Accepting Paradox - Advent 4

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Oh do I like to be right! 

Get me in an argument, get me explaining something, try to contradict me...I don’t like to be proven wrong – ask my children, or my husband Tim.  (Tim?...)

 

Augsburg’s, Sunday and Seasons, begins their section on ‘Preparing for Christmas: Preaching’ stating:

“Preaching during the 12 days of Christmas calls us to reflect on a paradox of this season: the good news is both cosmic and local. Woven throughout the Christmas lessons are threads of the universal and the specific.”

This too has been evident in our readings and hymns through Advent. The texts have us waiting for the Messiah, and praising that we are waiting for the return of the Messiah. We hear of the end of time, the kingdom of God in its fullness – and yet at the same time are called to bring the kingdom now. We speak of God as beyond and yet coming in a baby. In this time of being a Christian we already know the final days of the baby’s adult life; our Christmas hymns include all kinds of imagery from the season of Lent – a constant reminder that this life – was a life born to die.

 The Messiah is quite a paradox - 100% God, 100% human -both can't be true? both are. 

I think Lutheran theologians Braaten and Jensen describe it best, that God became human because of a love for the created creatures, enough to set aside Godhood to be fully human, to die -not as a sacrifice or atonement- rather out of love, a choice of love; so that human hearts might see/feel and receive love; ‘that one should die for me.’  The story of a baby is to worm its way into human hearts, to  change peoples' hearts for the coming of the reign of God now--- freedom in the fullest sense of wholeness- brought about by an experience of relationship, God’s love for us. We have heard many times the stories of parents besot with love for a new born baby. It boggles the mind however, to consider that death and the grief at losing a loved one, actually has the power to draw out one’s love for that person in a visceral way (sometimes more than when the person was alive).

In the snippet from the Romans text, is the gospel in a sentence; talking of a specific person Jesus, and the cosmic in the same breath. This ending is to emphasis the completion of God’s promises to God’s people. The paradox of wholeness is that it is impossible to bring about unless it embraces/grows in utter brokenness.  The paradox of Law/Gospel contains a tension where the shared point is relationship - with God, humans, and when these are in order, creation will be healed and stop groaning (this is totally a one sentence explanation of Pauline theology from Romans). 

 

At first glance a paradox is a statement/image/thought that seems contradictory or impossible, but in actuality is possible.  Often a paradox is a logic problem that seems to go against our intuitive inclination.

For instance: We can be healthy, but not well.  In order to be dying, one actually has to be living.

A line from a St. Francis’ hymn tells us that: It is in giving that we receive.  Others have commented that the more we give, the more we have.

 

We live in paradox. At no other time in the church are the paradoxes so obvious.  The texts, seem to be like a snowstorm of paradox after paradox, smothering us. At first hearing, the Samuel and Romans texts don’t even sound like Advent or Christmas texts. 4^th Sunday of Advent texts have not been heard at Resurrection for decades... this is usually Christmas Pageant Sunday. That is one reason they sound a little strange. The other is that the ideas are cosmic, not necessarily specific, until the time has come for them to be so.

 

We live in paradox. Those of us who have been in Lutheran congregations for some time regularly hear Lutheran language that emphasizes the paradox. We speak and teach of Law/grace, simultaneously being saint/sinner, living in a state of freedom/bondage. In Eucharist we speak of the Body and blood of Christ,  yet elements are bread and wine.

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton recently spoke to the members of the ELCA and reminded them that the Lutheran church is  “a church of both/and in an either/or world.” This reflects a church that can hold more than one truth in tension: we have freedom in Christ, but because of this freedom are bond to one another. Faith may be a personal experience, but it is relational and lived in community.

 

Advent is a season that illustrates the paradox.  We hold to the possibility that there is:

Hope in sadness, peace in chaos, freedom in bondage, liberation in captivity.

 

Lutheran Theologian Gordon Lathrop wrote in a book for pastors on the topic of spirituality: “Pastors ought to know about thinking, honouring, even loving two or more contrary ideas at the same time, refusing rigid intolerance while not losing their courage to express conviction.” I believe this is true for all of us.  Lathrop goes on to suggest that ability to do this – to entertain the possibility of holding contrary ideas in tension- actually opens one’s heart to the practice of hospitality.

 

Each week in Advent we have received a practice to help us journey through the Season: the practice of attention and imagination, the practice of gathering and sharing Word, and the practice of simplicity.

Today’s practice is a little different – although we are reflecting on paradox, I can’t really ask you to go and practice it.  Paradoxes just are. What we can do however, is practice accepting paradox and be okay with -even welcome- the tension of holding seemingly opposite ideas at the one time.

