“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from the One who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before the throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a new realm, priests serving God, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will . So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega," says God, “the beginning and the end.”
***************************************************************************
There is a scene in the Lord of the Rings stories, just near the end. Two hobbits, Frodo and Sam, have carried the One Ring of great evil all the way to Mount Doom, to the fire where it was created, and they have thrown it back into the fires where it is destroyed. They just get out before the mountain erupts - and we see them marooned on a huge rock - the pyroclastic lava flow all around them, the mountain blowing rocks and flames. They weep together about what might have been; Sam remembers Rosie Cotton, and says with tears in his eyes “If there were ever someone I would marry, it would have been her.” Frodo says to Sam “I’m glad you’re here with me, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.”
But of course, it turns out not to be the end of all things, but the beginning. There is no question that both of them have been deeply and permanently scarred by their long journey into the fires of evil, and their struggles with temptation to choose the easier way. Neither one will ever be the same again. In some senses, that moment in the movie signifies the death of both Sam and Frodo - the death of who they were.
Yet they are resurrected - carried off the rock by great eagles, returned to the home of the woodland elves, and their lives are restored. - and I don’t think it’s any accident that the author, JRR Tolkien, used the eagles in this precise place in the story.
In fact, the eagle is imbued with great spiritual meaning in many different faiths. It represents spiritual protection, carries prayers, brings strength, courage, wisdom, illumination of spirit, healing, creation, and a knowledge of magic. The eagle has an ability to see hidden spiritual truths, rising above the material to see the spiritual. It represents great power and balance, dignity with grace, a connection with higher truths, intuition and a creative spirit grace achieved through knowledge and hard work.
The dictionary of scripture and myth, describes the eagle as “A symbol of the holy spirit, which flies through the mind (the air), from the higher nature (from heaven) to the lower nature (earth), and soars aloft to the self (the sun). The eagle is symbolic of new beginnings. Have you ever noticed in many churches, the Bible is placed on a pedestal which is an eagle with wings outstretched.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that Magi came to King Herod looking for a new king who was to be born. Now, Herod was a lot of things, but one thing he was not was stupid. He recognised immediately that the coming of a new king could well mean the ending of his rule. Yet Herod had in many ways been a good ruler. He was the only ruler of Palestine who ever succeeded in keeping the peace and bringing order to the region for any length of time. He built the Temple in Jerusalem. He was both absolute tyrant and unusually generous. He paid the Roman taxes for his people in times of difficulty and even melted down his own gold plate to buy grain to feed the starving people in the famine twenty-five years before Jesus was born. Yet he was also insanely suspicious of anyone who might be a threat to his reign. He murdered his wife and her mother and assassinated three of his sons. He was not willing to consider the ending of his own rule. So he sends his troops to end the lives of any who might be a potential threat.
You might remember awhile back some publicity around Wal-Mart stores, and Shopper’s Drug Mart, playing Christmas music early in November. Customers were not happy. I feel the same way. Rev. David Shearman reports that in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canadian Tire had Christmas lights out in September. He says “I thought that was a bit of a record. They hadn't quite taken down their garden centre and there were the Christmas lights!”
This past week Pope Benedict published his last commentary on the life of Jesus, called "Jesus in Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives". Pope Benedict's work raises a few eyebrows, because he disconnects the birth of Jesus from the date of Christmas. Now, for those of us who have been through a seminary or a Sunday School in the more liberal theological tradition, this won’t come as any surprise. The selection of the December date had nothing to do with historical or literal accuracy, but because early missionaries wanted to reach out to Druids who celebrated the winter solstice, the longest and darkest night of the year - and what better way to do that than to offer a festival of hope and light right after the longest, darkest night?
Pope Benedict suggests that the date of Jesus birth was not based in any kind of fact but be a series of calculating errors by a 5th century monk called Dennis the Small. It is likely that Jesus was born sometime between 7 BC and 2 BC and we really don't know when. What's more, it's likely that Jesus was born in the summer and not the winter and they the idea of oxen and donkey and sheep in the stable where he was born is unlikely.
Well, how did I get from Sam and Frodo through to this? Sam and Frodo believe that time, all time, has come to an end. ...and then the eagles arrive. The psalms talk about eagle’s wings, don’t they? “I will raise you up, on eagles wings; bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun.” To rise, on wings of eagles.
The point of the other stories is to show how our sense of time is so limited - and that’s why the Book of Revelation is important.
John was writing a hundred years after the death of Jesus, in a political time where being a
Christian was not only risky but downright dangerous. Christians were being persecuted and killed by the state for their beliefs. It was much easier to just turn away from Jesus, and faith. At least you would be alive.
So John writes letters to the seven churches in Asia: Grace to you and peace from the One
who is and who was and who is to come. Then he says “He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
This is important language because it is the language of time. God was, God is and God is to come. God is the beginning and ending of all things. I wonder, if in all this, we need to hold up these words and remember God’s time, and this assurance that God is always with us. What we may perceive as the end of all things may not be; new beginnings are really part of a much larger circle, the circle of God’s time, that has no beginning and no end, that goes on forever.
Sources:
1. “Alpha and the Omega” a sermon based upon Revelation 1: 4-8, John 18:33-37. Author anonymous.
2. “Endings and Beginnings” a sermon based upon Revelation 1:4-8. Rev. David Shearman, Central-Westside United Church, Owen Sound, Ontario.
3. Tolkien, J.R. R. Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Return of the King. Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, Boston MA.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Two Kinds of Empire A sermon based on 2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Mark 13:1-8 (Tales of the Apocalypse) Humber United Church, November 18, 2012
David son of Jesse was the man whom God made great, whom the God of Jacob chose to be king, and who was the composer of beautiful songs for Israel. These are David's last words:
The spirit of God speaks through me; God’s message is on my lips. The God of Israel has spoken; the protector of Israel said to me: “The king who rules with justice, who rules in obedience to God, is like the sun shining on a cloudless dawn, the sun that makes the grass sparkle after rain.”
That is how God will bless my descendants, because he has made an eternal covenant with me,
an agreement that will not be broken, a promise that will not be changed. That is all I desire;
that will be my victory, and God will surely bring it about. Godless people are like thorns that are thrown away; no one can touch them barehanded. You must use an iron tool or a spear and burn them completely.
Mark 13:1-8
As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Look, Teacher! What wonderful stones and buildings!” Jesus answered, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.” Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private. “Tell us when this will be,” they said, “and tell us what will happen to show that the time has come for all these things to take place.” Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and don't let anyone fool you. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will fool many people. Don't be anxious when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth.
**************************************************************************
‘I met a traveller from an antique land
who said: - Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
and wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
tell that its sculptor well those passions read
which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
the hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
the lone and level sands stretch far away.’
In English we have a saying “Famous last words”. This Sunday is the second last one for the liturgical church year - almost the last words we will say before we begin another liturgical year, on the first of Advent in two weeks' time. So it’s interesting to look back through the Bible at some last words. Moses, for instance, blesses each of the twelve tribes of Israel; he names each of them, and notes their strengths and weaknesses; he prays for each one, and that their future will be blessed. Elijah encourages his young protégé Elisha, teaching him about taking risk and growing in faith. The last words of Stephen call for forgiving grace. Jesus commends himself to God’s care, and later when he appears to the disciples, he tells them that they will always see and know him, through thick and thin.
All of these are good words. The writers and editors of the texts show us the leaders taking the broad and high road of faith and life. We are encouraged to travel lightly and trust that God opens the way, even if we cannot see very far ahead.
David’s last words don’t fall into that category at all. David began as the golden one, who killed Goliath, who played and sang for Saul, who had compassion and kindness in him. He moved on to the King David who would send a man into battle to be killed, so that David could have his wife, Bathsheba. The David who, in the end, comes to trust in empire and wealth, and kids himself that God is doing it because David is so great.
David’s last words become a kind of “teacher’s pet” exit speech; all good things flow from the throne of the king, and on down. Anyone who disagrees is a prickly pain who needs to be eliminated - uprooted and burned as garbage. There is no room here for a next generation of blessings, unless it is another royal monarch. There is no room here for a child born in a manger, a nobody from a nothing little scrap of a village called Nazareth, washer of feet, one who will endure flogging and crucifixion.
Today we have too a group of disciples who are agog and impressed at the wonderful temple, how it has been rebuilt. The home of the Jewish faith; the one place in which they put all their trust, even when the religious leaders were taking advantage of them. They remark to Jesus on how impressive it is...
...and Jesus replies that not one of those stones will survive, that everything will come down. It is a clear comment on the differences between human empire, and God’s realm.
There will be wars and rumours of wars before the end of time. There will be all kinds of false prophets, those who set themselves up above others. But, Jesus says it does not mean the *end* of time has come, it means the end of that kind of thinking has come, and a new way of living with God’s blessings is about to appear.
Even though Advent hasn’t officially started yet, we are hearing Christmas Carols already!
“Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel.”
“This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing . . . “
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King . . . “
“Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven’s all gracious King . . . “
You can probably think of several others that, if you haven’t heard already, you will soon hear, or will be singing pretty soon. The common theme in these carols is that Jesus comes as the King.
What does it mean for Jesus to come as King?
The cycle of the church year begins and ends with the affirmation of Jesus as King. At the beginning of Advent last year, we looked forward to the coming King. Today we reach the end of the year, and point to the reign and rule of Christ, the King.
One of my favourite shows is “Law and Order”. One reason I like the show is that it addresses social issues from a variety of perspectives. How we, as a society, treat those with mental illness, for instance, or how corporate fraud affects the lives of every day people. Since the story takes place in New York City, several episodes have addressed the long term impact of September 11, 2001. The shows also raises the legal dilemmas facing our courts and those who enforce laws. One episode may address freedom of speech while another may explore the limits of the free exercise of religion.
Some of the recurring legal issues have been when and where and who and how plea bargains are used and the role of politics in our court system. And while they portray them as contemporary topics, those two issues are not unique to our court system, nor are they unique to modern history.
In fact, both politics and plea bargains are at play in the trial of Jesus – if you can call it a trial. In a system where the accused are presumed guilty and the court simply imposes the sentence, Pilate finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place. He looks for a way out, but cannot find one. If we continued in our reading today, we would hear Pilate concluding that Jesus is innocent, but claiming his hands are tied (Jn 18:38; 19:12). He will try to offer to punish another man, in a plea bargain-like proposal, but the opportunity will be denied him (Jn 18:39-40).
