Second Sunday After Christmas/Epiphany:......WORD.......

1/3/16

The gifts of the Magi

I arrive at church ready to wait for Pat and Larry to arrive and decorate only to be surprised that the stage is already set. Dion apparently stayed after Antigona finished last night and set things up.  And I breathe a little easier. 

The stage is set

We are small again. But it lifts my spirits to see Eric from the Noche family back again.

After reading the story of the Magi in Matthew, I share my own little bottles of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Remember past celebrations of El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos in this place.  And after singing We Three Kings, it’s time for reflection.

We are three days into the new year. I’m guessing more than a few resolutions bit the dust already….but we’re still at THE BEGINNING….as we are every year at this time…a new beginning…so John 1 is a good place to BEGIN…

In the beginning was the WORD…echoes Genesis 1….God says it and it IS….

What does that mean?

For my kids' generation, when someone  says something you agree with, the response is WORD…I have a friend in Washington Heights…down the street from the Presbyterian Deli, I love that….she’s on the board of a coop called WORD UP Bookstore…they tutor, they do workshops, open mics, readings…a completely community based store. As for WORD UP,  it means I totally comprehend what you’re saying, doing…in Greek, it’s almost the same, logos....the ultimate inherently visible  logical reality….

In open mics now we have singers and we have spoken WORD…which is poetry or story or improve or rap without music…like my friend Joel Gold with his 1950’s beat improv…and our man Dion does spoken WORD…stand up, another form

John says, In the beginning was the WORD….

If Christmas is about incarnation, John’s Christmas story is about the WORD becoming FLESH….a WORD that is LIGHT in the darkness….

We speak about the Bible as the Word of God…and Jesus is the living WORD….

What am I up to here?

In my tradition, I’m now called a Teaching Elder…I used to be called a minister of WORD and Sacrament…when I preach I bring the WORD…

We Protestants tend to think in didactic ways…we tend to use music and art  to illustrate the WORD, like pictures in a children’s Bible…but in  fact, a work of art is its own WORD…

Something like Noche’s Antigona doesn't illustrate anything, it simply is. It is it’s own WORD to be in dialogue with the Bible’s WORD or my WORD…and when you see Soledad dance, it doesn't symbolize anything…like you can't take a painting and say, What does this part here mean?  It just IS…You see Soledad dance and all you can say is YES…or, as the kids say, WORD…WORD is given, TRUTH is told.

Which is why it’s appropriate to epiphany…literally

·    Epiphany means: a Christian festival held on January 6 in honor of the coming of the three kings to the infant Jesus Christ or…

·    : a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way

You see, it’s the same thing…you SEE something and all of a sudden you GET It…like a light switch goes on…

That’s what it was with Jesus apparently…..people saw it….they got it

St. Francis said ….preach often, use words when necessary

When I see you, I see the WORD. When Dion visits with the homeless people or John walks Rachel home or when Kate and Hope and Marsha serve a meal at a shelter….you see it, you know it….

That’s what I long for, ache for …to be a community that is a living WORD…that when seen is like an epiphany where we see what is is to be WORD…

And that my friends, is  my word for today.

And for our offertory, I play, what else:

                                                                        The WORD

We will pray. And celebrate Eucharist, another visible WORD.  We will hear a WORD of peace, and then out into the world…

"The Word"

Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love

In the beginning I misunderstood
But now I've got it, the word is good

Spread the word and you'll be free
Spread the word and be like me
Spread the work I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love

Everywhere I go I hear it said
In the good and bad books that I have read

Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love

Now that I know what I feel must be right
I'm here to show everybody the light

Give the word a chance to say
That the word is just the way
It's the word I'm thinking of
And the only word is love
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love

Say the word, love
Say the word, love
Say the word, love
Say the word, love

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own,^[b] and his own people^[c] did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him,who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born,not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.^[d] 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God,^[e] who is at the Father's side,^[f] he has made him known.

A very full day

12/4

The Composers Concordance orchestra is loading in for their first rehearsal for their upcoming concert of Shakespeare inspired music this weekend.

I’m waiting for my noon appointment with Russ when I look up and Daniella is here. I met her at the Princeton weekend on Poverty and Peacemaking. She is a translator who has juts published her translation of the Argentinian '50's classic, Operation Massacre, by Rodolfo Walsh. (http://www.amazon.com/Operation-Massacre-Rodolfo-Walsh/dp/1609805135) But here in New York City , she is part of the collective who is managing the Word Up bookstore in Washington Heights, a Dominican neighborhood trying to survive against the onslaught of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital gentrification. We head across the street to the Bean and she shares with me her outrage on the Eric Garner grand jury decision. It fills her with an anger too deep for words. She wants to at least march but that doesn't go deep enough. Knowing what to do is hard. I admire her commitment to a collective decision making process, despite all its inherent issues. Word Up, as I tell her, has an intuitive philosophy but no coherent ideology. Community building projects like Word Up are inherently political, subversive, but in an organic, not strategic sense. It’s all part of the new reality being created out there. (htttp://wordupbooks.wordpress.com)

When I give Daniella a tour of the building, there is a syncopated dance group rehearsing in the gym. A walk up rental snagged by Charles. Looks like they will be coming back.

The Koreans are back again. They are pressing hard for a major buy in with our building. They are connected to one of the innumerable Korean Presbyterian denominations, conservative Reformed theology over Confucian culture. Politically liberal, socially conservative.I remember a previous Korean congregation we worked with. When I asked the pastor about their relationship with the LGBTQ community, he said, No problem, there are no homosexuals in Korea.
Well, alright then.

