Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139 is perhaps one the most beautiful images of God’s tender love of human kind - and a mutual acknowledgement of God - our life in God. 12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; * you knit me together in my mother's womb. There is such a mutual love being expressed literally formed - in this incarnational language of the womb. We are bound with God through our very being. In the season of Epiphany we are celebrating the incarnation. And our passages today are full of images of the body - and this discerning spirit of God in our midst knowing us - calling us - and our response to that call. Our theology and our Eucharist is incarnational. We have sacraments that express, as we say, “an outward sign of an inward grace.” This is why we come to the table to share in communion. We are expressing that we are united to God and to one another through the love of Christ. It is very physical! What does it mean to be incarnational people? Well of course we are. That sounds kind of redundant, right? …BUT we forget our true selves often because of our very physicality - we can easily be asleep to our beautiful and mystical identities. Because we have so much that we just have to deal with in these bodies. Right now I’m happy to acknowledge that we have all types of bodies in our congregation. -We have toddlers who are learning how to be in their bodies. - We have a few children on the brink of change; experiencing whole new sensations - and are going to have to learn, all over again, how to manage what they feel in their bodies… -And many of us are dealing with aging bodies and illness that constrain us - our bodies no longer do what they used to do - and we are having to learn again how to be…. How to be: How to recognize our true selves (not apart from these bodies, but apart from the identification of self with what a body does or doesn’t do: support us - or struggle to support us, anger us, confuse us)… Our passages today remind us that through all of it: God is with us - and manifested through us as our "true selves” incarnate through Christ. Christian community is a place where we come together to recognize that we are not separate bodies, but a fellowship with one another - united. Our true selves are Spirit - Spirit is energy and Spirit is felt deeply in the emotions, in the mind, and in the body. This past week I was with my best friends in Maine. We went for some long hikes in the snow. I forgot how exhilarating it can be having snow pelting me in the face, at the same time I was shedding layers from the warmth of the hike, and the warmth of conversation with friends who have been with me - seen me at so many stages of my life. To be seen. It was a full body experience. Incarnational…I felt known completely: My true self. This is the exhilaration that Nathanael felt when Jesus knew him. And called to him. Nathanael didn’t hesitate to recognize Jesus right back as “Messiah." This was a mutual knowing… a calling to one another. One deep to another. But Nathanael hadn’t physically been with Jesus as I have been with my friends sharing so many changes over the years: heart ache, growth, new ideas, arguments with parents, struggling to pay rent, late nights of introspection - or dancing in the kitchen - navigating marriages, babies, deaths. So what’s going on with Nathanael? Nathanael knew Jesus because he knew that God was with him through all of it - That is the message of this passage. Their interaction is recorded with such brevity… But it speaks volumes. God is with us - and had been with Philip - and has been with me - and with you - navigating all of it. 2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places * and are acquainted with all my ways. It helps to have a group of friends or another person to remind us of that bond with God - who we really are: to remind us to listen for it, like Eli does for Samuel in our reading from the Old Testament. Samuel is young and hasn’t yet come to realize his intimate relationship with God. His mentor Eli tells Samuel to lie down (ie surrender). Surrender and Listen. Listen for that call that makes you whole. Your true self is infused with God. That’s what we do in Christian community. We are here to see one another, one deep to another deep; to listen, and remind one another that our lives are infused with God. All of us. And our mission is to spread that to others. While Samuel went on to become a priest and great Judge, our life in Christ does not make us a judgmental group - but rather a discerning group like a sound judge. We will support and nurture the divinity that we all hold - knit in the womb; seen and loved; wonderful and marvelously made. Incarnate.
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John came to testify to the light, so that others would believe, that God was in the world!