Pilate, who serves at the whim of the Emperor in Rome, is trying to appease the local citizenry. He has the authority to condemn or to set free but he does not have the political will to use his authority.
There is a strong irony in the comparison of the two readings today. David the King who rules y authority, while Jesus speaks with authority. David rules with power and might and violence; the other rules with truth and love and peace. David has no true wisdom, Jesus does. David rules his own little corner of the world with violence; Jesus raises no army and commits no crimes, yet is put to death for saying his kingdom is no of this world.
For David, a Kingdom required borders and troops and taxes. For David, a King held absolute power, a King was sovereign. For Jesus, the focus is not on the King, but on the Kingdom. Jewish law was clear that the role of the King was to care for the people – much as a shepherd takes care of the sheep. The King was not sovereign, but ruled under the direction of God (Dt 17:14-20).
Jesus turns nowhere but to the absolutes of truth and righteousness and the will of God. As sovereign, he willingly lays his life down for the sake of those who desire to live in his realm.
For us to acclaim Jesus as King is to suggest that we are both the focus of God’s concern and the beneficiaries of God’s providence.
Yet even so there are some who see God as a tyrant-King, someone of whom we are not just in awe, but full of fear - a God with all power, who executes justice based on the standards of perfection and sinlessness.
And the world has seen its share of tyrant-Kings and dictators who rule with only one concern – their own self importance and power. In the end, David was one of those kings, who put more stock in the power of human physical empire, and missed what God hoped for him and for his descendants.
Like David, Pilate, Herod, Caesar, these rulers really derive their power from the fear of the people over whom they wield their sword. In contrast, Jesus derives his power from God in heaven and uses that power to grant grace and forgiveness, even before we aware of our need..
Jesus fulfills the role of the Jewish ideal for a King. His concern is for the people, and the realm over which he has been given authority, and his authority comes from God, hence he does not need palaces and armies. Since this empire has no geographic borders, those who enter come of their own free will.
I began this sermon with the poem - called Ozymandias of Egypt, by Percy Bysshe Shelley. When we listen to David’s bragging in his last words, and then look at Jesus words about all the stones being torn down, nothing remaining, - and then the poem “My name is Ozymandias, king of Kings; look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.”
And Shelley finished the poem ‘Nothing beside remains: round the decay
of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
the lone and level sands stretch far away.’
Empires. Two kings, two kinds of empire. One is an empire of human wealth, military power, fear and punishment. A king who has lost track of what is truly important. The other empire one of peace, harmony, grace, forgiveness - and a King who stoops to wash the feet of others, whose call is to service.
Where do we put our faith?
Sources:
1. “Two Kings, Two Kingdoms” a sermon based on John 18:33-37 by Rev. Randy Quinn.
2. P. B. Shelley “Ozymandias of Egypt”
3. Rev. G. Malcolm Sinclair, in “Feasting on the Word”. Westminster John Knox Press, 2009,
The spirit of God speaks through me; God’s message is on my lips. The God of Israel has spoken; the protector of Israel said to me: “The king who rules with justice, who rules in obedience to God, is like the sun shining on a cloudless dawn, the sun that makes the grass sparkle after rain.”
That is how God will bless my descendants, because he has made an eternal covenant with me,
an agreement that will not be broken, a promise that will not be changed. That is all I desire;
that will be my victory, and God will surely bring it about. Godless people are like thorns that are thrown away; no one can touch them barehanded. You must use an iron tool or a spear and burn them completely.
Mark 13:1-8
As Jesus was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Look, Teacher! What wonderful stones and buildings!” Jesus answered, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.” Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across from the Temple, when Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him in private. “Tell us when this will be,” they said, “and tell us what will happen to show that the time has come for all these things to take place.” Jesus said to them, “Watch out, and don't let anyone fool you. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will fool many people. Don't be anxious when you hear the noise of battles close by and news of battles far away. Such things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come. Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be earthquakes everywhere, and there will be famines. These things are like the first pains of childbirth.
**************************************************************************
‘I met a traveller from an antique land
who said: - Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
and wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
tell that its sculptor well those passions read
which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
the hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
the lone and level sands stretch far away.’
In English we have a saying “Famous last words”. This Sunday is the second last one for the liturgical church year - almost the last words we will say before we begin another liturgical year, on the first of Advent in two weeks' time. So it’s interesting to look back through the Bible at some last words. Moses, for instance, blesses each of the twelve tribes of Israel; he names each of them, and notes their strengths and weaknesses; he prays for each one, and that their future will be blessed. Elijah encourages his young protégé Elisha, teaching him about taking risk and growing in faith. The last words of Stephen call for forgiving grace. Jesus commends himself to God’s care, and later when he appears to the disciples, he tells them that they will always see and know him, through thick and thin.
All of these are good words. The writers and editors of the texts show us the leaders taking the broad and high road of faith and life. We are encouraged to travel lightly and trust that God opens the way, even if we cannot see very far ahead.
David’s last words don’t fall into that category at all. David began as the golden one, who killed Goliath, who played and sang for Saul, who had compassion and kindness in him. He moved on to the King David who would send a man into battle to be killed, so that David could have his wife, Bathsheba. The David who, in the end, comes to trust in empire and wealth, and kids himself that God is doing it because David is so great.
David’s last words become a kind of “teacher’s pet” exit speech; all good things flow from the throne of the king, and on down. Anyone who disagrees is a prickly pain who needs to be eliminated - uprooted and burned as garbage. There is no room here for a next generation of blessings, unless it is another royal monarch. There is no room here for a child born in a manger, a nobody from a nothing little scrap of a village called Nazareth, washer of feet, one who will endure flogging and crucifixion.
Today we have too a group of disciples who are agog and impressed at the wonderful temple, how it has been rebuilt. The home of the Jewish faith; the one place in which they put all their trust, even when the religious leaders were taking advantage of them. They remark to Jesus on how impressive it is...
...and Jesus replies that not one of those stones will survive, that everything will come down. It is a clear comment on the differences between human empire, and God’s realm.
There will be wars and rumours of wars before the end of time. There will be all kinds of false prophets, those who set themselves up above others. But, Jesus says it does not mean the *end* of time has come, it means the end of that kind of thinking has come, and a new way of living with God’s blessings is about to appear.
Even though Advent hasn’t officially started yet, we are hearing Christmas Carols already!
“Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel.”
“This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing . . . “
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King . . . “
“Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven’s all gracious King . . . “
You can probably think of several others that, if you haven’t heard already, you will soon hear, or will be singing pretty soon. The common theme in these carols is that Jesus comes as the King.
What does it mean for Jesus to come as King?
The cycle of the church year begins and ends with the affirmation of Jesus as King. At the beginning of Advent last year, we looked forward to the coming King. Today we reach the end of the year, and point to the reign and rule of Christ, the King.
One of my favourite shows is “Law and Order”. One reason I like the show is that it addresses social issues from a variety of perspectives. How we, as a society, treat those with mental illness, for instance, or how corporate fraud affects the lives of every day people. Since the story takes place in New York City, several episodes have addressed the long term impact of September 11, 2001. The shows also raises the legal dilemmas facing our courts and those who enforce laws. One episode may address freedom of speech while another may explore the limits of the free exercise of religion.
Some of the recurring legal issues have been when and where and who and how plea bargains are used and the role of politics in our court system. And while they portray them as contemporary topics, those two issues are not unique to our court system, nor are they unique to modern history.
In fact, both politics and plea bargains are at play in the trial of Jesus – if you can call it a trial. In a system where the accused are presumed guilty and the court simply imposes the sentence, Pilate finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place. He looks for a way out, but cannot find one. If we continued in our reading today, we would hear Pilate concluding that Jesus is innocent, but claiming his hands are tied (Jn 18:38; 19:12). He will try to offer to punish another man, in a plea bargain-like proposal, but the opportunity will be denied him (Jn 18:39-40).
Pilate, who serves at the whim of the Emperor in Rome, is trying to appease the local citizenry. He has the authority to condemn or to set free but he does not have the political will to use his authority.
There is a strong irony in the comparison of the two readings today. David the King who rules y authority, while Jesus speaks with authority. David rules with power and might and violence; the other rules with truth and love and peace. David has no true wisdom, Jesus does. David rules his own little corner of the world with violence; Jesus raises no army and commits no crimes, yet is put to death for saying his kingdom is no of this world.
For David, a Kingdom required borders and troops and taxes. For David, a King held absolute power, a King was sovereign. For Jesus, the focus is not on the King, but on the Kingdom. Jewish law was clear that the role of the King was to care for the people – much as a shepherd takes care of the sheep. The King was not sovereign, but ruled under the direction of God (Dt 17:14-20).
Jesus turns nowhere but to the absolutes of truth and righteousness and the will of God. As sovereign, he willingly lays his life down for the sake of those who desire to live in his realm.
For us to acclaim Jesus as King is to suggest that we are both the focus of God’s concern and the beneficiaries of God’s providence.
Yet even so there are some who see God as a tyrant-King, someone of whom we are not just in awe, but full of fear - a God with all power, who executes justice based on the standards of perfection and sinlessness.
And the world has seen its share of tyrant-Kings and dictators who rule with only one concern – their own self importance and power. In the end, David was one of those kings, who put more stock in the power of human physical empire, and missed what God hoped for him and for his descendants.
Like David, Pilate, Herod, Caesar, these rulers really derive their power from the fear of the people over whom they wield their sword. In contrast, Jesus derives his power from God in heaven and uses that power to grant grace and forgiveness, even before we aware of our need..
Jesus fulfills the role of the Jewish ideal for a King. His concern is for the people, and the realm over which he has been given authority, and his authority comes from God, hence he does not need palaces and armies. Since this empire has no geographic borders, those who enter come of their own free will.
I began this sermon with the poem - called Ozymandias of Egypt, by Percy Bysshe Shelley. When we listen to David’s bragging in his last words, and then look at Jesus words about all the stones being torn down, nothing remaining, - and then the poem “My name is Ozymandias, king of Kings; look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.”
And Shelley finished the poem ‘Nothing beside remains: round the decay
of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
the lone and level sands stretch far away.’
Empires. Two kings, two kinds of empire. One is an empire of human wealth, military power, fear and punishment. A king who has lost track of what is truly important. The other empire one of peace, harmony, grace, forgiveness - and a King who stoops to wash the feet of others, whose call is to service.
Where do we put our faith?
Sources:
1. “Two Kings, Two Kingdoms” a sermon based on John 18:33-37 by Rev. Randy Quinn.
