Fourth of July Weekend...reflecting on the nation....

 Sermon 7/2/22

Racing hotdogs

The 4th of July weekend found me once again back in Oakdale, Pennsylvania....here's my reflection for the day...

Here we are on the edge of the  4th of July.  In my aunt’s neighborhood last night  night there were periodic “unofficial” fireworks at different times throughout the night just as I'm sure back in my New York City  neighborhood there’s been fireworks all weekend..  

It’s an interesting time to celebrate our independence.  Russia is still waging war against  Ukraine, who are teaching us all something about the meaning of freedom.  Here in Pittsburgh, Russian and Ukrainian churches are neighbors, families intermarried. 

When I get home, I’ll be going to a ball game with my boys..and fireworks too. 

ballgame with the boys...

And here in Pittsburgh, well, the Pirates are……well….interesting. 

Go Buccos...raise the jolly roger...

Covid hasn’t gone away.  Some of us have gone  back to 2019. Some of us have never left peak 2020. And the rest of us are just trying to figure out what makes sense in 2022. At the PCUSA “hybrid’ General  Assembly, the newly elected co-moderator and my resource person came down with covid. We’re just  not sure….

We are ready to celebrate our independence at a time when our nation has never felt more divided since the Civil War.  The Supreme Court is radically redefining our understanding of freedom and rights and some of us are celebrating and others are grieving and people on both sides struggling to understand what democracy is. 

School shootings continue on a regular basis and in my city it’s now okay to openly  carry.   We are struggling this 4th of July. 

Meanwhile, back in the Bible land, Jesus is getting ready to send 72…why 72? We don’t really know…out on a mission.. What's clear is that he wants to get the word out. Everywhere.  Salvation is for everyone….And his instructions are worth taking a look at. 

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way.  So it says….

I kind of think of this as a song for a place where laborers are few.  And don’t we know what that’s like?  And believe me you are not alone. In New York City there are about 12000 presbyterians in 88 churches. Over half of them belong to 5 churches, the rest to 83 and over 40 of those have no pastor nor no near time possibility of getting one.  

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ….

He is sending them out two by two…kind of makes me think of the ark, you know? Seems like two is the lowest acceptable unit.  No lone rangers. You can’t do this alone. Makes me think of the Mormon mission volunteers...theology aside, I have to say I admire them. 

He tells us not to greet anyone,…must be a sense of urgency…don’t dawdle, don’t get stuck along the way. I’m guessing there’s an exception made for any down on their luck Samaritans who might pass this this way?

And he tells us that if we go out and are not welcomed, shake the dust off of  your feet and keep moving  on. I’ll say that again…in a passage left out of the lectionary he says.. ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’[c] 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. The sin of Sodom friends, was not homosexuality, but a radical denial of hospitality. Remember Hebrews 13:2 : Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Here’s the bottom line…Jesus doesn’t want us to keep beating our head against the wall….know when to shake the dust off and move on…and remember it’s not on us to call down judgment…just move on…judgment is God’s…

We are dependent on those we are sent to. That’s about meeting them where they are. Respecting them…it’s about relationships…Eat what’s set before you…don’t worry about the cleanliness and purity laws…(in Jesus’ day, that was seriously radical…) 

I had become a vegetarian when I went to Oklahoma,  Until my black pastor friend invited me to a barbecue…that was it..

When Jesus hears what they have been able to do, he tells them he saw Satan fall from heaven..I love that…but he tells them don’t be getting all excited about all the cool things you can do…be happy that you are allies with God….

The joy that Jesus feels is being able to sense, to see the dawning of a new kingdom., a new kindom….

And here’s one thing I want you to see…this fall of Satan is not an historic event or a future prediction…it is a reality every time we venture out…regardless of results, just going out itself is defeating Satan..and when you do succeed, rejoice only in the kingdom, never triumphalism…

Okay…so what am I saying here?  These are difficult times, Critical times. Times that demand a witness. We come here to be with each other, to be renewed, refreshed, restored after whatever we’ve been doing all week long…BUT we can’t stay here…we’ve got to take it out there..

This passage raises serious questions for us…like what us evangelism for us in this day and time, in this place? What is exactly is the harvest? Look around….the harvest is plentiful…the laborers few…

…and that’s okay…no matter how small in number we may be, Jesus is calling us out there…it’s not about numbers, it’s about faithfulness…we have a word that needs to be heard…

In Jesus first sermon, (Luke 4: 18-20)Jesus announced his own job description was this:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    because he has anointed me

        to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

    and recovery of sight to the blind,

        to set free those who are oppressed,

19 

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

…and so it is with us…it is enough for us to be like pebbles tossed into a pond where then ripples go out and out beyond what we might might even imagine..