Not somewhere out there. But God with us. And those who believe in the light, ‘the light that enlightens everyone” - are free — free to know they are children of God (not because a person wills it; not because they were born into it by privilege —but that they (and we) are heirs of God’s inheritance… Freely given… We are the Beloved. These are not just words, but words to live by. It is difficult to integrate something so tremendous. It is difficult to even articulate - let alone have it penetrate your knowledge of self. Loving self - imagining yourself as The Beloved is part of the spiritual journey that Jesus asks of us. It’s what helps us be receptive to a greater love, so that we can in turn be a receptacle for others. As proverbs says, “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord, searching every inmost part. -Proverbs 20:27 Light and metaphors for light accompany discernment in the Bible; Seeing clearly, Keeping awake, knowing thyself. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path -Palm 19:105 Light when directed, as through a magnifying glass, has the power to burn a hole in a piece of paper or leather. Light has the power of fire. God’s light that illumines and transforms us - and brings us into new life is an essential part of understanding the Holy Spirit and Baptism. John the Baptist prophesied saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is Coming… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” We believe through Baptism the Holy Spirit is abiding in us. It’s that gift for discerning that God is with us - God incarnate. Enkindled in our hearts (as the collect says). This light, is the light of mankind. On fire… It is a purifying fire, that if we pay attention, if we direct our focus will help us burn away that which is not loving, that which is not life-giving, It helps us burn with truth and understanding. It is our inheritance! John’s Gospel does not even have a birth narrative. John begins with the light. And will go on…to say… “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” We need light for growth. For our very life. Christmas and the Solstice are closely associated for this very reason. The light of the solstice and the Christmas Story do not cancel one another out, rather they embellish one another. We have the light of the incarnation of the world; physically THE Creation -- And Christmas provides the story of the light of mankind the incarnation of God with us. - woven together perfectly. The light coming into the world feeds us literally growing plants - giving us warmth… But the light, that is to enlighten everyone with the birth of God feeds our hearts…and needs to be fed. It is a new level of awareness. We wish putting on the armor of light would come as naturally as the sun returning for longer hours in December… but for most of us it takes that inmost work; Working to discover the truth of ourselves in our lives with God. Integrating our “Belovedness” so that we may love others more fully. The physical darkness of this Season is much easier for us to bear in modern times. But we are all facing darkness in our own personal lives. And we are facing darkness in our world. As I spoke of in my Christmas Sermon, the plight of Israelis and Palestinians is very real today. It is mirrored in our story. And we see how the story of Christmas and new light and life is relevant to today; The Mother Mary and her birth in distress mirrors what others are experiencing today in the Holy Land. And we hope for the light of God to enlighten all of us. The birth narrative and the canticles are relevant to today. The psalms are relevant to today. And you can use them quite personally. They may appear to be spoken from a people crying out from long ago. But in my mind and in my recitations, Israel is us. Zion is my heart - it is the kingdom of Heaven…and my enemies (as are often spoken of) are things that surround and drown me in sorrow. Our enemies are not necessarily people, but the things that obstruct the light, our growth - and our life: Be it habits or trials that we seek to overcome. So use these prayers. They are cathartic. They are yours, freely given because you are the Beloved We pray for all of those who are in distress in our World. We pray for Gods light to enlighten everyone; God’s light incarnate in the world… …Hold fast to it, enkindled in your very heart. “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
We hear this passage every year… Dreamy Shepherds, singing Angels, brave Mary… But Think about how radical it is: A messenger from God bringing good news for the entire world?! And the message doesn’t come via the press, it doesn’t come as a political appointment, and it doesn’t come to the privileged. It comes to the shepherds. And the angel comes with a host of other angels. Now if you’ve ever looked at images or icons of angels, they are often in military dress. A “host" means a troop; it means an army. An army of Angels comes to the shepherds. An army of Angels who are singing. This week I spent some time with my parents upstate. One of our projects was getting the large round hay bales out in the fields for the cows for winter. My job was to cut and collect the blue twine from each one as my dad went back and forth to the long shed with the tractor. It gave me a couple of hours to think about the shepherds. When you are out in the fields you have time, and the sky. It is meditative to do this kind of work. I imagine over many days, and over large areas of field it might feel very solitary, quiet; no tractor sounds. There’d be a lot of faith - and a lot of hope that the next task would go well, your friends would show up, you’d have a warm meal; your animals would stay healthy. You would make up many games. And I imagine you would sing. Our story tells us that King David made up many songs while he was a shepherd. When we refer to the “Psalmist singing” that’s what we mean. We have these early, early songs that "endlessly give themselves to us "(1). When I hear this passage, I imagine this host of angels mirroring this group of shepherds, each band singing a song. "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” The announcement and the birth of Jesus that we tell each year is our story. It mirrors us, as the angels mirror the shepherds…It is our dream of the promise. It is important for us to retell it. It is not repetitive, but "endlessly gives to us" like the psalms, incrementally we receive it more deeply as we grow and age. It is a story about love, about love incarnate, and about a promise of peace for all the world. Right now in Gaza shepherds are forced to abandon their animals. In a small strip of land adjacent to Egypt, women are forced to give birth in cars and in tents without any medical care. It is 2023. Their stories with terrifying and dangerous circumstances mirror the Mother Mary’s forced journey - and a treacherous birth unaccompanied by midwives. In a recent Los Angeles Times article, a pregnant woman named Sara in Gaza shared her plight. “It’s possible Sara and her family could be forced into exile in the Sinai Desert. (3) But she fervently hopes a cease-fire will be called before a mass exodus of Palestinians could happen. For Sara, her faith in God’s will remains unshakable: ‘I trust he will always be there for me’.” Equally radical, like Sara, Mary believed wholly what Jesus was going to teach… she expressed in her song: He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation. he has scattered the proud in their conceit. and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. Mary: radical lady - and Mary is with us in Palestine today. Recent theologies want to point out that the nativity story has taken out the messy and difficult, painful and carnal aspects of childbirth. They ask us to look at the real woman in the story. It is always important for us to consider who is left out of our story… and primary- this story retells that God comes to us in times of great turmoil. God comes to us through the victimized and to the marginalized - God is not out there somewhere, but in the hearts and bodies of people - and