JONAH

Epiphany 3B, 2015

The Book of Jonah is a story presenting the reader with a poignant satirical look at world affairs – just as applicable today as in the 4^th Century BCE. 

The story comes at a time when the policies of Ezra and Nehemiah are fostering a narrow form of nationalism and exclusivism; added to the fact that there is a strong and hated enemy, the Assyrians, with Nineveh as the capital – a people who had cruelly oppressed Israel.

Sobering that Nineveh, on today’s map, lies across the river from Mosul, Iraq.

The story comes at a time when the policies of governments around the world are fostering narrow ideas of nationalism and exclusivism; added to this the fact that there is a strong and hated enemy – terror; here there and everywhere. The enemy – people whom people choose to hate, with cause and without cause. News outlets have us observing hatred that escalates to war and rumours of war: the Ukraine and Russia, North Korea, any number of African tribes, Israel and the Palestinians, Yemen, the fight against terror – Iraq, ISIS, homegrown terrorists; Jews and Muslims, Christians and Muslims, Muslims and Muslims.  The Chronicle Herald ran an article this week entitled,  “Clinton Urges Canada to Continue Fight Against Hate.” – to fight against hate.?

On to the scene arrives Jonah a soon to be reluctant prophet.  We have entered the story in Chpt.3; previously, Jonah  – regular person like you or me-  has been called by God to go to Nineveh to ask the people to repent and turn towards God. Jonah is an Israelite in a country that is rebuilding and inward focused, the biggest enemy are the Assyrians – hated, demonized, and good for nothing. Jonah hears God, but decides not to go. In fact, on second thought, he decides to go farther away – he gets on a ship going to Tarshish. A terrible storm comes about and the crew chooses lots to see who is causing the calamity; Jonah peacefully asleep underdeck, is rudely awoken when it is decided that he has made God angry.  Jonah is thrown into the sea, swallowed by a big fish, and three days later is spewed up on shore.  God calls to Jonah a second time, “Get up and go to Nineveh…”

Jonah becomes a reluctant prophet. He goes to the no-good Ninevites, only going a third of the way into the city he gives his message.  I picture him dragging his feet, doodling, and when he finally speaks it is a soft cry: “Forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown!”  and inside his heart is saying “yes let it be so”, Sodom and Gomorrah all over again, with hail, fire, and brimstone… but no, despite Jonah’s wishes the king and people of Nineveh immediately have a change of heart and believe in God. The people fast, put on sackcloth, sit in ashes – they repent, pray, follow. The Assyrians turn from violence and align themselves with God’s work in the world. In the end God has a change of heart, there will be no smiting the people of Nineveh.

Now those of us who have gone through Sunday School know how Jonah is supposed to feel.  Happy!  People have turned towards God, yippy! Amen. Alleluia!

Jonah is not happy.  God has chosen to show mercy and compassion to his most hated enemy. Jonah drags himself outside the city and pouts.

In our relatively safe place in the world, it might be easy for us to say that we hate no one, that we really don’t have any enemies, that we are not like Jonah and would be perfectly content for God’s mercy and compassion to be lavishly given to the whole world – all people.

Our actions as a people, government policy – by the leaders we have elected-  say that we are like Jonah, with a small part of us that wishes for hail, fire, and brimstone to befall others (often practiced in the form of keeping the enemy away from us, sheltering ourselves, not having to or wanting to address difficult issues and working out solutions). We have First Nation’s people relegated to reserves, many in dire need of food and water and shelter; mental health users are pushed to the street so they can be forgotten about and live shorter lives; policies allowing refugees and immigrants to enter Canada are ever more restricted; references to “those people” are growing every day – comments that everyone in Canada should “dress like us” whatever that means in a multicultural society.   If each of us is honest with ourselves, we will admit that we hold prejudices and to varying degrees are racist. Jonah was. I am.

The powerful part of the Jonah story for me are the words Jonah angrily spews at God, after Nineveh believes in God and God shows compassion.  Jonah says,

“That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah would rather die, than be considered a traitor – because I can only imagine what some of his country folk will say when they find out that because of him God came to the Assyrians.  Jonah would rather die, than see an enemy shown God’s compassion. Jonah would rather die, than be of no more importance than his neighbour. 

What really gets to my heart is that Jonah knew that God was gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.  If I were to ask you if you believe this statement to be true, most of you would likely agree.  Do you live like you believe this statement, or do you falter as Jonah into exclusive thinking and nationalist tendencies?

The book of Jonah was meant as an opinion piece to speak to the issues of the day, to illustrate the foolishness of demonizing a people, to show the ridiculous nature of holding on to hate, and to express the expansiveness of God’s compassion and mercy.