Let those with ears to hear, hear….

Amen…..

And we ended by celebrating the Lord's Supper for the first time since I was there last August...

Gospel Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

1After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'

16"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

17The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" 18He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

4th of July weekend Sunday 2019

7/7

Happy birthday Geraldine

My friend from Oklahoma and I exit the subway and take the half-mile walk to Beverley Church, passing by the Victorian style houses in this neighborhood named for the London setting for Peter Pan. We note the gardens, the houses that remind me of my hometown south of Pittsburgh and the ceramic workshop, Mexican bakery and Bengladeshi Halal restaurant that show the neighborhood in midst of change. A man notices our interest and offers us a fsbo (for sale by owner deal) before he goes to an agency. Only 1.7 million for the whole house. As is. Well, not today.

This day is also special because it is Geraldine's birthday. Evgeny and Geraldine are having tea as we arrive and Evgeny, always the genial host, offers to get us tea as well. Soon enough it is time for the service. 

ready for reflection

So here's what I had to say:

We are at the end of a long holiday weekend. One where we remember and honor the best of what our nation is supposed to be. The  ideals that seek to inform the best of who we are....So important these days with what  is swirling around us....

The controversy around migration became visibly real for me as I spent two weeks in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, the beginning places of the so-called caravans. World wide there are more people on the road than ever before...

I'm wondering what's been on your mind, this holiday weekend. What your joys, concerns are. Your families.

The gospel passage this week is a tough one.  Lots of edges and corners and twists and turns and places to get lost.  

Let me start with some free association...    

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. These are the emissaries of the kingdom, LDS (apparently we can't say Mormon anymore) missionaries.  The freedom riders going to the south for  voters registration, Presbyterian missionaries across the world bringing ministries of health and education and social justice...

2He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. 
Life is hard for the small churches like this...God asks of us nothing beyond our best.  And yet we feel so small....and what is it, after all, what is God asking us to  do ? And what is the harvest?

See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. So are the migrants who are coming from Central America. And North Africa....and...dangers at every turn....from bandits to coyotes to rushing waters and burning deserts and border guards at every turn...so that's how  we're being sent out?

4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. We are sent out to be completely vulnerable and dependent on the people to whom we are sent...

.5Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 
You never lose anything by offering your peace. If it's not accepted it comes back to you.

8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; Accept hospitality

9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 
Jesus wants us to be about his ministry of healing ....proclaiming the kingdom, the kindom of God
.....and here's the best news of all....
10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'
 
This means you don't have to keep beating your head against the wall.....there comes a time to move on....

16"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

When we truly serve in his name and his spirit, he will be there there for us, with us.....and in us... 

17The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" 18He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

With every healing, every curing, every restored relationship in reconciliation, every restored substance abuse addict, every child reunited with its  parents, every act for social justice, every victory of the people, even small ones, every true act of grace....Satan falls from heaven....

In dangerous circumstances, God will keep us safe. God joins us in the victory that has already been won. 


And especially in what we do, we are not to glory. Not to seek credit or honors or Facebook likes. Our glory is that we do them because that is what  we do. Because that is what it means to follow Jesus.


Amen

As always we share communion. And today sing Happy Birthday to Geraldine. Then go downstairs for more sharing, including a cake.

We leave for the long subway ride to Marcus Garvey Park where we will meet with the Ecclesia congregation of homeless people.

                                                       ****

When we arrive at the Drummers Circle, it's very quiet. Seems the volunteers bringing food didn't know where to bring it and randomly gave it away. There's no bringing people together for our circle of worship if there's no food to share. We'll share the last few lunch bags and that's it for today. Time for a slow walk back through Harlem/ 

                                                     ****

The day will end helping to set up the beds and serve the dinner for the women at homeless shelter at Saint Paul and St.Andrew Methodist Church (SPSA) where West Park worshipped for 3 years. the church continues in this volunteer work here. Apart form the usual sandwiches or pizza, Kate always serves a full meal.

dinner is ready

"Everyone deserves Sunday dinner," she says. And her 4th of July special includes salmon, ribs and fried chicken, rice, potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob and strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream on poundcake for a truly All-American dinner. 

No better way to spend the 4th of July.

kitchen volunteers

Are you a patriot?

