Reflections on the Reign of Christ, 2018

11/24

With Father Clyde and Ecclesia in Marcus Garvey Park

After two days of freezing cold and another drenched in rain, it's a beautiful day again as I head to Marcus Garvey Park to lead worship with the gathered Ecclesia congregation. Precious and Marcos go out into the park looking for others to invite to break bread with us, liturgically and in a real meal. Father Clyde uses the asperges to bless the ground as holy

Holy ground

and the service begins. Here is my reflection on Christ the King Sunday...

So it's the end of Thanksgiving weekend...a holiday that seems to bring out something good in people. As usual, churches I know like my neighbor First Corinthian Baptist, Broadway Presbyterian, Trinity Lutheran...all putting on fine meals. On Tuesday I saw a truck form the New York Giants delivering turkeys to 116th street in Harlem.

the Giants deliver food

On my way to my sister's I saw a sign advertising Sweet Mama's  soul food restaurant on 145th offering a free Thanksgiving buffet from noon until 3. And my musician friend Paul, like he does every year, took his accordion to play for the folks waiting in line at Goddard Riverside for their dinner. Something about the day! And some of that remains with us even today.

In the church year, today is Christ the King Sunday, or Reign of Christ Sunday as we hear now these days. It marks the end of the year, the crown of the year, you might say. And it's a door we walk through to get to Advent. It's the one of the few church holidays I know that is named for a theological  idea not an event.  

And we are introduced to the day today through the story of Jesus' encounter with Pontius Pilate who interrogates Jesus about kingship. In the end, Jesus claims his kingship but not in a way Pilate could understand. Jesus maintains his is not a geo-political kingship. Not

 about territory. (At the  end of the day, he is crucified as a political revolutionary...)

Jesus has a strange claim. His kingship is about truth. "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." he says. But what is truth? (Well, that's another conversation with Pilate I'm not getting into today. )I don't want to get deep and philosophical. I'm looking for the heart of the matter. And for that, I recall that in another place on this scripture Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life..and for me, that's pretty much it. If we walk in Jesus' footsteps, if we follow his path, we will walk in truth and we will come  to know what is true. As we walk with him day by day, it will become clear. 

What this kingship is about is authority, not geography.  Who has the ultimate authority in your life?  That is the question. And it has profound implications. In a conversation, I used the expression in this day of Trump....and my friend said, NO, it is not the day of Trump, it is the day of Jesus. It is always the time of Christ. Trump may be the President, He may be the elected leader of the US. But he does not control our time. Or our hearts. Or minds.

It is simple to say, not so easy to do. We don't want Jesus to rule our country, we want him to rule our hearts. And we declare that all creation is under his dominion.

It's a cliche, I know, but we always need to ask ourselves, what would Jesus do?  As we live in his kingdom, we begin to receive the wisdom and courage we need to begin to change both ourselves and the world around us. 

Amen..

Following the sermon, we share the Eucharist,  and then a lunch, prepared by our friends at Riverside Church. One by one the congregants slip away, out from the park, back to wherever we live our lives.  

The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John

Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (Jn 18:33-37)

Christ the King: Someone to follow?

11/20/16

OK …two from the Internet: 

A picture of Michelle Obama holding a  sign that says : “An immigrant is taking my job”

The other a story saying the the Queen of England was  willing to take us back again. She says Your 240 year experiment  at Self Rule seemed like a good idea, but appears to not have turned out so well. We are willing to reassume responsibility. Only to will be direct by one of our children you like so well, no troublesome parliament in between. (Although a friend  pointed out that Great Britain’s had their issues with elections as well lately)

Today is Christ  the King Sunday. (I guess we don’t need to say Reign of Christ  Sunday anymore now that Donald Trump has been elected President.) By metaphor, this is the crowning of the year, the end of the church year.We are celebrating the ultimate dominion of Christ over all creation. Which sounds like a pretty good idea. 

The question for us is, who’s in charge? Or another question….remembering last week’s  quote from Catherine Feeny:

Something to empty 

Something to swallow 

Something to burn out 

Someone to follow

Do we have someone to follow? 

We have Interesting scriptures today…

Jeremiah gives us a warning…and a promise..

warning: 

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! ( SO a word to incoming government Don’t send innocent immigrant children back to where they never have been before…)

And then the Promise:

he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness.”

What are the key words? 

Wisely,… justice …. righteousness ..… safety.

Sounds like good qualities in a ruler..

