The 12th day of Christmas: Epiphany and the Three Kings

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We'll walk in the light

The 12^th day of Christmas. Of course had to clear Joe and his woman off the steps. Again. The temperature is rising. Creating a dangerous situation.  A filmy layer of water over the ice. I’m getting texts from people afraid to venture out. I know what that means.

Jeremy arrives and we do a quick run through of our music.

When John arrives, it’s time to begin.

We start with our old familiar Sanctuary. ( Lord prepare me….) I say that our old song continues to grow like musical weeds in the ecumenical garden. Jane’s congregation named itself Sanctuary. Alistair and West End picked it up. Then the his resident Jewish congregation Romemu took it on. And at our community Thanksgiving service, the new cantor at Rodeph laid it on like whipped cream topping  over Hinei ma tov uma naim.

Our opening song was the traditional We Three Kings and I tell my cousin story again. (….Orientar… http://west-parkpress.blogspot.com/2013/01/epiphanyel-dia-de-los-tres-reyes-magos.html ).

We begin our scripture readings with Isaiah 60: 1-6.

Arise, shine; for your light has come, 
          and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 
²   For darkness shall cover the earth, 
          and thick darkness the peoples; 
     but the LORD will arise upon you, 
          and his glory will appear over you. 
³   Nations shall come to your light, 
          and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴   Lift up your eyes and look around; 
          they all gather together, they come to you; 
     your sons shall come from far away, 
          and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 
⁵   Then you shall see and be radiant; 
          your heart shall thrill and rejoice, 
     because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, 
          the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 
⁶   A multitude of camels shall cover you, 
          the young camels of Midian and Ephah; 
          all those from Sheba shall come. 
     They shall bring gold and frankincense, 
          and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

We notice the contrast of darkness and light, the light shining through the darkness.  A song of restoration  on the edge of captivity and occupation. Nations coming from afar. A universal, not a local vision. Ah, and here are kings…and camels, a multitude of camels; and gifts of gold and frankincense…  (wait, no myrrh? We’ll have to come back to that…) Clearly Matthew was mining this prophetic passages for images for his birth narrative.

Then we read Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14 and we repeat responsively

All kings shall bow down before you; all nations shall do you service

as Jeremy begins to underscore my reading.

We don’t talk much about the Epistle reading, 3: 1-12, except to notice again the emphasis on Gentiles, the goyim, the others.

After Arcadia reads the gospel in Spanish, Matthew 2: 1-12, Jeremy and I do the traditional Puerto Rican carol, De tierra Lejana. (http://stagersound.com/WestPark/Service_1-5-14/SpanishSong.mp3 ). And people begin to join in. Finally, the gospel from Matthew, the old familiar story.

GOSPEL MATTHEW 2:1-12

Mary and Joseph greet the three kngs

¹In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 
⁶   ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 
          are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; 
     for from you shall come a ruler 
          who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

And we notice…no shepherds, no manger, no sheep or cattle. Just wise men. Not kings. And no mention of three.  And this time a new gift. Myrrh. The spice for burial. It’s always Matthew’s scheme to tell the whole story of Jesus in the birth narrative. So the presence of the cross is here, even at the beginning. Foreshadowing. And like the wise men, after we have been enlightened, we must return home by another road. You can’t go back the same way you came.

We talk about how the word epiphany came to mean more than the religious meaning. Like Anna says, like the cartoon light bulb. The moment when you get it. When the light comes on and on an instant it’s all clear. So what do people get here? That this ruler is different? Like Matthew set us up for in his genealogy? That this ruler must suffer, even to death? And that from here on out, the beloved community includes gentiles, outsiders, people of other religions? ( The wise men, probably Zoroastrians from Persia or maybe part of Iraq….)

But on this day, it has another meaning. Because our leaders will consider sending to our national church a call for the church to grant permission for its pastors to perform same gender marriages. We had been previously asked to endorse such an action where state civil law allows. But our friend Ray Bagnuolo, with whom I did a double same gender marriage right before Thanksgiving, has challenged us to forward an overture that calls for that right regardless of civil law. Ray argues theologically that we cannot allow civil law to determine our law. (Thank you, Ray). And I explain to our people that this will allow my colleagues, based on their own conscience, to do without fear of losing their ministry what West-Park and the sate of New York allows me to do all the time. If you’re gonna  go, go all the way. The congregation has a sense of pride in being able to step out first (thanks to the work of Lincoln Park Church in Chicago) and take a stand that pushes beyond the liberal qualified position. I am honored to be this church’s pastor.