2. P. B. Shelley “Ozymandias of Egypt”
3. Rev. G. Malcolm Sinclair, in “Feasting on the Word”. Westminster John Knox Press, 2009,
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Flesh and Blood Saints Humber United Church November 11, 2012 Remembrance Day
Mark 12:38-44
He continued teaching. “Watch out for the religion scholars and leaders. They love to walk around in academic gowns and long robes, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. All the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they are; but it will catch them in the end.”
Sitting across from the offering box, Jesus was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. Then he observed one poor widow who came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”
******************************************************************************
Picture with me the temple scene: scribes and priests in festive and very expensive vestments, wealthy merchants, and prominent members of the community, all the pomp, the splendour, the rites and rituals. The pleats of their robes were neatly folded and the tassels were in their proper place. They wanted to look impressive as they paraded through the outer courtyards into the court of Israel. They continuously checked the ornate bags in which they carried their temple offerings to make sure that they had the proper coins and that the amount was sufficient for persons of their rank and standing.
At the same time, and very much in contrast to this scene, we see a little old widow getting ready for worship. She had been bargaining and scraping all week to have something for the temple. After all, she couldn't approach the house of God empty-handed. At the moment, she lived to give her offering to God. She wanted to tell God, "I'm thankful I still have you."
In spite of the insignificance of her temple tithe--two pennies--,Jesus lifts this woman up as an example: "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had". Jesus is not romanticizing poverty. There is nothing sacred about being hungry, cold, homeless, or powerless. The presence of the poor illustrates the need for church and its mission. But sometimes people who live near the edge of existence see things more clearly than those of us who have plenty. They see without impairment what is essential.
Today is Remembrance Day, a day set aside for us to remember those who gave everything they had - right to their very lives - to prevent world-wide disaster. The people who served in the First and Second World Wars are veterans, heroes, in the flesh. I might even go so far as to include those young men who went off to Viet Nam, and those who have gone to Afghanistan, or Bosnia.
On Friday, I attended the Remembrance Day assembly at Humber Elementary, and learned about young Corporal Brian Pinksen, who was all of 20 when he lost his life to injuries received in Kandahar. It reminded me of the young men I saw sitting in the chapel on the Tan Son Nhut Airbase in Viet Nam - from my perspective even in 1972 - they were barely old enough to shave - and compared them with the smart-aleck military commanders I met, who spoke about the local Vietnamese as “gooks”, and strutted around with their chests covered in medals, who stayed behind the scenes while the young ones went into battle. I thought about the young men who went home in body bags - and I thought about those unsung heroes, the doctors and nurses of the Mobile surgical hospital at the front who gave everything, but are forgotten.
I need to say, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a supporter of war. In the First and Second World Wars there were serious threats, and there is a part of me which says those wars were justified. I can’t be persuaded that all wars are justified - and every time I see a photo of a young person lost in war, I become emotional. I can’t say that the violence between Israel and Palestine is justified; I can’t really say the violence in Afghanistan is justified.
The problem I have is that there are so many other heroes, and part of me gets angry around Remembrance Day because of the people who are not remembered.. When Norio and I left Viet Nam, there were three other families who were good friends - all were Vietnamese men who had western wives. One was married to an Australian, one to a New Zealander, and one to an American. The wives and children were able to leave the country just before everything closed down in 1975. The men had to stay. We never found out if they were able to leave until years later when we were able to reconnect again.- and they would have had to pay large amounts of money to get away. They struggled within their country - a couple of them were highly placed in the government - and as our friend Duyet in Australia said “I was director of postal services in Viet Nam, now I lick stamps at the local post office.”
In the course of the war in Viet Nam, some 60,000 soldiers died. Over two million Vietnamese died. Estimates at the end of the war in 1975 were that 500,000 children were born with birth defects attributed to the widespread use of Agent Orange as a defoliant. Except that Agent Orange doesn’t break down, either in the environment or in the body. Once it’s there, it’s there.
You might remember a photo during the war in Viet Nam, of a little girl running naked down a road, with other children, when her village was hit by napalm. Phan Thi Kim Phuc survived the attack, but remembers running down the road crying “too hot, too hot”, as her back was burned by the napalm. She is a graduate of the University of Havana in Cuba, and is now a UNESCO world ambassador. She is one of those flesh-and-blood heroes, for me - someone who lived through such incredible times and is not afraid to speak out against war and violence. That’s here, of course. Kim Phuc now lives just outside Toronto.
There were those who chose not to leave at the end in 1975. They made the decision that even after the North Vietnamese took over, their expertise would be needed. Tailors, farmers, medical personnel, religious leaders - made a conscious choice to remain, to help their country rebuild. There to me they are the flesh and blood saints of the world - the ones who go on after the fighting is over.
My day job in Viet Nam, besides having two small children, was as office administrator for the YMCA Refugee Services. One of our projects was a co-operative village. Many of the refugees were farmers who had been pretty well napalmed off their land; they had to begin again, building homes in the jungle and finding a way to make a living. With the help of the YMCA, they were able to do that - build homes, and begin cooperative community projects. They raised pigs for food, but also for sale in the market. When the animals were sold, all the money went back into the community pot for the good of everyone. They grew crops, to feed themselves and sell in the market - and once again the proceeds went into the community pot. The director of the YMCA Services, Yukio Miyazaki, is in my mind one of those living flesh and blood saints who needs to be remembered on this day - because he was willing to give everything he had to make a positive difference in the lives of those people who had no way to get away, and no other way to survive.
In 2001, a movie called “Kandahar” was released. The story was written by an Afghani-Canadian journalist, Nilofer Pazira; it chronicles the story of a journalist living in Canada who returns to Afghanistan to save her suicidal sister. Some of it is her own story, and she returned to Afghanistan at great risk to herself, as she was the star of the movie as well, and had to go back into the burqa to be able to move around. In this movie we see the lives of Afghani women, and men, who are willing to fight back against oppression by any means possible. There is one scene where a group of women are walking together - and every singe one of them is wearing the most brightly-coloured burqa possible - every colour of the rainbow. No black burqas for these women - they are the flash and blood saints who find ways to survive even under the Taliban.
So where am I going with this?
Remembrance Day is important. There is no question that it is. But if we do not learn the lessons of war, or if we end up glorifying ourselves or our military, or acts of war, we lose. And I am afraid that if we do not continue to remind others of the deep and long-lasting effects of war, the world loses. As I sat listening and watching at the school on Friday, I could not help but think of the many people who are always left behind, who have nothing left to give but maybe two pennies and some commitment. These are the flesh and blood saints, the silent heroes, who should also be remembered at this time - those people who have suffered because of the actions of others, yet who continue to give whatever they can because it’s important.
Sources:
1. Nothing Left To Give? A sermon by Rev. Frank Schaefer
He continued teaching. “Watch out for the religion scholars and leaders. They love to walk around in academic gowns and long robes, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function. All the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless. The longer their prayers, the worse they are; but it will catch them in the end.”
Sitting across from the offering box, Jesus was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. Then he observed one poor widow who came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”
******************************************************************************
Picture with me the temple scene: scribes and priests in festive and very expensive vestments, wealthy merchants, and prominent members of the community, all the pomp, the splendour, the rites and rituals. The pleats of their robes were neatly folded and the tassels were in their proper place. They wanted to look impressive as they paraded through the outer courtyards into the court of Israel. They continuously checked the ornate bags in which they carried their temple offerings to make sure that they had the proper coins and that the amount was sufficient for persons of their rank and standing.
At the same time, and very much in contrast to this scene, we see a little old widow getting ready for worship. She had been bargaining and scraping all week to have something for the temple. After all, she couldn't approach the house of God empty-handed. At the moment, she lived to give her offering to God. She wanted to tell God, "I'm thankful I still have you."
In spite of the insignificance of her temple tithe--two pennies--,Jesus lifts this woman up as an example: "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had". Jesus is not romanticizing poverty. There is nothing sacred about being hungry, cold, homeless, or powerless. The presence of the poor illustrates the need for church and its mission. But sometimes people who live near the edge of existence see things more clearly than those of us who have plenty. They see without impairment what is essential.
Today is Remembrance Day, a day set aside for us to remember those who gave everything they had - right to their very lives - to prevent world-wide disaster. The people who served in the First and Second World Wars are veterans, heroes, in the flesh. I might even go so far as to include those young men who went off to Viet Nam, and those who have gone to Afghanistan, or Bosnia.
On Friday, I attended the Remembrance Day assembly at Humber Elementary, and learned about young Corporal Brian Pinksen, who was all of 20 when he lost his life to injuries received in Kandahar. It reminded me of the young men I saw sitting in the chapel on the Tan Son Nhut Airbase in Viet Nam - from my perspective even in 1972 - they were barely old enough to shave - and compared them with the smart-aleck military commanders I met, who spoke about the local Vietnamese as “gooks”, and strutted around with their chests covered in medals, who stayed behind the scenes while the young ones went into battle. I thought about the young men who went home in body bags - and I thought about those unsung heroes, the doctors and nurses of the Mobile surgical hospital at the front who gave everything, but are forgotten.
I need to say, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a supporter of war. In the First and Second World Wars there were serious threats, and there is a part of me which says those wars were justified. I can’t be persuaded that all wars are justified - and every time I see a photo of a young person lost in war, I become emotional. I can’t say that the violence between Israel and Palestine is justified; I can’t really say the violence in Afghanistan is justified.
The problem I have is that there are so many other heroes, and part of me gets angry around Remembrance Day because of the people who are not remembered.. When Norio and I left Viet Nam, there were three other families who were good friends - all were Vietnamese men who had western wives. One was married to an Australian, one to a New Zealander, and one to an American. The wives and children were able to leave the country just before everything closed down in 1975. The men had to stay. We never found out if they were able to leave until years later when we were able to reconnect again.- and they would have had to pay large amounts of money to get away. They struggled within their country - a couple of them were highly placed in the government - and as our friend Duyet in Australia said “I was director of postal services in Viet Nam, now I lick stamps at the local post office.”
In the course of the war in Viet Nam, some 60,000 soldiers died. Over two million Vietnamese died. Estimates at the end of the war in 1975 were that 500,000 children were born with birth defects attributed to the widespread use of Agent Orange as a defoliant. Except that Agent Orange doesn’t break down, either in the environment or in the body. Once it’s there, it’s there.