Reading the Jonah story (a good read if you have never read the book before – 4 short chapters) I would like to take Hillary Clinton to task.  Her rhetoric was wrong –the world should not in a fight against hate; Canadians –we- shouldn’t fight against hate.  Rather we are called to be compassionate.

On whom should God have mercy?

Abraham Heschel, a polish-born American Rabbi wrote:

God’s answer to Jonah, stressing the supremacy of compassion, upsets the possibility of looking for a rational coherence of God’s ways with the world. History would be more intelligible if God’s word were the last word, final and unambiguous like a dogma or an unconditional decree. It would be easier if God’s anger became effective automatically: once wickedness had reached its full measure, punishment would destroy it. Yet beyond justice and anger lies the mystery of compassion.

Therein is where I am at, left to contemplate the Mystery of Compassion –God- 

A God that has compassion on Jonah-s like me, despite my lack of compassion in what I deem complicated matters of race, privilege, identity, and prejudice.  The Mystery of Compassion has compassion despite my lack of prophetic utterance, my running away through complacency, and my pretending that all is good. A God that has compassion for the people whom I see as others- for the neighbour who wears a birka, the Hindu police officer who wears a turban, local shopkeepers who barely speak English, carpet bag people who spread bedbugs around housing developments, and the crazies I pass by on the street – tattooed and pierced.

Jonah’s story calls us to take a close look at our hearts, at our prejudices, at our racism – and invites us to see how ridiculous Jonah appears, how immature his actions are, and asks us to open our hearts to the heart of God – the Mystery of compassion.

Surely at some point in our lives the words of the Mosaic law have been made known to us as truth, because we have experienced it in some way, even in a small way that:  God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; I would like to think that you have felt that through this community. Having experienced the Mystery of Compassion, go against your prejudice and shower mercy and compassion.

Life Lessons from Eli

Epiphany 2B-2015

The Book of Samuel introduces us to the character Eli; he is the next to last judge of the people of Israel and a High Priest at the holy shrine in Shiloh.  Eli appears in the first four chapters of Samuel and reading his story can teach us some valuable life lessons.  This morning I present to you four life lessons to take to heart.

Life lesson #1:  THERE IS HOPE BEHIND DIM EYES

            Eli is old. In chapter 4 he is said to be of 98 years.  His eyes have grown dim.  It is not only Eli’s eyes that have grown dim, so too is the vigour he must once have possessed.  He was of the priestly lineage, but, specifically chosen to be at Shiloh.  It is a time in the history of God’s people when the Philistines were on their borders, when the people were starting to complain that they wanted a king rather than judges – so they could be like the other peoples’ around them. It was a time when the word of the Lord was rare and visions were not widespread; God was silent – or the people had forgotten how to listen.  Eli was tired.  He had been devoted to the sacred shrine for most of his life. I can’t help but wonder if he felt like throwing in the towel; the same old, same old… fewer people, less devote, people turning away from organized religion (so to speak) to whatever suited their fancies.  Did he feel like quitting?  Did his faith or hope suffer?  Did he feel alone – as if he was the last of a very few who still believed in a God that was not seen or heard?

            Eli’s eyes were dim but, our reading today points to a hope that was still present.  Eli still believed that God might just appear. When Samuel is brought to the Shiloh by his mother Hannah and left to the glory of God in thanksgiving for his life, Eli takes him in and becomes Samuel’s father.  Eli gives Samuel a unique place to sleep; right in the Temple where the ark of the Lord was: the ark where upon God sat during the days of Moses and Aaron.  Eli couldn’t place Samuel any closer to the presence of God.  There was a chance that this child might just hear God … that hope was enough for Eli to carry on despite dim eyes.

Life Lesson # 2: TOUGH LOVE IS SOMETIMES REQUIRED

            Samuel does hear God and hears a message that is disturbing.  Reading the Book of Samuel readers would have discovered in the chapter before our reading today, that Eli has already been told by a man of the Lord what is to befall his family.  Eli’s sons, Phinehas and Hophni, are scoundrels and have no regard for the Lord or the duties of the priests of the people.  They were disrespectful and stole from the sacrifice offerings brought to the holy place, taking the good pieces for themselves before the offering was made to God. Those who had contempt for organized religion grew in their displeasure of all things God.

            Eli knew what his sons were doing, and although he questioned them about other acts of impropriety with temple goers… it was a weak attempt to curb their behaviour and disrespecting the Holy was not addressed.  What it means now is that Eli’s line will not continue serving God in the sacred place; both sons will die on the same day – which happens when the Philistines attack in the next chapter.  Eli’s line is disgraced.

