Four Stones

Space is marked this morning with four stones.  These stones are not new.  They didn’t just arrive for today. These stones have been here for an entire year--- bearing witness --- to our confessions, our hopes, our dreams, our praises, and our laments.

Last Advent the stones marked the lighting of the candles leading to Christmas.

They were to be “Stones of Reconciliation” – symbolizing our commitment to reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.  We were asked to reflect on the example that Jesus set for us  - Jesus kingship—a reign of confronting the unjust use of power and building right relationships with the whole of creation.   With the end of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we were encouraged to build relationship with First Nations peoples and the land.

We were reminded that Jesus said, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

Have we been markers of reconciliation, truth, and right relationship? Or are the stones about to shout? 

This past week I attended clergy cluster with the other Lutheran pastors in the province.  We took time to share communion together and as part of the sermon – so not one person had to prepare the sermon – we talked about the readings for Sunday, to help us prepare for today.

In our conversation there were 4 thoughts – 4 words – that were clearly articulated; the words are the Word that these stones have heard and whisper to us to carry on. The words are standing stones, pillars of what God’s kingdom and Jesus reign are all about. That means the very core of what we are to believe and be about.

These are stones to live by. The stones are:  Time. Truth. Silence. Love.

Time.          

            I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

            The texts sound crazy this morning: an Ancient One, hair as white as snow, a stream of fire flowed from his presence, one like a human being coming in the clouds.  How crazy is that? Perhaps not so crazy! I would say timely. Currently on television Marvel comics are being brought to life with all kinds of characters just as spectacular as those from Daniel and Revelation.  The Flash, Arrow, Marvels of Shield, Super Girl, Agent Carter, Gotham ---- all about super-human or alien DNA combined with time warping and movement through different plains of time and various spectrums of timelines.  Life goes on here,  there, everywhere ---- all timelines fighting to either bring on the end or frustrate those trying to get to the end, or those trying to make the world some form of “righteous kingdom” – where sin and darkness no longer fights to snuff out light and goodness;  instead the world is complete - the reign of God with justice and peace for all.

            Time. Human beings are stuck in time; remembering past time, in the present wasting time, and re-visioning future time. 

This stone speaks.  Time is God’s.  The beginning, the end – who is, was, and is to come. Time is not for us to worry about, it is space to dream of the crazy, the marvelous – to hope that being faithful in time and in the present, God’s kingdom can become a reality. 

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… God, through Jesus became incarnate, a human being in time and place.  Jesus sanctified time. Time is God’s. Time is holy.  Time --- our time can be filled with the kingdom, when we allow Christ to be incarnate in and through us.

Truth.

            John’s Gospel shares the encounter of Jesus and Pilate before Jesus is sentenced to death. The next line following the text we heard has Pilate ask, “What is truth?” Jesus doesn’t respond. There simply was no answer to that question.  It was the wrong question.   The question isn’t “What is truth?”  The question is “who?”  “Who is truth?”  Now that question can be answered. Throughout the year sermons have pointed to truth – the truth as God incarnate – Jesus. Have you heard this truth, born witness to by these stones.

The stone representing truth shouts to us ---- the truth is Jesus--- and the truth is about relationship; yes – that is one of the words I use in pretty much every sermon.  Relationship is not a what, as if truth can be owned; but, a who, as in it is a conversation, relationship, intimacy.  It is here where truth is continually discovered, learned, and honed.  It is never entirely known or held, and it continually changes and is experienced. Truth is living and breathing. Jesus is resurrected through relationship with truth.

Silence.

The stone that speaks not. This gets tricky.  Jesus doesn’t answer Pilate’s question, “What is truth?”  Jesus remains silent.  And silence has Jesus ending up dead.

The silence was profound.  

The silence lasted for three days, until, at sunrise the garden tomb was discovered empty. The silence of death was filled with life.

 It begs the question of when is it that we are to remain silent; when it is that we let death lie, and when is it that the sunrises and we are to speak out and raise life?  When is the world silent, and voices are to be raised to counter injustice. And if we miss the sun rising will as Jesus said, The very stones will cry out

Love.

            And the greatest of these is love. The love stone is a Word of how it is that we are to call out in the silence:  to respond to death, lack of hope, and in recent days – how we choose to respond to hate. This past week the most beautiful story was that of a Syrian father who spoke of his response to terror, the death of his wife at the hand of terrorists. –He said, “I will not throw stones. I will not teach my son revenge, or anger. I will not teach him to hate. Hate has not won.  Love has.” In the end, this really is what, or I should say who, every sermon this year has been about; LOVE.

Sundays with readings like todays have grand images and hopes for the future, super-fantastical-happenings, and crazy-scary ideas that sometimes distract from the simple message.  Time. Truth. Silence. Love. –and the greatest of these is love.

The stones bear witness that we are church, a people who marks time.  We relive the life and death and life of Jesus – every year.  Through the year we heard over and over that God’s kingdom comes in the past, present, and into the future.  We need not worry about time as God is in all time.  Through us God can be made more present.  The truth is Jesus incarnate living in our midst, as we live in relationship with each other, with all creation.  Silence is profound for in it death dies and new life arises--- it comes about when love affects every action, every word, every molecule of our being.  The kingdom comes – God reigns- when you can say, “I will not hate” and mean it to the depths of your being.  The kingdom grows when your neighbour also says, “I will not hate.”  When all can wail, “I will not hate” – whether wailing through sadness or wailing in joy.

It is time for the world to change.  It has been for a very long time!  Since the beginning of time – to the end of time. And then to begin again.  The message as heard a million times and held by these stones … Choose not to hate; resurrect truth in the present.  Love --- for in love comes the reign of Christ.