                                                       Bruce Cockburn

We celebrate our Eucharist. Then Jeremy helps me do Early on one Christmas morn. I talk about how the song goes back to Freddie Half-Pint Jackson, of the Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers. How Freddie also sang in the new Orleans bordellos and we now know was a pioneering female impersonator. (Thanks s to Bruce Cockburn for introducing u to Freddie.) And we finish with Andre leading us in Jesus the light if the world.As we sing, we share our Christmas candles one more time.

Andre led us

 On Zora Neale Hurston’s birthday, January 6, 2014, I recall this wonderful passage in Their eyes were watching God..

Folkses, de sun is goin’ down. De Sun-maker brings it up in de mornin’, and de Sun-maker sends it tuh bed at night. Us poor weak humans can’t do nothin’ tuh hurry it up nor to slow it down. All we can do, if we want any light after de settin’ or befo’ de risin’, is tuh make some light ourselves. So dat’s how come lamps was made. Dis evenin’ we’se all assembled heah tuh light uh lamp. Dis occasion is something for us all tuh remember tuh our dyin’ day. De first street lamp in uh colored town. Lift yo’ eyes and gaze on it. And when Ah touch de match tuh dat lamp-wick let de light penetrate inside of yuh, and let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Brother Davis, lead us in a word uh prayer. Ask uh blessin’ on dis town in uh most particular manner.”

While Davis chanted a traditional prayer-poem with his own variations, Joe mounted the box that had been placed for the purpose and opened the brazen door of the lamp. As the word Amen was said, he touched the lighted match to the wick, and Mrs. Bogle’s alto burst out in:

We’ll walk in de light, de beautiful light
Come where the dew drops of mercy shine bright
 Shine all around us by day and by night
 Jesus, the light of the world.

They, all of them, all of the people took it up and sung it over and over until it was wrung dry, and no further innovations of tone and tempo were conceivable. Then they hushed and ate barbecue.

Arcadia cut the rosca

And though we can’t share barbecue, we do share Rosca de reyes, brought to us by Arcadia. We wait to see who finds a baby Jesus in their bread. Whoever does is supposed to host a party on candelaria, the feast of the presentstion ofJesus in the temple 40 days after Christmas, the ne df Epiphany. A carnival event, in te tradition. And Jeremy and I find the babies.

Jeremy found a baby Jesus

If I have my new house by then, I promise to host a party.

All that’s left is for the Session to make our overtire request official. And to n surprise, they is exactly what they do.

After attending Helen Rosenthal’s inauguration as our new city council member and after joining Kate and Arcadia and Marsha spending 12^th night serving dinner at the SPSA homeless shelter, I stop by the church once more. Rachel is there. She has nowhere to go. I try to persuade her to seek shelter. She will not. She drags her carts out into the

And I found one too

bitter cold night. And I wonder where she will be.

Twelfth day. And now frigid 12^th night. The 12 days of Christmas are over

and to our friends in Russia...

Счастливого Рождества

Baby Jesus

For those who say if

11/11

The first person to greet me this morning, after Teddy, is my friend Janet from Pittsburgh.Such a mix of emotions...On the one hand, Janet is a friend. She was one year behind me at Yale Divinity School. We worked at Pittsburgh at the same time.  On the other hand, she’s kind of a hero. She stayed, even when I had to leave. 

I do same gender marriages as a matter of course. West-Park, for example, has been recognized as the first church  in New York City to perform gay marriages. Janet’s marrying two women led to her ecclesiastical trial, her ordination and ministry put on the line. One of the charges was that she had performed a same sex marriage. The other was that she had not used traditional Trinitarian language.  That was the charge I was called to as an expert witness, having chaired the denomination’s task force on  interfaith marriage. We had concluded that an interfaith marriage was by definition not a Christian marriage and therefore not subject to the rules for a Christian  marriage.  That charge was, as it happened, quickly dismissed. You can’t say that what you did was illegal and that you did it wrong. 

At the end,the case was decided by typical Presbyterian casuistry. That is, since marriage is by definition between a man and a woman and since this ceremony was between two women, therefore it wasn’t a marriage and therefore can't be done and therefore  not guilty. You can’t be found guilty for doing what can’t be done. (Though we say our call as Christians is always to do what can’t be done...)

