11/12
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| Good Shepherd Faith sanctuary |
Finding myself back at Good Sheoehrd faith again. Here,they don't call it a sermon but a "prompting" with the inherent idea that the congregation will respond...and they always do..so here's the "prompting" from that Sunday...
So it’s Halloween night. I’m in the Village on a fire escape above 6th avenue ready for the parade to begin and as the dancing skeletons come out, I look out …and see... the Village Christmas snow flake lights have been lit up. And I think’WOW. Could they not have waited like 24 hours? I hate to be this kind of guy, but I remember when I was a kid…and not even that long ago…here in New York, it was part of what you looked forward to the day after Thanksgiving…the Christmas decorations hitting the stores. I remember being downtown late at night...you'd see them in shop windows, decorating their rees….this right after Halloween business used to really depress me…like no way I could ever be ready for the holidays anyways and now ...can’t we just have November?
But in recent years I’ve begun to notice something..not bad for someone who’s been in the business over 40 years…our pre-Christmas time is called Advent…and the last day of the old church year is Reign of Christ or Christ the King) Sunday. And I now see that lectionary wise, the last weeks of the old year begin to lean towards Advent…if Advent is about what is to come, if there is something apocalyptic about Advent…then they’re giving us an Advent run up. This week we’ve got what they call “the little apocalypse of Matthew”….(one of four in the New Testament.) ..so it’s like they’re getting us ready…like they’re turning the lights on….
SO what d we have here in this little apocalypse? Another one of those Jesus stories that at first glance you go, ok, I’ve got this…but the more you mull it over, it’s like a many faceted gem stone and you begin to realize it’s not so clear after all. We’ve got “wise and foolish “ bridesmaids…5 of each…5 took oil…the others none. The groom is delayed…they fall asleep..word goes out that he’s coming..the 5 without oil panic…..the prepared ones are asked to share and don’t…the foolish ones run out to buy more..(like where? A deli? 7-11? And while they’re out, the groom comes, they go to the banquet and the door is locked…and the groom won’t open the door…and it ends "keep awake, for you know not the day nor the hour”…Simple enough, no? You don’t know when he’s coming so get ready or you’ll lose out…
BUT…
First of all, why is he delayed? Was this written to explain Jesus’ not coming back so fast? Friends, we’re into our 3rd millennium of waiting…can you blame some of us for getting sleepy?
What’s wrong with sharing? Aren’t we supposed to share?
And the shut door….the "I don’t know you…”. I like the Catholics’ purgatory better than that…there’s at least chance there..I saw a painting in the Lima Cathedral of Mary visiting the souls in purgatory to cheer them up…
See? It’s not so easy…
So clearly we’re supposed to start getting ready..get those boxes of decorations down…make your lists, get shopping list out…Paul Simon’s got it right…
From early in November to the last week of December
I got money matters weighing me down
Oh the music may be merry, but it's only temporary
I know Santa Claus is coming to town
In the days I work my day job, in the nights I work my night
But it all comes down to working man's pay
Getting ready, I'm getting ready, ready for Christmas Day
(Getting ready for Christmas Day
And let me tell you, namely, the undertaker, he's getting ready for your body
Not only that, the jailer he's getting ready for you
Christmas Day. Hmm? And not only the jailer, but the lawyer, the police force
Now getting ready for Christmas Day, and I want you to bear it in mind)
I got a nephew in Iraq it's his third time back
But it's ending up the way it began
With the luck of a beginner he'll be eating turkey dinner
On some mountain top in Pakistan
Getting ready, oh we're getting ready
For the power and the glory
And the story of
Christmas Day
(Getting ready, for Christmas Day
Done made it up in your mind that I'm going, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago
I'm going, on a trip, getting ready, for Christmas Day
But when Christmas come, nobody knows where you'll be
You might ask me. I may be layin' in some lonesome grave
Getting ready, for Christmas Day)
Getting ready, oh we're getting ready
For the power and the glory and the story of the
Christmas Day
Yes, we're getting ready
(Getting ready, ready for your prayers,
"I'm going and see my relatives in a distant land"
Getting ready, getting ready for Christmas Day)
If I could tell my Mom and Dad that the things we never had
Never mattered we were always okay
Getting ready, oh ready, ready for Christmas Day
Ready, getting ready
For the power and the glory and the story of the
Christmas Day
But what does that mean?
There’s a phrase they use these days “Stay WOKE”…it refers to what you didn’t see and then you do see the and once you do, things can’t ever be the same again …
Like the revelatory gate that the Harvey Weinstein story opened up…all the “me too’s”….
