midst. Further, if we are really interested in putting Christ in Christmas, we need to feed the hungry, clothe those in tatters, care for the ill, etc., etc., etc.”
BENEDICTION: Hear now this blessing from the words of the Prophet Isaiah in the 60th chapter (Isaiah 60:19-20a): The sun shall no longer be / your light by day, / nor for brightness shall the moon / give you light by night; / for Yahweh, God, will be your everlasting light, / and your glory. / Amen.
[1] At the beginning of the service this was said: “Ancient Rome had a winter solstice celebration, celebrating the return of the sun and on their calendar the solstice was on the 25th of December. It’s likely Christians adopted it to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, as we claim Jesus to be both the Messiah and the Light of God born to our lives. Many scholars think Jesus was born in what we would call the year Four Before the Common Era and not in the winter but in the Springtime of that year.
The Glory of God
“An angel of God suddenly stood before them and the glory of God shone around them— and they were terrified.” — Luke 2:9.
Benjamin did not know his father. Neither did he know his mother. His parents were never present to him.
Left on the street when he was an infant, he had been abandoned. A couple from the village took him in. By the time he was ten he was living on the streets of Bethlehem. By the time he was eleven he was part of a gang, hoodlums.
By the time he was twelve, he was adept at stealing fruit off carts at the bazaar without being noticed. By the time he was thirteen, he could easily climb a fence, gently pick up a chicken, keep the foul from squawking, be back over the fence and off with it in moments. Often it would be hours before anyone noticed the count of birds was off.
Many people knew exactly who he was. Most looked on him with scorn. Many people knew exactly who was in the gang. Most people looked on the gang with scorn.
The gang was, however, family to him, family for him. And they were family to one another, looked out for one another.
When any one of them was sick, the gang offered care, protection, food, shelter. They lived together in tents set up in a field, not far from town.
Occasionally the local authorities would come from the village, burn tents to the ground, scatter whatever else they found. The gang would rally, rebuild their tents still further out into the hills. (Slight pause.)
As Benjamin grew older— he was now seventeen— he moved into the leadership ranks of the gang. And he realized the problem with being a crook is the profession relies on opportunity. An opportunistic profession is always feast or famine.
When you steal chicken or fruit, it’s feast. But days might pass before another opportunity presented itself— famine. (Slight pause.)
Eventually, the gang decided moving still further out into the fields was smart, since they— the gang— had made peace with many farmers who were scattered over the hills away from the village. That peace grew from the fact that they had started to tend sheep for the farmers.
Sheep will eat nearly anything. The farmers needed someone to herd the sheep, to keep them away from the crops. Benjamin’s rag-tag crew may have been hoodlums, brigands, in town. But out in the hills they were just what the farmers needed.
This was hard work, marginal work. But it gave the gang just enough food and shelter to exist. Unlike the feast or famine business of burglary, it offered consistency. There was always just enough. Somehow, if felt peaceful— like a sanctuary. (Pause.)
And so, on a cold spring night the gang gathered outside their tents around a soft fire. [1] The full moon was as bright as Benjamin had ever seen it. In the distance they could hear jackals howling. (Slight pause.)
Benjamin once had a conversation with a Rabbi who told him ritual was important and prayer was important. So, as their leader, Benjamin had developed a ritual they followed before turning in each night.
They stood in a circle. They held hands. They prayed. They felt mutual support. They felt energy transfer from hand to hand to hand to hand. They were... family. (Pause.)
That night he was unsure what happened as they prayed. No one else in the gang could ever explain what happened, either.
All they knew was this: first, everything was suddenly dark. A full moon had been there moments ago. It was gone. Darkness surrounded them.
They were family, so they tightly held onto each other’s hands. And, despite or perhaps because of that hold on one another, it felt as if they were they were levitating. Their feet no longer touched the ground. (Slight pause.)
And then there was light. Or was it light? If felt like light, but it could not really be seen. It was more like a presence— like the Hebrew word kabod— glory: the presence of God. That was as close as any of them could come to describing how it felt.
And that was how they later described it: whatever was happening, was not seen. It was not heard. It was a presence. It was felt.
Then there was something which sounded like a voice. But the voice was not heard, either. It was felt. Again, the Hebrew word kabod— glory— seemed apt. The presence of God was close. That was the only way any of them could describe it. (Pause.)
Suddenly they were again standing around the fire. The moon was full. The jackals screeched. Yet something had changed. They felt at peace. They did not know what to make of it. (Slight pause.)
They were unsure why, but together, they started to drift toward town. When they were on the outskirts, they wandered toward a barn. They found a man, a woman, a newborn.
They formed a circle. They held hands. They prayed. This time there was no darkness. But there was this same presence— kabod— glory. Was it because of a child?
Benjamin looked around and saw... family. He had not known his father. Neither had he known his mother. His parents were never present to him. But he sensed this child was present to him, present to them. It felt... safe.
The child seemed to be somehow present to everyone in the circle, present to the family. He did not feel abandoned.
Was that possible? Could a child have that kind of presence— a sense of kabod— a sense of glory.
He did not know. He squeezed the hands of the shepherds on either side of him. They all let go. In unison they nodded to the man. They nodded to the woman. They bowed to the child. They turned and headed back toward the hills.
As they walked Benjamin had but one thought— kabod— a sense of the presence of God. Is it real? Is it possible? Can even lowly shepherds be so blessed as to experience the real presence of God? (Slight pause.)
Maybe that was what the presence of God— the glory of God— is about. It is about God Who is present, Who is real to all people, no matter who they are. (Slight pause.)
As they wandered back toward the hills Benjamin fully realized kabod was what he felt in the presence of the baby. And that was when Benjamin also fully realized there was something he had to do.
He had to tell everyone he met that God is real, that God is present for everyone. After all, God was present in the child. Amen.
12/24/2013 ~ Christmas Eve
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. This is an précis of what was said: “I have often said Christmas is the most important Christian feast on the secular calendar. At the very least for we Christians Easter, Pentecost, the Epiphany and Trinity Sunday should be counted as more important than Christmas. Which is not to say Christmas lacks importance. It is to say we need to reclaim Christmas as a Christian feast. In an effort to reclaim real Christmas, let me make a suggestion, one I make each year. Please do not wish people a ‘Merry Christmas.’ When you greet someone say ‘Happy Christmas.’ People can be merry about the new year, but let’s be happy about what we celebrate tonight: the birth of the Messiah, present in our midst. Further, if we are really interested in putting Christ in Christmas, we need to feed the hungry, clothe those in tatters, care for the ill, etc., etc., etc.”
BENEDICTION: Hear now this blessing from the words of the Prophet Isaiah in the 60th chapter (Isaiah 60:19-20a): The sun shall no longer be / your light by day, / nor for brightness shall the moon / give you light by night; / for Yahweh, God, will be your everlasting light, / and your glory. / Amen.
[1] At the beginning of the service this was said: “Ancient Rome had a winter solstice celebration, celebrating the return of the sun and on their calendar the solstice was on the 25th of December. It’s likely Christians adopted it to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, as we claim Jesus to be both the Messiah and the Light of God born to our lives. Many scholars think Jesus was born in what we would call the year Four Before the Common Era and not in the winter but in the Springtime of that year.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
SERMON ~ 12/22/2013 ~ “God with Us”
12/22/2013 ~ Fourth Sunday of Advent ~ Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25 ~ The Sunday in Advent on Which We Commemorate Joy.
God with Us
“While this was the intention of Joseph, and he had resolved to do this, at that point an angel of God appeared in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David— do not be afraid to wed Mary; it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this child.’” — Matthew 1:20.
At the beginning of our shared time today you heard me briefly address the “Christmas Fund.” As I said, this money helps pastors who often retire at a relatively low fixed income. [1] For a bit, I’d like to look at the other end of that spectrum: from where do pastors come? Where does a call to ministry start? (Slight pause.)
The short answer is: a call to ministry starts in the pews. It starts with you. After all, we do make the claim that I am a “Pastor and Teacher” but you are the ministers. [2] Above and beyond that, the United Church of Christ is known to be a bottom/up, grass roots organization. Nothing illustrates that more clearly than the ordination process.
Generally, there are three participants when we ordain an individual to authorized ministry. The first is the local church— you. It is the duty of the local church, your duty, to identify those in your midst who have the gifts necessary for ministry.
When one such soul is identified, that local church needs to work with that individual and to then recommend that individual to the local Association as a candidate for ministry. This process is known as assisting a person in discernment— person in discernment— PID. In short, you act as mentors in this process.
That individual, raised up as a candidate for ministry, is assisted by the local church and by the local Association as training is pursued. In one sense, this is a time of test, trial and discernment which explores and questions whether or not a person does have gifts for ministry and where they might be used. But the process is also collegial, as the local church, the Association and the individual work together.
The third participant involved in ordination is the “calling body.” A calling body is a church, an institution or a ministry where the gifts and talents of the perspective ordinand will be initially used. Once a call is tendered by that church, institution or ministry, the local church who has supported the ordinand in conjunction with the local Association ordains the candidate. And that candidate is ordained for the whole church but ordained on the local level— bottom/up, not top/down. (Slight pause.)
Those of you who were here last week heard me say I was headed to Preble for an ordination last Sunday afternoon. We— the United Church of Christ in Preble cooperating with the Susquehanna Association the Association that this church is part of, we ordained the Reverend Ms. Brenda McCutcheon of the Preble Church.
Brenda is the Director of Elder Life and Spirituality at the Loretto Skilled Nursing Care facility. At one point, when an elder had passed away at Loretto, a funeral director would quietly take the deceased out a back door of the facility. This left other residents and staff with a longing to mourn, to remember, to appreciate and to celebrate a life well lived.
Brenda changed that. Now with Loretto’s End of Life program, which she established, calling hours are held in the chapel at the facility. Someone who has died is given a dignified departure out the front door. All who wish have an opportunity to pay respects, offer words of gratitude, to say good-bye. [3]
And so, the calling body this time, at this ordination— that necessary third piece on a path to ordination in the United Church of Christ— was Loretto Skilled Nursing Facility. (Slight pause.) Oh... by the way... did I mention that Loretto is a skilled nursing facility operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse? They were the calling body for a pastor with United Church of Christ. (Slight pause.)
And, by the way, did I mention a Roman Catholic priest led the Call to Worship at the service of ordination? (Slight pause.) And, by the way, did I mention a Roman Catholic nun held the cup at communion? (Pause.)
We find these words in the Gospel we have come to know as Matthew. “While this was the intention of Joseph, and he had resolved to do this, at that point an angel of God appeared in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David— do not be afraid to wed Mary; it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this child.’” (Slight pause.)
You have heard me say this before: there are two things the Bible is not about. First, the Bible is not a rule book. Second, the Bible is not a history book— a repository of facts.
Equally, there are two things the Bible is about. First, the Bible is about the relationship of God with humanity. Second, the Bible is about the loving relationships God calls people to maintain with one another.
Within this passage we find exactly that idea. The Bible is about the relationship of God with humanity. And the Bible is about the loving relationships God calls people to maintain with one another. And most of the time we do not pay any attention to that important message contained in these words.
To what do we pay attention in this passage? We pay attention to this (quote): “All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by God through the prophet: “The virgin shall be with child, shall give birth,...”
We pay attention to the virgin birth. Hello! This is nearly meaningless— a historical oddity in the context of that era which gets included in part because Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were also said to be born of a virgin. [4] If it was not included Jesus, in terms of the writings of that era, would have been seen as abnormal.
So, what is important here? The very next words (quote): “...‘the child shall be named Emmanuel’— a name that means, ‘God is with us.’”
There is something else important in the passage we tend to miss. It’s the fact that Jesus is actually given two names and a title. (Quote:) “...this is how the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, came about.”
The name with which we tend to be familiar— Jesus— this gets complex, so follow me now— the name with which we tend to be familiar— Jesus— is the English transliteration of the Latin version of the Hebrew name Yoshuah. The anglicized version of that Hebrew name is Joshua.
But, once you go back to the original Hebrew, the name is Yoshuah. And what does Yoshuah mean? Yoshuah means God is our salvation or God saves.
And, needless to say, this passage also states Jesus is the Messiah. Messiah means an anointed one of God.
All of which clearly insists this passage is not about virgin birth. It is about Jesus, the anointed one of God who is here to offer salvation. It is about Jesus who is with us now— Emmanuel.
That God is with us, present to us, now— illuminates a basic understanding of Christianity. God wants to be in relationship with humanity and God calls us to be in loving relationship with others. (Slight pause.)
That brings me back to the ordination— an ordination where brothers and sisters in Christ gathered to recognize that nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus. It was an ordination where brothers and sisters in Christ gathered to recognize that one to one, person to person— the work of pastoral ministry, the personal work of pastoral ministry— is what we are called to do.
And where does that work of one to one pastoral ministry start? It starts in the pews. It starts with you and with you and with you and with you and with you, etc. (Slight pause.)
There is a fallacy which goes around. It says personal, pastoral, one to one ministry is easy for some— extraverts perhaps. That is not true. Personal, pastoral, one to one ministry is not easy for anyone. It is hard.
But the truth is personal, pastoral, one to one ministry is our calling. And this personal, pastoral, one to one ministry starts with you.
Why? God saves. God is with us. God is present to us. God is present to you and you and you and you, etc. And that, the fact that God is present my friends, does not just empower ministry. That is the real the message of Christmas: God is with us. Amen.
12/22/2013
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “This is also something you’ve heard me say. In fact, I said it last week: Biblical prophecy is not about predicting the future. Biblical prophecy is about speaking the truth of the word of God. So here, once again, is a piece of Biblical prophecy: God calls us— each of us— to personal, pastoral ministry.”
BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Amen.
[1] The pastor addressed “The Christmas Fund” an all church offering for retirees at a time for mission.
[2] This is noted in the bulletin each week.
[3] http://www.loretto-cny.org/news-and-events/news/show/51
[4] The illustrates one of the dangers of public speaking: the pastor meant to say Caesar Augustus and it came out as Julius Caesar.
God with Us
“While this was the intention of Joseph, and he had resolved to do this, at that point an angel of God appeared in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David— do not be afraid to wed Mary; it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this child.’” — Matthew 1:20.
