Christmas Eve 2019

12/24

Christmas Eve  2019

Merry Christmas from the West Park family...

Walking up the street towards West Park, I see the glowing farolitos on the steps giving a welcome and invitation to all who pass b to join us for our  Christmas Eve celebration. Leila and Dion have decorated the church. A  team of volunteers is getting the shared meal together and Andre is rehearsing with John the pianist.  Soon it is time for the service to begin.  After reading the Christmas story in Luke 2: 1-20, I lead a call and response version of "Mary Had a Baby..."

                                                        Bruce Cockburn

Farolitos

Then it is time for my reflection:

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace.

And so it’s here. Christmas Eve at last. The days of  hustle and bustle and planning and shopping and light up nights and holiday parties and ….have you noticed Christmas cards have all but disappeared?…all come to an end....and if you’re like me, you’re not quite done yet…but there comes that moment when you just take a breath and let it be…and let it be….

I realized this afternoon that this makes the 25th anniversary of my first Christmas at West Park…and every one of them different…from full churches with choirs to me and my boys and two homeless people to singing carols on the steps of a church locked behind gates to the gates coming down and  us all coming back again.  And we are still here…

I’m thinking about the holy family tonight. Just where they might be. 

There are images on the internet….the artist Banksy, you know the boy with the hammer on the wall on 79th street?

Banksy on the Upper West Side

…has an installation in a hotel in Bethlehem…a traditional manger scene in front of  a concrete block  wall…the wall has been pierced by a mortar shell leaving a Christmas star shaped  hole …he calls it “Scar of Bethlehem…”( https://www.huffpost.com/entry/banksy-scar-of-bethlehem-nativity-christmas_n_5e031970e4b05b08babbc5ad) Then of course there’s the manger scene without Jews, Arabs, Africans or migrants…it of course is completely empty of human beings. Wondering where the holy family is tonight. I think of scenes from my recent travels. And another wall. And in the streets of  Juarez tonight people camped out on the side streets in tents. Looking for a room in the inn. Or at least chance to tell their story and seek asylum. And tonight in the Sonora desert, in the most hostile part of the desert where the night winds blow cold, what holy family makes its way seeking shelter? And tonight in New York City, what holy family seeks shelter, in this case, over 65000 people recorded as “homeless” in this city of riches.  Where is the holy family tonight?

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace.

You see Christmas always comes in context. A very human context. It is ever so. And we’ve got all the context we could ever need right now. And that is the point and that is what it’s about and why we are here. And this, this congregation here tonight is a holy family too. It’s not a Marvel superhero origin story where Kal El comes down from Krypton to land in Smallville and save us all or Dr. Manhattan strides boldly across the earth. Or Jesus comes down from heaven to fix everything.  No. It’s deeper than that . It’s about God…the nameless one, the creator the force of creation the  spirt that blows across the waters and through our every breath…it’s about God wanting to get up close and personal with us. To know us in the most intimate of ways. To understand what it is to be us. To be in our midst and in us. Immanuel, God with us. Incarnation, in the flesh. God in us.  In the total fragility  of a baby in the most vulnerable of circumstances. And in that baby, we see the face of God. And the baby, the human one looks out to see how we welcome such children.  In God’s own image we were created…and we celebrate that incarnation tonight….

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Thia is a season of light.  From time immemorial people close to the earth celebrate the solstice and the the coming back of the sun. The darkest day is past already…Our Buddhist brothers and sisters celebrate Bodhi day…I have participated in the celebration in Riverside Church with hundreds of  monks passing the lotus lights from one to the next until the whole sanctuary glowed. In these days our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate Hanukah, a celebration of liberation from cultural oppression and dominance, with a light that grows each day as the light should aways grow brighter.  Likewise, in the Christian season of  Advent, we add a candle each week until we come to tonight and light the Christmas candle, the Christ candle. 

A word about light….when I was a kid, we did this ritual like making the whole church dark with only the Christ candle burning. Then as we sang Silent Night, we would dramatically light each other’s candles until the sanctuary glowed. The symbolism was clear. Before Jesus, all the world was dark. And then Jesus comes, and like cousin David in “Merry Christmas from the family,” he “..throws the breaker and the lights come on and we all sang Silent Night, O Holy Night.”….But, well, not really. You see from creation on, the light is always there. Sometimes we can’t even see it, but it’s there. The Biblical narrative is clear, whenever the darkness seems so deep, the 

Prophets come to light the way.  Eloquent court prophets like Isaiah and working class prophets like Micah and Amos. And sometimes in the form of  a teen age girl named Greta who comes from Scandinavia in a boat. The light keeps shining. Keeps on shining. 

I think of my friends in Chile tonight. As summer comes on. Feeling their light grow after decades. Seeing a new beginning. And tonight Light is shining here  for us too.