You might remember a photo during the war in Viet Nam, of a little girl running naked down a road, with other children, when her village was hit by napalm. Phan Thi Kim Phuc survived the attack, but remembers running down the road crying “too hot, too hot”, as her back was burned by the napalm. She is a graduate of the University of Havana in Cuba, and is now a UNESCO world ambassador. She is one of those flesh-and-blood heroes, for me - someone who lived through such incredible times and is not afraid to speak out against war and violence. That’s here, of course. Kim Phuc now lives just outside Toronto.
There were those who chose not to leave at the end in 1975. They made the decision that even after the North Vietnamese took over, their expertise would be needed. Tailors, farmers, medical personnel, religious leaders - made a conscious choice to remain, to help their country rebuild. There to me they are the flesh and blood saints of the world - the ones who go on after the fighting is over.
My day job in Viet Nam, besides having two small children, was as office administrator for the YMCA Refugee Services. One of our projects was a co-operative village. Many of the refugees were farmers who had been pretty well napalmed off their land; they had to begin again, building homes in the jungle and finding a way to make a living. With the help of the YMCA, they were able to do that - build homes, and begin cooperative community projects. They raised pigs for food, but also for sale in the market. When the animals were sold, all the money went back into the community pot for the good of everyone. They grew crops, to feed themselves and sell in the market - and once again the proceeds went into the community pot. The director of the YMCA Services, Yukio Miyazaki, is in my mind one of those living flesh and blood saints who needs to be remembered on this day - because he was willing to give everything he had to make a positive difference in the lives of those people who had no way to get away, and no other way to survive.
In 2001, a movie called “Kandahar” was released. The story was written by an Afghani-Canadian journalist, Nilofer Pazira; it chronicles the story of a journalist living in Canada who returns to Afghanistan to save her suicidal sister. Some of it is her own story, and she returned to Afghanistan at great risk to herself, as she was the star of the movie as well, and had to go back into the burqa to be able to move around. In this movie we see the lives of Afghani women, and men, who are willing to fight back against oppression by any means possible. There is one scene where a group of women are walking together - and every singe one of them is wearing the most brightly-coloured burqa possible - every colour of the rainbow. No black burqas for these women - they are the flash and blood saints who find ways to survive even under the Taliban.
So where am I going with this?
Remembrance Day is important. There is no question that it is. But if we do not learn the lessons of war, or if we end up glorifying ourselves or our military, or acts of war, we lose. And I am afraid that if we do not continue to remind others of the deep and long-lasting effects of war, the world loses. As I sat listening and watching at the school on Friday, I could not help but think of the many people who are always left behind, who have nothing left to give but maybe two pennies and some commitment. These are the flesh and blood saints, the silent heroes, who should also be remembered at this time - those people who have suffered because of the actions of others, yet who continue to give whatever they can because it’s important.
Sources:
1. Nothing Left To Give? A sermon by Rev. Frank Schaefer
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Open Our Eyes... Humber United Church October 21, 2012 Mark 10:46-52
They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped in his tracks. “Call him over.”
They called him. “It’s your lucky day! Get up! He’s calling you to come!” Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus. Jesus said, “What can I do for you?”
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
“On your way,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved and healed you.” In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.
************************************************************************
Try to imagine the scene in which this parable takes place. It’s less than a week before the Passover begins in Jerusalem; people from everywhere travel to Jerusalem every year for this holy day. For some, it’s a yearly pilgrimage, and for others it may be the only time they ever go. There is lots of excitement in the air, and the vendors in the markets are busy getting everything ready. It’s also a time when the Romans are most concerned about outbreaks of “freedom” groups.
Imagine you are an innkeeper in Jericho. This is the time of year when you make enough money to pays the bills for the rest of the year. People are filling the streets, rooms command premium price for those passing through on their way to the festival You never make it to Jerusalem yourself, - too busy working - but the brisk business is welcome.
Times haven’t changed much, have they? People still go to Jerusalem for Passover, and there is still the ever-present threat of violence. Every year many Muslims travel to Mecca in the Hajj, the holy pilgrimage. - and there are those who take advantage of pilgrims, in order to make a fast shekel. Some will be selling T-shirts and key rings; in Jesus’ time I wonder what they would have been selling - maybe cheap sandals, or money bags, or some kind of holy relic left over from the trip with Moses.
And there would be those who sit by the road and beg, knowing that the pilgrims will be in a good mood, and that the crowds will come back next week when the celebrations are over To these beggars, this is the best kind of crowd to work with – they are in good spirits, there is extra money to be spent, and it’s a religious holiday that encourages people to give. They couldn’t ask for anything better.
There is a particular intersection in downtown Toronto, where a couple of panhandlers appear usually around Thanksgiving and Christmas, knowing that people will be feeling a bit more generous. They sit out in the freezing cold, right at the stop light, and as cars pull up to stop, most people hand over some cash. I usually do. It *is* that time of year. They aren’t usually there, but they are clearly quite poor, which tells me that the panhandling is to get a little extra money to be able to celebrate the festivals.
Well, back to the road to Jerusalem. This year there is the hot-shot traveling preacher who brings his crowd along. He has a reputation for miracles, but there is even speculation that he may be the Messiah, the Son of David, who will ascend the throne of Israel and free the land from Roman rule. Expectations are high, among the followers. This man is surely the one, and he just needs to get to Jerusalem, and will demonstrate his incredible power.
Jesus could barely keep the disciples in check. As we read through Mark’s Gospel, we see that Jesus has been trying to hammer home the point that he will die in Jerusalem. But they would rather hear the rumors that are circulating; they want to believe a story of a King being acclaimed and anointed, who will rule from David’s throne, fulfill the hopes of the people, and be ruthless with the enemy, Rome.
In today’s reading, all of these groups and expectations meet in the city of Jericho at the bottom of the hill that leads up to Jerusalem.
What do we know about Bartimaeus? We know that he is Bar-Timaeus, the son of Timaeus. We know he was blind. We know he was looking for mercy, not money. We know that, because he asks for mercy and because he throws off his cloak, which he likely would have used to catch the money thrown to him by travellers. So it isn’t money he wants at all.
Unlike the “man born blind”, it’s more likely that Bartimaeus acquired blindness at some point in his life. A common experience among the people contracting a disease in which the eye duct would dry out, and in the arid and hot climate this often led to blindness. It was a dreaded disease spread by flies; when he cried out, the crowd, even the disciples, try to hush him up.
As a blind man, he was not welcome at religious festivals. People with disabilities could not take part in temple events, something straight from Levitical Law (Lev. 21:17-21). According to those laws anyone with any kind of blemish could not participate in sacrifices. So Bartimaeus had to live a life without worship. He was cut off from the religious centre of the community. At a guess, maybe his parents provided for him, so he didn’t need money, but more likely acceptance.
In some ways he could see things that people around him didn’t see, as if he had insight rather than eyesight.
When he called out to Jesus as the Son of David, for example, he may have been acclaiming Jesus as the Messiah (Mk. 10:47-48). It could also be that he remembered that King David made room at his table for Mephibosheth, the lame descendant of King Saul. Perhaps he was calling Jesus to make room for the blind and the crippled in his coming realm. Maybe he was pleading for mercy on behalf of all those who were cast out because of their disabilities and deformities.
For many years in the Buddhist system of belief, it was thought that women, and those who had any disability, could not become enlightened. It wasn’t until the time of Shinran, a Buddhist monk in Japan, that women and the disabled were allowed to take teaching. There is no question that Jesus also recognised that those who were outcast, pushed aside, or deemed not acceptable, were just as acceptable as anyone else.
Jesus asks almost the same question this week as last. Jesus asked James and John “What do you want me to do for you?” Today he asks Bartimaeus “what do you want?”
Last week the disciples asked to be seen and noticed by everyone.
This week Bartimaeus asks to see.
It would have made somewhat more sense, maybe, if the disciples should asked to be able to see clearly, and Bartimaeus asked to be seen. Mark’s Gospel keeps hammering home how thick the disciples were at not being able to see what Jesus was trying to get across to them. Maybe they really should have asked to see - but of course, they weren’t even aware they *needed* to be able to see.....they were too focused on the prestige of being on Jesus’ right and left, elevated above all their peers. - and because they could not *see*, they didn’t realise that Bartiemaus really need to be seen, to be recognised as a person, regardless of his blindness. Yet all Batimaeus can ask for is to be able to see, not to be *seen*.
What would you ask for? Your physical eyesight? Or insight? Like the disciples, maybe we really don’t want to see. Maybe it’s easier to look past the beggars on the streets, easier not to notice the lonely in our community, preferring someone else to do it. Seeing the needs might require us to act. If we actually know how we might help, we might also have to do something.
But if we cannot see, how can we follow Jesus on the road to Jerusalem? We would see neither the cross, nor the tomb.
What’s the very last thing Mark tells us in this story? That Jesus says to Bartimaeus “Your faith has made you well.” He has been given sight. - and Mark says he got up and followed Jesus.
So the question remains, what do you want Jesus to do for you?
Sources:
1. What Do You Want? A sermon by Rev. Randy Quinn based on Mark 10:46-52
2. Feasting on the Word, commentary by Victor McCracken. Westminster John Knox Press 2009.
They called him. “It’s your lucky day! Get up! He’s calling you to come!” Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus. Jesus said, “What can I do for you?”
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
“On your way,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved and healed you.” In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.
************************************************************************
Try to imagine the scene in which this parable takes place. It’s less than a week before the Passover begins in Jerusalem; people from everywhere travel to Jerusalem every year for this holy day. For some, it’s a yearly pilgrimage, and for others it may be the only time they ever go. There is lots of excitement in the air, and the vendors in the markets are busy getting everything ready. It’s also a time when the Romans are most concerned about outbreaks of “freedom” groups.
Imagine you are an innkeeper in Jericho. This is the time of year when you make enough money to pays the bills for the rest of the year. People are filling the streets, rooms command premium price for those passing through on their way to the festival You never make it to Jerusalem yourself, - too busy working - but the brisk business is welcome.
Times haven’t changed much, have they? People still go to Jerusalem for Passover, and there is still the ever-present threat of violence. Every year many Muslims travel to Mecca in the Hajj, the holy pilgrimage. - and there are those who take advantage of pilgrims, in order to make a fast shekel. Some will be selling T-shirts and key rings; in Jesus’ time I wonder what they would have been selling - maybe cheap sandals, or money bags, or some kind of holy relic left over from the trip with Moses.
And there would be those who sit by the road and beg, knowing that the pilgrims will be in a good mood, and that the crowds will come back next week when the celebrations are over To these beggars, this is the best kind of crowd to work with – they are in good spirits, there is extra money to be spent, and it’s a religious holiday that encourages people to give. They couldn’t ask for anything better.