At the beginning of our shared time today you heard me briefly address the “Christmas Fund.” As I said, this money helps pastors who often retire at a relatively low fixed income. [1] For a bit, I’d like to look at the other end of that spectrum: from where do pastors come? Where does a call to ministry start? (Slight pause.)
The short answer is: a call to ministry starts in the pews. It starts with you. After all, we do make the claim that I am a “Pastor and Teacher” but you are the ministers. [2] Above and beyond that, the United Church of Christ is known to be a bottom/up, grass roots organization. Nothing illustrates that more clearly than the ordination process.
Generally, there are three participants when we ordain an individual to authorized ministry. The first is the local church— you. It is the duty of the local church, your duty, to identify those in your midst who have the gifts necessary for ministry.
When one such soul is identified, that local church needs to work with that individual and to then recommend that individual to the local Association as a candidate for ministry. This process is known as assisting a person in discernment— person in discernment— PID. In short, you act as mentors in this process.
That individual, raised up as a candidate for ministry, is assisted by the local church and by the local Association as training is pursued. In one sense, this is a time of test, trial and discernment which explores and questions whether or not a person does have gifts for ministry and where they might be used. But the process is also collegial, as the local church, the Association and the individual work together.
The third participant involved in ordination is the “calling body.” A calling body is a church, an institution or a ministry where the gifts and talents of the perspective ordinand will be initially used. Once a call is tendered by that church, institution or ministry, the local church who has supported the ordinand in conjunction with the local Association ordains the candidate. And that candidate is ordained for the whole church but ordained on the local level— bottom/up, not top/down. (Slight pause.)
Those of you who were here last week heard me say I was headed to Preble for an ordination last Sunday afternoon. We— the United Church of Christ in Preble cooperating with the Susquehanna Association the Association that this church is part of, we ordained the Reverend Ms. Brenda McCutcheon of the Preble Church.
Brenda is the Director of Elder Life and Spirituality at the Loretto Skilled Nursing Care facility. At one point, when an elder had passed away at Loretto, a funeral director would quietly take the deceased out a back door of the facility. This left other residents and staff with a longing to mourn, to remember, to appreciate and to celebrate a life well lived.
Brenda changed that. Now with Loretto’s End of Life program, which she established, calling hours are held in the chapel at the facility. Someone who has died is given a dignified departure out the front door. All who wish have an opportunity to pay respects, offer words of gratitude, to say good-bye. [3]
And so, the calling body this time, at this ordination— that necessary third piece on a path to ordination in the United Church of Christ— was Loretto Skilled Nursing Facility. (Slight pause.) Oh... by the way... did I mention that Loretto is a skilled nursing facility operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse? They were the calling body for a pastor with United Church of Christ. (Slight pause.)
And, by the way, did I mention a Roman Catholic priest led the Call to Worship at the service of ordination? (Slight pause.) And, by the way, did I mention a Roman Catholic nun held the cup at communion? (Pause.)
We find these words in the Gospel we have come to know as Matthew. “While this was the intention of Joseph, and he had resolved to do this, at that point an angel of God appeared in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David— do not be afraid to wed Mary; it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this child.’” (Slight pause.)
You have heard me say this before: there are two things the Bible is not about. First, the Bible is not a rule book. Second, the Bible is not a history book— a repository of facts.
Equally, there are two things the Bible is about. First, the Bible is about the relationship of God with humanity. Second, the Bible is about the loving relationships God calls people to maintain with one another.
Within this passage we find exactly that idea. The Bible is about the relationship of God with humanity. And the Bible is about the loving relationships God calls people to maintain with one another. And most of the time we do not pay any attention to that important message contained in these words.
To what do we pay attention in this passage? We pay attention to this (quote): “All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by God through the prophet: “The virgin shall be with child, shall give birth,...”
We pay attention to the virgin birth. Hello! This is nearly meaningless— a historical oddity in the context of that era which gets included in part because Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were also said to be born of a virgin. [4] If it was not included Jesus, in terms of the writings of that era, would have been seen as abnormal.
So, what is important here? The very next words (quote): “...‘the child shall be named Emmanuel’— a name that means, ‘God is with us.’”
There is something else important in the passage we tend to miss. It’s the fact that Jesus is actually given two names and a title. (Quote:) “...this is how the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, came about.”
The name with which we tend to be familiar— Jesus— this gets complex, so follow me now— the name with which we tend to be familiar— Jesus— is the English transliteration of the Latin version of the Hebrew name Yoshuah. The anglicized version of that Hebrew name is Joshua.
But, once you go back to the original Hebrew, the name is Yoshuah. And what does Yoshuah mean? Yoshuah means God is our salvation or God saves.
And, needless to say, this passage also states Jesus is the Messiah. Messiah means an anointed one of God.
All of which clearly insists this passage is not about virgin birth. It is about Jesus, the anointed one of God who is here to offer salvation. It is about Jesus who is with us now— Emmanuel.
That God is with us, present to us, now— illuminates a basic understanding of Christianity. God wants to be in relationship with humanity and God calls us to be in loving relationship with others. (Slight pause.)
That brings me back to the ordination— an ordination where brothers and sisters in Christ gathered to recognize that nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ, Jesus. It was an ordination where brothers and sisters in Christ gathered to recognize that one to one, person to person— the work of pastoral ministry, the personal work of pastoral ministry— is what we are called to do.
And where does that work of one to one pastoral ministry start? It starts in the pews. It starts with you and with you and with you and with you and with you, etc. (Slight pause.)
There is a fallacy which goes around. It says personal, pastoral, one to one ministry is easy for some— extraverts perhaps. That is not true. Personal, pastoral, one to one ministry is not easy for anyone. It is hard.
But the truth is personal, pastoral, one to one ministry is our calling. And this personal, pastoral, one to one ministry starts with you.
Why? God saves. God is with us. God is present to us. God is present to you and you and you and you, etc. And that, the fact that God is present my friends, does not just empower ministry. That is the real the message of Christmas: God is with us. Amen.
12/22/2013
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “This is also something you’ve heard me say. In fact, I said it last week: Biblical prophecy is not about predicting the future. Biblical prophecy is about speaking the truth of the word of God. So here, once again, is a piece of Biblical prophecy: God calls us— each of us— to personal, pastoral ministry.”
BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Amen.
[1] The pastor addressed “The Christmas Fund” an all church offering for retirees at a time for mission.
[2] This is noted in the bulletin each week.
[3] http://www.loretto-cny.org/news-and-events/news/show/51
[4] The illustrates one of the dangers of public speaking: the pastor meant to say Caesar Augustus and it came out as Julius Caesar.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
SERMON ~ 12/15/2013 ~ “Living in the Moment”
12/15/2013 ~ Third Sunday of Advent ~ Sunday in Advent on Which We Commemorate Love ~ Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10 or Luke 1:46b-55; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 ~ Music Sunday Added Readings: Isaiah 40:3-5; Isaiah 11:1-6, 10; Isaiah 9:2b, 6-7; Luke 2:15-17 ~ Music Sunday Canceled Due to Snow! Rescheduled for 1/5/2014.
Living in the Moment
“A voice cries out: / ‘In the wilderness / prepare the way for Yahweh; / make straight in the desert / a highway for our God.’” — Isaiah 40:3.
The late comedian George Cariln is famous for a lot of ironic but iconic one liners. I like many of them.
Certainly one of my favorite Carlin quotes is this one: “I went to a bookstore and asked the clerk, ‘Where’s the self-help section?’ In return I got a glowering stare. ‘If I told you,’ was the response, ‘it would defeat the purpose of self-help, wouldn’t it?’” (Slight pause.)
There is little doubt that one of the slogans of the self-help movement has been to (quote:) “live in the moment.” One author who wrote about this called it “the power of now.”
Whereas the implication of this current popular way of looking at one’s life and the world is that only now is important— only now, not the past nor the future— I think living in the moment needs to be approached in a different way. Indeed, I think the idea of living in the moment is an important concept. I approve of the idea.
Therefore, one of the things I think needs to be brought to the fore when we talk about living in the moment is the thought that it encompasses not just the present but the past and the future as well. I think when living in the moment, when living in the present, can somehow encompass the past and the future, it really does have the potential to be life changing.
You see, living in the moment while forgetting the past or the future is nothing more than ego-centric— not a good place to be, I think. That kind of approach insists only our time— not the past— is important. It insists only our time— not the future— has significant potential. In short, if only now matters ‘living in the moment’ rejects others— other times, other places, other people. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Isaiah: “A voice cries out: / “In the wilderness / prepare the way for Yahweh; / make straight in the desert / a highway for our God.” (Slight pause.)
I have said this here before: Biblical prophecy is not about predicting the future. That Biblical prophecy is about predicting the future is a conceit of the popular culture. Saying that Biblical prophecy is about predicting the future is, to put it bluntly, an anti-Biblical sentiment.
Biblical prophecy is not about prognostication. Biblical prophecy concerns speaking truth— a truth— about the Word of God.
I have also said this: in order to begin to understand what we read in Scripture we need to place ourselves in the time and the place of the people who were first hearing the writings. And, indeed, those who wrote what we now call Scripture and those who first heard what we now call Scripture did not know it as Scripture at that point in time. What was recorded was, in fact, nothing more than an attempt to understand their own experience of God.
They certainly did not think in terms of making a prediction that would be listened to as if it said about anything concrete or definitive about what might happen in the future. They were simply trying to address what God might be saying to them, right then.
In fact, it might be said that they were living in that moment. But in so doing, they were trying to make sense of the places from which they had come and the places to which God might be calling them. They were looking to the past and to the future but being in the moment.
Therefore, for us to use what we read in Scripture as a prediction of what might happen, is to start in the wrong place. In short, we always first need to ask what they recorded might have meant to them.
Indeed, I think what we fail to realize in what was recorded in the Fortieth Chapter of Isaiah is the immediacy of it. Let me repeat it: “A voice cries out: / ‘In the wilderness / prepare the way for Yahweh; / make straight in the desert / a highway for our God.’”
So, if they were living in the moment what was it they might have heard from these words? What might they have discerned? (Slight pause.) Perhaps one thing they might have heard was that God beckoned them to do the work of God, right then— in that place and in that time.
Given that concept, given that idea, we need to put ourselves in their shoes in order to begin to discern what Scripture might be saying to us. Certainly one question for us is this: ‘can we hear something in these writings about the place to which God calls us?’ (Slight pause.)
And that brings us to Luke. (Quote:) “When the angels had left and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this event which has taken place and which God has made known to us.’” (Slight pause.)
So, is this simply about the birth of the Messiah or is there sometime more being said? (Slight pause.) You see, once we understand Isaiah in its own context, on its own terms the words of Isaiah can clearly read as Biblical prophecy— speaking a Word of truth about God.
I say that because the Word which Isaiah speaks addresses God who calls us to do the work of God. And perhaps we miss this next piece. the birth of the Messiah also addresses God who calls us to do the work of God.
How so? It has been often said the birth of the Messiah is about the in-breaking of God into our lives.
Hence, the Biblical prophecy Isaiah addresses is that God beckons us to do the work of God right now in our place and in our time. And the birth of the Messiah also tells us God beckons us to do the work of God right now in our place and in our time.
And I do not think we have to look too far to find out what that work might be. We are to feed the hungry, clothe those in tatters, care for and comfort those who are ill, etc., etc., etc.
Last, I want to suggest the real way we can do those things God calls us to do, is by living in the moment. The real way we can do those things God calls is to do, is by listening to the Word of God and by recognizing what we are to do now and the places to which God continues to call us in the future. Put differently, this is the call of God: we are to live in the moment— God’s moment— remembering that God forgets neither the past nor the future. Amen.
12/15/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “There is no question that living in the moment calls us to remember the past, the history of the relationship of God and humanity, calls us to be aware that what we do today shall effect the future of our race. We should also be reminded that God calls us to live in the moment by reaching out to those around us as we share the love God offers to us with all people— that’s all people, not just some people. And perhaps, when we do all that we are, ourselves, fulfilling a prophecy by striving to do the will of God.”
BENEDICTION: Let us go in hope and in joy and in peace, for we find love in the One who has made covenant with us. And, indeed, God reigns. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
Living in the Moment
“A voice cries out: / ‘In the wilderness / prepare the way for Yahweh; / make straight in the desert / a highway for our God.’” — Isaiah 40:3.
The late comedian George Cariln is famous for a lot of ironic but iconic one liners. I like many of them.
Certainly one of my favorite Carlin quotes is this one: “I went to a bookstore and asked the clerk, ‘Where’s the self-help section?’ In return I got a glowering stare. ‘If I told you,’ was the response, ‘it would defeat the purpose of self-help, wouldn’t it?’” (Slight pause.)
There is little doubt that one of the slogans of the self-help movement has been to (quote:) “live in the moment.” One author who wrote about this called it “the power of now.”
Whereas the implication of this current popular way of looking at one’s life and the world is that only now is important— only now, not the past nor the future— I think living in the moment needs to be approached in a different way. Indeed, I think the idea of living in the moment is an important concept. I approve of the idea.
Therefore, one of the things I think needs to be brought to the fore when we talk about living in the moment is the thought that it encompasses not just the present but the past and the future as well. I think when living in the moment, when living in the present, can somehow encompass the past and the future, it really does have the potential to be life changing.
You see, living in the moment while forgetting the past or the future is nothing more than ego-centric— not a good place to be, I think. That kind of approach insists only our time— not the past— is important. It insists only our time— not the future— has significant potential. In short, if only now matters ‘living in the moment’ rejects others— other times, other places, other people. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as Isaiah: “A voice cries out: / “In the wilderness / prepare the way for Yahweh; / make straight in the desert / a highway for our God.” (Slight pause.)
I have said this here before: Biblical prophecy is not about predicting the future. That Biblical prophecy is about predicting the future is a conceit of the popular culture. Saying that Biblical prophecy is about predicting the future is, to put it bluntly, an anti-Biblical sentiment.
Biblical prophecy is not about prognostication. Biblical prophecy concerns speaking truth— a truth— about the Word of God.
I have also said this: in order to begin to understand what we read in Scripture we need to place ourselves in the time and the place of the people who were first hearing the writings. And, indeed, those who wrote what we now call Scripture and those who first heard what we now call Scripture did not know it as Scripture at that point in time. What was recorded was, in fact, nothing more than an attempt to understand their own experience of God.