people on the edge… and that people like Sara and people like Mary. To be a God bearer, a love bearer is our call. This idea that God is born in flesh, the incarnation, is radical - and shows us that there is divinity in matter. God is enfleshed; God’s DNA is in every living thing. And that requires of us true responsibility for one another and everything and everyone on our planet. I recently heard the term “post Christendom” used to describe the cultural shift in our society. But we have to remember that the earliest Christians were also small counter-cultural communities living in a pre-Christendom. …grounded in love. It was not yet seduced and manipulated by empire and control. So, we continue to tell our story… Because it is important. Not because it is the only Story, but because it is a living story that gives to us endlessly: It’s important because we hope, like the shepherds, for the promise of Peace and safety; We hope for armies of guardian Angels rather than armies of War. It’s important because we believe like Mary "in the tender sheltering of mercy that restores relationships." (3) And we believe that to be like Jesus is to birth God’s love, at the very core of our being - in us and spread through us. Singing and …”bringing good news of Great Joy for all the World." Merry Christmas! 1. Finley, James. (Host). (2023, October 2nd). Dialogue II A loving Exchange (No. 5 of Mechthild of Magdeburg). In Turning to the Mystics, Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/podcasts/dialogue-2-a-loving-exchange/ 2. Baker, Catherine and Shahd Safi. Dec. 22, 2023 3:03 AM PTLos Angeles. Opinion: Not far from Bethlehem, the plight of pregnant women in Gaza evokes a biblical story. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-12-22/gaza-israel-hamas-pregnant-women-christmas-bethlehem 3. Bourgeault, Cynthia. (2023, December 22) Words from the Desert Fathers and Mothers for Advent and Christmas. Spirituality and Practice E-course, Claremont, California. https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works…
Make room in your hearts and for the World… It seems to me that this is the message we get from today’s readings. Make room in your hearts for God and for the World Today’s Gospel is tough to hear. Why would Jesus sound SO harsh. The Gospel of Matthew is a Gospel written to an early Jewish-Christian community. They are primarily Jews - and a lot of the emphasis in this Gospel, is that the message of Jesus Christ is not solely for the Jewish community, but is made for the whole world. This Gospel includes the feeding of the 5000 as well as the feeding of the 4000. They are nearly identical stories, yet the second gathering of the 4000 is in a Gentile region. I also always love numbers when they appear in scripture. They often give us clues. In the feeding of the 5000 Jews we have 12 baskets left over. While in the feeding of the 4000 Gentiles we have 7 baskets left over. It is very likely that the 12 baskets represent the fulfillment of the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus was going after the lost sheep of Israel. Now the number seven is almost always used to describe completion. Jesus message is not complete until he has gathered all of the peoples of the Earth. (Seven baskets). This passage with Jesus and the Canaanite woman is the turning point in Jesus’ ministry between these two feeding stories. Now what proceeds their encounter is a teaching about what “defiles.” The strict orthodox tradition believed in certain dietary restrictions and held to purity laws and rituals. And what follows their encounter is the feeding of the 4000; a clear indication that Jesus and his message is meant for more than the select Jewish community. Jesus teaches that it is not what comes into the body that defiles us, but what we harbor in our hearts. “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” Purity is not to be sought from the outside. Purity is an interior state. It is found in the mind and the heart; that singleness of mind and heart, where we perceive unity, rather than separation. From this space love flows. Jesus’ response to the Canaanite woman is an immediate demonstration of this concept. His initial remarks appear very harsh to us. And what happens? We respond with what? Our hearts. “Weren’t our hearts burning within us?” Aren’t we moved? (the disciples and readers of this scene) Aren’t our hearts stirred to cry out in solidarity with the woman?! We know what is called for here… and I believe Jesus knows that we know. A singleness of heart…It is our knee jerk response: Save her! Of course you will save her daughter, of course we know you are the Messiah for the whole world… That is the turning point in the disciples’ ministry. That is the great conversion (not of God’s heart) but of those who listen for the heartbeat of God. His message yet to come is: Your feeding of the 5000 will be completed by the feeding of the 4000 who are Gentiles. Who are “Other” and who are equally deserving! “for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered.” Paul in Romans is also trying to convey this idea, saying, “I ask then, has God rejected his people? By no means!” He speaks of this inclusivity in quite odd terms: “For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.” It sounds strange, but he is trying to put to words the breadth of God’s mercy. Paul is saying, it is not a bad thing that God’s Mercy is meant for all…because it is by the very fact of the need itself, that we come to know that we are all deserving of God’s Mercy. It opens us up personally and to others. It reminded me of The First Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We are looking at this passage in our current book study. Cynthia Bourgealt presents this beatitude from a wisdom perspective: Blessed are we all, who are poor in spirit, because in this state we are actually available to receive the gifts of God. We can be filled with God’s mercy and love. That’s what Paul is getting at here. After all, Jesus said “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” If we are filled up with ourselves and our own self- righteousness there is no room for God’s grace. -- The Canaanite Woman offers us an example of this need and this receptivity even while Jesus makes the outrageous claim that she and her daughter are not worthy of healing. He equates them as being as low as dogs… But she immediately responds with a plea that even the dogs eat crumbs from the master’s table. She is ready to be filled… She is famished…in fact: Her yearning is so great. She is an open book, completely receptive. And this conversation is meant to be overheard by the disciples and by us. She has faith that even God’s mercy is powerful enough in a dose …as small as a bread crumb. Does this remind you of anything else? Faith as small as a mustard seed? Faith as small as a mustard seed can indeed bloom into a massive tree. It is that tree in which we are a part, the branches of which Jesus is the central core: the vine “Grafted in our hearts…” The message of Jesus’ is meant for all people. All people who come to him, receptive, Poor of Spirit, and “imprisoned’ as Paul describes it. Faith will set us free. Faith will help us to be healed, fed, and nourished to grow beyond our small exclusive identities… to grow into the knowledge that we are all one: That “singleness of heart” that Jesus describes - and that we pray at the end of every service. “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Empty yourself and Open your hearts and minds to the love and knowledge of God. May God be merciful to us and bless us, * show us the light of his countenance and come to us. 2 Let your ways be known upon earth, * your saving health among all nations... Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, * for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth. -Psalm 67 This week we have New Testament readings that speak to us about Faith. In the Gospel Jesus famously "walks on water." Peter then attempts to join Jesus but begins to sink in the face of the storm. He cries out for Jesus to save him, and indeed Jesus does.
