Reflection on my travels from 2003

 A few years back I spent some time in Israel traveling back and forth into the West Bank.  I want to share with you a reflection that I wrote then.  Given the wars raging around the world and the hostility among those who could be friends we have not made much progress this millenium.   I asked again and again as we went from one devastated town to the next, "Lord, where are you?  How can these atrocities be happening?  Don't you care?  This is what I wrote in my journal.

 “Last Sunday we woke up early and boarded our bus at 7:30.  We had planned to attend the 10 AM Eucharist at St. Andrew's in Ramallah, but we had not been allowed to pass through the checkpoint and so we had continued on our journey the long way, crossing through the occupied territory on roads made for Israelis and internationals only and then heading north on the eastern border with Jordan to make our way to Nazareth.  That is how we ended up, unexpectedly, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee near where Jesus had prepared breakfast for his disciples after the Resurrection.  We had some extra time on our hands and we were hungering for a Eucharistic celebration that the soldiers had denied us earlier in the day.

The beauty and the peaceful quiet of the place contrasted sharply with the grotesque, harshness of the checkpoint.  As I was standing in the shallow water letting the waves wash around my ankles Bishop Tom came up and began to tell me about the topography of the place.  There is a valley running between two mountains through which the wind is funneled onto the lake.  That wind is the cause of the sudden and violent storms that are typical of the Sea.  Tom reminded us of the story in the gospels of Jesus who had wanted to get away for a while and so he asked the disciples to put to sea and to go to the other side of the lake.  But on the way a great storm arose and these fishermen who were thoroughly familiar with the dangers of storms at sea and who should have been able to handle the boat - panicked and ran to Jesus for help.    In response Jesus calmed the wind and the waves and then asked the tense disciples, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 

In Israel today there is a lot of fear.  The fear manifests itself in suicide bombers and snipers - in bulldozers and tanks, rocket firing helicopters and a system of oppression that is intent on the eradication of the Palestinian people from the Holy Land.  The fear is manifested in a gigantic wall.  You see there is this gaping hole that weaves in and out of the landscape there that takes the form of a gigantic wall of concrete, razor wire, and guard towers.  Cities have become isolated from each other and the barren earth has been violated by with bulldozers and cranes. The Israeli government calls it a security fence.  It is an Apartheid Wall.  It is designed to protect Israel from terror, but in fact only serves to isolate and alienate people who are trying desperately to live their life with some sense of normalcy in a place that is far from normal.  Surely, there are kind, generous, faithful people on both sides of the Wall, but there are also those who are consumed by fear and hatred and their will seems to be dominant. 

Dear Lord help us to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.....

We want a King!!!!

Year B Proper 5

1 Samuel 8:4–11, 16–20 and Mark 3:2–35.  

         There is an old saying:  Be careful what you wish for – you might get it.  In our first lesson today the people of Israel are ready to riot.  What do we want?  We want a king!  When do we want it?  Now!!!!  The chant echoing through Ramah to the beat of an upside down Home Depot bucket….

The Israelites were just coming off a significant victory against the Philistines.  Samuel had been their shepherd and guide through years of war and he made sure that the people knew that their victory was all because of the power and faithfulness of God.   God had delivered them from their enemies, because they had put their trust and faith in God.  That’s what covenant is all about…faithfulness.  It is a truth though that faith is easier to maintain when life is in shambles.  And now – in these times having defeated all their enemies for the time being – well these were the good times and awareness of the importance of God in their lives had begun to wane in the face of great prosperity.

Samuel was getting on in years and he wanted to turn the reins over to his sons.  But alas the sons were embroiled in bribery and corruption scandals, totally unfit to hold office and the people knew it.  So they went to Samuel one more time and demanded that he appoint an imperial leader to govern them in the way that other countries were governed.

Their demands did not find welcome in Samuel.  But ever the faithful servant Samuel prays to God to give him guidance – fully expecting God to rein down wrath on the demonstrators.  Surprise surprise – God tells Samuel that if a king is what they want - then give it to them.  God sees this demand as just one more Golden Calf in a long line of infidelities.  They are doing what they have always done – rejecting the God who has delivered them.  But God says to Samuel, be sure and warn them about what happens when a king has power over them.  When their taxes go up, unemployment is rampant and inflation rules the economy under a human king, they are not likely to be happy with the decision to subject themselves to tyranny. 