They certainly did not think in terms of making a prediction that would be listened to as if it said about anything concrete or definitive about what might happen in the future. They were simply trying to address what God might be saying to them, right then.
In fact, it might be said that they were living in that moment. But in so doing, they were trying to make sense of the places from which they had come and the places to which God might be calling them. They were looking to the past and to the future but being in the moment.
Therefore, for us to use what we read in Scripture as a prediction of what might happen, is to start in the wrong place. In short, we always first need to ask what they recorded might have meant to them.
Indeed, I think what we fail to realize in what was recorded in the Fortieth Chapter of Isaiah is the immediacy of it. Let me repeat it: “A voice cries out: / ‘In the wilderness / prepare the way for Yahweh; / make straight in the desert / a highway for our God.’”
So, if they were living in the moment what was it they might have heard from these words? What might they have discerned? (Slight pause.) Perhaps one thing they might have heard was that God beckoned them to do the work of God, right then— in that place and in that time.
Given that concept, given that idea, we need to put ourselves in their shoes in order to begin to discern what Scripture might be saying to us. Certainly one question for us is this: ‘can we hear something in these writings about the place to which God calls us?’ (Slight pause.)
And that brings us to Luke. (Quote:) “When the angels had left and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this event which has taken place and which God has made known to us.’” (Slight pause.)
So, is this simply about the birth of the Messiah or is there sometime more being said? (Slight pause.) You see, once we understand Isaiah in its own context, on its own terms the words of Isaiah can clearly read as Biblical prophecy— speaking a Word of truth about God.
I say that because the Word which Isaiah speaks addresses God who calls us to do the work of God. And perhaps we miss this next piece. the birth of the Messiah also addresses God who calls us to do the work of God.
How so? It has been often said the birth of the Messiah is about the in-breaking of God into our lives.
Hence, the Biblical prophecy Isaiah addresses is that God beckons us to do the work of God right now in our place and in our time. And the birth of the Messiah also tells us God beckons us to do the work of God right now in our place and in our time.
And I do not think we have to look too far to find out what that work might be. We are to feed the hungry, clothe those in tatters, care for and comfort those who are ill, etc., etc., etc.
Last, I want to suggest the real way we can do those things God calls us to do, is by living in the moment. The real way we can do those things God calls is to do, is by listening to the Word of God and by recognizing what we are to do now and the places to which God continues to call us in the future. Put differently, this is the call of God: we are to live in the moment— God’s moment— remembering that God forgets neither the past nor the future. Amen.
12/15/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “There is no question that living in the moment calls us to remember the past, the history of the relationship of God and humanity, calls us to be aware that what we do today shall effect the future of our race. We should also be reminded that God calls us to live in the moment by reaching out to those around us as we share the love God offers to us with all people— that’s all people, not just some people. And perhaps, when we do all that we are, ourselves, fulfilling a prophecy by striving to do the will of God.”
BENEDICTION: Let us go in hope and in joy and in peace, for we find love in the One who has made covenant with us. And, indeed, God reigns. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
SERMON ~ 12/08/2013 ~ “That One Shall Not Judge”
12/08/2013 ~ Second Sunday of Advent ~ The Sunday in Advent on Which We Commemorate Peace ~ Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12 ~ Ceremony of .-: (Shalom) for Margaret Rasely.
That One Shall Not Judge
“The spirit of Yahweh, God, / shall rest on this branch, / the spirit of wisdom and understanding, / the spirit of counsel and strength, / the spirit of knowledge and / reverence for Yahweh.” — Isaiah 11:2.
A little bit ago there was much ink spilled in the print media and air time spent on cable news, over the air television and radio about the phenomena labeled as Thanksgivukkah. This— Thanksgivukkah— was the convergence of the American holiday, Thanksgiving, and the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Needless to say that was last Thursday, November 28th, 2013.
Much of that ink and air time was given over to the thought that this was the last time these holidays would converge for the next 77,000 years. Now, I don’t mean to be a spoil sport, but this is meaningless. In a real sense it was just made up out of whole cloth. What do I mean by made up?
First, Hanukkah actually started on the 27th, not the 28th. Second, Thanksgiving— at least the version mandated by secular authority as opposed to any religious celebration of giving thanks— did not even have the firm, set date it currently has— the fourth Thursday in November— until Congress made it so by passing a law setting it that way. And when did that law take effect? 1943.
Before that, the American Thanksgiving was a movable feast, most often celebrated on the fifth Thursday in November, when there was a fifth Thursday. But from the time of George Washington until the time Lincoln, the date observed varied from state to state. Lincoln issued a proclamation affixing the date to that last Thursday and after that most folks adhered to it— most but not all.
And of course, the Jewish calendar— that’s a lunar calendar— 28 days IN each month. Because of that, some years have more months that others to keep the calendar from getting totally out of wack with the seasons.
And this is year 5,774 on the Jewish calendar. As to Hanukkah and its date, the feast has a history of about 2,000 years. But that’s less than half of the aforementioned 5,000 plus years on the Jewish calendar. So Hanukkah’s a newcomer.
Well, look at all these facts. If Thanksgiving was not a fixed date until 1943, by definition that fixed date is new. And while Hanukkah is much older, it’s new on its calendar.
Add to that the fact that Hanukkah really started on the 27th, not the 28th, and the fact that these two dates never coincided before and barely converged now and shall not converge for another 77,000 years, there is only one conclusion to draw. This story was made up to entertain. And that is all it is— entertainment.
Which is also to say, the story was really not worth the amount of the ink and the amount of air time devoted to it. But it did attract a whole lot of noise. (Slight pause.)
Now, also recently, much ink and much air time was devoted to the fact that stores opened on Thanksgiving. And much of what was said had to do with painting merchants as putting money over family.
To be clear, I agree. I do not think it’s good that stores opened. And does it pit money over family? Why yes, it does.
But do you know why Thanksgiving was set by Congress as the fourth Thursday in November, as opposed to the fifth Thursday in November? (Slight pause.) It was set that way (in 1943, mind you) to ensure that the selling season before Christmas was as long as possible. And when it was set up that way, Congress was very vocal in saying it was about money and it was not about family and it was definitely not about religion.
So there is one more thing which should be clear about this move to the fourth Thursday for Thanksgiving. Commerce, if not Congress, was usurping Christmas for its own purposes.
Now, having mentioned that Christmas, the Feast of the Incarnation, the Feast of the birth of the Messiah has been usurped, let me make one more point. As you heard earlier, we are not now in the season of Christmas. [1]
In the church the season of Christmas happens from December the 25th to the 5th of January. We are now in the season of Advent. But you might not be able to tell it’s Advent based on the hustle and bustle of the cultural noise— cultural noise— we see around us.
To be clear, I have nothing against commerce. But I do ask that we make one distinction. Please do not confuse commerce of any kind with the Feast of the Incarnation, the Feast of the birth of the Messiah. The two have nothing in common. (Slight pause.)
And we find these words in the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of Yahweh, God, / shall rest on this branch, / the spirit of wisdom and understanding, / the spirit of counsel and strength, / the spirit of knowledge and / reverence for Yahweh.” (Slight pause.)
Based on what I just said, I hope this much is evident. The culture in which we live imposes a lot of things on us which are simply frivolous. Many of those things the culture imposes are not in any way dangerous and many of those things can be great fun.
But, for the most part, many of those things the culture imposes on us should not be taken seriously. They should not become or be made into the center of our lives. Why should we should waste energy, precious energy, on things which are no more than cultural noise? (Slight pause.)
In the passage the Prophet Isaiah speaks of the One on whom the Spirit of Yahweh, God, shall rest. The Prophet says that this One shall not judge by what the eyes see, by appearances, or decide by what the ears hear or by hearsay. In short, this one shall be focused on God— and focused on God, alone. In short, this one realizes nothing else matters but God. (Slight pause.)
The world throws a lot of stuff at us— appearances. Our ears hear a lot of “stuff.” But it is really, really of little matter— this stuff.
So, for me, a pivotal question becomes this: ‘What is really, really important?’ (Slight pause.) For me, the made up stuff has become less and less important over time.
For me the key issue has become ‘How does my relationship with God grow and how does God call me to grow in relationship with others?’ For me the key issue becomes ‘how do I turn my life toward God, turn my life over to God?’ (Slight pause.)
In the Gospel John the Baptizer says this (quote): “Change your hearts and minds,....” In the older, more archaic translation instead of saying “Change your hearts and minds...” a single word is used— repent.
As I have said here before, ‘repent’ in no way means to feel sorry or to regret. Repent means to turn your life toward God. Repent means to turn your life over to God. And perhaps more precisely, repent means, as much as possible, to ignore the clutter in the culture around us which distracts us from God. (Slight pause.)
I think one reason the church celebrates and we should celebrate Advent, why we should take Advent seriously, is the celebration should help us move away from the cultural clutter— the noise around us. Advent, you see, is meant as a time to grapple with the idea that God is with us at all times, in all places and in all ways because of the birth of the Messiah, the Christ, this one they called Jesus.
Therefore, Advent is meant as a time to help us see through culture clutter. (Slight pause.) Can all that cultural clutter be fun? Why, yes it can. It can be lots of fun. I have a lot of fun, myself, with it.
But we need to see cultural clutter as mere background noise. We need to realize the central message of Christmas is summed up in that other name connected with Jesus, the one we find here in the Gospel of Matthew— Emmanuel: God is with us. Amen.
12/08/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “This, the Second Sunday in Advent, we commemorated Peace. As I have said here many times before, the Peace of God is not the absence of conflict. The Peace of God is the presence of the Spirit of God. And, as Christians, we recognize the presence of God at all times and in all places. It is my hope that in when recognize the presence of God that helps us filter out the cultural clutter which surrounds us.”
BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. And may the peace of God which surpasses understanding be with us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] At the beginning of the service each week the day being celebrated on the Christian Calendar is noted.
That One Shall Not Judge
“The spirit of Yahweh, God, / shall rest on this branch, / the spirit of wisdom and understanding, / the spirit of counsel and strength, / the spirit of knowledge and / reverence for Yahweh.” — Isaiah 11:2.
A little bit ago there was much ink spilled in the print media and air time spent on cable news, over the air television and radio about the phenomena labeled as Thanksgivukkah. This— Thanksgivukkah— was the convergence of the American holiday, Thanksgiving, and the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Needless to say that was last Thursday, November 28th, 2013.
Much of that ink and air time was given over to the thought that this was the last time these holidays would converge for the next 77,000 years. Now, I don’t mean to be a spoil sport, but this is meaningless. In a real sense it was just made up out of whole cloth. What do I mean by made up?
First, Hanukkah actually started on the 27th, not the 28th. Second, Thanksgiving— at least the version mandated by secular authority as opposed to any religious celebration of giving thanks— did not even have the firm, set date it currently has— the fourth Thursday in November— until Congress made it so by passing a law setting it that way. And when did that law take effect? 1943.
Before that, the American Thanksgiving was a movable feast, most often celebrated on the fifth Thursday in November, when there was a fifth Thursday. But from the time of George Washington until the time Lincoln, the date observed varied from state to state. Lincoln issued a proclamation affixing the date to that last Thursday and after that most folks adhered to it— most but not all.
And of course, the Jewish calendar— that’s a lunar calendar— 28 days IN each month. Because of that, some years have more months that others to keep the calendar from getting totally out of wack with the seasons.
And this is year 5,774 on the Jewish calendar. As to Hanukkah and its date, the feast has a history of about 2,000 years. But that’s less than half of the aforementioned 5,000 plus years on the Jewish calendar. So Hanukkah’s a newcomer.
Well, look at all these facts. If Thanksgiving was not a fixed date until 1943, by definition that fixed date is new. And while Hanukkah is much older, it’s new on its calendar.
Add to that the fact that Hanukkah really started on the 27th, not the 28th, and the fact that these two dates never coincided before and barely converged now and shall not converge for another 77,000 years, there is only one conclusion to draw. This story was made up to entertain. And that is all it is— entertainment.
Which is also to say, the story was really not worth the amount of the ink and the amount of air time devoted to it. But it did attract a whole lot of noise. (Slight pause.)
Now, also recently, much ink and much air time was devoted to the fact that stores opened on Thanksgiving. And much of what was said had to do with painting merchants as putting money over family.
To be clear, I agree. I do not think it’s good that stores opened. And does it pit money over family? Why yes, it does.
But do you know why Thanksgiving was set by Congress as the fourth Thursday in November, as opposed to the fifth Thursday in November? (Slight pause.) It was set that way (in 1943, mind you) to ensure that the selling season before Christmas was as long as possible. And when it was set up that way, Congress was very vocal in saying it was about money and it was not about family and it was definitely not about religion.
So there is one more thing which should be clear about this move to the fourth Thursday for Thanksgiving. Commerce, if not Congress, was usurping Christmas for its own purposes.
Now, having mentioned that Christmas, the Feast of the Incarnation, the Feast of the birth of the Messiah has been usurped, let me make one more point. As you heard earlier, we are not now in the season of Christmas. [1]
In the church the season of Christmas happens from December the 25th to the 5th of January. We are now in the season of Advent. But you might not be able to tell it’s Advent based on the hustle and bustle of the cultural noise— cultural noise— we see around us.
To be clear, I have nothing against commerce. But I do ask that we make one distinction. Please do not confuse commerce of any kind with the Feast of the Incarnation, the Feast of the birth of the Messiah. The two have nothing in common. (Slight pause.)
And we find these words in the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “The spirit of Yahweh, God, / shall rest on this branch, / the spirit of wisdom and understanding, / the spirit of counsel and strength, / the spirit of knowledge and / reverence for Yahweh.” (Slight pause.)
Based on what I just said, I hope this much is evident. The culture in which we live imposes a lot of things on us which are simply frivolous. Many of those things the culture imposes are not in any way dangerous and many of those things can be great fun.
But, for the most part, many of those things the culture imposes on us should not be taken seriously. They should not become or be made into the center of our lives. Why should we should waste energy, precious energy, on things which are no more than cultural noise? (Slight pause.)
