JOCHEBED: To Be Mother and Not Mother

The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt;

and she bore to Amram: Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam. – Num. 26: 59

As a waiting expectant mother who adopted children, the story found in Exodus 2: 1-10 is full an overwhelming array of feelings. I am reminded of my jealousy, and the fall out on the children’s part, when letters were received from their birth mother, wishing them all the love in the world, and a promise of some day being together again to start from the moment they were taken. I recall having to explain (with a heavy heart) again and again, that the birth mother loved them, but, due to horrendous life experience and trauma, she was unable to fully care for them.  My heart aches as one is currently living in precarious circumstances (having disowned me)-  and is more akin to the birth family. I am proud that the children have grown into wonderful young adults and carry with them, even exhibit from time to time, the faith and wisdom I tried to impart.

For mothers (parents) who adopt children, and for birth families from whom children have been taken; it becomes a mess of what it means to be mother and not mother.

For the princess to adopt Moses and let Jochebed be his nurse; to be mother, and not mother…

For Jochebed to wet-nurse Moses, her own son, for another woman to see him grow into adulthood; to be mother, and not mother…

Exodus 2 tells the story of Jochebed, a holy mother of faith and wisdom.  She births a son at the time when the powers that be were eradicating life – genocide via the slaughter of children. Jochebed’s faith and wisdom recognized the baby was destined for greatness.  Her faith and wisdom are seen in the ingenuity to hide the child for three months. With careful planning she saved the child (knowing the papyrus was protection from the crocodiles, plaster would smooth the inside for the comfort of the baby, and bitumen would make the basket waterproof). Jochebed placed the basket in the area where the princess bathed and her daughter kept an eye on the basket, ready to run and find a wet-nurse for the princess.

As wet-nurse, mother and not-mother, I imagine that Jochebed sang her faith-songs as lullabies, and whispered her God-stories into the baby’s ears. She treasured these moments in her heart.

Jochebed, suppressed her own maternal need to keep the child, out of such motherly love that she selflessly gave child to others (the world) for higher purposes – purposes which at the time were unknown.  She had faith in what was to be.

By living in the paradox, of being mother and not mother; Jochebed was the Mother of Israel, a mother to a myriad of children– her son Aaron founded the Hebraic priesthood and served as priest for 40 years; her daughter Miriam was leader of worship; and Moses made it all possible by being liberator and leader of the Hebrew people out of Egypt through the desert.

To be mother, and not mother, meant being every mother.

God,

Give us all – women, men; old, young;

Hearts with the capacity for selfless love.

That we might be mother, and not mother,

To those around us.

That faith and wisdom are shared

through love, shown, regardless of relationship,

Making us be every mother ---

A mother who sings faith songs as lullabies,

And whispers God-stories in the ears of those in our care.

For the healing of the world,

Amen.

Catholic. Evangelical. Reforming.

The last Sunday of October in Lutheran world is the Sunday that we in someway give nod to the Reformation. We remind ourselves of where we have come from, who we are, and where we are going.  We are reminded that we are a confessional church with a unique emphasis.  The churches of downtown Halifax are doing a variety of services this morning: the Roman Catholic basilica is doing Pentecost 24 which this Sunday is; many are celebrating All Saint’s Sunday (which in our world is next week), and the Presbyterians are going with Reformation. In Lunenburg County the Lutheran churches are joining together for one joint worship service this morning.

Lutheran Pastor Timothy Wengert tells a story of a woman coming to a service – a person who had never been to a Lutheran church before- the service, of course, began with the confession and forgiveness of sins. He had just proclaimed the Word, “I declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins,” when the woman stood up and said, “Really, is that it?”     Yes, yes it is.

This is the emphasis Lutherans continue to articulate from one generation to the next. We are justified by grace through faith – this is not our own doing it is a gift from God.  It is that simple.