Taken in the context of the ongoing convenant though there is more to this demand than a superficial reading exposes.  For one thing, putting their faith in an earthly ruler means that they are no longer a distinct people in the world, no longer the chosen of God.  They are turning their backs on that covenant they made with God when they were in the wilderness.  They want to be like everybody else.

Samuel tries to tell them that they have a king – God.  It was God who created the heavens and the earth, it was God who delivered them from Egypt, it was God who won the victory over the Philistines.  He really just can’t believe that they are being so stupid.  So he asks God again and gets the same answer.  If it is a king they want then give them one.  BUT he tells Samuel, let them know what they are getting into.  “Warn them.”

So Samuel says to the Israelites, “This leader you’re asking for? He and his henchmen will conscript you sons for the military.  They will fight war after war at your expense.  They will abuse your daughters, take your land, put heavy burdens of tax on you.  You will be enslaved by power hungry, narcissistic kings who have no compassion for you.  And when you have had enough and you come crawling back to God for help – don’t expect God to jump to your aid.  You have made your bed and you must lie in it!  Typical of human nature though they don’t listen to Samuel.  They have made up their minds and they turn their backs on God.  “What do we want?  A king!!  When do we want it?  Now! 

The covenant with God is broken.  The people of God choose the siren call of earthly power.  The people get a king.  And their world changes forever.

In our Gospel reading today Jesus comes home for supper after a long day of teaching and healing and casting out demons.  But the crowds followed him home causing a huge disruption.  I mentioned last week that Mark has a decidedly political edge to its teachings.  Had he been alive back when Samuel was judging, Jesus would not have been one of those in the crowd demanding more governmental or temple authority and control.  Jesus would not have called for a King.  Jesus called for faithfulness to God.   So much so that his family thought he had fallen off his rocker and they feared for his safety and probably for their own too.  But before they can muzzle Jesus the temple authorities come in to challenge him.  In effect they were saying that if you challenge our authority then you are opposing the temple authority and therefore you must be from Satan. 

Jesus counters with logic.  Spock would have loved it!  “You say that it is Satan who gives me the power to cast out demons…  that is not logical, Jim – if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, then he cannot stand”  …  OK I digress….  But this much is clear, Jesus is taking a stand on being faithful to God and to his teaching rather than to the human authority that uses devotion to God for their own end.  He is saying that if God is a God of love, compassion and mercy and if we are called to be the same - then we have got to bind up those things that pull us away from God both individually and communally, and follow in the way of justice and mercy and love. 

For Mark, when Jesus says, “Follow me,” he means follow him into the maelstrom of life, into the darkness of suffering, into places where we will confront the Satans of the world.  Confront the hatred, the racism, the homophobia, the poverty, the addiction, the abuse, the wars, the whatever Satan you want to name.  He means follow him into the good-and-difficult work of repairing the breach, building up the weak, healing the sick places of our society and of our church.  And for sure when we take a stand for justice and mercy and love we will meet opposition.  But the Good news is that we don’t have to start from scratch.  God is already on it.  We just need to sign on for the long haul. 

The Gospel according to Mark can become a grenade that causes angst and discomfort.  And I have no doubt that before this liturgical year is over we will encounter that discomfort.  There is little doubt that the stories and parables can be unsettling to those who feel bound by social constraints, or religious regimen, or strict beliefs that exclude or diminish others.     Mark’s theological rhetoric has a way of highlighting welcome and belonging, healing and restoration. 

The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis, once argued that the decisive, heart-breaking “fall” away from God isn’t the point in the story when humanity eats the forbidden fruit, but rather the moment when they hide from God afterwards, in effect turning away from their Creator and at the same time from their true identity.  Perhaps it’s time for us to ask ourselves “What are we hiding from?  What is our true identity?”  “Who is our king?”

