11/15/15
Hard to think about anything else today. Stayed up until
2 AM rewriting a sermon because the world had changed.
We start the service by singing Sanctuary, the song which
used to open all our services. That gave its name to Jane’s congregation which
shared our space a few years. That made its way to our neighbor West End and
then to the Jewish congregation Romemu
that shares it’s space. And Andre’s
voice was there to give it depth.
We begin our scriptures
with the gospel, Mark’s little apocalypse,
13: 1-8. Followed by
1 Samuel 1: 4-20, another barren woman miracle
story, thus time, Hannah. As a reflection on that rading, Jeremy plays his new Jam with a new heartbeat, recorded with a sample of his unborn son’s heartbeat. (https://www.reverbnation.com/jeremymage).
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| Jeremy sings his Jam... |
Sometimes you have one thing planned and the world
intervenes and I have to go a different direction. It’s that kind of week. In Paris on Friday, 129 killed and 352
injured. In all the focus on Paris, today was a national day of mourning in
Lebanon where 40 were killed and 250 injured on Thursday. And not mentioned at
all are the 21-25 dead and 40-50 wounded in Baghdad yesterday. I in no way
criticize the identification and anguish with Paris. We’ve been there. But our
circle of concern and compassion needs to extend to those in Baghdad and
Beirut…. murdered Muslims by the same forces…ISIS has killed more Muslims than any other people.
So I turn to the Gospel of Mark, which I did not in tend
to reference today. It’s a section
called the little apocalypse. It’s
fitting to do so because the ISIS attackers are acting out their own
apocalyptic vision, seeking through their actions the day of the Mahdi, or Messiah, who will establish a
world wide Muslim paradise under Shariah law. Jesus will return as the Mahdi’s lieutenant to force all
non-Muslims to convert or die.
It’s easy when experiencing these attacks and seeing them
around the world to feel a sense of the apocalyptic. On All Souls night, some
of us gathered to read together the book of Revelation,
as it was originally intended, a letter of visionary solace for a community
enduring violent repression. Written in
metaphoric code to get past any lingering authorities. It was written as a word
of encouragement, describing what the community was living through then, NOT as
a spooky prediction of what would come at the end of the world.
Apocalypse is popular, even more so since 9-11. Every
Sunday night you can turn onto The
Walking Dead, one of TV’s most popular shows. The idea of zombie apoclaypse has become almost
accepted wisdom among a portion of our younger population. Or you can watch the Leftovers which tells the tale of how the world
responds to a day when 2% of global population just vanishes. BUT Paris, Baghdad,
Beirut make it agonizingly real.
Mark’s words are pretty scary…
Beware
that no one leads you astray. 6Many
will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. 7When you hear of wars and
rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still
to come. 8For nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be
earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning
of the birthpangs.
But of you look closely, what do you see? These words are
written in late 60’s Jerusalem. The
final battle with the Roman empire is approaching. It feels like the apocalypse is near. Mark his community
NOT to follow the rebel recruiters who are trying to enlist freedom fighters
for the final conflict, which will hopefully draw a conquering warrior messiah
into the battle. He is saying don’t go
there. These are the birth pangs. Of
a new world to come…..
(Interestingly, the same
background informs Islamic apocalyptic vision…as it spreads death throughout
Paris, it says it will defeat Rome,
and portrays the US (and Israel as its partner) the modern day Rome….)
The Jesus of Mark warns us not to get sucked into apocalyptic
Messianism. Do not see our struggle in terms of warrior messianism. Jesus proclaims a messianic age that rejects redemptive violence…(Interestingly a
theme on this season of Walking Dead,
is there another way to combat evil or is redemptive violence the only way
out?)
What else
do we see? As a side note, I
originally wanted to speak to how early the Holiday season---and the annual
charge of war on Christmas…hello
Starbucks!...and Donald Trump’s promise that if he’s elected we’ll all say Merry Christmas, like it or not…and that
this season’s pre Advent scripture passages are all pointing to Advent and
Christmas as previews of coming attractions…
Take Hannah’s song, for example…the song that Mary rewrites and
makes her own…
4The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on
strength. 5Those who
were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are
fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is
forlorn. 6The LORD
kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.7The
LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. 8He
raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make
them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the
earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world.
9"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the
wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail. 10The LORD! His adversaries shall be shattered; the
Most High will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he
will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed."
Apocalyptic in its own way….but with a reversal…the poor lifted up….because every Old Testament prophet saw the
failure to care for the society’s poor what would tear apart a society’s social
fabric and make it vulnerable to
crumbling under pressure….
What do we do in the face of what we confront? First I want to
say this … though theologically informed,
the violence of these days is essentially nihilist.
Deconstructing the world. Death and suffering for its own sake. That’s what
I felt after 9-11….as I toured the still smoldering 17 acres, that awakened in me the thought that in such a
world, creation and creativity are acts
of resistance, the act of creating is intrinsically connected to the creator, of
and to its self. That’s why want so deeply a church where ethics and esthetics,
beauty and justice are partners in our witness to the God we follow.
Lastly, Hannah is another of those barren women … her child,
too, Samuel, will be a sign. And my parenthetic word to Jeremy…and my own son,
the decision to have a child is a courageous act of creation…a vote of
confidence of a better world to come of which we are seeing only the birth
pangs….and our call is to work for the messianic era Jesus calls us to, a day
to be ushered in by militant non-violent followers creating communities of love
and justice, places where we can already experience what we work to create….my
God, to have a church like that…can you imagine it?
At the end of my reflection, I feel moved to play and sing Blowin’ in the wind, still…and
sadly…appropriate…with a few changed lyrics:
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Before you call him a man?
Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people resist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people resist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, ’n’ how many times can we all turn our head
Pretending that we just don’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
Yes, ’n’ how many times can we all turn our head
Pretending that we just don’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
How many times must we all look up
Before we can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears do we need to have
Before we can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till we know
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
Before we can see the sky?
Yes, ’n’ how many ears do we need to have
Before we can hear people cry?
Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till we know
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
We
lead into our prayers by chanting Bless
the Lord, my soul…from Taize. And
for our offertory, Andre sings a powerful Great
is Thy Faithfulness.
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| Andre sings Great is Thy Faithfulness |
Today,
we have the joyous opportunity to welcome Russ, Berik, Jeremy and Dion into
full membership in the church,
followed by the singing of the traditional Blest be the Tie that Binds..As we
gather in our circle, we bless Jeremy and Priska as they travel to Switzerland
to prepare for the birth of their son.
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| New members Russ, Dion, Berik and Jeremy |
Jeremy leads us in singing Lean on Me...
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| Priska, Andre and Jeremy |
I
ask my friend Father Clyde, visiting today to add his blessing to the circle, and
Andre leads us all in Amen.
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