But then he questions Peter: "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Now we know why Peter doubted. It said he was “frightened.” When he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened. Jesus asks (as a teacher would) a rhetorical question. Try to hear it softly and lovingly: What’s going on Peter? Now, Peter wasn't doubting Jesus. Peter was confronted with self-doubt. Most of us struggle with it at some point or another. Craig and I refer to the voice that tears at our sense of confidence and well-being as "The Minister of Doubt.” …That menacing voice that quite literally rides on the waves of fear… that ministers to all of the creepy crawly thoughts that tear down our confidence: Who are you anyway? What will others think? I’m probably not good enough, and so on… …Fear of rejection, injury, stepping out on a limb (or onto the water) … vulnerability, risk… Chapter 14 of Matthew is packed with intensity. At the beginning of our chapter the news of John the Baptist’s beheading has reached Jesus and the disciples. Then just before this passage Jesus and his disciples feed the 5,000. The disciples were participants in this great miracle. It is one of the first big public demonstrations of their ministry. Do you think that Peter could possibly be having doubts about his abilities?! Do you think he could be afraid? John the Baptist (who had an even larger following than Jesus) has been executed. There is a real storm brewing. Rather than Peter being unsure of what is happening, I prefer to believe that Peter knows very well that he is embarking on a public ministry with Jesus that is at one time beautiful and miraculous - and also dangerous. He falters because of this fear, not because he hasn’t gotten the message, not because he is faithless. Fear is a signal for us. Is there a clear and present danger?- or am I not good enough? Peter probably felt both. And Jesus’ tender rhetorical question “why do you doubt?” expresses that Jesus believes in Peter. Jesus will name Peter the “Rock” all the while knowing he will falter and he will abandon. Jesus still believes in Peter: his call and his ministry regardless of his doubts. Doubt is not the opposite of Faith, but rather a part of it. What is the correlation between our own self-doubt, our faith, and our relationship with God? Certainty can ignore the messiness of life, the complications and confusions. Doubt is a sign that we are grappling with life's big problems, as well as our own personal issues. Doubt pushes us to grow and expand our vision and our faith. Certainty can be very limiting. But self-doubt keeps us in a cycle of confusion, always looking outside of ourselves for the answer; always seeking affirmation from others, listening to that “minister of doubt” rather than listening to that still small voice that Paul speaks of in Romans: “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” Growing and evolving our relationship with God over time begins to make it more real, more helpful, and more supportive. Developing a close relationship with God "the Word" through a pattern of prayer and lament and thanksgiving is a path to self-assurance. It is not a path that skirts the trials of life. It is not a path that gives us complete certainty, but it is a path worn deep with conviction, seeking to "know thyself." “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” - Psalm 119:105. Moving self-doubt into an energetic process (working with it - rather than identifying with it as a static condition) is an act of faith. One practice you can use in this journey is to remember… …that like Peter, God has faith in you. God’s work is done by the hands and feet of his disciples. Like the feeding of the 5,000 and in all of the centuries that we have (with our fear and our faith) striven to do the work that God has given us to do… Jesus had faith in his disciples. Remember, all the while you are weathering real storms and the fear of the unknown… God has faith in YOU. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. We read about both Moses and Jesus glowing from their encounters with God.