There is a particular intersection in downtown Toronto, where a couple of panhandlers appear usually around Thanksgiving and Christmas, knowing that people will be feeling a bit more generous. They sit out in the freezing cold, right at the stop light, and as cars pull up to stop, most people hand over some cash. I usually do. It *is* that time of year. They aren’t usually there, but they are clearly quite poor, which tells me that the panhandling is to get a little extra money to be able to celebrate the festivals.
Well, back to the road to Jerusalem. This year there is the hot-shot traveling preacher who brings his crowd along. He has a reputation for miracles, but there is even speculation that he may be the Messiah, the Son of David, who will ascend the throne of Israel and free the land from Roman rule. Expectations are high, among the followers. This man is surely the one, and he just needs to get to Jerusalem, and will demonstrate his incredible power.
Jesus could barely keep the disciples in check. As we read through Mark’s Gospel, we see that Jesus has been trying to hammer home the point that he will die in Jerusalem. But they would rather hear the rumors that are circulating; they want to believe a story of a King being acclaimed and anointed, who will rule from David’s throne, fulfill the hopes of the people, and be ruthless with the enemy, Rome.
In today’s reading, all of these groups and expectations meet in the city of Jericho at the bottom of the hill that leads up to Jerusalem.
What do we know about Bartimaeus? We know that he is Bar-Timaeus, the son of Timaeus. We know he was blind. We know he was looking for mercy, not money. We know that, because he asks for mercy and because he throws off his cloak, which he likely would have used to catch the money thrown to him by travellers. So it isn’t money he wants at all.
Unlike the “man born blind”, it’s more likely that Bartimaeus acquired blindness at some point in his life. A common experience among the people contracting a disease in which the eye duct would dry out, and in the arid and hot climate this often led to blindness. It was a dreaded disease spread by flies; when he cried out, the crowd, even the disciples, try to hush him up.
As a blind man, he was not welcome at religious festivals. People with disabilities could not take part in temple events, something straight from Levitical Law (Lev. 21:17-21). According to those laws anyone with any kind of blemish could not participate in sacrifices. So Bartimaeus had to live a life without worship. He was cut off from the religious centre of the community. At a guess, maybe his parents provided for him, so he didn’t need money, but more likely acceptance.
In some ways he could see things that people around him didn’t see, as if he had insight rather than eyesight.
When he called out to Jesus as the Son of David, for example, he may have been acclaiming Jesus as the Messiah (Mk. 10:47-48). It could also be that he remembered that King David made room at his table for Mephibosheth, the lame descendant of King Saul. Perhaps he was calling Jesus to make room for the blind and the crippled in his coming realm. Maybe he was pleading for mercy on behalf of all those who were cast out because of their disabilities and deformities.
For many years in the Buddhist system of belief, it was thought that women, and those who had any disability, could not become enlightened. It wasn’t until the time of Shinran, a Buddhist monk in Japan, that women and the disabled were allowed to take teaching. There is no question that Jesus also recognised that those who were outcast, pushed aside, or deemed not acceptable, were just as acceptable as anyone else.
Jesus asks almost the same question this week as last. Jesus asked James and John “What do you want me to do for you?” Today he asks Bartimaeus “what do you want?”
Last week the disciples asked to be seen and noticed by everyone.
This week Bartimaeus asks to see.
It would have made somewhat more sense, maybe, if the disciples should asked to be able to see clearly, and Bartimaeus asked to be seen. Mark’s Gospel keeps hammering home how thick the disciples were at not being able to see what Jesus was trying to get across to them. Maybe they really should have asked to see - but of course, they weren’t even aware they *needed* to be able to see.....they were too focused on the prestige of being on Jesus’ right and left, elevated above all their peers. - and because they could not *see*, they didn’t realise that Bartiemaus really need to be seen, to be recognised as a person, regardless of his blindness. Yet all Batimaeus can ask for is to be able to see, not to be *seen*.
What would you ask for? Your physical eyesight? Or insight? Like the disciples, maybe we really don’t want to see. Maybe it’s easier to look past the beggars on the streets, easier not to notice the lonely in our community, preferring someone else to do it. Seeing the needs might require us to act. If we actually know how we might help, we might also have to do something.
But if we cannot see, how can we follow Jesus on the road to Jerusalem? We would see neither the cross, nor the tomb.
What’s the very last thing Mark tells us in this story? That Jesus says to Bartimaeus “Your faith has made you well.” He has been given sight. - and Mark says he got up and followed Jesus.
So the question remains, what do you want Jesus to do for you?
Sources:
1. What Do You Want? A sermon by Rev. Randy Quinn based on Mark 10:46-52
2. Feasting on the Word, commentary by Victor McCracken. Westminster John Knox Press 2009.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Scarcity or Abundance? Matthew 5:1-6, Mark 10:17-31, Mark 10:35-45
Matthew 5:1-6
When Jesus saw that his teaching was drawing crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were followers, apprentices of a sort, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his companions. This is what he said:
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are - no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God, who is food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. You’re blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
***************************************************************************
He went up a hillside to teach......
Maybe one like this - in La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. A friend of mine, who lives in Minca, Colombia travels to Nabusimake, in the Arhuaco Valley, to learn from the Arhuaco elders. John Lundin has a PhD in Pastoral Counselling, and has co-authored a book with the Dalai Lama. He is currently writing a book about the Arhuaco people and their life and spirituality. This is where the teachings are given.
Two weeks ago Sonya and the children told us the story of Stone Soup - a story of what happens when we cooperate and give thanks for what we DO have. Last week we heard a story called T
Give Thanks for Rocks - another story of giving thanks for what we DO have, even if at first glance it looks like not much. Today we are observing World Food Day; a time of recognition that other parts of the world do not have such fortune. In many places, this lack is due to circumstances beyond the control of the people who are most affected - war, drought, poor harvest, dirty water, flood.
Last week, Canadian Churches celebrated Thanksgiving, and World Communion Sunday. It is a time when we give thanks for gifts, and for life. Thanksgiving has been a time of celebrating the abundance of harvest. In the Jewish tradition, last Sunday was the last day of Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles - a celebration of harvest in the first year of freedom after years of slavery and wandering in the wilderness - a celebration of those things which God provided: manna and quail, and water from a rock. Celebrations of the earth and our place in it.
And yet......
Today’s story from Mark is a typical story of human-ness and greed. James and John, who apparently have finally got the point that Jesus is going to die, and eventually both of them, ask Jesus to set it up so that they will be greater than the others. Even after they are gone, they want more - and never mind their friends and companions - they want Jesus to give them places of honour...they’re looking at what they don’t have, instead of celebrating what they do have. And Jesus tells them they might want to re-think that a little.
In a sense, these two remind me of the congregations I’ve served, including here at Humber. In the post-war era, here in North America, the churches went through a great period of growth - but only for about twenty or twenty-five years, and then they started to decline again. That’s the part we’ve tried not to notice - since the ‘70s, both the United Church in particular, and the church around the world in general, has been in decline.
I’ve heard that the church of my childhood, Wesley United in Prince Albert, had over 600 kids in the Sunday School. I’ve heard that the church of my youth ad teen years, Deer Lodge United in Winnipeg, had over 400 in Sunday School, and about 100 in the youth group. I am here to attest to the fact that those figures are greatly inflated by nostalgia for something that in reality never existed. Wesley United might have had 150 in the Sunday School, but there surely wasn’t room for more than that. Deer Lodge United had maybe 30 in the youth group.
So as time goes on, numbers appear to slip, costs rise to the point where we have deficit instead of plenty, we fall into what theologians are naming as a Theology of Scarcity. We spend all our time looking backward and trying to dream of a time when the pews will be full and we have lots of money. We have to get more people out to church, is the comment - we have to be able to pay our bills, we don’t have enough. Is that what we are supposed to be about? Is that what God wants for the church??? Or is it maybe that God wants us to look more closely at what we do have, compared to those who are destitute, and right the balance? Is it maybe that God wants us to function as a community of the whole, not worrying for the future, but cooperating and collaborating for the benefit of the whole.
In every congregation I’ve served, I struggle to find a way to get people to change their mental and spiritual attitude of focusing on what they *don’t* have, and instead focusing on what we *do* have. We need to move from a theology of scarcity to a theology of abundance...
...and Jesus, sitting on the terraced hillside, says
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are - no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God, who is food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. You’re blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”
One of the alternate readings for today was an earlier story in Mark, about the very wealthy young man who came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to enter the realm - and Jesus responded “Sell all your stuff, give it to the poor, and then come back.” Mark reports that the young man left in tears. - and we, in our rather simplistic way of thinking, assume that the young man is unable to let go of all his things, and is in tears because giving up those things is beyond his capacity.
My friend, Rev. David Shearman, comments "You could also interpret the story as the man grieving because he *had* decided to get rid of his stuff and follow Jesus. His tears were not of sorrow but of acceptance because he knew he had taken the very first step into a new future. He realized that joining Jesus in kingdom values was excruciatingly painful.” The young man had just been confronted by Jesus in a very difficult way, with the difference between need and want.
We are confronted with that in the church. What we want, indeed what we think we need, may not be what we really need. One thing I do know - is that a theology of scarcity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more we focus on what we don’t have, the less we will have. We need a theology of abundance - a theology which says we have everything we need, right here. We don’t need any more.
I want to show you some photos of the Arhuaco people and their homes in Colombia - because I believe this is precisely what Jesus was talking about, and what God would wish for us.
John and I had a conversation this week about the Arhuaco people. It seemed to me, from the pictures and from his words, that they have everything they need. It seemed, in looking at the pictures, that this is a people completely at home in the world. They have no sense of poverty or of scarcity. When I asked John, here is what he replied:
“Not only do they have a different understanding of 'abundance' versus 'scarcity' or even 'poverty,' the truth is they don't have an understanding of that concept or tension at all. They have everything they need and don't ever think of 'want.' They have no interest in accumulating 'things,' and they go about their business of caring for the planet and each other 24 hours a day - including cultivating their crops and caring for their livestock. Everyone participates, and there is never a sense that they are "working." For them there is no difference between work and pleasure - when one is involved in the work one is called to do, the joy is in that harmony of purpose.”
May it be so.
When Jesus saw that his teaching was drawing crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were followers, apprentices of a sort, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his companions. This is what he said:
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are - no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God, who is food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. You’re blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
***************************************************************************
He went up a hillside to teach......