In the passage the Prophet Isaiah speaks of the One on whom the Spirit of Yahweh, God, shall rest. The Prophet says that this One shall not judge by what the eyes see, by appearances, or decide by what the ears hear or by hearsay. In short, this one shall be focused on God— and focused on God, alone. In short, this one realizes nothing else matters but God. (Slight pause.)
The world throws a lot of stuff at us— appearances. Our ears hear a lot of “stuff.” But it is really, really of little matter— this stuff.
So, for me, a pivotal question becomes this: ‘What is really, really important?’ (Slight pause.) For me, the made up stuff has become less and less important over time.
For me the key issue has become ‘How does my relationship with God grow and how does God call me to grow in relationship with others?’ For me the key issue becomes ‘how do I turn my life toward God, turn my life over to God?’ (Slight pause.)
In the Gospel John the Baptizer says this (quote): “Change your hearts and minds,....” In the older, more archaic translation instead of saying “Change your hearts and minds...” a single word is used— repent.
As I have said here before, ‘repent’ in no way means to feel sorry or to regret. Repent means to turn your life toward God. Repent means to turn your life over to God. And perhaps more precisely, repent means, as much as possible, to ignore the clutter in the culture around us which distracts us from God. (Slight pause.)
I think one reason the church celebrates and we should celebrate Advent, why we should take Advent seriously, is the celebration should help us move away from the cultural clutter— the noise around us. Advent, you see, is meant as a time to grapple with the idea that God is with us at all times, in all places and in all ways because of the birth of the Messiah, the Christ, this one they called Jesus.
Therefore, Advent is meant as a time to help us see through culture clutter. (Slight pause.) Can all that cultural clutter be fun? Why, yes it can. It can be lots of fun. I have a lot of fun, myself, with it.
But we need to see cultural clutter as mere background noise. We need to realize the central message of Christmas is summed up in that other name connected with Jesus, the one we find here in the Gospel of Matthew— Emmanuel: God is with us. Amen.
12/08/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, NY
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “This, the Second Sunday in Advent, we commemorated Peace. As I have said here many times before, the Peace of God is not the absence of conflict. The Peace of God is the presence of the Spirit of God. And, as Christians, we recognize the presence of God at all times and in all places. It is my hope that in when recognize the presence of God that helps us filter out the cultural clutter which surrounds us.”
BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. And may the peace of God which surpasses understanding be with us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] At the beginning of the service each week the day being celebrated on the Christian Calendar is noted.
Monday, December 2, 2013
SERMON ~ 12/01/2013 ~ “Keep Awake”
12/01/2013 ~ The First Sunday of Year ‘A’ of the Three Year Cycle of Lectionary Readings ~ First Sunday of Advent, the Sunday We Commemorate Hope ~ Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 ~ Communion Sunday.
Keep Awake
NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS ON THE BLOG POST, THERE ARE SOME VISUALS THE CONGREGATION SAW WHICH YOU WILL FIND ONLY IN THE PDF VERSION OF THE TEXT ON THE WEB SITE OF THE NORWICH CHURCH UNDER THE DATE OF THIS SERMON:.
ALSO, YOU CAN CLICK ON THIS PDF FILE AND THAT WILL BE JUST THE VISUALS.
“Therefore, keep awake— be vigilant, for you do not know the day on which your Savior is coming.” — Matthew 24:42.
Many of you know the Nichols family who used to be members here. However, some of you do not know them, since they moved to Western Pennsylvania about— my memory says five or six years ago. Needless to say, some of you were not attending this church that long ago.
Micah Nichols, one of four brothers, must have been in Middle School (or maybe still in Elementary School) depending on when the family left when the family left at that point. I presume that since I know he is now a Rotary Exchange Student and he is a Senior in High School.
Now, of all the places one could be a Rotary Exchange Student, Micah certainly wound up in one of the most exotic and perhaps even a little dangerous since there has been a little violence in the capital earlier this week. He is currently in Thailand. I know this because I am Micah’s Facebook friend.
And not only does he post on Facebook he writes an occasional blog. And just so I say this out loud, I have told him by e-mail he is a magnificent writer. He writes well, he is a keen observer and his insights are interesting. Well, Micah added a post to his blog just a couple of days ago and it contained yet another fascinating observation.
In what he wrote he first noted his Thai language abilities are coming along nicely. They are not yet what he would call great— and knowing Micah my bet is he has high standards for determining what is great— they are not what he would yet call great but they are improving.
After a couple of months in country he can understand much, as he listens to conversation in Thai. It is always a good feeling, he said, to realize you can understand what people are saying, even without dedicating your total focus to it.
As to the fascinating observation he made, this is a direct quote from that recent blog post of Micah Nichols: “Something mildly interesting about Thai culture is that there is no such thing as sarcasm. Being an American, a lot of my humor is sarcastic. This causes some definite communication issues and certainly makes Thai people think I’m absolutely insane.”
“For example, someone will tell me about how busy their day will be. I might say something along the lines of ‘oh, that should be fun, right?’ I normally get strange looks in response— but I think I’m slowly training my host family to understand sarcastic humor.” [1] (Slight pause.)
I have another Facebook friend who is fond of occasionally posting picture with a single sarcastic phrase attached. He posted some this week. The pictures from this week were interesting from a historical perspective, given the season. They were pictures of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade taken in the 1930s.
Back in the 1930s the parade had what we might think of as some pretty bizarre balloons. In part because these photos got posted, I’ve done research about the parade. And I think the balloons and floats in the parade back then in the 30s and even some photos from some later dates were pretty strange when seen through today’s eyes.
There are several peculiar strange dragons— balloons— which traversed the parade route in different years. I found them quite off-putting. There is one of a disembodied head. So you can see a couple of these pictures, let me pass out a sheet with some of them on it. [Pause as the pastor passes out sheets with pictures on it.]
[The pastor keeps talking as the pictures are passed out: “two sides on these; two different sheets— one has tinted pictures on it, the other doesn’t.” The pastor returns to the pulpit.]
THE VISUALS:
Some of those seem pretty strange, right— with today’s eyes, at least. Well, my friend who posted this on Facebook is in the habit as I suggested of posting a number of strange pictures, not just these from the parade.
And he posts strange pictures with some regularity. The caption he gives them is always the same. The caption is meant to be sarcastic, I’m sure. He posts a strange picture and then he proclaims: “Further Proof of the Apocalypse.” Proof of the Apocalypse? (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the Gospel we have come to know as Matthew: “Therefore, keep awake— be vigilant, for you do not know the day on which your Savior is coming.” (Slight pause.)
So, let’s ask the obvious question: is this text meant to be apocalyptic? Is this text meant to be about the end of time in the modern sense, in our sense? Or, for our purposes today, would it be more accurate to take the words in this text as sarcastic? (Slight pause.)
I want to be careful here. I have no need to demythologize these words, to make them too modern, to take all the interesting imagery found in the passage in such a way as to render the words meaningless and, therefore, useless. To do so would be to rob the images of the early Christian witness they were meant to be and are.
But taken in the context of the times in which they were written, the witness was not intended to convey despair. Taken in the context of the times, New Testament times, this is a witness about hope. But how can that be since, when we look at this text with our modern eyes, it is easy to read fear into them? (Slight pause.)
Just like sarcasm does not come across in a Thai culture, in the culture of New Testament times, these words are not meant to convey a message about fear. They would not have even understood— they— the people in New Testament times— would have even understood what seeing these words as fearful was about. This is witness is about hope for them. This is a witness, you see, about the consummating activity of God.
Indeed, we need to carefully listen to the witness of the text. And we do need to allow the symbols found therein to evoke in us a sense of urgency. We do need to allow the symbols found therein to create some expectancy about the future God might have for us and a sense of anticipation about the future God might have for humanity.
How so? This passage, you see, begins and ends with declarations that the hour in which the hope of God is fully realized but cannot be known— the hour cannot be known. And the fact that Jesus and the angels are not privy to the time should provide a sharp warning against speculation and any overeagerness to seek some kind of hidden message. In fact, any claim to special insight about the future based on this passage merely exposes human arrogance and pretense.
Therefore, we need to acknowledge there is actually a positive word in the very unknowable-ness of the hour. We need to be reminded that we should not live as speculators guessing about the future nor as prospectors hunting for gold nuggets in the text. We need to live as a people to whom a promise has been given.
And we need to count on the reliability of the One who makes promises of hope. You see, it is not that the future is somehow mysteriously shrouded and that armchair predictors of the apocalypse must seek to break the secret code and discover when the end will be. The promises God makes do not depend on the natural possibilities inherent in the past or the present. [2]
All of which is to say, taken in the context of the times in which this was written, this is not a warning of any kind. This is not about, as some today might have it— this is not about being afraid because the end is near. This is about being aware that doing the work of God right now is a necessary component of the Christian way of living.
And what does doing the work of God right now mean for us today? It means feeding the hungry— something we participated in just last week— sheltering the homeless, clothing those in tatters, welcoming the alien in our midst, offering adequate healthcare for everyone.
Therefore, doing the will of God means offering a word of hope. That— offering hope— is the message of Advent promise. And the Advent promise is the promise of the Messiah— God in our midst. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
12/01/2013
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I hope this is clear: our culture effects our understandings— just like sarcasm won’t make sense in Thai there are things which won’t make sense in our culture becasue it’s alien to us. An example: as you know, it was cold yesterday, in the single digits. Today it supposed to be over 40. But Bonnie and I came here from Maine. What the culture in Maine says is when you see single digits expect that to last for several weeks— sometimes below single digits for several weeks. My point is we need to examine how the culture informs us. A friend of mine said when he found out we were going to Norwich, ‘Oh, you’re going to the tropics, aren’t you? Does a language accommodate sarcasm? If not, you will not get the jokes. Is the message of God meant to be one of hope? If your cultural tendencies steer you away from hope and toward fear, you will not be able to grasp that God offers hope.”
BENEDICTION: Let us know and understand that our hope is in God. May we carry the peace of God where ever we go. Let us share that peace and that hope, which is God’s, with all whom we meet. For God reigns and the joy of God’s love is a present reality. Amen.
[1] Used with permission.
[2] Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary, Based on the NRSV, by Walter Brueggemann (Editor) , Charles B. Cousar (Editor) , Beverly Roberts Gaventa (Editor) , James D. Newsome Jr. (Editor) — this from the electronic version, which is exactly the same as the print version.
Keep Awake
NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS ON THE BLOG POST, THERE ARE SOME VISUALS THE CONGREGATION SAW WHICH YOU WILL FIND ONLY IN THE PDF VERSION OF THE TEXT ON THE WEB SITE OF THE NORWICH CHURCH UNDER THE DATE OF THIS SERMON:
ALSO, YOU CAN CLICK ON THIS PDF FILE AND THAT WILL BE JUST THE VISUALS.
“Therefore, keep awake— be vigilant, for you do not know the day on which your Savior is coming.” — Matthew 24:42.
Many of you know the Nichols family who used to be members here. However, some of you do not know them, since they moved to Western Pennsylvania about— my memory says five or six years ago. Needless to say, some of you were not attending this church that long ago.
Micah Nichols, one of four brothers, must have been in Middle School (or maybe still in Elementary School) depending on when the family left when the family left at that point. I presume that since I know he is now a Rotary Exchange Student and he is a Senior in High School.
Now, of all the places one could be a Rotary Exchange Student, Micah certainly wound up in one of the most exotic and perhaps even a little dangerous since there has been a little violence in the capital earlier this week. He is currently in Thailand. I know this because I am Micah’s Facebook friend.
And not only does he post on Facebook he writes an occasional blog. And just so I say this out loud, I have told him by e-mail he is a magnificent writer. He writes well, he is a keen observer and his insights are interesting. Well, Micah added a post to his blog just a couple of days ago and it contained yet another fascinating observation.
In what he wrote he first noted his Thai language abilities are coming along nicely. They are not yet what he would call great— and knowing Micah my bet is he has high standards for determining what is great— they are not what he would yet call great but they are improving.
After a couple of months in country he can understand much, as he listens to conversation in Thai. It is always a good feeling, he said, to realize you can understand what people are saying, even without dedicating your total focus to it.
As to the fascinating observation he made, this is a direct quote from that recent blog post of Micah Nichols: “Something mildly interesting about Thai culture is that there is no such thing as sarcasm. Being an American, a lot of my humor is sarcastic. This causes some definite communication issues and certainly makes Thai people think I’m absolutely insane.”
“For example, someone will tell me about how busy their day will be. I might say something along the lines of ‘oh, that should be fun, right?’ I normally get strange looks in response— but I think I’m slowly training my host family to understand sarcastic humor.” [1] (Slight pause.)
I have another Facebook friend who is fond of occasionally posting picture with a single sarcastic phrase attached. He posted some this week. The pictures from this week were interesting from a historical perspective, given the season. They were pictures of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade taken in the 1930s.
Back in the 1930s the parade had what we might think of as some pretty bizarre balloons. In part because these photos got posted, I’ve done research about the parade. And I think the balloons and floats in the parade back then in the 30s and even some photos from some later dates were pretty strange when seen through today’s eyes.
There are several peculiar strange dragons— balloons— which traversed the parade route in different years. I found them quite off-putting. There is one of a disembodied head. So you can see a couple of these pictures, let me pass out a sheet with some of them on it. [Pause as the pastor passes out sheets with pictures on it.]
[The pastor keeps talking as the pictures are passed out: “two sides on these; two different sheets— one has tinted pictures on it, the other doesn’t.” The pastor returns to the pulpit.]
THE VISUALS:
Some of those seem pretty strange, right— with today’s eyes, at least. Well, my friend who posted this on Facebook is in the habit as I suggested of posting a number of strange pictures, not just these from the parade.
And he posts strange pictures with some regularity. The caption he gives them is always the same. The caption is meant to be sarcastic, I’m sure. He posts a strange picture and then he proclaims: “Further Proof of the Apocalypse.” Proof of the Apocalypse? (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the Gospel we have come to know as Matthew: “Therefore, keep awake— be vigilant, for you do not know the day on which your Savior is coming.” (Slight pause.)
So, let’s ask the obvious question: is this text meant to be apocalyptic? Is this text meant to be about the end of time in the modern sense, in our sense? Or, for our purposes today, would it be more accurate to take the words in this text as sarcastic? (Slight pause.)