            But what would have happened if Eli had a measure of tough love. Parents have the ability to train their children as best they can, teaching life lessons, manners, opening doors to customs, faith, and traditions.  Then at a certain age the child becomes an adult and makes their own choices.  God wasn’t displeased with Eli because his sons had gone down a rocky path; God was upset because they remained in the temple continuing to act in inappropriate ways.  It was Eli’s responsibility as high priest to ensure the temple was a house of prayer and offering … and in this case to act in a way that would have broken his heart, to let his sons go; send them away from the sacred place for by their actions they defiled the very core of who the people of Israel were to be.  Perhaps the people would have had visions, heard the Lord, been more faithful has the priest’s sons not been acting recklessly in a position of authority.

           

Life Lesson # 3: ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES

            Eli responds to what Samuel speaks, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.” Eli accepts the consequence of his failure to adequately address his sons and their behaviour. Eli has come to the end of his life, he knows his days are few. He is tired and worn. Now it is too late to go back and change what was; in days past he could have made other choices, been more concerned about the temple rituals and less about his sons being heirs in the family business; he could have spoken out on the responsibility to be upright, faithful; he could have taken his sons to task … now it is too late. Eli accepts the consequences. This doesn’t mean that what he did was meet, right, and salutary.  It is a realization that it is too late.

            This shows a lot of character on Eli’s part.  Others would rail against God, make excuses, and spread rumours and lies disregarding God even more.  People would talk about how unfair, it is my sons not I. Eli though has a relationship with God and is willing to be obedient to the heart of God – Eli trusts God even in a time of punishment – trusting in grace amidst a retribution of justice.  Eli trusts God by leaving what is left of his life in God’s hands.

           

Life Lesson #4:  HOLD TRUE TO FIRST LOVE

            According to the Law of Moses, ones’ first love is the Lord your God; whom you shall love with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  And Eli does right to the very end! Despite his sin – letting the offices of the temple be abused and in so doing dishonouring God - ; despite his choice to let  his sons be rather than confront them, to be weak  in action; despite the words of the Lord that destroy his lineage in temple service forever; Eli’s heart still resides with the Lord. In the story the Philistines come to war against the people of Israel.  As was the practice of the day the ark of the covenant – the seat of God- was brought out to the battlefield.  It was the most holy of holies. Sacred beyond sacred.

As the battle raged, Eli’s sons die.  As the battle continues, the Israelites run away – out numbered, out fought, and the Philistines take the ark.  Eli is told that his sons are gone. Eli is unmoved.  Pious Eli however, when he hears that the ark is gone … his heart is torn, he so distressed, he falls backwards from the rock in which he sat – hits his head and breaking his neck dies.  His last breath connected to the pain of losing God’s presence amidst the people. Eli holds true to first love –God. 

These four life lessons can be applied to our individual lives, yet, today it feels as if the words are spoken and directed to the mainline church.

I reflected with the Halifax area pastor’s sermon prep-group that it is increasingly easy to be an Eli.  As the cultural tendency turns from organized religion, as there are growing rumours and realities of war and terror, as darkness lurks waiting to bet loose or let in; one can become dim of sight; frustrated, feeling alone, wondering does this whole thing really matter; being tired of casting the vision; tired of holding hope and waiting for God to speak, to be seen – it has become so hard to hear over the noise, so hard to focus and listen.

The lessons we learn from Eli are for the church of today. They are given as encouragement and as guidance. Let us encourage each other and work together as a remnant… let us live and act applying life’s lessons:

There is hope behind dim eyes.  Tough love is sometimes necessary. Accept the consequences. Hold true to first love.

And in the end … all things shall be well.

There were plenty of Eli’s through the centuries, today the sermon ends with a prayer by one who would understand feeling like an Eli:  a prayer of Julian of Norwich:

In you, Father all-mighty, we have our preservation and our bliss. In you, Christ, we have our restoring and our saving. You are our mother, brother, and saviour.  In you, our Lord the Holy Spirit, is marvelous and plenteous grace. You are our clothing; for love you wrap us and embrace us.  You are our maker, our lover, our keeper.  Teach us to believe that by your grace all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.  Amen.

Christmas 2B sermon for those who missed it due to snow

Christmas 2B-2015

“Come to me, you who desire me, and eat your fill of my fruits. For the memory of me is sweeter than honey, and the possession of me sweeter than the honeycomb.  Those who eat of me will hunger for more, and those who drink of me will thirst for more.” (Sirach 23: 19-21)

Do these words sound familiar? A little bit of Jesus with a sprinkling from the Psalms.

“Come to me, you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.   … the law of the Lord is perfect – sweeter than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb… whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  

The words with which I began follow from our reading in the Book of Sirach.