Sometimes we forget who we are and the tradition of which we are a part. So this Reformation, we are being drawn back to the word of God – like the word that we hear in Jeremiah, saying that the word/ the covenant will be written on our hearts; the word in John that says the Word/the Truth will set you free. Each household was given a devotion book this morning.  The booklet is about the word – referring to scripture; and the Word, referring to Jesus.  The introduction teaches about Martin Luther and his use of words and how the printing press loved Luther because he wrote somewhere around 60,000 pages of words and translated the Bible into German.  Over the next two weeks you are encouraged to read a devotion a day, to be re-introduced to the importance of w/Word, in our faith lives and our everyday lives. Reconnect with the core of who you are, and with Jesus the Word, as articulated in theological reflection.

When I teach the faith and a Lutheran way of understanding and living, there are three words that I hope remain with the students.  The words are highlighted in their confirmation book, written by Daniel Erlander. The words are that Lutherans are:  catholic, evangelical, reforming.

Catholic – Polling the congregation, how many of you learned the Apostles Creed with the words, “I believe in the holy Christian church?” Who learned the creeds with the words,  “I believe in the holy catholic church?”

The current hymn book uses catholic, the hymnbook of 1978 had an asterisk after catholic – to allow for the word Christian to be substituted; the hymnbook, well the hymn books, before that said Christian.

As a tradition, we have continued to reflect on the words that we say, and the truth they convey. We are part of the church catholic, meaning universal; a story that goes back to the beginning of time, with a specific focus on Jesus as the Word and the Truth and the Life. For many years – that is from the time of Marin Luther through to the 1950s- a lot of energy was consumed to express difference; an avoidance of all things Roman Catholic. We are not that…this dispersion of energy sometimes had us forgetting that we had a specific Gospel message within the catholic world to articulate.

Those among us who have come from a Roman Catholic background will tell you that the liturgy sung every week is 98% the same as that used in Roman Catholic parishes, although our tunes are different. As you learned last week the Kyrie is older than the Roman church, so too are the words used at communion which go back to the early church, the Lord’s Prayer parts of which go back before Jesus. These words are shared by the universal church. We are catholic. Within the church catholic, we have a specific voice that uses particular words and phrases to articulate the Word.

Evangelical –   Often when this word is heard our minds go to a not so favourable place.  We think of denominations of Christian churches that call themselves evangelicals – we think of conservative churches in the Southern United States; we think of proselytizing, being told what to do, emphasis on sin, salvation.

To be Evangelical means to share the Good News.

That is what we are about: the woman who attended the service Timothy Wengert led, heard for the first time the Good News. The truth that her sins were forgiven and she was set free.  When we invite others to join us here, how much Good News is there to be heard?: we hear the words, “Your sins are forgiven,” in baptism “you are a child of God,” after the prayers “peace be with you,” in Eucharist “given for you” and “shed for you.” One way to be evangelical is to invite others to come with you to church, so that they might hear Good News, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Another way to share the Good News, when you are done with the booklet on the word, pass it on – spread the Word. Be an evangelist – the Word might just come to your friend via the words on the pages. Perhaps they will hear Truth that sets them free. If you are too shy to give the gift that sets people free, at least place the booklet in a stranger’s mailbox.

Reforming- Notice the word is an active verb.  Reformation didn’t just happen 499 years ago; Lutherans as a confessional church have continued to wrestle with the Word, to articulate faith in words and actions; to teach, preach, and confess Jesus generation after generation across many contexts. In my life time, a lot has changed in the church: women started to be ordained, women were given permission to sit on church council, there was an increase in lay assistants and communion assistants, the creed now says catholic, communion is opened to all the baptized, gay marriage is permitted, the hymnbook includes more global songs…

What hasn’t changed is the continued teaching of scripture, the creeds, the catechism, and the confessions. In away though the there has been constant change, that come out of reflecting on the foundation and core teaching of the church- theological reflection has been a part of who we are – and this conversation changes how we apply the word and truth in various contexts.  It is more than okay to ask questions, to debate, to converse, to wrestle with theological ideas – this is our heritage as a community of faith.