Amen   

Trinity Sunday

         Today is Trinity Sunday – a day that is – if nothing else cloaked in mystery.  The early fathers of the church tried to contain the mystery of God in the creeds that we profess, but containment is never a possibility when the Spirit of Pentecost is swirling around.  Sometimes it’s best just to let mystery be mystery and enjoy the view.  Barbara Brown Taylor wrote:  “We would probably be better off if we left the whole subject alone, but if you’ve ever lain on your back looking up at a summer night’s sky full of stars then you know how hard that is to do. You lie there thinking unthinkable things such as what is out there, exactly, where it all stops, and what is beyond that. You lie there wondering who made it and why and where an infinitesimal speck of dust like yourself comes in. After a while you either start making up some answers or else you go inside where it is safe and turn on the television.”  ~Barbara Brown Taylor

I think that if there had been televisions around in the 1^st century Nicodemus would not have turned it on - even though he certainly was confined by the same ole same ole of religious life.  If John’s Gospel is correct about his spiritual journey, he was a restless sort of person.  He was the one thinking the unthinkable thoughts and wondering about the who and the why of Creation.  Today’s reading is the first of three times that we meet Nicodemus in John.  The most familiar encounter with Jesus is the one we heard today.  Nicodemus was a religious leader, a teacher of the law and familiar with the writings of Hebrew scholars and of the prophets.  He was a respected member of the Sanhedrin.  People came to him for counsel, for help with interpretation of the scripture, for decisions about how the Law impacted their daily lives. 

Nicodemus was a pretty important figure and I think he must have been pretty savvy as he knew that given his station in the Sanhedrin he should not be seen associating with Jesus.  From the religious establishment’s perspective Jesus was a trouble maker, a thorn in the side of the Temple authority which Nicodemus represented.  And yet it seems that Nicodemus saw something in Jesus that his heart longed to know.   Nicodemus saw in Jesus a spirituality that seemed to him to be firmly rooted in God.  And he wanted a taste of that.

So under the cover of darkness these two spiritual leaders met and talked.  Nicodemus is curious about the “signs” that Jesus has done.  He has heard stories of healing, of compassion, and of wisdom that go beyond the ordinary and he wants to understand how all of that fits into the tradition, law, and praxis of being a good Jew and a learned rabbi.  But just as he is about to say what he perceives about Jesus is true, Jesus slips him a riddle.  “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”  I always get this picture of Nicodemus with a look of incredulity “Say whaaaaaaat?”  That does not make sense.  Perhaps Nicodemus was stuck in the literal – only seeing things through the lens of this world - rather than the lens of God’s world…because his response to Jesus’ nonsensical statement assumes that limited vision.

“How can someone reenter the mother’s womb”  But Jesus is far from that literal train of thought.  Jesus is using symbolic, spirit-filled language.  He is trying to get Nicodemus to understand that unless he can think outside the box of religious rigidity and absolutes, then he will not be able to understand the gift that God has given.  Acceptance of God’s love and the willing discipleship that follows, says Jesus, is more than the correct observance of particular religious practice or belief.  In fact, being bound by routine or literal thinking may in fact hinder one’s ability to see God’s love swirling around them.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that he of all people, a leader in the synagogue, a pillar of the religious community - should be able to see God’s work being done all around him.  

“ Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

In the newsletter I offered a poem from Mary Oliver which reflected her deep spirituality focused on the mundane things of life – birds, trees, walks in the garden or on the seashore – but it was the final lines that really drew me in to her poem… 

“Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.”

It is never much fun to be in a conversation with someone who believes that they have all the answers to every situation or question - most especially when that situation or question involves faith or belief.  In all honesty I suspect that we have all been “that person” at some point.  I know I have.  When we think we have the answer to the question in hand we become like a cigar boat at Thunder in the Sound, racing ahead and leaving everyone else in our wake.   

For Nicodemus it may just be more than he can comprehend.  Jesus asks Nicodemus how can he know about the things of God when he cannot see past the nose on his face.  We, as the 21^st century readers of this gospel, already know the story of how we can know these things of God.  We know them through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus himself.  But Nicodemus does not have this advantage, and so Jesus tells him of God’s unlimited love, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life”.   It is also through God’s gift of redemption that we come to be in relationship with God.

God’s intention for us is never to condemn or to alienate.  God’s intention for us is pure unadulterated Love.  God so loved the world that God gave God’s self so that we all might resonate with that Love.  But like Nicodemus, unless we first reach into the darkness of our souls and ask “what is it that draws me into the fullness of God”, then we will be in the same hole as Nicodemus.    Jesus’ answer to us is the same as it was to Nicodemus, we must open ourselves to the transforming Spirit of God that comes from above.  We must be born again, not of flesh and not of our doing, but through the Grace of God.  Amen