I want to be careful here. I have no need to demythologize these words, to make them too modern, to take all the interesting imagery found in the passage in such a way as to render the words meaningless and, therefore, useless. To do so would be to rob the images of the early Christian witness they were meant to be and are.
But taken in the context of the times in which they were written, the witness was not intended to convey despair. Taken in the context of the times, New Testament times, this is a witness about hope. But how can that be since, when we look at this text with our modern eyes, it is easy to read fear into them? (Slight pause.)
Just like sarcasm does not come across in a Thai culture, in the culture of New Testament times, these words are not meant to convey a message about fear. They would not have even understood— they— the people in New Testament times— would have even understood what seeing these words as fearful was about. This is witness is about hope for them. This is a witness, you see, about the consummating activity of God.
Indeed, we need to carefully listen to the witness of the text. And we do need to allow the symbols found therein to evoke in us a sense of urgency. We do need to allow the symbols found therein to create some expectancy about the future God might have for us and a sense of anticipation about the future God might have for humanity.
How so? This passage, you see, begins and ends with declarations that the hour in which the hope of God is fully realized but cannot be known— the hour cannot be known. And the fact that Jesus and the angels are not privy to the time should provide a sharp warning against speculation and any overeagerness to seek some kind of hidden message. In fact, any claim to special insight about the future based on this passage merely exposes human arrogance and pretense.
Therefore, we need to acknowledge there is actually a positive word in the very unknowable-ness of the hour. We need to be reminded that we should not live as speculators guessing about the future nor as prospectors hunting for gold nuggets in the text. We need to live as a people to whom a promise has been given.
And we need to count on the reliability of the One who makes promises of hope. You see, it is not that the future is somehow mysteriously shrouded and that armchair predictors of the apocalypse must seek to break the secret code and discover when the end will be. The promises God makes do not depend on the natural possibilities inherent in the past or the present. [2]
All of which is to say, taken in the context of the times in which this was written, this is not a warning of any kind. This is not about, as some today might have it— this is not about being afraid because the end is near. This is about being aware that doing the work of God right now is a necessary component of the Christian way of living.
And what does doing the work of God right now mean for us today? It means feeding the hungry— something we participated in just last week— sheltering the homeless, clothing those in tatters, welcoming the alien in our midst, offering adequate healthcare for everyone.
Therefore, doing the will of God means offering a word of hope. That— offering hope— is the message of Advent promise. And the Advent promise is the promise of the Messiah— God in our midst. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
12/01/2013
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “I hope this is clear: our culture effects our understandings— just like sarcasm won’t make sense in Thai there are things which won’t make sense in our culture becasue it’s alien to us. An example: as you know, it was cold yesterday, in the single digits. Today it supposed to be over 40. But Bonnie and I came here from Maine. What the culture in Maine says is when you see single digits expect that to last for several weeks— sometimes below single digits for several weeks. My point is we need to examine how the culture informs us. A friend of mine said when he found out we were going to Norwich, ‘Oh, you’re going to the tropics, aren’t you? Does a language accommodate sarcasm? If not, you will not get the jokes. Is the message of God meant to be one of hope? If your cultural tendencies steer you away from hope and toward fear, you will not be able to grasp that God offers hope.”
BENEDICTION: Let us know and understand that our hope is in God. May we carry the peace of God where ever we go. Let us share that peace and that hope, which is God’s, with all whom we meet. For God reigns and the joy of God’s love is a present reality. Amen.
[1] Used with permission.
[2] Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary, Based on the NRSV, by Walter Brueggemann (Editor) , Charles B. Cousar (Editor) , Beverly Roberts Gaventa (Editor) , James D. Newsome Jr. (Editor) — this from the electronic version, which is exactly the same as the print version.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
SERMON ~ 11/24/2013 ~ “The Messiah of God”
11/24/2013 ~ The Feast of the Reign of Christ ~ Proper 29 ~ Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost ~ Last Sunday After Pentecost ~ Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 1:68-79; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 ~ Operation Christmas Child Commissioning.
The Messiah of God
“People stood by, watching. The leaders, however, scoffed and jeered saying, ‘This one saved others; let him save himself— if he is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!’” — Luke 23:35.
Malcolm Gladwell writes non-fiction books that usually go right to the top of the Best Seller list when first published. His most recent work is David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.
The author starts this book with an exegesis of the David and Goliath story from Scripture. Exegesis— that’s a $64 word which means looking at a text and doing a critical explanation and/or interpretation of it. Most often the word exegesis is used when speaking about religious texts.
However, exegesis can apply to any text. Our Norwich High School students who have had Mr. Bernstein’s Advanced Placement Literature and Composition classes, even though they many not know this, have practiced exegesis and probably practiced it really hard.
I am sure Mr. Bernstein has asked students to do this kind of analysis many times. And, as I suggested, you can exegete any text— from Shakespeare to Salinger to Shaw to Scripture. Textual analysis is a universal possibility.
Well, let me come back to the David and Goliath story and the exegesis Gladwell does with it. First, he describes the place, the valley where David and Goliath do battle.
The Israelite army and Philistine army— about equal in strength— wind up encamped on opposite edges of a ravine in a stand-off. Neither wants to descend to the valley only to have to fight their way up the other hill. I am sure you’ve heard the cliché attached with that one— uphill battle. Uphill battles are hard to win.
So Goliath, a giant— many scholars suggest this is simply an exceptionally tall man, maybe close to 7 feet tall— Goliath, a giant wearing armor, offers a challenge. Fight me. Your warrior wins, you win and we, the Philistines, become your slaves. I win, the opposite happens.
Then the short, young shepherd, clothed perhaps only in an animal skin, challenges that armor clad giant. Of course, the shepherd defies all odds and wins. This— David conquering Goliath— has become a metaphor in our language for someone who overcomes terrible odds and improbably winds up a victor.
But is that what happened? Or does the story say something else and we simply ignore it? (Slight pause.) In the analysis Gladwell offers, he insists we misread the story.
In the original text, Goliath says he can see David carrying two sticks. But the text also clearly tells us David carries a single staff. There is only one conclusion to be drawn: Goliath sees things blurry or double. In fact, if Goliath is as tall as some think, both that height and blurry or double vision might be caused by an overactive pituitary gland.
Further, he is led down the hill by a servant. He doesn’t come down by himself. So he is not just someone with bad eyesight. He is probably clumsy too. He cannot clamor down the hill alone.
And he wears all that armor. He can’t move quickly. Goliath probably wants to fight David in close quarters with a spear and a sword.
David, on the other hand, is mobile and agile. He can get close but can scamper away. David also carries a deadly weapon. The sling is not the children’s toy with which many of us are familiar.
It is made of a single piece of cloth and two lines. It was whirled overhead five to six times a second before release.
As to the stones used, we know the terrain in this area. We know the kind of stones found there. They are both small and heavy. So David picks up a small but dense stone to use in the sling.
Last, we know in ancient times people, like shepherds, were sharpshooters— so skilled they could kill a bird in flight with a stone hurled from a sling. And that stone came out of the sling at a speed similar to a modern bullet shot from a gun. (Slight pause.)
Was there a risk for the Israelites? Yes— it was huge. On the other hand, Saul probably overestimated the strengths of Goliath and underestimated the advantages of David. So the Israelites were worried and hesitant. But, says Gladwell, it was David who really had the upper hand, not Goliath. [1]
In short, most of us misread the story. And all you need to do is the exegetical work, the analysis, to realize there is something beyond the obvious in the story. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Luke. “People stood by, watching. The leaders, however, scoffed and jeered saying, ‘This one saved others; let him save himself— if he is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!’” (Slight pause.)
I think we find ourselves in a similar place with this reading and we need to analyze it to help make any sense. The reading is, you see, not as straightforward as it seems. On the surface, it’s a story about the crucifixion.
But if that’s the case, why did the compilers of the lections place a crucifixion story on the last Sunday before Advent, the season which moves us toward Christmas, the season we celebrate the birth of the Messiah? And why did the Church, in its wisdom, declare the Feast of the Reign of Christ on this day? And where is there any good news here? After all, it’s about crucifixion. (Slight pause.)
Well, this is what I think is going on. In this short passage, this crucifixion scene, Jesus is referred to by three different titles: ‘King of the Jews,’ ‘the Chosen One’ and ‘ the Messiah.’ All these are messianic titles— titles of a Messiah. So over and over again in this reading we find a proclamation: Jesus is the Messiah of God.
When that is taken into consideration, we need to ask the obvious question. Should our focus be on the crucifixion or should our focus lie elsewhere?
And, indeed, in order to help with that focus, let’s take a step back from this specific story and see it in the context of an overview of the Gospel known as Luke. In the Second Chapter of this work— when do we read the Second Chapter of this work? Christmas Eve. In the Second Chapter of this work when the angels appear to the shepherds, what is said?
“...the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for you have nothing to fear; I have come to bring you good news, news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah.’” [2]
And here, in today’s passage from Luke, Jesus is being crucified. And what is it we hear? Jesus is the Messiah. (Slight pause.)
We hear Messiah at the birth of Jesus. We hear Messiah when Jesus is murdered. (Slight pause.) So, is this passage about the crucifixion? Or is this passage about something else? (Slight pause.)
As I hope is obvious to you, the real topic of this passage is not crucifixion. The central concern is a proclamation which insists Jesus is the Messiah. (Slight pause.)
Even though it will take another three centuries for the church to form the doctrine we call Trinity, we can see its beginnings here. You see, at first, the Christian movement is made up of faithful Jews. So Jesus is seen as the Messiah of God.
And that brings us to why this is an appropriate reading for the last Sunday before the Season of Advent. Advent invites us to prepare for the Season of Christmas.
Rumor to the contrary, Christmas is not a secular holiday. Christmas is or should be a solemn occasion. Why? Christmas is a remembrance which celebrates the in-breaking of God into the life of the world and into our own lives. Personally, I cannot imagine a more solemn reason for celebration.
And after all, this is what the Second Chapter of Luke says: “...the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for you have nothing to fear; I have come to bring you good news, news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah.’” Amen.
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Given what I said today, there are two more things I need to say about exegesis, this analysis of Scripture. It is not new. It was not invented in the last century. The Prophets practiced exegesis; Jesus practiced exegesis; Paul practiced exegesis; faithful Christians have practiced exegesis for 2,000 years. Second, exegesis is easy. It works using one simple rule: don’t ask what Scripture says; ask what it means. Or as I’ve often said, I don’t take Scripture literally; I take it seriously.”
BENEDICTION: Let us walk in the light God provides. Let us thank God for reaching out to us in love. Let us be daily recreated in the image of God who wants us to live with justice as our guide and freedom as our goal. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses our understanding keep our hearts and minds in the companionship of the Holy Spirit and the love of God this day and evermore. Amen.
[1] Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Little, Brown and Company.
[2] Luke 2:10-11 [ILV]
The Messiah of God
“People stood by, watching. The leaders, however, scoffed and jeered saying, ‘This one saved others; let him save himself— if he is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!’” — Luke 23:35.
Malcolm Gladwell writes non-fiction books that usually go right to the top of the Best Seller list when first published. His most recent work is David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.
The author starts this book with an exegesis of the David and Goliath story from Scripture. Exegesis— that’s a $64 word which means looking at a text and doing a critical explanation and/or interpretation of it. Most often the word exegesis is used when speaking about religious texts.
However, exegesis can apply to any text. Our Norwich High School students who have had Mr. Bernstein’s Advanced Placement Literature and Composition classes, even though they many not know this, have practiced exegesis and probably practiced it really hard.
I am sure Mr. Bernstein has asked students to do this kind of analysis many times. And, as I suggested, you can exegete any text— from Shakespeare to Salinger to Shaw to Scripture. Textual analysis is a universal possibility.
Well, let me come back to the David and Goliath story and the exegesis Gladwell does with it. First, he describes the place, the valley where David and Goliath do battle.
The Israelite army and Philistine army— about equal in strength— wind up encamped on opposite edges of a ravine in a stand-off. Neither wants to descend to the valley only to have to fight their way up the other hill. I am sure you’ve heard the cliché attached with that one— uphill battle. Uphill battles are hard to win.
So Goliath, a giant— many scholars suggest this is simply an exceptionally tall man, maybe close to 7 feet tall— Goliath, a giant wearing armor, offers a challenge. Fight me. Your warrior wins, you win and we, the Philistines, become your slaves. I win, the opposite happens.
Then the short, young shepherd, clothed perhaps only in an animal skin, challenges that armor clad giant. Of course, the shepherd defies all odds and wins. This— David conquering Goliath— has become a metaphor in our language for someone who overcomes terrible odds and improbably winds up a victor.
But is that what happened? Or does the story say something else and we simply ignore it? (Slight pause.) In the analysis Gladwell offers, he insists we misread the story.
In the original text, Goliath says he can see David carrying two sticks. But the text also clearly tells us David carries a single staff. There is only one conclusion to be drawn: Goliath sees things blurry or double. In fact, if Goliath is as tall as some think, both that height and blurry or double vision might be caused by an overactive pituitary gland.
Further, he is led down the hill by a servant. He doesn’t come down by himself. So he is not just someone with bad eyesight. He is probably clumsy too. He cannot clamor down the hill alone.
And he wears all that armor. He can’t move quickly. Goliath probably wants to fight David in close quarters with a spear and a sword.
David, on the other hand, is mobile and agile. He can get close but can scamper away. David also carries a deadly weapon. The sling is not the children’s toy with which many of us are familiar.
It is made of a single piece of cloth and two lines. It was whirled overhead five to six times a second before release.
As to the stones used, we know the terrain in this area. We know the kind of stones found there. They are both small and heavy. So David picks up a small but dense stone to use in the sling.
Last, we know in ancient times people, like shepherds, were sharpshooters— so skilled they could kill a bird in flight with a stone hurled from a sling. And that stone came out of the sling at a speed similar to a modern bullet shot from a gun. (Slight pause.)