Moses comes down from the mountain and he is lit up! The people are afraid but they recognize this as a holy sign, but because of their fear Moses veils his face most of the time when he is with them. Jesus and Moses become fully integrated in these mountain top moments. We talk about that in the spiritual life… about being “integrated.” The transfiguration is more than a transformation, it is a moment of vibrant clarity in which Jesus understands his mission and identity as one with God. Jesus is wrapped in light as we hear the words “this is my Son.” It is an occasion of God’s direct voice that only comes to us one other time in the Gospels: at Jesus’ baptism. Jesus is fully integrated in this moment - and for the eyes and ears of a few disciples to witness. This time God’s voice doesn’t only speak to Jesus but says to everyone, “This is my Chosen Son.” But the disciples do not speak of it. In Matthew Jesus instructs them not to speak of it. I believe Jesus wants us to have direct experience with God. He chooses to reflect God’s face back to all of us. In his common flesh...not glowing on the outside but glowing from the inside and we are a part of it. We are part of that divine spark. The scene leaves us with a lot of questions: Why Moses and Elijah? Why does Peter want to build tents? Theologian and commentator, Matthew Skinner, suggests The presence of Moses and Elijah at the very least expose the great thread of tradition, that Jesus participates in. To paraphrase: “Why are Moses and Elijah there? No matter how we look at the myriad of interpretations for their presence.. at least everything in the Gospel is saying pay attention to this guy Jesus. 'The hopes and fears of all the years’ are found in him. And in no way is he a departure from the old testament promise.” We don’t all expect to glow with the encounter with God, although we would like to have such moments. What does it feel like to be in the midst of the Holy? Would you tremble like the psalmist? What is your response? Very explicitly both of our stories suggest that we may not “glimpse the glory of God and not be changed.” Moses face is transfigured… Jesus himself and his clothing are transfigured. How else might we individually be changed? What other ways does this happen? One thing we can do is remember and try to participate and enact those things that make us feel most integrated, and importantly connect us to this long tradition of humanity and wisdom and spirituality. One of my nephews has started a “re-wilding” school around teaching ancient paths of nurturance. It is based on learning from nature and understanding plant medicine. It is going back to our ancient roots (literally). He has started a program bringing on other teachers; training kids in ancient skills for tool making, foraging, and medicinal plants, music, drumming. While the younger generations might not always “get” what we are doing, I am confident that we are following in a deep trodden path of the ancients looking for spiritual wisdom, guidance; participating in rituals, ancient prayers to guide us - and to make us present - and a part of those who came before us. To participate in this path… we must engage in those things that make us alive, make us feel integrated. That’s what my nephew is doing. Re-wilding. It means stopping the onslaught of busyness and media. Personal encounters with God are not likely going to arise when we are watching television or filling our mind up with constant distractions. What makes you feel integrated, in the flow? Besides prayer, I love sculpting. I love hiking. My mother in law loves to clean, truly. One of the retired deans from the Cathedral loves ironing. I know sometimes we cannot do some of the things that once gave us true fulfillment, like going to a concert - or even participate in personal hobbies the way we used to. But to remember we are part of a stream of human activity, knowledge, wisdom and action that make us one is helpful. We can just look into the face of a flower and know that forever humans have enjoyed this simple gaze. Simple activity can get us there. We can breath in and out and rest in our breath when we cannot sleep. We can reach our hands out at the rail and receive communion. It is very simple to be engaged with God really. And our interior light awakens in these moments when we feel connected. Epiphany comes when we least expect it. I believe Jesus was this least expectant presence: In flesh he was incarnate as a carpenter’s son, a guy that hung out with the outcasts of society. But a guy that healed people just by shining his light into the hearts of others. He gave us peace - which is now ours to give. He came down from the mountain to be with us in this common flesh we share to teach us how to follow in his footsteps; for us to know that he is in God, and God is in him, and we are in him. Integrated. It is a one-ness that he continually tries to convey. It is a divine calling seeded in us - and is available to grow, by touching one another and shining that light out in as many ways as we can transmit. I have to admit I don’t watch much cable news. Craig and I don’t have television, but (don’t get me wrong) we watch things on-line, we listen to the radio, we read papers.
Whenever I go to my parents I watch the news with them on T.V. It is actually a bit shocking. It is culturally really different not to be acclimated to the intensity of news broadcasts, of propaganda, advertising etc. I always have to make an adjustment. I have to ask myself what is being portrayed, how is it being portrayed etc. Well, this week I saw a spot on Sesame Street. Maybe some of you also caught it… I was a Sesame Street baby (born in the same year as its inception: 1969). Sesame Street has been a household name for more than fifty years. Some years ago, my niece was shocked to learn that her favorite muppet Elmo wasn’t on Sesame Street when I was growing up. She believed the whole show was built around him. He actually showed up in 1980 as a bit part who quickly grew to fame! But I digress… Sesame Street’s spotlight on the news was about their work with children in Ukraine; to help them cope emotionally with war. They made quick mention that Sesame Street also visited Iraq. I found this all so moving that I began researching Sesame Street. Did you know that Sesame Street is working in 150 countries across the globe helping children to learn, and to cope with their environments? I was surprised the newscaster said, the children in Ukraine are actually “blessed” with the advantage of media, technology and equipment for streaming and broadcasting. She actually used the word “blessing.” (Good for her!) It is a blessing. The Sesame Street website has images of children with puppets in refugee camps...places where they don’t all have internet. Sesame Street has programs in classrooms and clinics bringing lessons to over a million displaced children in Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. These programs build relationship; are life affirming, bringing consolation and joy to children. These are the avenues, the activities where God dwells. In our Gospel today, Jesus is essentially saying, Whatever relationship you welcome, you will receive the fruit of that relationship. TO repeat this short gospel: Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. …and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” Essentially he is saying Love God, Love the Way, Love Doing Right, Even the smallest thing counts. He is saying give to the “least of these”… In Jesus day the idea of Giving something freely to a child you do not know made no sense. It isn’t an equal exchange. Giving to the “least of these” is somehow not going to be beneficial to me. What am I going to get out of it.