Those of you from a Roman Catholic background will have been introduced to this book as “Eccesiasticus.” It is found in Roman Catholic Bibles and in Protestant Bibles that include the Apocrypha. As an aside, the Protestant reformers, kept the books in the Old Testament that were canonical in Judaism – and although Sirach was highly regarded in rabbinic literature and cited in the Talmud it was not included in Hebrew scripture.  

Written about 200 years before Jesus, Son of Joseph –and Mary, the author, “Jesus, Son of Sirach” eloquently expresses wisdom and tradition in a form of Hebrew poetry emerging at this time. Unlike Proverbs, which is a string of sayings, Sirach develops thoughts, crafts theology, and captures the minds of his students and later readers. The teachings are complex, philosophical, multicultural; drawing on a vast milieu of image, scripture, hymns, prophetic snippets, and present practices. The top three themes of discussion are: the Law, the temple (worship), and works of love.

What is striking is that the book was translated from Hebrew into Greek by Sirach’s grandson 50 years or so later.  The grandson includes a prologue explaining the merit in his grandfather’s work – a lovely tribute that expresses the knowledge of his elder, the instructional value and wisdom to be found in the poetic writing, and a blessing that “those who love learning might make even greater progress in living according to the law.” And also that “lovers of learning be able through the spoken and written word to help the outsiders.”

My imagination, my heart – okay my whole being- is captured by the expression of cosmic concepts; presented in a way that I experience the words, I get it, I feel it…yet after a pause… logically, scientifically…please don’t ask me to articulate it. The Word, as presented – in Sirach, in the words of John chapter 1, in Genesis; wraps together a cosmic presence, an essence:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.”

“I came forth from the mouth of the Most High and covered the earth like a mist… Alone I compassed the vault of heaven and traversed the depths of the abyss.”

“All things came into being…

The Word is timeless.

This year we celebrate Resurrection’s 100^th birthday.

Perhaps we can see ourselves in the shoes of Sirach’s grandson – we are the grandsons and granddaughters of those who have sat in these very pews for a century – the Word in that time has spoken bringing the true light, which enlightens everyone – a light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it; Wisdom has found a resting place and taken root in an honoured people – having moved over the sea, over all the earth, and over every people.  We have heard it as heirs to the glorious message that has been whispered in the cosmos, in creation, in being, from before the beginning of time. 

Wisdom moves amongst us, timeless, coming from the mouth of the Most High with the message as told in Sirach. We are invited to embrace the Law –the commandments- as with the love of a young man for a partner; to come to the temple for worship and praise, to offer thanks; and to go and live lives that shine in the darkness – working acts of love.  It is like a three legged milking stool, all legs are needed for the stool to be sturdy and useable.

A little later on in the book Sirach explains working acts of love – the reinterpretation of the Law, reads like New Year’s listens and a good place to start with resolutions… Wisdom says…

I take pleasure in three things and they are beautiful in the sight of God and of mortals;

Agreement among brothers and sisters, friendship among neighbours, and a wife and a husband who live in harmony.”

“I hate three kinds of people, and I loathe their manner of life: a pauper who boasts, a rich person who lies, and an old fool who commits adultery.”

Like Sirach’s grandson, it is time…in fact to set aside a whole a year… for us to translate the works of Resurrection’s ancestors. It is time for us to add a prologue and more importantly an epilogue to a hundred years of history, expressing the story of Word and Wisdom as it is experienced and breathing through our lives, billowing the ashes of life to be flaming lights – torches leading the way  in this time and place.

Today as we begin to respond to the heritage we’ve been given: following the commandments, worshipping, let us retell the story through working acts of love.  I have brought to church with me 100 loonies.  Each of you will be given one, some of you two –just because there are not quite 100 people present.  What you are invited to do is take the coin and use it to the glory of God to bring light to the darkness. Perhaps that is buying someone a coffee, donating the money, investing the money, planting seeds in the spring and feeding people with the produce… be creative, allow Wisdom Word speak to your heart. 

The act of love itself is not enough, part of Sirach’s message and that of his grandson is that Wisdom moves from one generation to the next; it is translated, it is –as we heard with quotes from Jesus- reinvented, reused, reinterpreted.  So as you take your loonie or loonies and act a work of love, please return with your story of what you did with it.  Tell others how you were part of God’s mission in the world.  Send your stories to me via email, or write what you did with your loonie in the faith blog open at the back.

The Story of the Hundred Loonies” will be written and then shared with everyone, telling of Wisdom moving over the waters and dancing through us dispelling darkness, in our human world, in the created world, into the cosmos and beyond.

Wisdom praises herself, and tells of her glory the midst of her people.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.