Was there a risk for the Israelites? Yes— it was huge. On the other hand, Saul probably overestimated the strengths of Goliath and underestimated the advantages of David. So the Israelites were worried and hesitant. But, says Gladwell, it was David who really had the upper hand, not Goliath. [1]
In short, most of us misread the story. And all you need to do is the exegetical work, the analysis, to realize there is something beyond the obvious in the story. (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work known as Luke. “People stood by, watching. The leaders, however, scoffed and jeered saying, ‘This one saved others; let him save himself— if he is the Messiah of God, the Chosen One!’” (Slight pause.)
I think we find ourselves in a similar place with this reading and we need to analyze it to help make any sense. The reading is, you see, not as straightforward as it seems. On the surface, it’s a story about the crucifixion.
But if that’s the case, why did the compilers of the lections place a crucifixion story on the last Sunday before Advent, the season which moves us toward Christmas, the season we celebrate the birth of the Messiah? And why did the Church, in its wisdom, declare the Feast of the Reign of Christ on this day? And where is there any good news here? After all, it’s about crucifixion. (Slight pause.)
Well, this is what I think is going on. In this short passage, this crucifixion scene, Jesus is referred to by three different titles: ‘King of the Jews,’ ‘the Chosen One’ and ‘ the Messiah.’ All these are messianic titles— titles of a Messiah. So over and over again in this reading we find a proclamation: Jesus is the Messiah of God.
When that is taken into consideration, we need to ask the obvious question. Should our focus be on the crucifixion or should our focus lie elsewhere?
And, indeed, in order to help with that focus, let’s take a step back from this specific story and see it in the context of an overview of the Gospel known as Luke. In the Second Chapter of this work— when do we read the Second Chapter of this work? Christmas Eve. In the Second Chapter of this work when the angels appear to the shepherds, what is said?
“...the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for you have nothing to fear; I have come to bring you good news, news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah.’” [2]
And here, in today’s passage from Luke, Jesus is being crucified. And what is it we hear? Jesus is the Messiah. (Slight pause.)
We hear Messiah at the birth of Jesus. We hear Messiah when Jesus is murdered. (Slight pause.) So, is this passage about the crucifixion? Or is this passage about something else? (Slight pause.)
As I hope is obvious to you, the real topic of this passage is not crucifixion. The central concern is a proclamation which insists Jesus is the Messiah. (Slight pause.)
Even though it will take another three centuries for the church to form the doctrine we call Trinity, we can see its beginnings here. You see, at first, the Christian movement is made up of faithful Jews. So Jesus is seen as the Messiah of God.
And that brings us to why this is an appropriate reading for the last Sunday before the Season of Advent. Advent invites us to prepare for the Season of Christmas.
Rumor to the contrary, Christmas is not a secular holiday. Christmas is or should be a solemn occasion. Why? Christmas is a remembrance which celebrates the in-breaking of God into the life of the world and into our own lives. Personally, I cannot imagine a more solemn reason for celebration.
And after all, this is what the Second Chapter of Luke says: “...the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for you have nothing to fear; I have come to bring you good news, news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah.’” Amen.
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Given what I said today, there are two more things I need to say about exegesis, this analysis of Scripture. It is not new. It was not invented in the last century. The Prophets practiced exegesis; Jesus practiced exegesis; Paul practiced exegesis; faithful Christians have practiced exegesis for 2,000 years. Second, exegesis is easy. It works using one simple rule: don’t ask what Scripture says; ask what it means. Or as I’ve often said, I don’t take Scripture literally; I take it seriously.”
BENEDICTION: Let us walk in the light God provides. Let us thank God for reaching out to us in love. Let us be daily recreated in the image of God who wants us to live with justice as our guide and freedom as our goal. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses our understanding keep our hearts and minds in the companionship of the Holy Spirit and the love of God this day and evermore. Amen.
[1] Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Little, Brown and Company.
[2] Luke 2:10-11 [ILV]
Sunday, November 17, 2013
SERMON ~ 11/17/2013 ~ “The Peaceable Kingdom?”
11/17/2013 ~ Proper 28 ~ Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12 **; Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19 ~ NOTE: Joe Does Children’s Time.
The Peaceable Kingdom?
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, / the lion shall eat straw like the ox; / but the serpent— its food shall be dust! / They shall not hurt or destroy / on all my holy mountain,...” — Isaiah 65:25
Some of us were alive fifty years ago this coming Friday and some of us were not. And a little like that more recent tragedy— 9/11— one of the questions always posed to those who experienced that date fifty years ago— 11/22/1963— one of the questions posed is often the same as it is for 9/11.
Where were you when you heard the news? Of course, in the case of 1963 the question is: ‘where were you when you heard that the President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, had been killed?’
As the years have passed, however, another and very different question about what happened back then has weighed on the American psyche. And the question is valid whether or not you were alive on that date. In short, this question even resonates with people who did not experience the event.
The question? Was there some kind of conspiracy afoot to brazenly and brutally assassinate the President? Put another way, was more than one person involved in this murder? Or was this killing simply the demented work of a single individual who was acting alone? (Slight pause.)
Movies have been made asking this question. Movies have even been made supplying answers to this question. Countless books have been written on the topic. One estimate I saw said there are 2,000 books rehashing various conspiracy theories as they ask over and over ‘was there more than one person was involved?’
According to a 2003 ABC News Poll, 70 percent of Americans believe Kennedy’s death was the result of a plot and not the act of a lone killer. Fifty-one percent believe that even if only one person did pull the trigger, there was some kind of support system for the perpetrator. 7 percent of those polled actually believe the person who the Warren Commission declared to be the sole actor in this crime was not even involved.
The same poll said there are five top assassination conspiracy theories. They are— in no particular order— first, the Soviets did it. After all, Khrushchev snubbed Kennedy when they first met and then Kennedy bested Khrushchev when the Soviet Premier was forced to back down over the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Slight pause.)
Next— the Mafia did it. In fact, the CIA— the Central Intelligence Agency— had contacts with organized crime about assassinating Fidel Castro. The mob was heavily invested in casinos in Havana. And then Kennedy botched the Bay of Pigs invasion. That ended any hopes they had of returning to those casinos . Further, the mob did not like Kennedy’s crusading brother, Attorney General, Robert Kennedy. So, maybe the Mafia did do it. (Slight pause.)
No— the Cubans probably did it. U.S. agents did try to assassinate Castro, says this thesis and Castro decided to return the favor. In fact, in 1968 Lyndon Johnson told ABC News (and this is a quote— quote): “Kennedy was trying to get to Castro but Castro got to him first.” (Slight pause.)
I heard this next one a lot when I was young. Lyndon Johnson did it. Who had the most to gain? The one who became president. The gist of this conspiracy tale says Johnson received help from the CIA and from wealthy tycoons who believed they would have access to more profit under a Johnson administration.
There is actually a variation on this one which says that Johnson was aided by another man who would become president— George H. W. Bush. Bush was then a rising star in the CIA and also happened to be in Dallas on the day of the assassination.
That segues into the last theory in the top five. The CIA did it. They are, of course, an easy scapegoat. Indeed, one variation suggests the assassin, the one the Warren Commission says acted alone, was a CIA operative. (Slight pause.)
Well, despite all the theories about the assassination, there is one possibility for the very existence of the theories which I personally have never heard anyone else say. Therefore, I suppose you could label this as my conspiracy theory. And what is my conspiracy theory?
My conspiracy theory says that all these theories have nothing at all to do with what happened on November the 22nd, 1963. Indeed, my conspiracy theory says there is a simple reason all the rest of those conspiracy theories even exist.
My conspiracy theory says the only thing the very existence of conspiracy theories proves is... people do not trust the government. And, since the official government report says there was a single assassin and no conspiracy, that conclusion must be wrong, since it’s the official position of the government— a government which cannot be trusted. (Slight pause.)
CBS anchor Bob Schieffer was a local reporter in Dallas in 1963. That day is still with him. In some ways his take is similar to mine. He recently described 11/22/1963 and the several days after the assassination on the program he now moderates, Face the Nation. He said (quote:) “It was the weekend America lost its innocence.” (Slight pause.)
These words are from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, / the lion shall eat straw like the ox; / but the serpent— its food shall be dust! / They shall not hurt or destroy / on all my holy mountain,...” (Slight pause.)
When the passage from Isaiah was introduced this was said (quote): “...the entire work known as Isaiah involves waiting. Waiting for God inevitably and invariably involves faith and trust.” (Slight pause.)
This passage describes a state of peace which seems quite unattainable— a wolf and the lamb together, a lion who eats straw. And then there is that promise of what we think of as a peace like existence: they shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain. (Slight pause.)
I want to suggest that we cannot get to a place where we experience the peace of God unless we trust God. But I think an initial question needs to be asked, a question which might allow us to get to that place of trust: what is the peace of God? (Slight pause.)
From a Biblical perspective, the peace of God is not the absence of violence. The peace of God is the presence of the Spirit of God.
Hence, the peaceable kingdom we all claim to seek is not necessary one where violence is banished. We find peace— real peace— when we trust that the presence of God is with us and that the presence of God is real, no matter what the circumstance.
Trust in God is, you see, the key to being aware of the presence of God. And that being aware of the presence of God leads us to an inner peace. (Slight pause.)
There is a quote attributed to one Claude AnShin Thomas which has recently been floating around the internet. Postings of this quote say Thomas is War Veteran and Buddhist Monk. Is he? I don’t know. It does not matter. I think these words are relevant. (Slight pause.)
(Quote:) “Peace is not an idea. Peace is not a political movement, not a theory or a dogma. Peace is a way of life: living mindfully in the presence moment. It is not a question of politics but of actions. It is not a matter of improving a political system or taking care of homeless people.”
“These are valuable but will not, alone, end war and suffering. We must stop the endless wars which rage within. Imagine, if everyone stopped the war within themselves. There would be no seeds from which war could grow.” (Slight pause.)
In some ways that’s about our inner psychological states, is it not? That helps toward trust, does it not? You see, I believe that, when we begin to trust God, we will find inner wars less invasive. We will find that begets love and love begets peace.
And I think trusting God is the very thing Isaiah addresses in this passage. When we trust God we are empowered to love. When we are empowered to love, the peace of God— the real presence of God— becomes tangible. Amen.
11/17/2013
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Randy Glasbergen is a nationally syndicated Cartoonist who happens live in Sherburne, just a couple miles down the road. And he is very funny. Or at least he is someone who says things funny, rather than saying funny things. He just published a cartoon which says this: ‘What really happened to the Thanksgiving turkey’ And under that caption are a couple of turkeys in discussion about what really happened: ‘Some say the CIA killed the turkey... others think it was the mob... conspiracy theorists think there was more than one ax swung from multiple positions by people on the grassy knoll.’ Perhaps conspiracy is where you look for it. And perhaps we are unaware of the peace of God, the presence of God because we fail to seek to do the work of God and the will of God.”
BENEDICTION: A kind and just God sends us out into the world as bearers of truth which surpasses our understanding. God watches over those who respond in love. So, let us love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. Let us be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.
The Peaceable Kingdom?
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, / the lion shall eat straw like the ox; / but the serpent— its food shall be dust! / They shall not hurt or destroy / on all my holy mountain,...” — Isaiah 65:25
Some of us were alive fifty years ago this coming Friday and some of us were not. And a little like that more recent tragedy— 9/11— one of the questions always posed to those who experienced that date fifty years ago— 11/22/1963— one of the questions posed is often the same as it is for 9/11.
Where were you when you heard the news? Of course, in the case of 1963 the question is: ‘where were you when you heard that the President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, had been killed?’
As the years have passed, however, another and very different question about what happened back then has weighed on the American psyche. And the question is valid whether or not you were alive on that date. In short, this question even resonates with people who did not experience the event.
The question? Was there some kind of conspiracy afoot to brazenly and brutally assassinate the President? Put another way, was more than one person involved in this murder? Or was this killing simply the demented work of a single individual who was acting alone? (Slight pause.)
Movies have been made asking this question. Movies have even been made supplying answers to this question. Countless books have been written on the topic. One estimate I saw said there are 2,000 books rehashing various conspiracy theories as they ask over and over ‘was there more than one person was involved?’
According to a 2003 ABC News Poll, 70 percent of Americans believe Kennedy’s death was the result of a plot and not the act of a lone killer. Fifty-one percent believe that even if only one person did pull the trigger, there was some kind of support system for the perpetrator. 7 percent of those polled actually believe the person who the Warren Commission declared to be the sole actor in this crime was not even involved.
The same poll said there are five top assassination conspiracy theories. They are— in no particular order— first, the Soviets did it. After all, Khrushchev snubbed Kennedy when they first met and then Kennedy bested Khrushchev when the Soviet Premier was forced to back down over the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Slight pause.)
Next— the Mafia did it. In fact, the CIA— the Central Intelligence Agency— had contacts with organized crime about assassinating Fidel Castro. The mob was heavily invested in casinos in Havana. And then Kennedy botched the Bay of Pigs invasion. That ended any hopes they had of returning to those casinos . Further, the mob did not like Kennedy’s crusading brother, Attorney General, Robert Kennedy. So, maybe the Mafia did do it. (Slight pause.)
No— the Cubans probably did it. U.S. agents did try to assassinate Castro, says this thesis and Castro decided to return the favor. In fact, in 1968 Lyndon Johnson told ABC News (and this is a quote— quote): “Kennedy was trying to get to Castro but Castro got to him first.” (Slight pause.)
I heard this next one a lot when I was young. Lyndon Johnson did it. Who had the most to gain? The one who became president. The gist of this conspiracy tale says Johnson received help from the CIA and from wealthy tycoons who believed they would have access to more profit under a Johnson administration.
There is actually a variation on this one which says that Johnson was aided by another man who would become president— George H. W. Bush. Bush was then a rising star in the CIA and also happened to be in Dallas on the day of the assassination.
That segues into the last theory in the top five. The CIA did it. They are, of course, an easy scapegoat. Indeed, one variation suggests the assassin, the one the Warren Commission says acted alone, was a CIA operative. (Slight pause.)
Well, despite all the theories about the assassination, there is one possibility for the very existence of the theories which I personally have never heard anyone else say. Therefore, I suppose you could label this as my conspiracy theory. And what is my conspiracy theory?
My conspiracy theory says that all these theories have nothing at all to do with what happened on November the 22nd, 1963. Indeed, my conspiracy theory says there is a simple reason all the rest of those conspiracy theories even exist.