Maybe one like this - in La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. A friend of mine, who lives in Minca, Colombia travels to Nabusimake, in the Arhuaco Valley, to learn from the Arhuaco elders. John Lundin has a PhD in Pastoral Counselling, and has co-authored a book with the Dalai Lama. He is currently writing a book about the Arhuaco people and their life and spirituality. This is where the teachings are given.
Two weeks ago Sonya and the children told us the story of Stone Soup - a story of what happens when we cooperate and give thanks for what we DO have. Last week we heard a story called T
Give Thanks for Rocks - another story of giving thanks for what we DO have, even if at first glance it looks like not much. Today we are observing World Food Day; a time of recognition that other parts of the world do not have such fortune. In many places, this lack is due to circumstances beyond the control of the people who are most affected - war, drought, poor harvest, dirty water, flood.
Last week, Canadian Churches celebrated Thanksgiving, and World Communion Sunday. It is a time when we give thanks for gifts, and for life. Thanksgiving has been a time of celebrating the abundance of harvest. In the Jewish tradition, last Sunday was the last day of Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles - a celebration of harvest in the first year of freedom after years of slavery and wandering in the wilderness - a celebration of those things which God provided: manna and quail, and water from a rock. Celebrations of the earth and our place in it.
And yet......
Today’s story from Mark is a typical story of human-ness and greed. James and John, who apparently have finally got the point that Jesus is going to die, and eventually both of them, ask Jesus to set it up so that they will be greater than the others. Even after they are gone, they want more - and never mind their friends and companions - they want Jesus to give them places of honour...they’re looking at what they don’t have, instead of celebrating what they do have. And Jesus tells them they might want to re-think that a little.
In a sense, these two remind me of the congregations I’ve served, including here at Humber. In the post-war era, here in North America, the churches went through a great period of growth - but only for about twenty or twenty-five years, and then they started to decline again. That’s the part we’ve tried not to notice - since the ‘70s, both the United Church in particular, and the church around the world in general, has been in decline.
I’ve heard that the church of my childhood, Wesley United in Prince Albert, had over 600 kids in the Sunday School. I’ve heard that the church of my youth ad teen years, Deer Lodge United in Winnipeg, had over 400 in Sunday School, and about 100 in the youth group. I am here to attest to the fact that those figures are greatly inflated by nostalgia for something that in reality never existed. Wesley United might have had 150 in the Sunday School, but there surely wasn’t room for more than that. Deer Lodge United had maybe 30 in the youth group.
So as time goes on, numbers appear to slip, costs rise to the point where we have deficit instead of plenty, we fall into what theologians are naming as a Theology of Scarcity. We spend all our time looking backward and trying to dream of a time when the pews will be full and we have lots of money. We have to get more people out to church, is the comment - we have to be able to pay our bills, we don’t have enough. Is that what we are supposed to be about? Is that what God wants for the church??? Or is it maybe that God wants us to look more closely at what we do have, compared to those who are destitute, and right the balance? Is it maybe that God wants us to function as a community of the whole, not worrying for the future, but cooperating and collaborating for the benefit of the whole.
In every congregation I’ve served, I struggle to find a way to get people to change their mental and spiritual attitude of focusing on what they *don’t* have, and instead focusing on what we *do* have. We need to move from a theology of scarcity to a theology of abundance...
...and Jesus, sitting on the terraced hillside, says
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are - no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God, who is food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. You’re blessed when you get your inside world - your mind and heart - put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”
One of the alternate readings for today was an earlier story in Mark, about the very wealthy young man who came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to enter the realm - and Jesus responded “Sell all your stuff, give it to the poor, and then come back.” Mark reports that the young man left in tears. - and we, in our rather simplistic way of thinking, assume that the young man is unable to let go of all his things, and is in tears because giving up those things is beyond his capacity.
My friend, Rev. David Shearman, comments "You could also interpret the story as the man grieving because he *had* decided to get rid of his stuff and follow Jesus. His tears were not of sorrow but of acceptance because he knew he had taken the very first step into a new future. He realized that joining Jesus in kingdom values was excruciatingly painful.” The young man had just been confronted by Jesus in a very difficult way, with the difference between need and want.
We are confronted with that in the church. What we want, indeed what we think we need, may not be what we really need. One thing I do know - is that a theology of scarcity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more we focus on what we don’t have, the less we will have. We need a theology of abundance - a theology which says we have everything we need, right here. We don’t need any more.
I want to show you some photos of the Arhuaco people and their homes in Colombia - because I believe this is precisely what Jesus was talking about, and what God would wish for us.
John and I had a conversation this week about the Arhuaco people. It seemed to me, from the pictures and from his words, that they have everything they need. It seemed, in looking at the pictures, that this is a people completely at home in the world. They have no sense of poverty or of scarcity. When I asked John, here is what he replied:
“Not only do they have a different understanding of 'abundance' versus 'scarcity' or even 'poverty,' the truth is they don't have an understanding of that concept or tension at all. They have everything they need and don't ever think of 'want.' They have no interest in accumulating 'things,' and they go about their business of caring for the planet and each other 24 hours a day - including cultivating their crops and caring for their livestock. Everyone participates, and there is never a sense that they are "working." For them there is no difference between work and pleasure - when one is involved in the work one is called to do, the joy is in that harmony of purpose.”
May it be so.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
“Giving Thanks” Thanksgiving Sunday October 7, 2012 Humber United Church Matthew 6:25-33
“This is why I tell you: do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn't life worth more than food? And isn't the body worth more than clothes? Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet God in heaven takes care of them! Aren't you worth much more than birds? Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?
And why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. It is God who clothes the wild grass - grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won't God be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!
So do not start worrying: ‘Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?’ These are the things the pagans are always concerned about. God in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Realm of God and with what is required of you, and you will be provided with all these other things.”
**************************************************************************
Sukkoth in the Hebrew tradition is the Feast of Tabernacles, or Feast of Booths Sukkoth is the Jewish autumn festival of double thanksgiving, which began this year on September 30th- five days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Sukkoth ends today, October 7th. This is one of the three Pilgrim Festivals spoken of in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Exodus 23:16 refers to “h’ag ha-asif “, the“Feast of the Ingathering,” when grains and fruits were gathered at the harvest’s end, and to “h’ag ha-sukkot” in Leviticus 23:34, recalling the days when the Israelites lived in huts during their years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. The festival is characterized by the building of huts made of branches and by the gathering of four species of branches, with prayers of thanksgiving to God for the fruitfulness of the land. As part of the celebration, a sevenfold circuit of the synagogue is made with the four plants on the seventh day of the festival, called by the special name Hoshana Rabba (“Great Hosanna”). Jesus would have celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, and joined in the Great Hosanna!
Today, we express our thanks, our gratitude to God for the harvest, for providing for us, for caring for us, for getting us through another year. We can tell the story of God’s faithfulness, of God’s love, of God’s care, and we can tell it exactly because we are here--alive and well! We who are present are evidence of the goodness of God.
Over the last year, all of us, in one way or another - have had a personal crisis. Life involves worry, and we don’t get to escape it. Some of us have gone through tremendous struggles, and you are here; others may go through difficult times right now, but all of us agree that thanking God is important on this Thanksgiving Day. We are here today to give thanks to our loving and caring God!
My Facebook clergy friends started a list the other day of the subject of our thanks. Everyone said, of course, family and friends; home; health.....but it seems to me an attitude of gratitude means thanks for life - the good and the bad. The late George Burns, on the celebration of his 100th birthday and his appearance on a television talk show, was asked if he was glad to be able to be there. He responded “At my age, you’re glad to be anywhere.” Well, despite the fact that this was classic George Burns, it occurred to me that this is the very essence of a life of gratitude - we’re glad to be anywhere.
It almost seems when we say "thank you" to God - even in the midst of the most incredibly crushing events in our lives, which threaten to extinguish the light of our soul - we can deal with those events and still be able to sing a song of thanks. "God has done great things for us, and we rejoiced." Maybe thanking God allows us to focus away from ourselves, at least a little, and to open our eyes to what is going on around us. This is what Jesus is doing when he looks about and sees a couple of birds in a nearby tree. Jesus says: don’t worry. Nothing has ever been gained by worrying. Instead, "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet God in heaven feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
As we soak in Jesus’s words, we start to feel safer, the voice of fear is squelched, instead a feeling of gratitude is gradually swelling in our soul. And soon we are saying: "Yes, if God takes such good care of a bird and a flower, God will take care of me too. After all, I am one of God’s creatures too!" When we talk about God taking care of us, I don’t think it means God will prevent bad things from happening, I think it means God is there, always - even in the midst of the crises of our lives.
Paul speaks of the benefits of the attitude of gratitude in the following manner: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity."
Have you ever met someone who is a truly grateful person, someone who takes nothing for granted and is thankful for anything you do for them. Well, I do know a number of those grateful folks. They are people I like to hang around. They are peaceable people, people that have many friends. That’s the kind of attitude I want to have.
Margaret Visser's most recent book, "The Gift of Thanks", addresses a social ritual we take for granted. How many times did your mother tell you to say "Please" and "Thank you"? It is part of our ritual of politeness, and we get irritated at people who don’t say thank you. She notes our 21st century experience of dismissing thanksgiving when we say "Everything I want I can buy." She says that "We often forget that it is not gratitude and giving, but advantages taken for granted, and then unshared, that are much likelier to produce and encourage differences in status and injustice."
Rev. John Henry Jowett was born in Halifax, England, and lived from 1864 to 1923; for a time was minister at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. He said "Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road." He also said “The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.”
I wondered, as I read this scripture over the week, what Jesus really means. Does he mean throw caution to the winds? Or does he mean don’t take anything for granted in this life, but believe that every new day is a gift, every person, every possession, everything God sends our way is a blessing and a gift.
If we believe we are children of God, what should we fear? Problems? Hunger? Death? It almost seems that an attitude of gratitude is the antithesis to fear and worries. As we are released from the chains of stress and strain, as our gratitude to God grows, we will find ourselves able to reach out to others; to people that may be worry-stricken, to the poor, the needy, those of us who really don’t have enough to go around - and we can demonstrate that gratitude in how we relate to others all the time.
What does reaching out to the poor, the needy - just reaching out to others altogether, have to do with Thanksgiving? The prophet Joel notes that it is important because poverty and hunger is always a reality among people in many parts of the world, and because God is compassionate and caring, and calls us to the same. Let us not only be people who know how to celebrate Thanksgiving once a year, but let us be Thanksgiving people--people who have an attitude of gratitude.