As to Colossians: leaving aside theology…we have another prayer of promise…

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Do we have someone to follow? If Christ  is our King, what kind of king? AS if out of time, we have a holy week story in the midst of flourishing Christmas decorations..the story of the crucifixion of Jesus…

what do we see in this story?

bullying

mocking

political arrest

incarceration

violence

execution

religious authorities in league with the empire

and the refusal of good people to stand up..

How does this king respond? with  forgiveness….ready to welcome the condemned man beside him after that one’s  affirmation…

Today, when before our prayers we sing Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom s, we identify with that criminal..

What will we be called to? It isn’t clear yet. But we should Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And the Confessing church. Like them ,we are called to obey only Christ as ultimate authority. 

We are called to start figuring  out what we are called to be and do.

In a coming book world where a cartoon villain has been elected mayor of Gotham, We ALL are batman..we don’t need heroes or leaders, we only need each other. 

Thank you Leila

Something special from Pat for the table

First Reading Jeremiah 23:1-6

1Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. 2Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.

5The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."

Second Reading Colossians 1:11-20

11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Gospel Luke 23:33-43

33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" 38There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" 40But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." 42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Last Sunday with the Work center and Open Choir: Of Kingdoms and Kindoms

11/22

Work Center and Open Choir

^{Today is the last day of the residency of our Work Center friends at West-Park.  And today they will be joining us in worship once more. They are joining us for the Sunday that has traditionally been the last Sunday of the church year, Christ the King Sunday, or Reign of Christ Sunday. As well as the Sunday before Thanksgiving.}

^{Before the service, Felicita stops by to see me. She had not been able to be part of our shared vision conversation. She’s aware that changes are taking place at West-Park. That the building  is greatly improved. And improving. And that financial needs are great. One thing you must never lose, she says, this can never just become a rental space.  You cannot lose the spirit that has been here. This place is holy. Every time before we perform here, we sweep and mop the floors. We clean the pews, the cushions. It connects us with the space, like our home. It upsets me when I see people who just rent. Who come in, use, pay their money and leave. I can’t imagine this in a church in Italy. (I say something about government support…) She says, No, that is not what I mean. I am an ex-Catholic, I don’t know what I believe but I know the holiness of this space. What if all your renters, long term I mean, would take turns cleaning different spaces? Would that change how they feel? What if you gathered for a once a month meal, after working together? Is that too crazy? To care for the house you live in together and to share together. Like a community?  OK, those are my thoughts…}

^{Mario knows that I am opening the service with these words from Revelation:}

4bGrace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

⁷Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

⁸"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

And has chosen their songs accordingly, songs from the American South, African-American work songs,field songs, call and response, spiritual, early gospel.  Weaving their bodies in a circling motion as they sing. 

The singing begins

When its my turn, I ask everyone to sing Come Ye Thankful People Come, and We Gather Together, traditional American Thanksgiving songs.

Then we reads the gospel, JOHN 18:33-37 and shared this reflection:

^{Do you know what a Caliphate is?  The group we know as ISIS calls the territory they already control the caliphate, a geographic territory.  Under their control in which Islamic law in its most extreme form. There are maps on the internet that show a territory that runs from Spain  and Portugal all the way across the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle East and into China. All the territory the Muslims once controlled reunited.  After that the Mahdi will arrive and the Messianic age will be ushered in with Jesus’ help.  That is the dream. Bear with me. This is not another anti-Muslim}   rant.

Next we get Greater Israel…all the land promised to Israel by God. The first, found in Genesis 15:18–21, seems to define the land that was given to all of the children of Abraham, including Ishmael, Zimran, Jokshan, Midian, etc. It describes a large territory, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates, comprising all of modern-day Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon,Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, as well as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, Oman, Yemen, most of Turkey, and all the land east of the Nile river. Seems crazy. Obviously in direct conflict with the ISIS vision. But…for now, all of mandate Palestine seems to enough of a first step.

We’ll take a brief detour for the crusaders’ campaign to recapture all the territory that had once been Christian. They actually did create the empire of Jerusalem ruling over 350,000 Jews, Muslims and Eastern Christians…

And how can we forget the Holy Roman Empire? That lasted almost 1000 years and ran from the Baltic and North Seas to the Mediterranean? Prague, Rome, Budapest? The last remaining gasps of the original Roman Empire now under the sign of the cross? The emperor elected but needing the sign off of the pope to be official.