Russ does show up. We continue our conversation about revolution and religion, The meaning of radical discipleship. And very existentially , how we should respond to the Garner decision. We want to continue this conversation. But how to even invite people? Get the word out? We know there is a hunger… but how to connect? That is the question…

Berik still wants to get his Kazakh friend a crack at our reconstruction project.

Pat is in to begin the go ahead conversation with our construction manager Jerry. We're way behind, need to get this work moving forward. have to get the roof. beefore winter sets in. Jerry and his subcontractor are into walk the roof with Pat O and figure out the next move.

Karen has complicated problems from Hawaii she wants me to help solve. And then she plays some very reflective piano.

Diane and Teddy and Tricia are in to share their ideas for hoer next performances but also an eye toward put reconstruction work. Everyone  has their own opinion. I just wan to get it done.

Reggie who took pictures of Thomas Bo’s performance wants to share the photos.

Anna has a host of stories to tell. Her keeping me up to date with what's going on in the projects is invaluable.

A very full day.

...the people already have the answer within them....

10/17

The sleeping man on the steps continues his circle between the steps and the sidewalk. This is becoming a group project. We’ve gone through this ritual 3 times now.

Anna and Eddie and his fiance are in. We are making progress in finding them a permanent home.

ETHEL has returned and I’m comforted to hear the sounds of their music coming down from the balcony again. 

Neighbor Jen comes in with 5 pounds of candy for Halloween.

A woman psychiatrist who once attended Union Seminary is looking for office space.

Volunteer Richard from Brooklyn in from his weekly gig folding brochures. 

Jason Harris is here to debrief our shared experience at the Princeton Sant’Egidio poverty and peacemaking conference (http://www.princeton.edu/religiouslife/find-a-religious-home/interfaith/poverty-and-peacemaking/) and how it relates to what Jason is up to in Staten Island. He continues to work at the grassroots level on the Eric Garner choking by police death in Staten Island. Garner’s death now eclipsed by Michael Brown and Ferguson.

Jason is exasperated by the professional activists and the idea that the solution is better training for police, more recreational activities for kids or even prosecution of the responsible officers. He sees police violence as just the most visible expression of deep seeded and systemic racism. Reflected in unemployment, incarceration, health issues. And it’s impossible to attack all that at once. He remembers the Sant’Egidio representative who asked pointedly why we didn’t examine the violence created by corporations and the violence of inequity.

On the one hand, Jason almost is overwhelmed by the width and breadth of the situation. On the other, he keeps having conversations. Fact is, unless you believe BA is truly bringing the worldwide revolution, there is no easy answer. I remember my mentor Philip. How he said that if God wants something to be done in the world, it is already being done. How it was his role as a bureaucrat to find it and get resources to where it is happening.

By extension, there are places where the new reality (like the new church) is already being created. Little places like Word Up Bookshop in Washington Heights where a pop up bookshop turned into storefront turned into a full fledged bookshop, performance space, community center or center of community.( http://wordupbooks.wordpress.com/) I suggest Jason go check it out.

And I recall how the Presbyterian LGBTQ activists after two defeats, set aside didactic, adversarial debates and committed themselves to 1000 conversations and at the end of those conversations, finally won. Maybe what Jason needs is 1000 conversations. 

And I think about Freire and education for critical consciousness. Working with people to become the subjects of their own history. And that at some level, the answer will arise out of those conversations because the people already have the answer within them. That’s about as far as we got today.

I’ve got to roll because I’ve got to get to the Tibet House to speak at the opening ceremonies of the Maitreya Loving Kindness Tour and exhibit of Buddhist relics.( http://www.maitreyarelictour.com/) Thought only Catholics did that. On my way…

                                ****

Back from the Buddhists. Happy that my friend Beppe joined me there. And Dion too. And of course, TK.

Time for Open Mic. RL’s under the weather so Pat O is MC and it’s another full night.

Pat opens the night. Followed by Kieran.

Kieran

And then a new spoken word artist, Poez,

Poez

who accompanies himself on piano. He apparently has had quite a career as a poet/performing artist.(http://poetry.about.com/od/poets/a/poez.htm) Then follows another solid set by Nick. And then Joel calls Rabbi Steve up to accompany him on his journey. 

Steve Blane and Mandola Joe

Steve, who has a new CD out, (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/kill-me-nice/id922254095) surprises us with a ukulele set followed by Pigeon Shit, which moves from a deliberately crude beginning to poignancy. Young Jeremy from the burbs of Westchester continues his recreation  of early Dylan and finishes with an original. 

Jeremy

Next up, another spoken word/rapper, Bryant Rogers,

Bryant Rogers

(who can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8rxYYN7bmk). Bryant had given Joel a serious high five after his set. Poez had been into his iPhone, but as Joel hit his stride, set it down, entranced. (http://bryantrogers.blogspot.com/)

Mandola Joe, back again. David S, another solid. I do two originals, then bring back A Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall again. I intend to wrestle that one down until I’ve got it. 

Victoire

Victoire

had her first real full set in the Village last Wednesday. After her originals, she brings us Dylan’s Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door…She’s got another set November 1st. David L grows in confidence and Miriam

Miriam

gives us a traditional, an original and a cover with a throughline about being seen. 

RL has come in, still alive, we see. Does a set. Then steps down as Pat O leads us into RL’s closer, Stay Awhile. I go up to join Pay and then RL himself steps.

Outside, Mandola Joe is enamored of the weather. Maybe next week we need to focus on songs about fall.