Inaugurations....

1/22/17

Wow. It was amazing. Being in the match yesterday was  a profoundly moving experience. One (as a sign put it) like a mighty stream up 5th Avenue

and it was....

with a spirit of  anger, joy, determination and yes, humor. All those wonderful pink …kitty? hats…..(missing an opportunity of a first in a sermon)…

Love the hats!

Less noticeable things that you had to pay attention to notice…like the waving nuns at St. Patrick's Cathedral and  church bells at St. Thomas playing “This Land is your land” and “the Star Spangled banner” and “We shall overcome”. All afternoon we marched and posted and chanted and sang. All afternoon  picking  up new notifications from my friends. 

But it was only when I woke up in the middle of the night  and checked my phone that I fully got it..the full width and breadth if my friends…there were West-Park folks..:

1. Pat, Russ, Kate and in the snow in Utah, Jeremy and Center board member Pat
2. Presbyterians…and Methodists, Lutherans  and Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs
3. Mothers, daughters and grandmothers!
4. Family members and friends in New York, D.C., Oklahoma City, Portland, Los Angeles ,Utah, Louisville, and the US embassy in Tel Aviv….and a funeral parade for democracy in New Orleans…
5. Longtime veteran marchers and many, many first timers…

It was the largest one day demonstration in history….conservatively at least three million people…organized and led by women!…wow…

The inauguration dwarfed by the march…

Our scriptures speak of an inauguration today..the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry. It’s easy to forget that he was brought up with at least a hint of suspicion about his parentage. That in an age where couples married young, at age 30 he was still unmarried , living at home and working in his father’s shop, considered odd, at least. And now he has stepped out….being baptized by John in the wilderness…

His  ministry begins in this way…John has been arrested…he heads to Galilee, to Capernaum on the lake, and to a people “who sat in darkness…and in the “shadow of death” brought light. And he does so not with a NEW word, but by picking up John’s mantle…and message…right where he left off and proclaims “repent! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand..”

Isaiah describes that time of darkness of exile, of being under another’s control…under yokes and bars and rods…

(This is still the season of epiphany so still with the light…)

The psalm is a song…the Lord is my light, my night and my salvation, in God I trust…a song I remember our friend Andre filling with jazz improvisations…

Corinthians describes division within the community…I belong to Paul…to Apollos…or Cephas…or Christ…

To Donald…to Hillary…to Bernie…(even our faith community breaks down that way..) Easy to forget how sincerely millions of  people in this country are in their hope for what our new President can do…some of my friends actually have friends who disagree with them who open up debates in the comments section…some of which disturb me greatly…at how little we understand one another..still trying to understand one of  the occupiers who lived here who felt Trump’s speech was an expression of  a radical perspective…returning government …“to the people”

What is to be  done? What is the light to be brought to his darkness…well, yesterday sure shone…I look at many of my photos  and see bright sunlight shining through…but as for the church…

Note how Jesus calls people….as individuals, with particular

places, jobs and names…when we look out, how do we see people? Do we know them? Even our neighbors? (Mine in Harlem knew me before I knew them..)

Paul was called not to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel..not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross not be emptied from its power…

Let’s make that clear…it’s not about saying yes to a formula or saying the right words or giving assent an idea or fancy philosophical argument or systematic theology…but the power of the cross…being willing to follow, even to the end if necessary…from the sake turning away form a system of death and oppression and to one of life and light….

allowing our own lights to shine in the process….shining so that this community can share its light in the broader light that shone yesterday…

may this  be a new beginning…an inauguration, of you will, of a new life of faithful resistance…

Today with Jeremy in Utah for the premiere of the new film on which he worked musically, On the Sly: In search of the family stone….and we sang the old song. “They’ll know we are Christians by our love” and “How firm a foundation.”  Old songs…we finished with “Fight the Good Fight..” It’s just begun.

Zebedee in the boat. Alone.

1/25

Back to church after a day long retreat at Stony Point with Presbytery’s Committee on Witness to Society and the World. (CWSW). I can never remember that. It’s part of the work when money has disappeared and structures crumbling how to start all over building from the grass roots up. Stony Point’s Rick right there, helping us work it through. It's the same story everywhere in the church.