Or the Treaty of Tordesillas where the pope divided up the world between Portugal and Spain? The Spanish arriving with la cruz y la espada…the cross and the sword….it’s not a far leap from that Philippians passage….. ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And before I stop, let’s throw in the plan supported by US and Australian fundamentalist Christians  to blow up the dome of the rock in Jerusalem so that the Third Temple can be built.

Empires. Kingdoms.  How can we even talk about Christ the King in 2015? Years ago, I wanted to explore this from a feminist perspective which is how Katherine Kurs came here to work with us for 10 years. Now it’s the kingdom part that worries me.

Those who have been in our Bible Study know that Wes Howard-Brook in his Come Out my People….says that there are two religions in the Bible…not Judaism and Christianity but that of Creation and Covenant and that of Empire. They are in constant tension from beginning Genesis to Revelation’s end.

And that’s the conflict we look at today in the storyof Jesus’ conversation with Pilot. The emperor asks of Jesus,  "Are you the King of the Jews?" ³⁴Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" ³⁵Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?"³⁶Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." ³⁷Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

Bottom line…Jesus says his kingdom  is not of this world…if it were armed rebels would be in the house…

So what does he mean? More and more, I’m thinking he’s asking us not to sign up for rebel armies..but to create communities of resistance….what does that mean? Like the African- American communities that created the music our friends sing, communities of liberated space where the kingdom, no kindom, already exists. A community in, but not of the world…

What would that look like? Feel like? I’m not completely sure but I know that anyone walking in would immediately feel so that’s what this place is… How would we build that? Create that? It would begin by believing it was possible and by beginning to act as if it already existed..

So how then would we relate to the kingdom of this world, this empire? I’m not exactly sure…..to black lives  matter and refugees and migrants and income inequality?

Still working on that…I suppose if we got the first part going, the second part would follow…and I know this…it means not allowing any other power or authority to command our ultimate  allegiance.. it’s a way of life, not assent to a theological proposition…knowing you don’t get to the empty cross of resurrection without the embodied cross of the crucifixion.. it is ultimately that act of solidarity that welcomes in  new reality, it is humility, not triumph…

AMEN

The Work Center Open Choir leads us in more songs, singing, weaving, …

and as I watch Jenna, I understand that at it’s highest level, several of the choir members are creating and embodying characters, that character allowing for a deeper level of experience than even the singing and dancing. Having them with us again has been as always a moving experience. In more ways than one.

Felicita, Bob, Mario, Jeremy and Myrto

We stand together in a circle. Make our blessings and sing Amen. Until the next time….

Mario, Rachel and John

Awakening 1: Thanksgiving, Christ the King and Matthew 25

11/23

Jeremy mage, Roland Burks, Thomas Bo, Bob Brashear, Jon DiFiore, Josh November

Thomas is the first to arrive. Then his accompanists, Jon DiFiore the drummer (http://www.jondifiore.com/) and Josh November, bass.
( http://storage.cloversites.com/rmcstudios/documents/Josh%20November.pdf) And finally the baritone, Roland Burks. (http://operaexposures.org/roland-burks/) There’s no question  that Thomas’ ensemble will be ready, but will we?

I have to hold my breath for these kind of experiments. Our natural draw is not great. Priska has made a beautiful poster, but I’m not sure of distribution. And we're still learning our social media ropes.

We’ve got to take down our usual circle of chairs in anticipation of a larger turnout. Faithful Dion is there right on time to help. And Pat K is here to decorate with her husband Larry. And Marsha will arrive with a Tex-Mex casserole to share.

The idea is to explore the intersection of arts and social witness to build a faith community. Thomas has been challenged to build his program around the themes of Matthew 25: 31-46.

When a critical mass has arrived, Roland starts from the balcony with Sometimes I feel like a motherless child descending the stairs and walking through the congregation with City called heaven. He will later sing Gershwin’s I got plenty a nothin’ and then Thomas’ premiere of Prophecy from the refrigerator box, from the poem by Jake Schneider.

As we get ready to move into the service itself, I am glad to see Mim and several friends of the musicians.

Our first shared hymn is the traditional Thanksgiving hymn, For the beauty of the earth. We do Psalm 100 responsively and then I read the Gospel, MATTHEW 25:31-46/

³¹When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, ³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. ³⁴Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? ³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? ³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ ⁴¹Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

As a reflection on the Gospel, we hear Thomas’ setting of another Jake Schneider poem, written specifically for this occasion, Anesthesia.

