The World feels like it is falling apart....

The Second Coming   By William Butler Yeats

Turning and turning in the widening gyre   

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   

Are full of passionate intensity.

 Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.   

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out   

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert   

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,   

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,   

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it   

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.   

The darkness drops again; but now I know   

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,   

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,   

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Lest we fool ourselves into thinking that we are living in an unprecedented time of chaos and confusion about what the future holds, WB Yeats speaks to us of the unravelling of society that was World War 1.  It is a dark poem that holds little hope for the redemption of mankind.  Instead of the second coming of Christ as savior Yeats sees a mythical beast - of our own making - draping the world in shadow.  The fact that our world has been subject to tyranny, hate, oppression and greed on more than one occasion lends little consolation today for those who live in fear.  It will be no surprise that when such chaos reigns the human spirit searches for some hope, some promise of a better outcome. 

The Gospel of Mark is scholars believe the first of the surviving Gospels to be written.  In Mark we hear the struggle of the early church that was confronted with daily turmoil from the occupation of Rome and a world was coming apart at the seams.  Mark tells us that Jesus had tried to teach his followers not to depend on the structures of the world in which they lived, but rather to trust in the abiding presence of God in their lives and the promise that God would not abandon them to the chaos.  Today the disciples ask Jesus for the signs that might give them a heads up so that they might have time to take cover or perhaps prepare for what is to come.

Apocalyptic literature, like these passages about “end times”, comes from a worldview that believes that everything happening on earth represents and correlates with a larger, heavenly struggle between good and evil.   It reads into earthly events a kind of cosmic significance and anticipates future events on earth in light of the coming battle between the forces of good and evil.   And because this literature tends to be highly symbolic, it’s ripe for reading all kinds of sometimes unhealthy things into it – like predictions about the end of the world!     But this chapter in Mark – and other passages,  – were not written to ferret out signs of the end.   Rather to offer comfort to believers struggling to make sense of their world and their lives.   Mark’s people were literally caught up in “wars and rumors of war” and probably found comfort in the belief that Jesus had already anticipated this and was offering words of encouragement to them through this Gospel.

When it comes to our own day and age, that kind of encouragement is still valuable, for though our wars may be different, we are still harassed at times by a fear that the world is falling apart.  If you don’t believe it just turn on the TV.  To twenty-first century believers, just as to first century disciples, Jesus says the same “do not fear.”

This Sunday is the last of our year in the Gospel of Mark.  So it is a perfect time to give some thought to what we have encountered this year and what the take-aways for us might be.   Mark left us breathless as we jumped from encounter to encounter, but over and over we hear Mark telling us that even in the midst of despair Jesus is present and that the world is moving toward a new era of healing, liberation, and love.  God is at work turning the world upside down, serving all, restoring health, freeing captives, doing justice. Our job is to keep watch, to stay alert for God’s coming, take heart — and come!   Be a part of the movement!

While Yeats offers a bleak vision of the future of humankind, one which presents morality as a kind of collective dream that is now turning into a nightmare, Mark is inviting us to move our eyes away from the Beast slouching toward Bethlehem and to remember Jesus’ promise that God will be with us even in the muck that is our world, even when all of our technology fails to reveal God’s presence.   Jesus contends that God is on the move, even and especially where all hope seems lost. For sure the movement is elusive at times…  hard to identify in the midst of exploding bombs, hunger, and hurting neighbors.   But it is my experience that God’s love is often revealed in deeply hidden and unexpected ways, surprising, shocking even, and yet reassuring.  

This Gospel of Mark from beginning to end is about real people, real problems, real relationships, real responsibilities, real decisions.  The first story Mark tells is how Jesus goes out into the wilderness to be baptized by John – a reorienting of his life around the work that God is asking him to do.  By verse 14 in that first chapter Mark tells us that Jesus returns to Galilee with a message for all that God has come near and they are all welcomed at God’s Table.  What follows in Mark is healing, teaching, gathering, feeding – all in the midst of a society where such blessings were rare.  One of the great things about Mark is that he makes no bones about Jesus’ disdain for the oppressive rulers around him and for the injustice that he sees.  Now right before Mark’s Passion Gospel begins Jesus reassures us that the despair we feel when our world comes caving in is not all that there is.  Good things are coming, thanks be to God. And precisely because of this, all of us are called to be watchful and alert, cultivating a mindful attentiveness so that we will recognize and be in awe of God in our world.  Mark reminds us over and over to notice the signs of hope and wonder all around us every day.  Jesus does not make empty promises.  Jesus sets out a way to live that does not focus on either the crumbling of the stones of the temple or on the unrelenting approach of the “rough beast slouching” into our lives.  Jesus offers life….