…? Jesus has a lot to say about giving freely throughout the Gospels. It is his form of radical welcome. We still struggle with this. What is fair, who deserves what. We say our days are numbered. So in that time, in that ordinary time, let’s give what we’ve got. It is not too little. Love is not about getting what you want, but about giving all that you can. We can help other people with the smallest deeds of kindness. In a deed of kindness are the seeds of both welcome and hope. The Gospel passage reminded me of the earlier passage in Matthew in which Jesus speaks about loving your enemies. (Here he is reiterating to his disciples what he said on the sermon on the mount.) I’m paraphrasing: What good is it if you only love those who love you? Even the tax collectors do that. If you greet only your brothers, what is extraordinary about you? Even the Gentiles do that…. No, Jesus’ way is one of extraordinary welcome and hospitality. As Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Sin is that state when we are separated from God by our own actions. We do things that hurt ourselves and one another and break that special life affirming and loving connection to our maker. Here, Paul is speaking about sin, but also speaking about hope. Paul says in Christ you are no longer separated from God. Sin has no dominion over you. Now you have grace. The sin of war we are experiencing today is a huge separation from God. We not only lose our minds at these times of war (lose our moral compass); our hearts are so broken that the space for God that dwells in our hearts is torn all apart. We have created separation where there was once an effort for unity and communion…Jesus came for all of the nations, for all of the marginalized. This week, in the midst of so much war and in the midst of so many controversial social issues, Sesame Street gave me hope. It reminded me the blessing of welcome is ours to give even in the midst of the sin of war. Hope can be found on a street that reaches out globally and in diversity. A street where young children come to know people of all races and colors as mentors; and artists and musicians as teachers and guides. Programs like Sesame Street bring light, they teach love, they teach tolerance, they teach welcome. The puppets and their human companions teach us that what color our skin is; What texture our hair is doesn’t matter. As Jesus said last week, with consistent love and welcome, in giving away freely, we may find our life someday. That day will come when not only the prophet preaches peace, but all of us strive to offer a little welcome, offer a bit of ourselves without anything in return… The real reward will be great. “For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever.” Amen. Has someone ever called you a name that doesn’t fit?! Have you ever been labeled something falsely?
..Or have your words been misconstrued? Recently, I had an exchange with a dear friend, and we had disagreement …and I felt the ire rising up in me. This week Craig had a friend (literally) yelling on the other end of the line about a difference of opinion; opinions of what we consider reality... What we consider important. Once upon a time… in our Gospel from today, some people called Jesus “Beelzebul” which means “The Prince of Demons.” He was called this by other well-meaning, pious, God-loving people. But they were a people afraid of what Jesus was doing and saying. They were afraid to lose what they had come to rely on, even though the world was changing anyway. The world was changing “with our without” their blessing…and Jesus was bringing his message right into the midst of this change. The world was chaotic at the time of Matthew’s gospel. He was writing at a time when the destruction of the temple in AD 70 disrupted Jewish community life and tradition. People’s beliefs were being questioned. The small early Jewish - Christian community was also growing and changing. But Jesus had already told us "don’t be afraid.” Don’t be afraid of the chaos, and the name calling. But do understand things are changing. And the message that Jesus is bringing - is being brought to a changing world that may not appreciate or understand his message of: Love regardless. We too, scratch our heads: Why is Jesus saying he is bringing a sword, when the last few weeks he has persistently spoken about peace, the Spirit’s gift of peace, the assurance that Peace is ours to keep - and to give to others? Now he says he has not come to bring Peace? Is this hyperbole? A simple exaggeration? One minute he sounds like a confident and caring brother and father. Then next, he sounds rather like the fiery prophet Jeremiah, with great exclamation: This isn’t going to be easy! “For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” This isn’t going to be easy! Carrying Love into the world in a time of such chaos is not going to be “a walk in the park.” There is already animosity and division. Jesus said, I am bringing a sword (not to kill, but to discern). …To cut through to the essence of what matters most! Jesus brings us the sword of discernment. Being awake to the Love of God helps us to cut through the fog of chaos to the reality of a greater life in God. Cutting through and revealing… Jesus says, “To shed light on what is dark.” “To make known what is secret” To uncover that which is covered” Light and Revelation comes through wading into the differences, the discord, like Jesus did equipped with the knowledge that Love as the highest power above all else will save us. People are often less afraid (even when they are in crisis) if things can remain the same, even when they are unhappy and persecuted. We act this way, even when the world is always changing. But do not be afraid because God has counted every hair on your head. Do not be afraid, because you are worth so much more than a sacrificial offering of sparrows (when that offering has become simply a symbol of righteousness. You are not a symbol. You are a conduit for love. You have been sealed with Christ. Walking the path of Christ involves the sword of discernment. We have discernment to do in our own time, like Matthew’s time when the world seemed upside down. Love is like a sword that pierces our side deeply. When we are uncertain and angry and people are calling us by names that do not seem to fit… we can remember the words of Christ: “Forgive them father, for they know not what they do.” We don’t know what God is doing. It is uncertain. But a spiritual materialism, that would suggest we “know,” is as false as sacrificial sparrows. We don’t know. What we do know, is that our call is to love. We not only say but act on these words: “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” To carry the cross of Christ that Jesus mentions is to look to that higher love. All of our relationships, even our familial relationships suffer without that higher love. We need to be engaged in the World, thinking, digesting, discerning, all the while with great humility we recognize our limitations. Oh God your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. “Forgive them father for they know not what they do,” is a solid prayer; a prayer that brings peace. It is a prayer that Jesus says from the cross. It is not a prayer that relieves us of the strife we are in, as it didn’t relieve Jesus his physical strife, but it is a prayer that reminds us to forgive in the midst of what we can’t control. It is a prayer that reminds us of our higher power of God and love above all else. For: "Those who find their life [meaning their assuredness, their entitlement, their stubbornness] will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake [for LOVE] will find it.” Amen. One of the things that Paul mentions is “boasting in our suffering.” Today, I want to speak about hope…and Hope in the context of suffering.