A few quotes on gratitude, from a variety of people....
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Cicero
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha
“One regret dear world, that I am determined not to have when I am lying on my deathbed is that I did not kiss you enough.” - Hafiz of Persia
“Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” - Kahlil Gibran
We come to this table today for the symbols of bread and wine - the symbols of God’s openness, generosity, love - and the opportunity to make all God’s generosity available through us - from our hands to the hands of others. That is why we practice an open table - because God is open to everyone, so we are open to everyone. We cannot put boundaries on God’s love. We are called to live in gratitude for all that is. May it be so.
Sources:
1. Don't Worry--Be Happy! by Frank Schaefer Mat. 6:25-34
2. A Life of Gratitude , by Fran Ota Thanksgiving 2009
3. The Gift of Thanks, by Margaret Visser. HarperCollins, NY. 2009.
4. http://sourcesofinsight.com/gratitude-quotes/
And why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. It is God who clothes the wild grass - grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won't God be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have!
So do not start worrying: ‘Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?’ These are the things the pagans are always concerned about. God in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Realm of God and with what is required of you, and you will be provided with all these other things.”
**************************************************************************
Sukkoth in the Hebrew tradition is the Feast of Tabernacles, or Feast of Booths Sukkoth is the Jewish autumn festival of double thanksgiving, which began this year on September 30th- five days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Sukkoth ends today, October 7th. This is one of the three Pilgrim Festivals spoken of in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Exodus 23:16 refers to “h’ag ha-asif “, the“Feast of the Ingathering,” when grains and fruits were gathered at the harvest’s end, and to “h’ag ha-sukkot” in Leviticus 23:34, recalling the days when the Israelites lived in huts during their years of wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. The festival is characterized by the building of huts made of branches and by the gathering of four species of branches, with prayers of thanksgiving to God for the fruitfulness of the land. As part of the celebration, a sevenfold circuit of the synagogue is made with the four plants on the seventh day of the festival, called by the special name Hoshana Rabba (“Great Hosanna”). Jesus would have celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, and joined in the Great Hosanna!
Today, we express our thanks, our gratitude to God for the harvest, for providing for us, for caring for us, for getting us through another year. We can tell the story of God’s faithfulness, of God’s love, of God’s care, and we can tell it exactly because we are here--alive and well! We who are present are evidence of the goodness of God.
Over the last year, all of us, in one way or another - have had a personal crisis. Life involves worry, and we don’t get to escape it. Some of us have gone through tremendous struggles, and you are here; others may go through difficult times right now, but all of us agree that thanking God is important on this Thanksgiving Day. We are here today to give thanks to our loving and caring God!
My Facebook clergy friends started a list the other day of the subject of our thanks. Everyone said, of course, family and friends; home; health.....but it seems to me an attitude of gratitude means thanks for life - the good and the bad. The late George Burns, on the celebration of his 100th birthday and his appearance on a television talk show, was asked if he was glad to be able to be there. He responded “At my age, you’re glad to be anywhere.” Well, despite the fact that this was classic George Burns, it occurred to me that this is the very essence of a life of gratitude - we’re glad to be anywhere.
It almost seems when we say "thank you" to God - even in the midst of the most incredibly crushing events in our lives, which threaten to extinguish the light of our soul - we can deal with those events and still be able to sing a song of thanks. "God has done great things for us, and we rejoiced." Maybe thanking God allows us to focus away from ourselves, at least a little, and to open our eyes to what is going on around us. This is what Jesus is doing when he looks about and sees a couple of birds in a nearby tree. Jesus says: don’t worry. Nothing has ever been gained by worrying. Instead, "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet God in heaven feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
As we soak in Jesus’s words, we start to feel safer, the voice of fear is squelched, instead a feeling of gratitude is gradually swelling in our soul. And soon we are saying: "Yes, if God takes such good care of a bird and a flower, God will take care of me too. After all, I am one of God’s creatures too!" When we talk about God taking care of us, I don’t think it means God will prevent bad things from happening, I think it means God is there, always - even in the midst of the crises of our lives.
Paul speaks of the benefits of the attitude of gratitude in the following manner: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity."
Have you ever met someone who is a truly grateful person, someone who takes nothing for granted and is thankful for anything you do for them. Well, I do know a number of those grateful folks. They are people I like to hang around. They are peaceable people, people that have many friends. That’s the kind of attitude I want to have.
Margaret Visser's most recent book, "The Gift of Thanks", addresses a social ritual we take for granted. How many times did your mother tell you to say "Please" and "Thank you"? It is part of our ritual of politeness, and we get irritated at people who don’t say thank you. She notes our 21st century experience of dismissing thanksgiving when we say "Everything I want I can buy." She says that "We often forget that it is not gratitude and giving, but advantages taken for granted, and then unshared, that are much likelier to produce and encourage differences in status and injustice."
Rev. John Henry Jowett was born in Halifax, England, and lived from 1864 to 1923; for a time was minister at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. He said "Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road." He also said “The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.”
I wondered, as I read this scripture over the week, what Jesus really means. Does he mean throw caution to the winds? Or does he mean don’t take anything for granted in this life, but believe that every new day is a gift, every person, every possession, everything God sends our way is a blessing and a gift.
If we believe we are children of God, what should we fear? Problems? Hunger? Death? It almost seems that an attitude of gratitude is the antithesis to fear and worries. As we are released from the chains of stress and strain, as our gratitude to God grows, we will find ourselves able to reach out to others; to people that may be worry-stricken, to the poor, the needy, those of us who really don’t have enough to go around - and we can demonstrate that gratitude in how we relate to others all the time.
What does reaching out to the poor, the needy - just reaching out to others altogether, have to do with Thanksgiving? The prophet Joel notes that it is important because poverty and hunger is always a reality among people in many parts of the world, and because God is compassionate and caring, and calls us to the same. Let us not only be people who know how to celebrate Thanksgiving once a year, but let us be Thanksgiving people--people who have an attitude of gratitude.
A few quotes on gratitude, from a variety of people....
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Albert Schweitzer
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” – Cicero
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha
“One regret dear world, that I am determined not to have when I am lying on my deathbed is that I did not kiss you enough.” - Hafiz of Persia
“Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.” - Kahlil Gibran
We come to this table today for the symbols of bread and wine - the symbols of God’s openness, generosity, love - and the opportunity to make all God’s generosity available through us - from our hands to the hands of others. That is why we practice an open table - because God is open to everyone, so we are open to everyone. We cannot put boundaries on God’s love. We are called to live in gratitude for all that is. May it be so.
Sources:
1. Don't Worry--Be Happy! by Frank Schaefer Mat. 6:25-34
2. A Life of Gratitude , by Fran Ota Thanksgiving 2009
3. The Gift of Thanks, by Margaret Visser. HarperCollins, NY. 2009.
4. http://sourcesofinsight.com/gratitude-quotes/
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Wisdom and Courage? September 30, 2012 Esther 7:1-10, 9:20-23 Humber United Church, Corner Brook, NL
What a lovely story we have today - a fairy tale right in the Bible. A beautiful Queen who shows great courage, and a King who shows great wisdom. Or is it?
One of the things the lectionary doesn’t do is give us entire stories. In this case we’ve missed the opening of the story, and the middle - which are pretty critical parts. So let me tell you the rest.
In 589 BCE King Cyrus decreed an end to the forced captivity of the Hebrew people. One hundred years later, the story begins with King Xerxes and his wife Vashti, considered a most beautiful woman; Xerxes ordered Vashti to parade herself in a kind of beauty pageant; Vashti refused. Because of her refusal, Xerxes ordered her killed - and then searched the kingdom for another woman to be his queen. Esther was found, and became the wife of the King. Her uncle, Mordecai, also her guardian, suggested that she not say that she was a Jew.
The King’s adviser Haman plotted to get rid of Mordecai, and slaughter the Hebrew people. Mordecai learned of the plot, and sent a message to Esther, who decided to speak with the King. Two nights in a row, Esther and Haman and the king had dinner, and Esther told Xerxes that she was a Jew. She asked him to spare her people. - and when Xerxes learned from Esther that Haman was the leader of this movement, he ordered that Haman be hung on the very gallows which was to be used for Mordecai.
Here’s the missing part before we get to the feasts and celebrations. The Jews, led by Mordecai, then proceed to slaughter virtually everyone perceived to be an enemy. The edict for the killing was extended for an extra day, and the ten dead sons of Haman were hung in public. It is a violent and bloody massacre, ostensibly in self-defense.
Then, because the Hebrews were spared, the people are told to celebrate and feast their deliverance, on the 14th day of the month which had been set for their extermination. This is the origin of the Feast of Purim. It is not a Holy Day, but nevertheless a day of observance. Everyone dresses up in costumes, and has big parties - but every party stops while the whole story of Esther is read.
Rev. Judith Evenden, says that “at one level it is a great story of victory over oppression.” The victory of Esther, and in fact the courage of Vashti! Where all of us preachers get squeamish is the massacre, after the threat of their being killed had passed. So Judith asked for some comments from Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder. (1)
Rabbi Ruth comments “This is a relatively late biblical book. The story is one that has no connection to history in a way that makes sense. As a result, one must view it as a farce; a carnival story written by a diaspora people, disempowered and imagining their potential to reinvent themselves and avenge the wrongs perpetrated upon minorities.” (2) So the story of Esther, on one level, is a kind of humorous morality play - representing the wishful dreaming of a people in exile - a king who is a buffoon, a cartoon-character villain who comes to a sad end, a woman who outsmarts most of them. At the reading of Esther during Purim, those who are dressed in costume - and the audience - boo and hiss the villains, ridicule the foolish king, and celebrate Esther, a woman with great wisdom and skill.
“One of the four ritual obligations at Purim is to read Megillat Ester, the scroll of Esther. We are obligated to listen to the whole story, start to finish. Despite what one might think sitting in a contemporary synagogue with noisemakers, we are obligated to hear every word of the story. We cannot gloss over the challenging parts. We need to pay attention to the frivolity of the King, his excess of food and drink, and the consequences for those in his immediate family and those over whom he reigns. The Jewish people are both the victim and the beneficiaries of the King's tendency to indulge. His lack of involvement allows his advisor Haman to pursue a personal vendetta against the Jews. His fondness for food and drink (and beautiful ladies) draws him to Esther's feast where he is persuaded to save the Jews.” (3)
In fact, the house of King Xerxes was not a house ruled by wisdom. Xerxes prized only the beauty of his wife Vashti. His murder of her set back women’s freedoms throughout Persia for ages; internal plots and intrigue brought the life of the entire Israelite nation into danger. Esther’s actions did save the day, but they also left the Persians not in awe of God, but in mortal fear of the Israelite people. Her request that her people be spared resulted not in peace, but in a death warrant based in the rationale of self-defense. To the contrary, Esther’s actions kindled a violent civil war.