7/5

It’s the 5^th of July. The Sunday after the 4^th. And today, after Jeremy and I tried to  rehearse in the sanctuary, now transformed into a theatre for Noche Flamenca and their production of Antigona, we decided to worship in the chapel and so we are there. And as we have ben doing, we begin with Every time I feel the Spirit.

OPENING SONG   Being the weekend of the 4^th, we begin with Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land:
This land is my land,
From California to the New York Island,
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters,
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway,
I saw below me that golden valley,
This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and I rambled, and I followed my footsteps
To the sparking sands of her diamond deserts,
All around me a voice was sounding,
This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, then I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving, and the dust clouds rolling,
A voice was chanting as the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.

One bright sunny morning, in the shadow of the steeple,
By the relief office I saw my people,
As they stood there hungry, I stood there wondering if,
This land was made for you and me.

Was a big high wall there that tried to stop me,
Was a great big sign that said, "Private Property,"
But on the other side, it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking my freedom highway,
Nobody living can make me turn back,
This land was made for you and me.

Woodland and grassland and river shoreline,
To everything living, even little microbes,
Fin, fur, and feather, we're all here together,
This land was made for you and me.

I mention that the last verse was added by Pete Seeger as an environmental/climate verse.

We begin our service of the word with Psalm 48, usig this as a response:

Great are you Lord, you are  holy and just
By yoiur power we trust in your love
Great are you Lord, you are  faithful and true
By your mercy you proves you are  love.

Our Epistle is 2nd Corinthians 12: 2-10,

Which I follow with my doo wop By the Grace of God and then the GOSPEL Mark 6: 1-13.

Our reflection was like this:

So what did you do to celebrate the 4^th of July? When you look back, which 4ths were your favorite? Where have you seen fireworks? I can think of beaches, of neighbors’ back yards, Riverside Park. And one incredible year when I was invited to the Pawnee nation annual pow wow and watched as they entered the ceremonial grounds carrying an American flag to chants and drums. I asked what they were doing.

It’s the flag song, they said. We sing it to welcome back our men from the wars. And remember those who did not. The contrast of the flag, no national anthem, their own song of thanksgiving and lament, was profoundly moving.

What does it mean to be a patriot?  All the major league teams yesterday wore hats and uniforms with stars and stripes and flag motifs. I suspect that had more to do with merchandising and marketing than patriotism.

Today we are singing two great songs, call them patriotic songs, with interesting stories. Woody Guthrie wrote This Land is Your Land…in 1940 in response to Kate Smith’s God Bless America. He originally called it God blessed America. His anti-capitalist critique was not part of what I learned growing up.

Katharine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful in 1893 after a visit to Pike’s peak. Never married, In 1910, when a colleague described free-flying spinsters as fringe on the garment of life, Bates answered: I always thought the fringe had the best of it. I don't think I mind not being woven in.

She lived for 25 years with Catharine Coman, her love since her Wellsley college days.

So there you have it…two of our most loved patriotic songs…one written by a communist (sympathizer?) and the other by a lesbian. (And I hope that annoys someone somewhere..)

I thought about this a lot this week as Jeremy’ wife, our graphic artist Priska Wenger, became a citizen. About what is pledged. And at the ballgame I went to with my brother in Detroit, They held a special court session right at homeplate to welcome 45 new citizens. I loved it as the camera panned their faces, from the corners of the world.

SO what does it mean? Clearly love of country. And with that, It’s been a roller coaster ride:

*Black lives matter

* The ongoing assault on voting rights

*Ongoing mass incarceration

*The Charleston massacre

* Marriage equality

Scripture has some clues.

First Paul. The famous thorn in the flesh passage. No one knows exactly what that was. Bur nite that he prayed and prayed and prayed to have it removed. And it never was. And that should tell us something.

He says My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."…and ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

When Howard Rice, then president of San Francisco Theological Seminary,  ran for moderator of the General Assembly, he was confined to a wheel chair. In the question and answer period, someone asked um how he would hold up to the physical challenges of the job, he responded with this quote. And that my friends, was the election.  s

What does that mean? What is your greatest weakness.  How does it make you strong? I suppose we learn from them, we have to find ways to work around them. Took me years to learn I had adhd and depression and countless doctors and…for me it is still an issue. And I am still responsible to find ways to deal with it. My disability activist friends look for healing, not curing. Perhaps it means we have to be completely reliant on God.

But as a nation….Sharon Welch has said that our dominant culture is one of control. That in itself can be for good or evil or both. She calls for an ethic of risk…Ultimately control is impossible. And risk is necessary for peace. (In the new Cuba –US relationship, …who’s at risk there? I just read an article concerned about Cuba;s natural environment once it opens up. Then there are the ongoing US-Iran negotiations.