For sure things may seem like they are falling apart and it’s really hard to find that nugget of hope.  But the message of this short Gospel is that the center will hold because God is at the center and that in this wobbly future there is much faithful work for us to do.  Amen

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

Veteran's Day 2023

 This weekend we mark 105 years since “the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month” or Veterans Day – “the end of the war to end all wars”…   Now we know that the end of that war only paved the way for the next war to come.  And on and on it goes.  That’s actually why the name was changed in 1954 to Veterans’ Day – to mourn and to give thanks for all the lives lost to war – because clearly war had not ceased in our world. 

 

There is a lot to mourn right now – the staggering loss of life, the constant barrage of insults hurled at whoever doesn’t see things the way I do or you do or he/she does.  One thing I do know…  violence begets violence.  Just as the outcome of WW1 set the stage for WW2 which pushed us into Korea, the cold war, Vietnam, Kosovo, Granada, Iraq, Afghanistan and dozens of other places – violence between gangs, political groups, family members, countries, religious groups – all that violence sets the stage for even more violence.  “You kill my child and I’ll kill two of yours”   “You attack my land and I will blow up yours”.  The only way I can imagine for that cycle to stop is for someone to say “enough is enough, I am grieving, but I will not strike back”  I believe with all my heart that Jesus is saying to us that forgiveness driven by compassion is the only way to overcome hatred driven by fear.  But, Lordy, who is willing to be first?   I want to share a portion of an op ed sent to me by a prayer buddy…

 

 The United States Congress declared that the date “should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.”

A day of thanksgiving: for the service of veterans, living and dead; for the service of  caregivers...

A day of prayer: for people of all faiths (or no faith at all), a time of prayer, meditation, or reflection on the stillness of armistice…

 

A day of exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations: …

  

...To  sing with our ancestors  that  we,  too,  will lay down our swords and shields, “down by the riverside, and study  war no more”  —

 

May God’s peace be with you on this Veterans Day, this Armistice Day, and may we lay down all of our arms, all of our burdens, in God’s great Shalom rising up even now, like soldiers climbing out of trenches  a century ago.

Excerpted from ~ The Salt Project, www.saltproject.org, 11/3/2020

Conflict! Quarrels! Division!

 

Conflict!  Quarrels!  Division!  It is tough to praise God if you are busy passing judgment on other people.   At least that is what the apostle Paul seems to be saying in this passage from Romans, in which he exhorts the community of Christians in Rome to avoid fighting over theologically non-essential matters like dietary laws and festival celebrations.

If you have spent much time in or around churches you know that conflict is often a part of congregational dynamics – at all levels of church life – small churches, large congregations and great cathedrals – conflict is always in the undercurrent milieu.  Paul suggests in the letter to Christians in Rome that conflict is not just about a difference in opinion or menu preference – conflict is often rooted in power struggle.  Who is weak and who is strong?  Who is a charismatic speaker and who resides on the sidelines?  Who is strong and committed in their faith and who is more reticent and perhaps more easily swayed?

On Wednesday evenings we are discussing Chris Yaw’s book, Jesus was an Episcopalian.  It is tongue in cheek for sure and our discussions are not really concerned with denominational difference – but in fact all churches today are just as vulnerable to power differentials as was the church in Rome.  Then the struggle involved the observance of dietary laws.  Today our struggles are more likely to be about use of space, the wording of the Lord’s prayer or the creed or perhaps what our outreach should be in our community.  Underneath the quarrel are often deeply held beliefs or spiritual practices or opinions on how this community might best serve others.  If you listen at coffee hour or in the parking lot you know that the fodder for conflict is always present. 

