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.