In Buddhism, some of you may know, that the concept of suffering and a path to non-suffering is a main aspect of their teaching. They believe that recognizing suffering and working to alleviate it in ourselves will ultimately alleviate it for others. In Christianity we really have the same belief. However, over the centuries, our message has become distorted. Somehow a notion grew - and teachings somehow instilled that if you are “good” you will not suffer. This is a very self-denying and life denying idea of fundamental reality… and the reality of our faith. When Paul mentions “boasting in our suffering.” I think it’s pretty important to point out that we are not advocating suffering. This passage has been misinterpreted that way. Paul is speaking in solidarity with others who are suffering along with him. It is a pep talk to get them through their ordeal. As we spoke about this last week: tremendous suffering can change us, transform us, make us more compassionate. However, we are not saying, go suffer now - it will make you a better person. We very much hope we can protect ourselves and our children from suffering. One of the reasons we come to church, to seek out God and community, is because we are trying to learn and teach our children how to become more compassionate without the need for suffering. Jesus did enough of that for us. And that’s the very point! Ridding ourselves, and our community, our nation and our world of suffering is the actual goal. Jesus came to teach that the nature of God is love and that God enfleshed will walk in the World healing and “curing every disease and every sickness.” The God that we believe in is a God of mercy. We say, God in his mercy sent his only son Jesus Christ to live as one of us. Mercy is that condition of God that undergirds everything. While we may struggle and suffer, it is our recognition that the biggest love called mercy came to be with us in solidarity, and will save us by giving us strength; giving us hope. We hope into that big space of love. According to Cynthia Bourgeault: “Mystical hope [is] what happens when we touch this innermost ground [within our own selves through prayer, meditation or awareness] and it floods forth into our being as strength and joy. Hope would be the Mercy—divine love itself—coursing through our being like lightning finding a clear path to the ground. . . .” Similarly, St. Paul reminds us: God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the gift of the Spirit. One definition of Hope from John of the Cross “is the dynamic of being able to yield unconditionally to God’s future. It is…a hope independent of us and our accomplishments…a hope that can even embrace and work for a future without us.” - Constance FitzGerald This definition is sometimes hard to touch when we are struggling. But it is an important aspect of hope that reminds us that it springs eternal in a larger field than we are singularly playing in. Love is bigger than us. There is a certain self-less-ness to be had in this hoping. This is what Jesus brought us; demonstrated for us. But this also doesn’t mean that we don’t set goals for out labor in the world. Even Jesus sets goals: He commissions the apostles to go out and heal with very specific instructions. The twelve disciples are to go out two by two. I don’t know about you but that sounds terrifying. They were instructed to go out into the World with nothing. No things, other than the commission to heal. This is where we find ourselves too. We are commissioned to heal the world as we move along our life’s journey. The divisions that seem to erode hope in our culture, in our governance, in our way of life, are immense right now. We are being faced with issues that are conflicting and make us feel uncertain and angry. But let us not say “hopeless.” The commission “to heal” is a way to lean into the discontent and the division. The phrase is: “every disease and every sickness.” That is all encompassing. There is a lot of dis - ease right now.
In his very apt and poignant statement, Bishop Tutu described us Christians as being “prisoners of Hope.” Why? Because in the face of all of this contention and confusion, the commission is: to heal. The commission to heal when the apostles were charged to go out into the world, is the same as it is today. No matter what side of an issue we may find ourselves on, navigating it with friends and acquaintances through a healing approach is Jesus’ way. Try to integrate that: Growing into the stature of Christ is not about being right. It is about being loving. It is a bit frightening, yes, uncertain…and when we feel out of control we are frightened and defensive. Can we imagine a future that is larger than ourselves and requires loving responses regardless, to unfold in ways that our not of our making? Hope is knowing that we are carrying love into whatever future God is making. I don’t mean agreeing with everyone, but carrying that loving response that opens up the field of mercy for all. Jesus sends the apostles telling them to bring their peace to others. If their peace is not accepted -to let it return to them. He doesn’t say be angry and resentful with those who don’t listen. He says your peace is a gift -and let it return to you. It is yours. Your Peace. When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Sounds like today. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” God, we ask that your make us compassionate laborers in your harvest of hope, mercy, and love. Amen. This week in the readings there is an emphasis on faith.