I don’t always express the “why” it is that I am Lutheran.  Yes, I have a German background, I have pretty much spent my whole life in the Lutheran church, but, I am not here out of default.  The older I get, the more education I receive, the conversations I have with colleagues of various traditions, I am struck by the freedom we understand as Lutheran Christians.  On a Sunday morning, I can preach a sermon on theological principles, quote theologians of the past and present, present alternative ways of thinking about a passage, talk about an array of scripture stories, use a hermeneutic that borders on being wild and crazy --- and as hearers you take it in and process it for yourselves. You theologically reflect and apply the pieces of what you have heard that make sense to your life. You are comfortable enough to converse with others, and myself about what you heard and how it affects you. There are times of difficult conversations: as Gloria Steinam once said, “The Truth will set you free…, but first it will piss you off.” Yet, we remain a community who wrestles with the Truth together—this is not the case in other contexts and communities.  That is why I am here. There is an ingrained openness to hearing the Good News, to wrestle with the Word at work amongst us. This is the Truth setting us free.

The Truth has set us free.  Every week that we come to this place we are confronted with God’s free gift. We hear words that are often unheard in our work weeks, Mon-Sat. Sometimes we are more willing to accept the gift than others, but, the gift is still given. The basic Good News: you are welcomed in, you are a loved child of God, given grace – as your sins are forgiven, and you are fed in Word and sacrament. This is a free gift for all, for everyone of you, always and forever. 

In a world that is full of fear, I chose to belong to a community of faith with a rich history of theological reflection, who considers themselves one among many – catholic; who continues to be evangelical, sharing Good News and grace in a world that so desperately needs it; and reforming – that we continue to move the church and God’s people to articulate truth and bring the kingdom to the present.  I come because I am reminded that there is freedom in the Gospel as expressed in this place. Through Christ, I am set free. You are set free.  Thanks be to God.

the Persistent "Widow" Today+ Anniversary service in Rose Bay,NS --- Pent22C

This week I came across this prayer from South Africa:

You asked for my hands/that you might use them for your purpose,/ I gave them for a moment then withdrew  them/for the work was hard.

You asked for my mouth/to speak out against injustice./ I gave you a whisper that I might not be accused.

You asked for my eyes/ to see the pain of poverty./I closed them for I did not want to see.

You asked for my life/that you might work through me. / I gave a small part that I might not get too involved.

Lord forgive my efforts to serve you/ only when it is convenient for me to do so,/

only in those places where it is safe to do so,/and only with those who make it easy to do so./

Forgive me,/renew me,/and send me out.   

There was a widow who ---continually, repeatedly, constantly--- came to a crotchety heartless judge; pleading, demanding, calling for justice. 

The mothers and grandmothers of missing and murdered indigenous women – implored, reported, sought justice – from the system to look for their daughters; to make an inquiry into why they had been forgotten.  Ceaselessly petitioning so others would join them, and their prayers would become a reality.

Faduma Dayib, a Somalian woman whose family sold everything 26 years ago – to send their then 18 year old daughter to safety, as an asylum seeker; after spending the past years in Finland, managing to find a way to become a public health expert and award winning activist, she now wants to return to Somalia.  Faduma comes to a government that neither fears God nor has a respect for people; pleading, demanding, calling for justice – she is ready to lead. To bring an end to killing and corruption, to create stability and prosperity she is running in Somalia’s presidential election.

This week Michelle Obama responding to a current wave of those who speak neither a fear of God or a respect for people, said in a speech “It reminds us of stories we heard from our mothers and grandmothers about how, back in their day, the boss could say and do whatever he pleased to the women in the office, and even though they worked so hard, jumped over every hurdle to prove themselves, it was never enough. We thought all of that was ancient history, didn’t we…”  Michelle became the voice of women -diligent and persistent “widows”- picking up their torch, and continuing to “bother” the powers that be ---asking, crying for, demanding, justice.

            The opening prayer from South Africa, refers to the time of apartheid. The Black Sash – a group beginning in 1955, was a non-violent white women’s resistance organization; seeking justice, rights, equality for blacks. Their persistence in challenging the rule of their time was a long one.  Their prayers were added to by actions prayers of others: Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Soweto students, Desmond Tutu, to name a few.  Thousands of hours of prayer contributed to the end of apartheid. The prayers were not simply words, and were not just offered by women who had lost their husbands. Widow is used to represent a person who is outside the justice system, one who is low on the socio-economic scale, one for whom the rest of society would not fight, one who is forgotten.