Then I begin my own reflection.

When I came to church last Sunday, I’d been setting up, getting ready for awhile, when opened the doors and literally found a young man asleep in a refrigerator box.

I am very thankful for our music today…This all came out of  a conversation with Thomas about Matthew 25.  I thought of telling the young man, you have to move this morning, but be sure to come back next week…

Today is the Sunday before Thanksgiving. We’re focused on gratitude. On family. Consumption…..of food….of football…shopping. This used to be the beginning of the holiday season…but that boundary is long gone. (We were talking in the office about what Thanksgiving songs do you remember? Of course , Over the river and through the woods? We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings? Come ye thankful people come? Any others? They are disappearing as Thanksgiving is engulfed by a Christmas shopping season that takes over like global warming sea level floods… )

In the church year, this  is Christ the King Sunday. Or in the new PC version, Reign of Christ. I always thought this was an ancient tradition.  Actually it was 1925. Pius VI.  To inspire the laity not to fall into secularism.In 1970, Paul VI gave the holy day an upgrade in the terms of obligation. But enough history. Our concern is how we live today.

We live in a post-Christendom day. Here in the  Upper West Side, we live in the heart of what Harvey Cox called the secular city. (Our two closest zip codes are to of three most secular in the US, the third is Berkeley. …) But it is also a neighborhood resident to many who claim to be spiritual, not religious.

So there are questions. If we’re talking kingdom, what kind?

Let’s talk about Jesus’ categories:

If  you close your eyes, what do you see?

Let’s start with

1. Thirsty.

More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children at a rate equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing every four hours.

2.Stranger

There are 11.3 million undocumented persons in the US including 2.85 million parents and over 650,000 children

3. Naked (? Didn’t have  one for that…unless we think of those who are vulnerable and unprotected in any way...)

4. Sick

There are  currently more than 45 million  uninsured in the US and an additional 16 million under

5. Prison

A.      65% arrested for drugs are African-American

B.     75% brought to trial

C.     85% convicted

D.    If you're a young black man without a high school degree, there is an  85% chance that you will be incarcerated

E.    There are more black men between 18 and 25 in prison than in college

F.     The US #1 in total population incarcerated and  number 2 in total percentage (behind the Seychelles?! What’s going on there?)

Enough . And so what.

Old-school Christians say everything will be OK when Jesus returns.

Old-school lefties (last week at Riverside, nearly 1900  turned out for a dialogue with Bob Avakian, the Revolutionary Communist Party chair, and Cornell West) when capitalism is  gone.

For most Republicans when Obama is gone

And for Democrats when they get the Senate back

Are most people cynical? I am reminded that Sharon Welch has said that cynicism is the prerogative of privilege. If you are truly oppressed, you cannot afford to be cynical or despair will follow.

What Jesus is saying is that it is the job of the church to see the face of Christ in all who come and to share that same face in response.  And to be honest, this is hard…

Can you remember the faces of the last three  people who asked you for money? How did you feel? We get calloused.

For this Sunday, let me start with this. When we first moved to the city, I and my children were overwhelmed by people asking for money. I asked my friend Marc Greenberg  of the Interfaith Assembly on Housing and Homelessness how to respond. He said that more important than giving money is to acknowledge their humanity. Again, it is not easy. There is a risk of vulnerability. But I challenge us to try this as a spiritual discipline….

What else? There is the West Side Campaign Against Hunger’s 1000 turkey challenge…(better than an ice bucket challenge…) And our concert coming here in December to benefit the Assembly.

Thomas through Jake’s poem took us inside the refrigerator box…How can you use who you are, what gifts you have to engage the challenges of Matthew 25?

We are seeking to create a community here  where beauty and justice, ethics and esthetics come together…we invite you to help us  shape that and make it real…

For our Prayer of Thanksgiving, Thomas and  Roland Burks gave us the traditional Witness….

We finished with the traditional setting of Psalm 100 (the old hundredth) All people that on earth do dwell.

We gathered this time, not in a circle, but in an extended ellipse for our final blessing. The only way we could include everyone. Then stayed awhile with each other, sharing Marsha’s casserole and coffee and each other.

And then, unavoidably, the session met with a long agenda. Important work, but took away from what had been a moving Sunday for everyone. The West-Park community wonderfully surprised by what they had just experienced. Beauty and justice, ethics and esthetics….

We will persist.

Roland and his (3D) vest of many colors