In Romans, Paul assures us that it is our faith and not rules and regulations that provide connection with God. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the hemorrhaging woman that it is her faith that has made her well. Also the leader has faith that Jesus will heal his daughter. What is faith? These are miracles we can’t pretend to truly understand, but the faith aspect is something we can live into. What is faith - and how do we define it? It isn't really the same thing as belief. Our secular culture wants to merge belief and faith and deaden their meanings by attaching fact or fiction to their definitions. Instead of internalizing faith, we have started intellectualizing faith … then people begin to say, well I don’t believe in God because I only recognize the “facts.” But having faith in God is to have faith in a way of life. "Jesus is the way and the life." It is a loving pattern we are trying to live into. In this real sense, faith is a verb not a noun. We also use creeds that try to put a structure around what we believe, but ultimately as Jesus says, "I desire mercy not sacrifice." Jesus cared about his Jewish tradition deeply. He knew it well; in fact his quote comes right out of Hosea. Jesus cared about tradition, but more than that - he cared about each individual more than about religious rules and regulations. Faith is a way of being that honors one another and God. It is about choosing that relationship for support and guidance. We are born into a World embodying faith as vulnerable creatures who can’t put a word to it. It is how we move and how we have our being…how we survive - and as we age - it becomes more or a renewal in participating in that primary relationship of being: of life! This year has been very difficult for many of us on many fronts. We are witnessing crises around the world, but for many of us there is also personal crisis. For Rita and for others. My husband Craig, as most of you know, who is struggling with stage 4 cancer. We talked about faith and what that means at a time of deep struggle. When Craig was first diagnosed and going through radiation treatments he seemed to turn inside. I had a difficult time feeling like I could reach him - or understand what was going on. This gregarious guy had really turned inward. Became very quiet. What I later learned is that Craig was communing with God. He was trying to desperately get down to the basic relationship that he had with trust and with his maker, that primary relationship, to find himself. In our recent conversation he said, “My rough edges of resentment seemed to burn away. What emerged was a more compassionate and loving version of myself.” He said, I always thought of myself as loving and compassionate but in reality - I didn’t always demonstrate it. It emerged when I went into that space to find a relationship with God and found my true self. He describes this as a “faith healing.” We may not be able to heal a hemorrhaging woman or bring a child back to life, but when we say these miraculous healing stories of God matter and we want to be part of it, we are saying “yes” like Matthew, to a relationship with God and walking a healing path. This Gospel’s version of Matthew’s conversion is very simple. Jesus sees Matthew at the tax booth and says follow me, and Matthew does. Wow. So simple.. But The next thing that happens is a big gathering at Matthew’s house: a group, it says, with many tax collectors and many sinners. We need a little more time to absorb this scene. I’m sure a lot transpired in Matthew’s heart and mind. Like Craig, Matthew’s encounter with Jesus helped him find a way back into that primary relationship with God. Matthew then opened his home to Jesus and to many others to hear the healing message of God: You belong. All of you - and together we are going to make things new… Then, and today by recognizing that we are already participating in the life of God. We call it faith. It is not intellectual it is embodied. —- In the passage from Hosea we hear the prophet crying out to Ephraim and Judah. Ephraim is another name for Israel and comes from the name of the tribe that secured that area when Israel was split into two Kingdoms. Hosea’s life is full of struggle but his response is to show mercy and forgiveness to his wife and to those around him. In the book of Hosea, the personal relationships of the prophet are a reflection of the relationship that God has with Israel. Essentially the book is about God wanting to be in relationship with us, which requires forgiveness, mercy and love. What we know as Jesus’ famous words, “I desire mercy not sacrifice” are found in this passage from Hosea. At a time in the prophet’s great struggle we hear these words too: God Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Jesus borrows from Hosea on more than one occasion. —- Mercy and forgiveness: how do they relate to faith and to renewal - to this rising up!? Many of us feel that things are failing in our lives and in our churches, but I was reminded in a meeting this week among clergy that we have to remember there is a bigger picture of God at work in the World. We will be revived, and in fact our consistent participation in pursuing a relationship with God is that revival itself, no matter how slow or uncertain it may feel. No matter how personal. It is happening. We will be raised up. We don’t know what it looks like. We just know we need to be constant “like the morning dawn” and seek God’s face. That is where we are going to find faith healing and offer the kind of renewal that Jesus offers others. Our healing may not be what we are expecting, but rather what God is doing in us in new and unexpected ways. To have faith is to choose to participate in the renewal of ourselves and the world. To have faith is to recognize that each of us is integral to that world. To have faith is to offer that mercy to others. To have faith is to continue to spring forward (or go deep) and make that connection when there is no going back, to embody our very being that is primary and forever wrapped up in God. As the psalmist sings, “Let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.” |
AuthorThe Rev. Heather K. Sisk Archives
July 2024
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WE ARE ALL MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD |
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