A week ort so ago, I saw a ne production of Euripedes ' Trojan Women. The issue at hand is how will the women of Troy survive following the defeat of Troy by the Greeks? The text in powerful and passionate language describes the fate of women in wartime. It is profoundly disturbing to hear how contemporary the words sound. Equally disturbing is the fact that though these words relate to a war time situation, the idea of women as “prizes” and their experience of men could equally be relevant to what we are learning about the experiences of women at the hands of Harvey Weinstein …and others…in the Hollywood establishment. (Which we know is not limited to Hollywood…it’s a cultural problem from the President on…). And we should know, it’s not about sex, it’s about power...
I got money matters weighing me down
Oh the music may be merry, but it's only temporary
I know Santa Claus is coming to town
In the days I work my day job, in the nights I work my night
But it all comes down to working man's pay
Getting ready, I'm getting ready, ready for Christmas Day
(Getting ready for Christmas Day
And let me tell you, namely, the undertaker, he's getting ready for your body
Not only that, the jailer he's getting ready for you
Christmas Day. Hmm? And not only the jailer, but the lawyer, the police force
Now getting ready for Christmas Day, and I want you to bear it in mind)
I got a nephew in Iraq it's his third time back
But it's ending up the way it began
With the luck of a beginner he'll be eating turkey dinner
On some mountain top in Pakistan
Getting ready, oh we're getting ready
For the power and the glory
And the story of
Christmas Day
(Getting ready, for Christmas Day
Done made it up in your mind that I'm going, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago
I'm going, on a trip, getting ready, for Christmas Day
But when Christmas come, nobody knows where you'll be
You might ask me. I may be layin' in some lonesome grave
Getting ready, for Christmas Day)
Getting ready, oh we're getting ready
For the power and the glory and the story of the
Christmas Day
Yes, we're getting ready
(Getting ready, ready for your prayers,
"I'm going and see my relatives in a distant land"
Getting ready, getting ready for Christmas Day)
If I could tell my Mom and Dad that the things we never had
Never mattered we were always okay
Getting ready, oh ready, ready for Christmas Day
Ready, getting ready
For the power and the glory and the story of the
Christmas Day
But what does that mean?
There’s a phrase they use these days “Stay WOKE”…it refers to what you didn’t see and then you do see the and once you do, things can’t ever be the same again …
Like the revelatory gate that the Harvey Weinstein story opened up…all the “me too’s”….
A week ort so ago, I saw a ne production of Euripedes ' Trojan Women. The issue at hand is how will the women of Troy survive following the defeat of Troy by the Greeks? The text in powerful and passionate language describes the fate of women in wartime. It is profoundly disturbing to hear how contemporary the words sound. Equally disturbing is the fact that though these words relate to a war time situation, the idea of women as “prizes” and their experience of men could equally be relevant to what we are learning about the experiences of women at the hands of Harvey Weinstein …and others…in the Hollywood establishment. (Which we know is not limited to Hollywood…it’s a cultural problem from the President on…). And we should know, it’s not about sex, it’s about power...
Once we’ve become “woke” to this, we can’t go back….
After that horrendous shooting in a Texas church, clergy mail boxes were filled with communications former denominations, invitations to webinars on safety and security….what do we need, metal detectors? Armed pastors? Someone suggest4\ed the organist might be the best…we have 4.4 % of the world’s population and own 44% of the guns…one idiot tries to take a bomb on a plane in his shoes and now millions of people are taking their shoes off daily…but how many mass shootings? Can you keep track? And we've still got our shoes on...
So….gettin ready….there was a story I liked…a student once asked his rabbi if it was important to ask for forgivenesss every day. And the rabbi said, No, only the day before you die…and the student thought and said but how willI know? And the rabbi smiled…
SO….I think the emphasis is wrong here…we need KNOWLEDGE, FAITH and LOVE as tool for living on THIS SIDE of ETERNITY,not tools for trying to gain entry into it…Take care of living now and you won’t be running out to 7-11 at midnight…looking for oil
And maybe one more pop culture reference….it's the one year anniversary of Leonard Cohen’s death…..as part of his last words to say top us, he said this about things not being perfect...
Ring the bells (ring the bells) that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's how the light gets in
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's how the light gets in
Let those with ears to hear….
Leonards's words got the most response. And much of the congregation still seems dumbfounded by what to make of our current president. As are we all...
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| At Good Shepherd Faith |
(full lyrics)
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Yeah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Yeah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free
We asked for signs
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
I can't run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me
Ring the…
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