For “widows” cross the centuries, prayer has been and is a persistent action directed at the powers that be, to challenge and change an inequitable system; a call to turn to and live the golden rule – fear and love God, love and respect your neighbour; so there might be justice for all.  The widows big prayer is that world becomes the reign of God, paradise, now.

This is your anniversary Sunday (129 years).  That is a lot of years of prayer.

Consider for a moment your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents who prayed here. Call to memory the matriarchs, the patriarchs, the faithful, the Sunday school teachers who taught you, prayed with you and for you.  Ponder the thousands of prayers that were offered in this place through the years – for comrades at war, for those lost at sea, for fishermen, for families with illness – tuberculous, influenza, now cancer; over the babies baptized in this font, and confirmands who confessed their faith; in times of thanksgiving, at weddings, at funerals; for neighbours up and down the road, for relief efforts the world over, for newly formed Synods, the Canadian church and the church abroad; for schools, for young people as they moved to the city, for a continuation of rural life, for access to health care, for peace in a troubled world…

Friday I visited a gentleman who was born and grew up in Rose Bay. He attended Sunday school here many years ago.  He talked about the things that he learned in this place, from the people who worshiped and gathered here.  He talked of learning more in this place, than, anywhere else, and was so grateful for growing up with the faith foundation mentored by your fore bearers.  This place set his beliefs and his actions for the way he lived his whole life. The fear of God and respect for people translated from the leaders in this place, through prayer, into his heart, has affected his heart such that his life has been a continued prayer as it works to better the world around him.

From week to week, you probably look around, and you see fewer people in the pews – as populations age, as people move to town, as people decide to not participate – it can become disheartening.  People of St.Matthew’s, do not loss heart, rather, be a community that continues to pray together.  Be the persistent widow.      Now, saying this, the prayers are not the words, “please save this church,” “let Pr. Ott live another 100 years so we have a pastor,” or “let our children all come home and be as active in this building as we have been.”  The widow’s prayers, in the Gospel, were outward prayers.  She, in humility and with few assets, was about active prayer – confronting corrupt power for the purpose of correcting injustice. Her prayer was far greater than her own need.

As a community of God-fearers, as faithful pray-ers, what do you see outside your doors that needs persistent active prayer? This is what the next decade of church life is about.  Somewhere along the way, prayer for many in the church, has become a grocery list of wants; a bunch of words that don’t seem to be answered.  Prayer has become futile and meaningless because it has become self-serving and indulgent. Prayer is the opposite.

I knew an older woman who had debilitating Parkinson’s disease. Once ready for the day, she would sit in a chair placed by her front window. Down the street was an elementary school.  Everyday she prayed for the individual children who went past her window.  She knew all of them, by watching them.  She missed them if they were sick, if they moved. She knew those who were having a hard time. She knew those who lived in unsafe conditions, those underfed, and so on. The children knew her too; some would wave, nod their heads, smile, behave momentarily- as they walked past her hedge. The adults knew that she watched over the neighbourhood. The children kept her well, all things considering, and her spirit boosted their days- and thus the learning, of each child. For her this was persistence; her living outside of herself for the health of the whole community.

As a community you are called to be the widow, out of thankfulness on this anniversary, you are called to continue in bringing the kingdom of God into the now.  Fear God, respect people; together find the injustices to be addressed and actively pray through it together; continually, repeatedly, persistently.  And if the Son of Man should come, in our lifetimes, faith will be found on earth…in communities, like this, that are faithful in active prayer that seeks and moves towards justice for all.

You asked for OUR hands/that you might use them for your purpose,/

WE gave them for a moment then withdrew  them/for the work was hard.

You asked for OUR mouthS/to speak out against injustice./ WE gave you a whisper that WE might not be accused.

You asked for OUR eyes/ to see the pain of poverty./WE closed them for WE did not want to see.

You asked for OUR life/that you might work through US. / WE gave a small part that WE might not get too involved.

Lord forgive OUR efforts to serve you/ only when it is convenient for US to do so,/

only in those places where it is safe to do so,/and only with those who make it easy to do so./

Forgive US,/renew US,/and send US out.  … for another 129 years of ministry.  AMEN