So tonight when we light our candles, look into the face of the one who passes it on to you. See the light of the holy one in our midst. And let our light shine back. And take it out back into the street so the light will shine brighter.

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Immanuel. God with us. Incarnate. In humanity. In our very midst. Tonight.

Let us all receive heavenly peace. Tonight

.

Amen.

Then Andre comes forward to share with us "In the Bleak Midwinter" as only he can.
Then we light our candles and pass them one to another and sing "Joy to the World" . and the service is over. I feel I am home.  People who mean so much to me. Andre. And Martin and Soledad and Martin's mom. And my friend and frequent singing partner Rabbi Steve Blane.  And Dion and Berik and Leila who did so much work. 

We all shared a pot luck meal together and then Dion opened the evening's sharing of music and comedy. Later Mandola Joe will grace us with a dramatic recitation of "'Twas the night before Christmas..." And there will be a very full night. 

We've created something good and valuable here. After two years, it begins to feel like this could become a tradition. There are neighbors. And visitors. And tourists from China. Musicians. Comedians.  Couples and singles. People from condos and people from SRO's. People with no other place to be and people who'd rather not be any place else because this is community. Despite all, after all, a flame still burns here. And we are home for Christmas...

Our manger scene

Mandola Joe

Dion  opens

Dion and Leila

with Rabbi Steve

Soledad, Martin and Luli

Andre

Andre sings "In the Bleak Midwinter"

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

On finishing our reading of the Torah

11/27

The final verses of the  Torah

 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.
Deuteronomy 34:10

Well, we have finished. It took over 2 years,meeting every Monday night working our way through the Torah...the first five books fo the Bible...the Five Books of Moses  ....line by line. Some joined and  others left along the way but an intrepid crew saw it through. It is somewhat embarrassing to say that in over  40 years  of ministry , I've never read all these books  all the way  through. It was quite an adventure. Of course there's the story of Creation and the Patriarchs and the sojourn in Egypt and the Exodus and page after page of intricate descriptions of vestments and worship accoutrements and details of the ark and tons of acacia wood and enumerations of tribes and marching orders and long detailed laws covering every minute detail of life from eating to sex. 

Russ, Leila, Dion, and Marsha

The value of reading every word is allowing your head to swim. To get lost in the dance of detail. To ponder the unanswerable question as to why they wrote this book  this way when it was written centuries later to create a mythic history for a created people. Perhaps to convince a people to return to a land from which they had been taken away and from a land in which they ad now become comfortable. We  can understand it  as royal propaganda from the Solomon era empire. And we can see as we read the ongoing tension between what Wes Howard-Brook has called the two religions of the Bible, the religion of Covenant and Creation vs. the  religion of Empire. It's all there.

In the final chapters, we read Moses' farewell, And God's final words a  interaction  with Moses. Marsha points  out that after all Moses has gone through, after all he has done for God, it seems unfair for the sake of one relatively  minor  transgression (or even a big one) to not to be allowed to enter the Promised land. To have to be satisfied with just seeing it from the mountain top.

And it's easy to remember the words of Dr.KIng before his  assassination: 

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

There is something oh so common about getting a glimpse of the promised land and not being able to get there...

And we read of Moses' death and burial  in a place where no one would know...so it wouldn't become a shrine or a place  of pilgrimage or a place of violent contention like the tomb of the patriarchs in Hebron,. He belongs to the  mountains.

In the end, what have we learned from our journey?
1. We do not take this journey alone. It's not about rugged individualism and self-made men  and women. No Ayn Rand Atlas Shrigging. It's about community. And our interrelatedness and mutual accountability and obligation. I remembered Native American friends in Oklahoma talking about how hard it was to  adjust to white education where "being better than.." was encouraged instead of everyone helping each other. The life  of a faith community is a team sport.

2. In our communities, there is an absolute obligation to protect and defend "the widow, the orphan and the stranger at your gate..". That obligation is woven into the very fabric of our scripture, it's in the DNA of our faith. To ignore that is to deny how we were created. And the story is clear...the society that does his will be woven together tightly, the ones that do not will be weak and divided and vulnerable and will be easily taken over. And exiled. The warning should be clear.

3. The experience of the journey, of life itself, is inherently and unavoidably tragic. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not, fair or not. It just is. As Rubem Alves has said, we need to e able to embrace life  in all its perplexity, paradox but most of all, profound  beauty.

4. Though we may not get to the Promised land, like Moses -- and Dr. King-- we know it's there. And  that what we do now helps us all move a little closer. And we can take comfort.. and even joy... in that knowledge. 

On Simchat Torah, our Jewish neighbors finish the last words of The Torah then open the scroll to the beginning  and start all over again. It's an unbroken cycle. The journey continues. And we are part of it.