Jesus says "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." ⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them…..

. ¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." ¹²So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

We need the prophetic voice of loving critique. (Abraham Joshua Heschel….said that a true prophet comes from a  people and speaks to  a people..and must never be divorced from that people. )

One of the signers John Witherspoon was a Presbyterian.  Our theology of imperfection serves us well. NO one and even more no party or official perfect.  As in IAF, ALL must be subject to critique.

Bill Coffin, chaplain at Yale during my time there, at the peak of the Vietnam war, brought these words of Katharine Bates to my attention:

America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

Let this, with love be our prayer today…

SECOND READING 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7b-10

Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. ⁸Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, ⁹but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

GOSPEL MARK 6:1-13

¹He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ²On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. ⁴Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." ⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. ⁷He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; ⁹but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. ¹⁰He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. ¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." ¹²So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

So what did you do to celebrate the 4^th of July? When you look back, whiuch ines were your favorite? Where have you seen fireworks? I can think of beaches, of neighbors back yards, Riverside Park. And one incredible year when I was invited to the Pawnee nation annual pow wow and watched as they entered the pow wow grounds carrying an American flag to chants and drums. I asked what they were doing.

It’s the flag song, they said. We sing it to welcome back our men from the wars.

What does it mean to be a patriot?  All the major league teams yesterday wore hats and uniforms with stars and stripes and flag motifs. I suspect that had more to do with merchandising and marketing than patriotism.

Today we are singing two great songs, call them patriotic songs, with interesting stories. Woody Guthrie wrote This Land is Your Land…in 1940 response to Kate Smith’s God Bless America. He originally called it God blessed America. His anti-capitalist critique was not part of what I learned growing up.

Katharine Lee Bates wrote America the Beautiful in 1893 after a visit to Pike’s peak. Never married, In 1910, when a colleague described "free-flying spinsters" as "fringe on the garment of life", Bates answered: "I always thought the fringe had the best of it. I don't think I mind not being woven in."

She lived for 25 years with Catharine Coman, her love since Wellsley days.

So there you have it…two of our most loved patriotic songs…one written by a communist (sympathizer?) and the other by a lesbian. (And I hope that annoys someone somewhere..)

I thought about this a lot this week as Jeremy’ wife, our graphic artist Priska Wenger, became a citizen. About what is pledged. And at the ballgame I went to with my brother in Detroit, They held a special court session right at homeplate to welcome 45 new citizens. I loved it as the camera panned their faces, from the corners of the world.

SO what does it mean? Clearly love of country. It’s been  roller coaster ride:

*Black lives matter

* The ongoing assault on voting rights

*Ongoing mass incarceration

*The Charleston massacre

* Marriage equality

Scripture has some clues.

First Paul. The famous thorn in the flesh passage. No one knows exactly what that was. But notice that he prayed and prayed and prayed to have it removed. And it never was. And that should tell us something.

He says My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."…and ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

(Howard Rice story….that was the election)

What dos that mean? What is your greatest weakness. How does it make you strong? I suppose we learn from them, we have to find ways to work around them. Took me years to learn I had add and depression and countless doctors and…still an issue. And I am still responsible to find ways to deal with it. My disability activist friends look for healing, not curing. Perhaps it means we have to be completely reliant on God.

But as a nation….Sharon Welch. Our dominant culture is one of control. That in itself can be for good or evil or both. She calls instead for an ethic of risk…Ultimately control is impossible. And risk is necessary for peace. (Cuba –US…who’s at risk there? US-Iran..)

Jesus says "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." ⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them…..

. ¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." ¹²So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

We need the prophetic voice of loving critique. (Heschel….from a  people to a people..) One of the signers John Witherspoon, Presbyterian.

Our theology of imperfection serves us well. NO one and even more no party or official perfect.  (IAF)ALL must be subject to critique.

Bill Coffin, at the peak of the Vietnam war, brought these words of Katharine Bates to my attention:

America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

Let this, with love be our prayer today.

To introduce our prayers, Andre sings, Just a Closer Walk With Thee and for  our

OFFERTORY, How Great Thou Art. Today is a Sunday for EUCHARIST. And so we celebrate with bread and cup. And close our service with the Kathy Lee Bates song,  O Beautiful:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion’d stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine!

O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

We were blessed today to have with us the two new summer interns from the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. And now on to enjoy the rest of the day….