Janet and Bob

The Terrible Towel

Her trial was so controversial  in Pittsburgh that her family was threatened , friends offered security.  And Janet is also the first B (as in bi..) minister to come out. Her courage is a witness to me. Let me also throw in the Pittsburgh part...every guest to her  first trial was given by Janet a terrible towel, symbol of our beloved Steelers.(A long story of its own.)

And then there is that anxiety. What will she think if few people come? Yes, somehow I still equate success in ministry with numbers.Even worse, will she feel sorry for me?  She is in town for Presbyterian Welcome’s Faithful Servant awards event. I am proud that we were one of Presbyterian Welcome’s first two founding congregations and home to its business office for several years.  Thus keeping alive West-Park;s legacy as founder of the More Light movement for full lgbtq inclusion at every level of church life, including ordained ministry, It took 33 years to win that one. And two men from the neighborhood are visiting us....I want this to go right. 

As I start my reflection, I’m thinking about the fact that it’s Veteran’s Day weekend. And I’m thinking about the fact that we had an election and that Obama was reelected though without the joy that was there the first time.  And I’m thinking about the hurricane and its aftermath. People left in the dark and cold. 

Today’s passages include that gospel story we refer to as the widow’s mite...But we begin with the continuation of another widow’s story, Ruth...and we note that Ruth, an outsider, becomes the mother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. That whole Davidic line, the line that leads to Jesus, begins with a outsider...

Ruth’s commitment to Naomi was said to make her more valuable than seven sons..she had secured Naomi’s security.

The Gospel lesson seems  fairly simple:

Don’t be like scribes, be like the widow. Do we give from abundance or from poverty? We know all too well those who command honor at our banquets, our benefits. We know all too well those who devour widow’s houses.... who make long prayers...who want the best seats, places of honor.....

in the early 1900‘s our balcony was filled with luxury boxes...the rich sat upstairs, the poor down below...

Following the city’s end of its rent subsidy program , some 6000 people are on the  verge of eviction....

As far as taxes go, including sakes tax, the higher percentage of taxes is always  paid by poor...Do you remember Leona Helmsley’s comment,  Taxes are for little people....

OK. So the widow gives all she has. Maybe Jesus was not necessarily  happy about this....he had his issues with the Temple, perhaps  the Temple was devouring the widow’s house...her life....

Widows has a lot of resonance today. In the first lesson,Naomi. was a widow ..it forces us to ask, who are widows among us? (And people answer:  veterans, bullied teenagers, homeless...) As for veterans, my high school reunion had a whole table f Vietnam war veterans. Our whole working class community was subjected to that war. We experienced it as a community.  Without a draft, it all happens outside if us, its other peoples children...and it goes on....and on...

As we seek to respond to the hurricane, I’m impressed by the role of Occupy Sandy....remnants of Occupy Wall Street using their social media skills to out organize the Red Cross on the delivery of emergency services.

It’s worth reflecting on...the study, based on the most recent available Internal Revenue Service records of Americans who itemized their deductions, examines taxpayers who earned $50,000 or more in 2008. They donated a median of 4.7 percent of their discretionary income to charitable causes. Altogether, they provided $135-billion to charity, nearly two-thirds of the $214-billion donated by all individuals in 2008, according to “Giving USA,” the benchmark of giving patterns. (See how The Chronicle conducted the study.)

Let’s be clear.. more than 50% of charitable giving used to come fro those under $50000 a year. its now almost 2/3....those $50000 and under give  7% of their income versus vs. 2.8%  for over those wit incomes over  200,000.   Our highest per capita church giving cim Harlem and East Brooklyn...

The issue here as to do with making the most out of what we did have....and caring for one another in the processeproess...I continue to believe that  community is the end of the gospel...

After worship, we spend another four hours preparing survival kits fro those from far Rockaway and Staten island....Lily and Samantha and Mandee again leadig the way along  with Nirka and Leila. W have decided to work mainly with presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Occupy Sandy. 

I com back for the final performance of You Will Make a Differnce. They are sold out with a waiting list. This time I start on the balcony, not the floor. The Crucible pieces are more recognizable. I’m amazed, even in the loose improvisational format how much remains the same. 

And perhaps the ultimate meaning   is revealed in the  performance and feast that concludes the show, I take another producer who is exploring the nexus if church and peace and drama  a tour. A Lebanese Chirstian. Another audience member is amazed at the church’s happy hosting of such performances. If that’s what church is I want to come, he says. 

And I wonder what it would take to gather all those who are seeking community through ritual and experience into a worshipping community, the new church if you will...how would we do that? Gather all those who say if?????