We watch Haman, whose single-minded evil and anger leads to his undoing. We learn that physical survival is full of challenge. For Esther, surviving means giving up her name and community, going into hiding, being sexually compromised. Mordecai has to give up his ability to protect her, and has to rely on the protection of others. (4)
If we use the Hebrew practice of ‘midrash’, interpreting the text in its historical context, and then interpreting it for modern times, one of the messages that sits in this story is the ability of those who are oppressed to become the oppressor; we see that the lines between power and powerless, frivolity and insanity are not as clear as we might like to think. We see those with power using it unwisely, and the powerless showing great wisdom.
The country of Zimbabwe might be a good example. From being a revered leader of an oppressed people, Robert Mugabe became the oppressor, even of his own people. He demonstrated that those lines are not as clear as we might like. Think back to Idi Amin and the nightmare of Uganda; or the horrors of Angola.
Or China - a country which once was occupied by Japan, armies marching through a slaughtering Chinese civilians without a thought. Now China invades and claims places like Tibet as its own. The oppressed have become the oppressor.
The Jewish people have been the object of hatred in many parts of the world for centuries. Six million Jews were exterminated during World War II. Many Jews changed their names, or lied about their origins, just as Esther did - fearing persecution. As of 1950 the historic home of both Jew and Arab was divided into Israel and Palestine. Yet in its claims of self-defense, Israel has slaughtered many, even while holding up the Holocaust to the world. Land which is rightly that of Palestine is being taken over and settled. Yet Israel is not all to blame. The Palestinian leaders deliberately provoke response. They know full well that if they attack Israel the response will be swift and devastating. Innocent people are used as shields and become collateral damage in a power struggle without end. Should Palestine ever get the upper hand, I am sure they would do exactly what is being done. Both claim they act in self-defense.
I keep returning to Rabbi Ruth’s comment - that the lines between power and powerless are not as clear as we might like to think. So how does this relate to us as Christians? On a global scale it’s not hard to comment, but what about the local?
The characters in the story did not use their power for the good of others, except perhaps Esther. The king, Mordecai and Haman had power and each used it unwisely to dominate and control others; Esther, who was supposedly powerless, found great power and used it wisely.
Here in this congregation I think the question is how do each of us use our power? Do we use it to be destructive, or do we use it for good or for ill? Everyone has power, whether or not they know it. Sometimes we can use our power in a way that has ripples throughout the community, causing harm. Sometimes we can use that power in such a way that the ripples produce great good, even beyond our community. It seems to me that the lesson from this story is how we use the power we have to build up all the individuals in our community, the body of Christ in the world, so that the whole body is healthy and productive.
For we believe we are the body of Christ in the world - every one of us - and every one of us has a function. Our role, in a community, is to recognise the contributions of each, and support and encourage them, help them grow and be productive members of the congregation. May it be so.
Sources:
1. Rev. Judith Evenden, Land o’ Lakes Emmanuel United Church congregation.
2,3,4. From a sermon by Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, scholar in residence at University of Chicago Hillel, Director of Joint Commission on Sustaining Rabbinic Education.
5. Feasting on the Word, essay by Telford Work, Associate Professor of Theology, Westmount College, Santa Barbara, CA. 2009.
One of the things the lectionary doesn’t do is give us entire stories. In this case we’ve missed the opening of the story, and the middle - which are pretty critical parts. So let me tell you the rest.
In 589 BCE King Cyrus decreed an end to the forced captivity of the Hebrew people. One hundred years later, the story begins with King Xerxes and his wife Vashti, considered a most beautiful woman; Xerxes ordered Vashti to parade herself in a kind of beauty pageant; Vashti refused. Because of her refusal, Xerxes ordered her killed - and then searched the kingdom for another woman to be his queen. Esther was found, and became the wife of the King. Her uncle, Mordecai, also her guardian, suggested that she not say that she was a Jew.
The King’s adviser Haman plotted to get rid of Mordecai, and slaughter the Hebrew people. Mordecai learned of the plot, and sent a message to Esther, who decided to speak with the King. Two nights in a row, Esther and Haman and the king had dinner, and Esther told Xerxes that she was a Jew. She asked him to spare her people. - and when Xerxes learned from Esther that Haman was the leader of this movement, he ordered that Haman be hung on the very gallows which was to be used for Mordecai.
Here’s the missing part before we get to the feasts and celebrations. The Jews, led by Mordecai, then proceed to slaughter virtually everyone perceived to be an enemy. The edict for the killing was extended for an extra day, and the ten dead sons of Haman were hung in public. It is a violent and bloody massacre, ostensibly in self-defense.
Then, because the Hebrews were spared, the people are told to celebrate and feast their deliverance, on the 14th day of the month which had been set for their extermination. This is the origin of the Feast of Purim. It is not a Holy Day, but nevertheless a day of observance. Everyone dresses up in costumes, and has big parties - but every party stops while the whole story of Esther is read.
Rev. Judith Evenden, says that “at one level it is a great story of victory over oppression.” The victory of Esther, and in fact the courage of Vashti! Where all of us preachers get squeamish is the massacre, after the threat of their being killed had passed. So Judith asked for some comments from Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder. (1)
Rabbi Ruth comments “This is a relatively late biblical book. The story is one that has no connection to history in a way that makes sense. As a result, one must view it as a farce; a carnival story written by a diaspora people, disempowered and imagining their potential to reinvent themselves and avenge the wrongs perpetrated upon minorities.” (2) So the story of Esther, on one level, is a kind of humorous morality play - representing the wishful dreaming of a people in exile - a king who is a buffoon, a cartoon-character villain who comes to a sad end, a woman who outsmarts most of them. At the reading of Esther during Purim, those who are dressed in costume - and the audience - boo and hiss the villains, ridicule the foolish king, and celebrate Esther, a woman with great wisdom and skill.
“One of the four ritual obligations at Purim is to read Megillat Ester, the scroll of Esther. We are obligated to listen to the whole story, start to finish. Despite what one might think sitting in a contemporary synagogue with noisemakers, we are obligated to hear every word of the story. We cannot gloss over the challenging parts. We need to pay attention to the frivolity of the King, his excess of food and drink, and the consequences for those in his immediate family and those over whom he reigns. The Jewish people are both the victim and the beneficiaries of the King's tendency to indulge. His lack of involvement allows his advisor Haman to pursue a personal vendetta against the Jews. His fondness for food and drink (and beautiful ladies) draws him to Esther's feast where he is persuaded to save the Jews.” (3)
In fact, the house of King Xerxes was not a house ruled by wisdom. Xerxes prized only the beauty of his wife Vashti. His murder of her set back women’s freedoms throughout Persia for ages; internal plots and intrigue brought the life of the entire Israelite nation into danger. Esther’s actions did save the day, but they also left the Persians not in awe of God, but in mortal fear of the Israelite people. Her request that her people be spared resulted not in peace, but in a death warrant based in the rationale of self-defense. To the contrary, Esther’s actions kindled a violent civil war.
We watch Haman, whose single-minded evil and anger leads to his undoing. We learn that physical survival is full of challenge. For Esther, surviving means giving up her name and community, going into hiding, being sexually compromised. Mordecai has to give up his ability to protect her, and has to rely on the protection of others. (4)
If we use the Hebrew practice of ‘midrash’, interpreting the text in its historical context, and then interpreting it for modern times, one of the messages that sits in this story is the ability of those who are oppressed to become the oppressor; we see that the lines between power and powerless, frivolity and insanity are not as clear as we might like to think. We see those with power using it unwisely, and the powerless showing great wisdom.
The country of Zimbabwe might be a good example. From being a revered leader of an oppressed people, Robert Mugabe became the oppressor, even of his own people. He demonstrated that those lines are not as clear as we might like. Think back to Idi Amin and the nightmare of Uganda; or the horrors of Angola.
Or China - a country which once was occupied by Japan, armies marching through a slaughtering Chinese civilians without a thought. Now China invades and claims places like Tibet as its own. The oppressed have become the oppressor.
The Jewish people have been the object of hatred in many parts of the world for centuries. Six million Jews were exterminated during World War II. Many Jews changed their names, or lied about their origins, just as Esther did - fearing persecution. As of 1950 the historic home of both Jew and Arab was divided into Israel and Palestine. Yet in its claims of self-defense, Israel has slaughtered many, even while holding up the Holocaust to the world. Land which is rightly that of Palestine is being taken over and settled. Yet Israel is not all to blame. The Palestinian leaders deliberately provoke response. They know full well that if they attack Israel the response will be swift and devastating. Innocent people are used as shields and become collateral damage in a power struggle without end. Should Palestine ever get the upper hand, I am sure they would do exactly what is being done. Both claim they act in self-defense.
I keep returning to Rabbi Ruth’s comment - that the lines between power and powerless are not as clear as we might like to think. So how does this relate to us as Christians? On a global scale it’s not hard to comment, but what about the local?
The characters in the story did not use their power for the good of others, except perhaps Esther. The king, Mordecai and Haman had power and each used it unwisely to dominate and control others; Esther, who was supposedly powerless, found great power and used it wisely.
Here in this congregation I think the question is how do each of us use our power? Do we use it to be destructive, or do we use it for good or for ill? Everyone has power, whether or not they know it. Sometimes we can use our power in a way that has ripples throughout the community, causing harm. Sometimes we can use that power in such a way that the ripples produce great good, even beyond our community. It seems to me that the lesson from this story is how we use the power we have to build up all the individuals in our community, the body of Christ in the world, so that the whole body is healthy and productive.
For we believe we are the body of Christ in the world - every one of us - and every one of us has a function. Our role, in a community, is to recognise the contributions of each, and support and encourage them, help them grow and be productive members of the congregation. May it be so.
Sources:
1. Rev. Judith Evenden, Land o’ Lakes Emmanuel United Church congregation.
2,3,4. From a sermon by Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, scholar in residence at University of Chicago Hillel, Director of Joint Commission on Sustaining Rabbinic Education.
5. Feasting on the Word, essay by Telford Work, Associate Professor of Theology, Westmount College, Santa Barbara, CA. 2009.
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