My conspiracy theory says the only thing the very existence of conspiracy theories proves is... people do not trust the government. And, since the official government report says there was a single assassin and no conspiracy, that conclusion must be wrong, since it’s the official position of the government— a government which cannot be trusted. (Slight pause.)
CBS anchor Bob Schieffer was a local reporter in Dallas in 1963. That day is still with him. In some ways his take is similar to mine. He recently described 11/22/1963 and the several days after the assassination on the program he now moderates, Face the Nation. He said (quote:) “It was the weekend America lost its innocence.” (Slight pause.)
These words are from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, / the lion shall eat straw like the ox; / but the serpent— its food shall be dust! / They shall not hurt or destroy / on all my holy mountain,...” (Slight pause.)
When the passage from Isaiah was introduced this was said (quote): “...the entire work known as Isaiah involves waiting. Waiting for God inevitably and invariably involves faith and trust.” (Slight pause.)
This passage describes a state of peace which seems quite unattainable— a wolf and the lamb together, a lion who eats straw. And then there is that promise of what we think of as a peace like existence: they shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain. (Slight pause.)
I want to suggest that we cannot get to a place where we experience the peace of God unless we trust God. But I think an initial question needs to be asked, a question which might allow us to get to that place of trust: what is the peace of God? (Slight pause.)
From a Biblical perspective, the peace of God is not the absence of violence. The peace of God is the presence of the Spirit of God.
Hence, the peaceable kingdom we all claim to seek is not necessary one where violence is banished. We find peace— real peace— when we trust that the presence of God is with us and that the presence of God is real, no matter what the circumstance.
Trust in God is, you see, the key to being aware of the presence of God. And that being aware of the presence of God leads us to an inner peace. (Slight pause.)
There is a quote attributed to one Claude AnShin Thomas which has recently been floating around the internet. Postings of this quote say Thomas is War Veteran and Buddhist Monk. Is he? I don’t know. It does not matter. I think these words are relevant. (Slight pause.)
(Quote:) “Peace is not an idea. Peace is not a political movement, not a theory or a dogma. Peace is a way of life: living mindfully in the presence moment. It is not a question of politics but of actions. It is not a matter of improving a political system or taking care of homeless people.”
“These are valuable but will not, alone, end war and suffering. We must stop the endless wars which rage within. Imagine, if everyone stopped the war within themselves. There would be no seeds from which war could grow.” (Slight pause.)
In some ways that’s about our inner psychological states, is it not? That helps toward trust, does it not? You see, I believe that, when we begin to trust God, we will find inner wars less invasive. We will find that begets love and love begets peace.
And I think trusting God is the very thing Isaiah addresses in this passage. When we trust God we are empowered to love. When we are empowered to love, the peace of God— the real presence of God— becomes tangible. Amen.
11/17/2013
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Randy Glasbergen is a nationally syndicated Cartoonist who happens live in Sherburne, just a couple miles down the road. And he is very funny. Or at least he is someone who says things funny, rather than saying funny things. He just published a cartoon which says this: ‘What really happened to the Thanksgiving turkey’ And under that caption are a couple of turkeys in discussion about what really happened: ‘Some say the CIA killed the turkey... others think it was the mob... conspiracy theorists think there was more than one ax swung from multiple positions by people on the grassy knoll.’ Perhaps conspiracy is where you look for it. And perhaps we are unaware of the peace of God, the presence of God because we fail to seek to do the work of God and the will of God.”
BENEDICTION: A kind and just God sends us out into the world as bearers of truth which surpasses our understanding. God watches over those who respond in love. So, let us love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. Let us be so in awe of God that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
SERMON ~ 11/10/2013 ~ “Different”
11/10/2013 ~ Proper 27 ~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Haggai 1:15b-2:9; Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21 or Psalm 98 ; Job 19:23-27a; Psalm 17:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38 ~ Possibly Stewardship Sunday ~ Stewardship Sunday # 495 also ~ Veteran’s Day Weekend.
Different
“Jesus said to them, said to the Sadducees, ‘The children of this age marry each other but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age to come and in the resurrection from the dead do not take husbands or wives. Indeed, they can no longer die— like angels they are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.’” — Luke 20:34-36.
In a recent article theologian Marcus Borg asked a pertinent question. “What does it mean to be Christian?” Please note, Borg did not say “What does it mean to be a Christian?” but rather, “What does it mean to be Christian?”
Only then did Borg asked the next and obvious question. “What makes a person a Christian?” (Slight pause.)
Borg’s purpose in writing the article with these questions was not to provide criteria for deciding who is and who is not a Christian. It was not about separating sheep from goats, about deciding who is in or who is out. Rather, the article asked ‘what lies at the heart of being Christian?’
And being Christian, says this writer, is not very much about believing a set of statements which might be construed as the right things. However (and to look at it differently), the notion that Christianity is about believing a set of teachings or doctrines is a widespread phenomena in our age. That, says this theologian, is a relatively recent distortion of Christianity.
Seeing Christianity simply as a set of beliefs, he says, began with the Reformation of the 1500s and the Enlightenment of the 1600s. And, unfortunately, seeing Christianity simply as a set of beliefs continues today in many quarters.
In fact, historically, even currently, many Protestants distinguished themselves from Catholics by using comparisons between what they believe and what Catholics believe. And, of course, historically, even currently, many Protestants divide themselves into multiple churches and denominations, often with each church or denomination distinguishing themselves from other churches and denominations by using comparisons between what they believe and what other churches believe.
Not only do we tend to miss that the origins of this happened in the 1500s and 1600s, but we do not realize in drawing those lines dissecting beliefs churches and people were merely mirroring what was happening in the world of that era. And this changed emphasis in the nature of belief and how it happens. And it was a result largely of modern science and scientific ways of knowing things.
You see, the Reformation leads to the Enlightenment. Without the Reformation there is no Enlightenment, case closed. And, once the Enlightenment dawns, it calls into question many conventional Christian ideas as people begin to study specific phenomena, begin to study why things really happen.
And so, the earth was, perhaps, not at the center of the universe. Creation, perhaps, did not take six days. And maybe a world-wide flood did not kill every land creature.
So, having listed some of the ideas the Enlightenment questioned— this concept of an earth centered universe, the nature of how creation happened, etc.— all that baggage— the real question becomes this: were these things, were these ideas items never actually involved in a real understanding of Christianity— never involved in a real understanding of Christianity? (Slight pause.)
“Jesus said to them, ‘The children of this age marry each other but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age to come and in the resurrection from the dead do not take husbands or wives. Indeed, they can no longer die— like angels they are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.’” (Slight pause.)
Later in the same article Borg says the language of “believing” has, in fact, been part of Christianity from the first century onward, by far predating the Reformation and the Enlightenment. But before the Reformation “believing” did not refer primarily to believing the right doctrines.
Rather, to believe meant something like the word out of an old form of English known as Middle English— the word “belove.” The meaning of belief was to ‘belove’— to love God so much as to commit one’s self to a relationship of attentiveness and faithfulness. Commitment to God and fidelity to God are the ancient and the real meanings of faith and of believing.
I think when you carefully read the conversation Jesus has with the Sadducees you realize there is neither a denial nor a confirmation of the rules about a brother needing to marry the widow of another brother. Nor is there a denial or a confirmation of the resurrection. The effect of what Jesus says is this: God lives.
And a God who lives is a God to be beloved. A living God is a God with whom we need to be in an attentive and faithful relationship. In short, Christianity is not about a set of rules or theological precepts to be believed. Christianity is about having a relationship with a living God who, in turn, calls us to be in a relationship with one another. (Slight pause.)
Well, I suspect know what you might be asking yourself now. How does all this fit in with the idea that this is our “Enlistment Sunday,” a day on which we invite people to make a financial commitment to the church? What’s that segue? Well, let me try to unpack it. (Slight pause.)
I have told you many times what the financial state of this church is. Our endowment pays for all the upkeep, case closed. Anything people pledge or put in the plate, we give away.
Therefore, let me address the practical first. All of us make decisions about our own finances. Often finances are formed by down to earth judgments like “how much money do I have in my budget to do XYZ.”
Now, sometimes what we loosely refer to as our heart influences decisions about money. Here’s an example I bet a lot of us have faced. We go to buy a new car. And we see a car we really, really like. We like how it looks. We like how it feels. In fact, we love it.
But there is a car over on the other side of the lot. It’s a good car and it costs less. But we don’t really love it. Do we follow our heart? (Slight pause.)
So, here’s what I am suggesting: first, please, make a sound financial decision. Do not give more than you are able. That makes no sense— giving more than you are able.
Next, whatever you give, please give because you love God. Personally, I think giving because you love God is the only way giving to any church makes sense. And also on the practical side, give because you think we— we— as a church, strive to do the work of God, strive to do the work of justice God would have us pursue. (Slight pause.)
So, an Enlistment Sunday is not about rules, definitely not about resurrection, and, most assuredly, not even about money. An Enlistment Sunday is about love of God— God who invites us to love our neighbor.
An, yes— that old question: who is our neighbor? Look around you in the pews— neighbors. Go out the doors, on to the streets— neighbors. Get on a plane, go to Chicago— neighbors. Go to London— neighbors. Go to Frankfort— neighbors. Go to Tehran— neighbors. (Slight pause.) And, do we love God. Amen.
Amen.
11/10/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Borg asked ‘What does it mean to be Christian?’ and ‘What makes a person a Christian?’ Clearly, it is not definitions. It is loving God who invites us to love neighbor.”
BENEDICTION: We can find the presence of God in unexpected places. God’s light leads us to places we thought not possible just moments ago. God’s love abounds and will live with us throughout eternity. The grace of God is deeper than our imagination. The strength of Christ is stronger than our needs. The communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May the one triune God sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
Different
“Jesus said to them, said to the Sadducees, ‘The children of this age marry each other but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age to come and in the resurrection from the dead do not take husbands or wives. Indeed, they can no longer die— like angels they are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.’” — Luke 20:34-36.
In a recent article theologian Marcus Borg asked a pertinent question. “What does it mean to be Christian?” Please note, Borg did not say “What does it mean to be a Christian?” but rather, “What does it mean to be Christian?”
Only then did Borg asked the next and obvious question. “What makes a person a Christian?” (Slight pause.)
Borg’s purpose in writing the article with these questions was not to provide criteria for deciding who is and who is not a Christian. It was not about separating sheep from goats, about deciding who is in or who is out. Rather, the article asked ‘what lies at the heart of being Christian?’
And being Christian, says this writer, is not very much about believing a set of statements which might be construed as the right things. However (and to look at it differently), the notion that Christianity is about believing a set of teachings or doctrines is a widespread phenomena in our age. That, says this theologian, is a relatively recent distortion of Christianity.
Seeing Christianity simply as a set of beliefs, he says, began with the Reformation of the 1500s and the Enlightenment of the 1600s. And, unfortunately, seeing Christianity simply as a set of beliefs continues today in many quarters.
In fact, historically, even currently, many Protestants distinguished themselves from Catholics by using comparisons between what they believe and what Catholics believe. And, of course, historically, even currently, many Protestants divide themselves into multiple churches and denominations, often with each church or denomination distinguishing themselves from other churches and denominations by using comparisons between what they believe and what other churches believe.
Not only do we tend to miss that the origins of this happened in the 1500s and 1600s, but we do not realize in drawing those lines dissecting beliefs churches and people were merely mirroring what was happening in the world of that era. And this changed emphasis in the nature of belief and how it happens. And it was a result largely of modern science and scientific ways of knowing things.
You see, the Reformation leads to the Enlightenment. Without the Reformation there is no Enlightenment, case closed. And, once the Enlightenment dawns, it calls into question many conventional Christian ideas as people begin to study specific phenomena, begin to study why things really happen.
And so, the earth was, perhaps, not at the center of the universe. Creation, perhaps, did not take six days. And maybe a world-wide flood did not kill every land creature.
So, having listed some of the ideas the Enlightenment questioned— this concept of an earth centered universe, the nature of how creation happened, etc.— all that baggage— the real question becomes this: were these things, were these ideas items never actually involved in a real understanding of Christianity— never involved in a real understanding of Christianity? (Slight pause.)
“Jesus said to them, ‘The children of this age marry each other but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age to come and in the resurrection from the dead do not take husbands or wives. Indeed, they can no longer die— like angels they are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.’” (Slight pause.)
Later in the same article Borg says the language of “believing” has, in fact, been part of Christianity from the first century onward, by far predating the Reformation and the Enlightenment. But before the Reformation “believing” did not refer primarily to believing the right doctrines.
Rather, to believe meant something like the word out of an old form of English known as Middle English— the word “belove.” The meaning of belief was to ‘belove’— to love God so much as to commit one’s self to a relationship of attentiveness and faithfulness. Commitment to God and fidelity to God are the ancient and the real meanings of faith and of believing.
I think when you carefully read the conversation Jesus has with the Sadducees you realize there is neither a denial nor a confirmation of the rules about a brother needing to marry the widow of another brother. Nor is there a denial or a confirmation of the resurrection. The effect of what Jesus says is this: God lives.
And a God who lives is a God to be beloved. A living God is a God with whom we need to be in an attentive and faithful relationship. In short, Christianity is not about a set of rules or theological precepts to be believed. Christianity is about having a relationship with a living God who, in turn, calls us to be in a relationship with one another. (Slight pause.)
Well, I suspect know what you might be asking yourself now. How does all this fit in with the idea that this is our “Enlistment Sunday,” a day on which we invite people to make a financial commitment to the church? What’s that segue? Well, let me try to unpack it. (Slight pause.)
I have told you many times what the financial state of this church is. Our endowment pays for all the upkeep, case closed. Anything people pledge or put in the plate, we give away.
Therefore, let me address the practical first. All of us make decisions about our own finances. Often finances are formed by down to earth judgments like “how much money do I have in my budget to do XYZ.”
Now, sometimes what we loosely refer to as our heart influences decisions about money. Here’s an example I bet a lot of us have faced. We go to buy a new car. And we see a car we really, really like. We like how it looks. We like how it feels. In fact, we love it.