And I’ll be honest with you it festers in clergy circles just as much or more that in the lay community.  And that is not always a bad thing.  Differing opinions and liturgical observances are healthy for the church.  It keeps us from becoming stale and worn out.  But problems arise when differences in opinion result in judgment and the refusal to listen or to consider the opinions of others.   Listening to each other, respecting the differences of opinion, and honoring the value of each child of God can and will lay the groundwork for spiritual growth and the richness of diversity.

At the time this letter was written there was an ongoing influx of Jews – some Christian converts and some not - who had returned from exile to live in Rome.  The converts often were ritually observant.  Paul is not trying to address some trivial matter in Romans 14.  To observe or not to observe dietary restrictions had the potential to divide and to disrupt the entire church in Rome.  Paul’s answer to this potential schism and to the churches struggles today with homosexuality, abortion, evolution, climate change, the authority of scripture – the list goes on and on….  Paul’s answer is that the one loving and forgiving God redeems all of humankind through the one man Jesus Christ and that we all have access to that redemption – not through our own actions or practices or whatever else we proclaim from our soapbox..,  redemption Paul says is through faith.  That is, in the end, what matters most are not these particular piety practices, but rather the relationship of God with all believers.

At its core, the issue here is each sparring partner setting itself over and above the other, claiming the high moral ground for its particular practices and opinions. From the first century until now, it seems, people manage to develop self-righteous attitudes toward those with whom they disagree.  If you or I have ever seen controversy of any kind dividing the church as a reason to pull away from the community  - whatever side we might be on – if we see the controversy as a reason to pull out of or even away from the fellowship of the community – then perhaps we should reread Paul's letter to the church in Rome.

If the only community we are part of is the one where all are in agreement then we miss the opportunity to be challenged by new ideas and the wonder of diversity.  We become stuck and stagnate in our ways and we miss the opportunity for vitality and growth.  We limit the power of transformation that the Gospel invites us to experience.

This reading from Romans is not an easy one.  Neither is the Gospel lesson from Matthew.  Peter’s question “how often must I forgive the one who hurts me?” is one that plagues us just about all of our lives.  Forgiveness is integral to the life of faithful Christians and to the life of the church as we all seek ways to be faithful Jesus’ teachings and welcoming to those with whom we are in conflict. 

I think Jesus’ talk of forgiveness comes from a place of love of all of creation and the knowledge that unforgiveness is toxic to the individuals and to the communities who hold onto the pain.  There are multitudes of situations in our world, our community, churches, families, and our friends that can – if not talked out and forgiven – can fester in bitterness and cause deep, purulent wounds.

That sounds to me an awful lot like a Gospel truth, we are human, we turn away from God and do some awful things, but it is the character of God to be merciful and forgiving and since we are created in God’s image it is in our character also.  Without the gift of forgiveness, we would not be able to maintain our relationships with each other. 

But forgiveness is not forgetting.  Rather it is the hospitality of receiving each other and ourselves as the beloved of God.  The extraordinary hospitality of God - that was so squandered by that servant in our lesson today who was unwilling to forgive others, that hospitality is the mercy of God -  being accepted and loved whether we’re right or wrong. In this parable told in outrageous hyperbole, Jesus tells us that mercy will always trump retribution.  It may not seem right. It may not agree with our sensibilities, but that’s the deal.  And Jesus tells us we are to go and do likewise.  Forgiveness softens our hearts and makes it possible for us not to forget but to move on and live. 

To let our hearts be full of God’s love is to recognize that each of us falls way short most of the time and what we desperately need is to be accepted and loved, to receive mercy and compassion. Here we are the broken and the blessed, the fractured and the forgiven. Can we do anything less than to forgive the debts of others just as God has forgiven ours?

Amen

Courageous Proclamation

      “Who do people say that I am?”  That’s a familiar passage and Peter’s answer is one of the fundamental beliefs of Christian faith.  But the question is more complicated than appears at first glance because it has implications that go beyond just identification.  Who I am today - is a direct outcome of how I answer Jesus’ question.  Who we are as a community…  is a direct result of how we answer that question together through our hospitality, our outreach, and our proclamation.  Today I want to focus on how we answer the question as a community of faith.