Berik and Leila have a new opening upstairs. With a live band. These openings have become anticipated events among a certain circle. 

Getting  few things set for tomorrow. Too tired and beat to join RL for awhile.

1/26

The bitter cold continues. Joe et al have to be moved on. (Just call 911…)

Deacon James shows up early to help set up. Dion quickly creating our circle of chairs. Jeremy warming up, getting ready.

We  start with How Firm a Foundation with a good solid beat and rootsy feel. And with Psalm 27, we do the Lord is my light which always has a good roll to it. Great for jazz improv over, if only Andre were here.

Young couple comes in, sits in the pews awhile. Leaves. Sometimes coming up front is in intimidating. But if they’d only stay for the reflection…

The first reading is ISAIAH 9:1-4. OK, so it’s the season of Epiphany. Light again. I get it. So enough with ²   The people who walked in darkness 
have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined….this was the first reading for midnight mass on Christmas Eve. But the context is different. Now it’s a metaphor, not for the birth, but the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

People wonder abut the day of Midian. And while we are talking, Stephen looks it up. Somehow I’d forgotten the wonderful story with Gideon. God wanting only those who lapped water like dogs. The torches in jars. The trumpets..(Judges 7 and 8….)

People are clear…they’re looking for upbeat, positive passages during this winter season. The weather is cold enough.

The SECOND READING( 1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-18) speaks of a church divided. Not over theology or doctrine  or ideas but over personalities.  When you read Paul's  personal words re his baptisms, ¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) You just know that has to be authentic, never intended to be read as scripture 2000 plus years later.

Also good to note that Chloe was clearly a female head of household with money. Perhaps even the sponsor/host of the church.

Paul calls us back from what divides us, to what is central.  As Dion says that’s all it is, to remember why we are here, for God, and for each other. The rest doesn’t matter.

Finally, the  GOSPEL,  MATTHEW 4:12-23. The beginning of Jesus’ministry. We note that in this gospel, Jesus waits until John’s ministry has ended before launching his own. And that he begins pretty much continuing John’s message, ¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.

 We note that he had made a strategic retreat to Capernaum to avoid Herod. And that we’e got prophecy fulfillment again.

*Did Jesus go this route because he knew people would connect to what  they knew?

*Did he actually seek to fulfill prophecy?

*Did he even have a choice?

And we’re fascinated in his calling  of the fishers to make them fishers of men, as the King James says. And we stop to recognize that ti's is the story of ordinary people, in the midst if ordinary lives, called out to do extraordinary things. Everyday people, as Sly Stone once sang….

We wonder how they could leave…immediately…until I recall that in Occupy I knew a number of people who had waked away form jobs, families, lives because they believed it was a kairos moment, a moment to decide.

Marsha as always is wishing the Bible gave us more details. What exactly is it we are supposed to do?

And we also note that they were mending their nets and that my colleague Heidi had done a whole sermon on mending  their nets. Old needs people who can fix things. Take what we have, tears, holes and all, and make it work…

Parenthetically, as Jesus preaches good news, I mention  that the word, evangelium, gospel, good news…had political import. Usually with news of military victories. But also to announce tax relief, the end of a tax. For an occupied people, that would be good news.

Someone asks why when Jesus heals  it’s always …every disease and every sickness among the people….No wonder people followed.

In the end we’re left with Zebedee in the boat. Why didn’t he go? Too old? How does he feel about his boys leaving? Happy? Sad? Abandoned? Stunned? What is going on in that boat with Zebedee alone? We’ll continue to reflection that…

We finish with the beautiful Tu has venido la orilla, one of the favorite songs of our latin members.

Session confirms Stephen as our commissioner for the next Presbytery meeting. To speak to our overture about drug policy and the devastating and unfair affect of current drug laws on the poor and people of color.

Jamie will come with me to work on my apartment . Step by step.

Call from RL. The boiler's off. Head back to he church. Nothing  we do works. This  is not good.