But there is a car over on the other side of the lot. It’s a good car and it costs less. But we don’t really love it. Do we follow our heart? (Slight pause.)
So, here’s what I am suggesting: first, please, make a sound financial decision. Do not give more than you are able. That makes no sense— giving more than you are able.
Next, whatever you give, please give because you love God. Personally, I think giving because you love God is the only way giving to any church makes sense. And also on the practical side, give because you think we— we— as a church, strive to do the work of God, strive to do the work of justice God would have us pursue. (Slight pause.)
So, an Enlistment Sunday is not about rules, definitely not about resurrection, and, most assuredly, not even about money. An Enlistment Sunday is about love of God— God who invites us to love our neighbor.
An, yes— that old question: who is our neighbor? Look around you in the pews— neighbors. Go out the doors, on to the streets— neighbors. Get on a plane, go to Chicago— neighbors. Go to London— neighbors. Go to Frankfort— neighbors. Go to Tehran— neighbors. (Slight pause.) And, do we love God. Amen.
Amen.
11/10/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Borg asked ‘What does it mean to be Christian?’ and ‘What makes a person a Christian?’ Clearly, it is not definitions. It is loving God who invites us to love neighbor.”
BENEDICTION: We can find the presence of God in unexpected places. God’s light leads us to places we thought not possible just moments ago. God’s love abounds and will live with us throughout eternity. The grace of God is deeper than our imagination. The strength of Christ is stronger than our needs. The communion of the Holy Spirit is richer than our togetherness. May the one triune God sustain us today and in all our tomorrows. Amen.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
SERMON ~ 11/03/2013 ~ “Systems 101”
11/03/2013 ~ Proper 26 ~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (If All Saints not observed on this day); Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 119:137-144; Isaiah 1:10-18; Psalm 32:1-7; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10 ~ Communion Sunday ~ Bells Play at This Service.
Systems 101
“Cease to do evil, / learn to do good; / search for and seek justice, / rescue, help the oppressed; / defend and protect those who are orphaned; / plead the case of those who are widowed.” — Isaiah 1:16c-17.
I suspect all of us take note of milestones and celebrate them in some way or form. The events marking the milestones break out into two distinct groups: public events and private events.
Corporate, public milestones get celebrated in a universal way, observed by a whole community with public ceremonies. There may be very private aspects to these public observances but they are, none-the-less, communal.
There are other milestones we mark which can only be described as private and personal. These are most often observed only by an individual or by family members or by close friends.
Now, both of these kinds of milestones, the public and private, each also break into two categories. There are events we associate with joy and events we associate with sadness.
Among those private events we observe with joy are birthdays and wedding anniversaries. The private observances we mark with reserve and a sense of solemnity might include marking the anniversary date on which a close friend or a relative died.
And, as I’ve already indicated, the same is true on the public side of the spectrum. We joyfully mark some celebrations— national dates of note like the Fourth of July. We observe others with a sense of solemnity and sometimes sadness.
Indeed, in our history, in the history of this country, there have been many points of public distress. These range from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the burning of Washington in 1814 to the Battle of Gettysburg to the assassination of Lincoln to sinking of the Battleship Maine to the attack on Pearl Harbor to the assassination of John Kennedy to explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger to the tragedy of 9/11.
Needless to say, the further into the past we go, the less likely an event is to stir our emotions. The more recent the event, the more fixed it is in current memory, the more personal it becomes. Therefore, even though these events, especially the recent ones, are observed in a public way, the personal pain of these memories, the pain these memories bring is real.
Additionally, the most private person among us at some point participates in public moments, public markings both joyful and sad. And the most public person among us experiences private moments and private markings, joyful and sad. That there is a tension between public and private cannot be denied. (Slight pause.)
Tomorrow— Monday, November the Fourth, I will observe a hard personal anniversary. It is the thirtieth anniversary of my Mother’s death. As I have said here before, she died very young as those things go.
Further, she died of a form of cancer— cancer of the bladder— which, even thirty years ago, only took about ten percent of those who dealt with it. She was simply in the wrong group, not the ninety percent of the population who survive. She was among the ten percent who do not make it.
There is no denying this: the fact that she died young and the fact that the disease takes such a small segment of those who suffer from it does not feel fair. I’ve already outlived her time embodied in frail flesh by a number of years.
Not a day goes by when I fail to feel some personal pain about this. It leaves me asking the question ‘is there, was there any justice in that?’ (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “Cease to do evil, / learn to do good; / search for and seek justice, / rescue, help the oppressed; / defend and protect those who are orphaned; / plead the case of those who are widowed.” (Pause.)
So, what is justice? What does it mean to do justice? What does it mean to see justice? What does it mean to experience justice? And is any kind of justice— personal justice or public justice— real, attainable? And what is the tension among these? (Pause.)
I’ll come back to those questions in a bit. (Slight pause.) I just want to take a little journey down the road, somewhere else. I give titles to all my sermons. Some pastors do; some do not. I called this sermon Systems 101. Why?
If you went to a typical undergraduate class in systems this is the first rule you would learn: there is no such thing as a perfect system. It does not exist.
Equally, if you did a Master’s Degree in theology or any of the associated areas, it’s likely a required course would be Systematic Theology. And, obviously, there is only one problem with giving a course the title of Systematic Theology. There is no such thing as a perfect system.
Please note: I did not say ‘there is no such thing as a system.’ Systems exist, they are necessary, useful, helpful and they serve us quite well, thank you.
The job of anarchy and the job of an anarchist is to abolish and/or obstruct systems. The last time I looked neither anarchy nor anarchists— they don’t serve anyone except those who enjoy wallowing in chaos— no, thank you— not my cup of tea— anarchism.
Again and to reiterate, I did not say systems are bad things nor did I say systems fail to exist. What I said is there is no such thing as a perfect system. Every system ever invented has a flaw.
That brings me back to what I believe is the key issue this passage presents: that there is a tension between our private needs and our public needs. There is a tension between our private joy and our public joy. There is a tension between our private pain and our public pain.
We do have private needs. We do have private joy. We do have private pain. We do have public needs. We do have public joy. We do have public pain. And it seems to me all these— needs and joy and pain— are all inexorably intertwined.
So, if a perfect system cannot be constructed— and I do not think a perfect system can be constructed because of the joy and the needs and the pain tugging at one another— if a perfect system cannot be constructed what is justice? What does it mean to do justice? What does it mean to see justice?
What does it mean to experience justice? And is any kind of justice real or attainable? Is justice personal, private? Is justice public, communal? (Slight pause.) Hard questions, these. (Slight pause.)
I think we make a basic mistake in our perception of justice. We perceive justice as an end. We understand justice as a result.
That’s where the words from this passage are instructive. For me the passage has a clear outline of what justice is about. Justice takes action. Justice moves. Justice is, therefore, for all people. Justice is a process, not an end. (Quote:) “Cease to do evil, / learn to do good; / search for and seek justice, / rescue, help the oppressed....” (Slight pause.)
Which brings me back to my mother. When I was maybe six or seven, I saw a mugging take place outside the front window of the house. I was the only one there watching.
I ran and got my Mom. She rushed into the street. She was all of five foot two. But she shouted so loudly the attacker ran off. She brought the victim, a woman who was probably in her seventies, back into the house and called the police. (Slight pause.)
Action, you see, shifts our focus. Action takes the focus off us and places it on anyone who is denied justice. And action helps us realize that if any one person is denied justice, then we are all denied justice.
To be clear: action does not remove pain. Action, if anything, makes us more aware of pain. Action does not eliminate need. Action, if anything, makes us more aware of need.
To sum this up in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “I have not lost faith. I am not in despair, because I know there is a moral order. I haven’t lost faith, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I would add that arc invites us toward action. Amen.
11/03/2013
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “What is justice for all? These are the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (quote): ‘The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.’”
BENEDICTION: O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our striving for justice and truth, to confront one another in love, and to work together with mutual patience, acceptance and respect. Send us out, sure in Your grace and Your peace which surpasses understanding, to live faithfully. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God, that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.
Systems 101
“Cease to do evil, / learn to do good; / search for and seek justice, / rescue, help the oppressed; / defend and protect those who are orphaned; / plead the case of those who are widowed.” — Isaiah 1:16c-17.
I suspect all of us take note of milestones and celebrate them in some way or form. The events marking the milestones break out into two distinct groups: public events and private events.
Corporate, public milestones get celebrated in a universal way, observed by a whole community with public ceremonies. There may be very private aspects to these public observances but they are, none-the-less, communal.
There are other milestones we mark which can only be described as private and personal. These are most often observed only by an individual or by family members or by close friends.
Now, both of these kinds of milestones, the public and private, each also break into two categories. There are events we associate with joy and events we associate with sadness.
Among those private events we observe with joy are birthdays and wedding anniversaries. The private observances we mark with reserve and a sense of solemnity might include marking the anniversary date on which a close friend or a relative died.
And, as I’ve already indicated, the same is true on the public side of the spectrum. We joyfully mark some celebrations— national dates of note like the Fourth of July. We observe others with a sense of solemnity and sometimes sadness.
Indeed, in our history, in the history of this country, there have been many points of public distress. These range from the Battle of Bunker Hill to the burning of Washington in 1814 to the Battle of Gettysburg to the assassination of Lincoln to sinking of the Battleship Maine to the attack on Pearl Harbor to the assassination of John Kennedy to explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger to the tragedy of 9/11.
Needless to say, the further into the past we go, the less likely an event is to stir our emotions. The more recent the event, the more fixed it is in current memory, the more personal it becomes. Therefore, even though these events, especially the recent ones, are observed in a public way, the personal pain of these memories, the pain these memories bring is real.
Additionally, the most private person among us at some point participates in public moments, public markings both joyful and sad. And the most public person among us experiences private moments and private markings, joyful and sad. That there is a tension between public and private cannot be denied. (Slight pause.)
Tomorrow— Monday, November the Fourth, I will observe a hard personal anniversary. It is the thirtieth anniversary of my Mother’s death. As I have said here before, she died very young as those things go.
Further, she died of a form of cancer— cancer of the bladder— which, even thirty years ago, only took about ten percent of those who dealt with it. She was simply in the wrong group, not the ninety percent of the population who survive. She was among the ten percent who do not make it.
There is no denying this: the fact that she died young and the fact that the disease takes such a small segment of those who suffer from it does not feel fair. I’ve already outlived her time embodied in frail flesh by a number of years.
Not a day goes by when I fail to feel some personal pain about this. It leaves me asking the question ‘is there, was there any justice in that?’ (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: “Cease to do evil, / learn to do good; / search for and seek justice, / rescue, help the oppressed; / defend and protect those who are orphaned; / plead the case of those who are widowed.” (Pause.)
So, what is justice? What does it mean to do justice? What does it mean to see justice? What does it mean to experience justice? And is any kind of justice— personal justice or public justice— real, attainable? And what is the tension among these? (Pause.)
I’ll come back to those questions in a bit. (Slight pause.) I just want to take a little journey down the road, somewhere else. I give titles to all my sermons. Some pastors do; some do not. I called this sermon Systems 101. Why?
If you went to a typical undergraduate class in systems this is the first rule you would learn: there is no such thing as a perfect system. It does not exist.
Equally, if you did a Master’s Degree in theology or any of the associated areas, it’s likely a required course would be Systematic Theology. And, obviously, there is only one problem with giving a course the title of Systematic Theology. There is no such thing as a perfect system.
Please note: I did not say ‘there is no such thing as a system.’ Systems exist, they are necessary, useful, helpful and they serve us quite well, thank you.
The job of anarchy and the job of an anarchist is to abolish and/or obstruct systems. The last time I looked neither anarchy nor anarchists— they don’t serve anyone except those who enjoy wallowing in chaos— no, thank you— not my cup of tea— anarchism.
Again and to reiterate, I did not say systems are bad things nor did I say systems fail to exist. What I said is there is no such thing as a perfect system. Every system ever invented has a flaw.
That brings me back to what I believe is the key issue this passage presents: that there is a tension between our private needs and our public needs. There is a tension between our private joy and our public joy. There is a tension between our private pain and our public pain.
We do have private needs. We do have private joy. We do have private pain. We do have public needs. We do have public joy. We do have public pain. And it seems to me all these— needs and joy and pain— are all inexorably intertwined.
So, if a perfect system cannot be constructed— and I do not think a perfect system can be constructed because of the joy and the needs and the pain tugging at one another— if a perfect system cannot be constructed what is justice? What does it mean to do justice? What does it mean to see justice?
What does it mean to experience justice? And is any kind of justice real or attainable? Is justice personal, private? Is justice public, communal? (Slight pause.) Hard questions, these. (Slight pause.)
I think we make a basic mistake in our perception of justice. We perceive justice as an end. We understand justice as a result.
That’s where the words from this passage are instructive. For me the passage has a clear outline of what justice is about. Justice takes action. Justice moves. Justice is, therefore, for all people. Justice is a process, not an end. (Quote:) “Cease to do evil, / learn to do good; / search for and seek justice, / rescue, help the oppressed....” (Slight pause.)
Which brings me back to my mother. When I was maybe six or seven, I saw a mugging take place outside the front window of the house. I was the only one there watching.
I ran and got my Mom. She rushed into the street. She was all of five foot two. But she shouted so loudly the attacker ran off. She brought the victim, a woman who was probably in her seventies, back into the house and called the police. (Slight pause.)
Action, you see, shifts our focus. Action takes the focus off us and places it on anyone who is denied justice. And action helps us realize that if any one person is denied justice, then we are all denied justice.
To be clear: action does not remove pain. Action, if anything, makes us more aware of pain. Action does not eliminate need. Action, if anything, makes us more aware of need.
To sum this up in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “I have not lost faith. I am not in despair, because I know there is a moral order. I haven’t lost faith, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I would add that arc invites us toward action. Amen.
11/03/2013
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 Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “What is justice for all? These are the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (quote): ‘The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.’”
BENEDICTION: O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our striving for justice and truth, to confront one another in love, and to work together with mutual patience, acceptance and respect. Send us out, sure in Your grace and Your peace which surpasses understanding, to live faithfully. And may we love God so much, that we love nothing else too much. May we be so in awe of God, that we are in awe of no one else and nothing else. Amen.
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