“For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. “

Each one of us is a part or – a “member” of lots of bodies.  I am a member of the tennis community.  Garry, Theresa, Jason, and Jon are members of the choral community and we are all members of the Body of Christ.  Each one of us has a multitude of relationships, roles, and responsibilities within the “bodies” to which we belong.  The harmony of the Chorale or the success of the tennis league is dependent on each one of the members bringing their own skills and knowledge to the table and coordinating their efforts with the other members of the body.  For us as members of the Body of Christ it is how we answer Jesus’ question that matters, because how we answer and what we believe shapes the ministry and the mission of not only our own faith, but also the substance of what it means to be a Christ-centered community. 

Every third Sunday of the month the Vestry meets to make financial and missional decisions about our community.  We begin as we always do with the words: “A sacramental community inviting and welcoming all to grow in Christ’s love through fellowship and service”.  On the front of our bulletin we boldly state:  “We are an inclusive and intentionally affirming parish, dedicated to growing in faith, spirit, and community.”   In corporate terms these are “statements of mission”.  But what is also true is that mission statements do not mean much unless they are embodied within the physical and spiritual lives of the people who make that body up.  In other words in order for us to fully be the “Body of Christ” we must invest time and energy into understanding who we are, what we bring, and how we are called to live and move and have our being in order to build the Reign of God.   

So what do we mean when we say we are an “intentionally affirming Christian community”.  What it doesn’t mean is refusing to acknowledge difference.  Without difference we would all bring the same gifts to the table.  But, if we limit our understanding of difference to acceptance or tolerance then we are setting up a hierarchy of gifts.  Professor of religion at Colgate and noted Womanist theologian, Clarice Martin writes “If there were not diversity in the body, and all members were the same or nearly the same, the body would be an unrecognizable non-functional entity.”  

Look back at the reading again.  “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”  Each according to the measure that God has assigned.  I am not the creator of gifts – God is.  And when a God given gift is offered, affirmed, and included – then the Body of Christ is whole. 

To intentionally affirm another’s gifts is to commit to the deliberate practice of making sure we are fully open, supported by, and led into the world by all those who pass through these doors.  And I’m not just talking about on Sunday morning.  I heard a term NPR this week that struck home.  “Courageous proclamation”  That’s what intentional affirmation is… It’s courageous proclamation of God’s love.

Whether it is the families who receive the school supplies we collect, the seekers who visit our booth at Pride and Equality Fest, the children who struggle with adapting to loud and unfamiliar places, the folks who feel cut off from God’s Love and Grace, or perhaps the folks who will walk these halls in a few weeks with white tipped canes.  Each and every one of the Beloved of God bring gifts to this place.  Gifts that God has given to them and there is no gift that is more important than any other.   The Body of Christ is not whole until the people who are unseen actors and unheard voices are proactively included and recognized as contributing members.

Each one of us has to figure out for themselves what that means for them.  I have been thinking about how we can do some tangible things to include and recognize our tenants who are visually impaired.  How about remembering not to leave chairs out in the middle of the shared space, treating the lawn to get rid of fire ant beds, making the driveway easier to walk on.  At the risk of criticism for being “woke”, I was reading an article in the Post last week that discussed how we refer to someone – like pronouns they use…  the gist of the article was that we should ask them.  Don’t just assume you know.  And not just pronouns….  What about names that are not straightforward to pronounce…  It is just simple courtesy to ask rather than to mis-pronounce someone’s name.  And in our own fellowship – making sure there are snacks that meet the dietary needs of each person or asking before touching someone who might not like a bear hug, and the reverse - being sure to smile and offer the peace to others.  

The reason we do these things is because when Jesus asks us “Who do you say that I am?” we answer, you are God with us, beloved of God, Son of God, our teacher, our healer, our comforter, our friend - who says to us “Love one another as I have loved you” 

“Love one another as I have loved you”  Pretty simple. 

“For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”  Amen