There have been a number of instances in my ministry where I have practiced what a colleague calls, ‘being theologically orthodox but practically liberal.’ What this means is that despite a theological perspective I hold to be true, in practice I might act opposite or outside of my belief for the sake of the other. It might be: giving communion to someone who is not Christian, baptizing a child even if the parents aren’t baptized, marrying people in the church even though their reason has nothing to do with God, keeping views silent so that there might be teaching moments from the inside- change little by little, or providing a blessing or prayer for issues/circumstances to support a person even if the choice being prayed about does not sit well with me at all. 

I can do this because I have practiced accepting paradox. It allows me freedom to welcome – give hospitality to people who come: people often on the fringes, people who want conversation on matters of spirituality, people wrestling with God or an idea of God, people who are exhausted of what is and seek something different, people who want to be loved and accepted and belong and participate first, before committing – to experience rather than get tied up in the logic and the paradoxes. It is not always a comfortable place to be, but in the discomfort, I rest calmly in the acceptance of paradox, that I continually wrestle with tension, faith and practice, and it is good.  I agree with feminist Letty M. Russell who wrote that, “hospitality is the practice of God’s welcome by reaching across difference to participate in God’s actions bringing justice and healing to our world in crisis.”

 

I leave you this morning with a thought to take us back to the starting point of this sermon – that the Good News is both cosmic and local. Author Kaitlyn Schiess in her book, “The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbour,”  wrote: the discipline of hospitality might be the greatest example of this idea I’m desperate to advance: our political beliefs and advocacy are not primarily built on grand, sweeping claims to which we mentally assent; they are often built on ordinary impulses and biases that we inherit and absorb in small, everyday actions.”

 

I invite you to embrace paradox, practice accepting paradox, so that we might grow our capacity for hospitality. Our big dreams, God’s big dreams, the fruition of faith, the visions and prophecies of the prophets, this great story of a baby born -who grows and loves the world so much, and chooses to die to express that love...so that we might understand... are grand and sweeping visions - cosmic; but our world is changed (not through the big dreams) but through the hospitality that we offer through ordinary impulses, biases we inherit, paradox we wrestle with, and our everyday actions.

 

Accept paradox and in so doing bless your neighbourhood  -and the cosmos- with hospitality.

Amen.

 

ADVENT 3: Simplicity

 

Last Sunday we heard the simple story of John the Baptist in the wilderness baptizing in the Jordan River. He was preaching that he was preparing the way of the Lord -quoting from scripture, words spoken by Isaiah the prophet. John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

This Sunday we hear a more complicated story of John the Baptist.  Written 30 years later -or so- the Gospel of John has added all kinds of images, explanations, and theology to the story.

We understand how this works.  Consider your favourite stories to tell – or better yet a story that a partner or parents repeats often – over time has the story stayed the same?  Of course not. It is embellished with each recounting. People respond or ask questions, things get added, problematic pieces are taken out.  Actions might be added, long pauses .. if you get a laugh that part stays.  The teller of the story – if the story is about them-  becomes more and more the hero in each reiteration.    Meaning gets added to pieces of the story, or other stories, from before or after get added to punctuate the validity of the original story.

 

Being confronted with these two very different versions of the John the Baptist story, has had me reflecting this week on simplicity. Without much thought I certainly kept coming back to the realization that human beings have a propensity for making simple things very complicated.

As we have been considering holy practices for this season of Advent – the practice of attention and imagination; the practice of gathering and sharing the Word; this week we add the practice of simplicity.

 

A quick google search of the ‘practice of simplicity,’ offers two main ways to do this: own less and do less so that you can be more. Both of these -owning less and doing less- I commend to you; however, this is not where the sermon takes us this morning.  

 

Steve Jobs said: Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

 

To practice simplicity  we have to work at changing our thinking; changing the patterns of our brain.

 To prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, let us begin with exercises for the brain, so that the brain will follow our heart song.

As crazy as this might sound, this week to practice simplicity try one or both of the following:

First when giving an answer to a question respond with either yes or no – that would mean no added commentary, or asking someone else what they think, or waiting to try to determine what the person asking wants to hear, no colouring your response with an excuse or explanation.  Yes, this sounds easy enough...  until you consider the answers one usually gives to questions.  Answering only yes or no is not our common practice.  We generally rely on extra thoughts and words to either avoid answering a question directly or to validate our choice. Practice simplicity – yes and no.

Second when getting dressed forget about choosing clothes. Simply reach your hand into your drawer or closet.  Pull out underwear, a pair of socks, a shirt, bottoms...don’t even bother to look or match or think about what the outfit will look like.  How much fun would that be?  Honestly, we are mostly at home anyway. So shake off preconceived ideas of what goes together, is proper, is expected... with making fewer well thought out choices -about something that really doesn’t matter so much- you are training new pathways in your brain.  The added bonus of participating in this activity is that every time you see yourself in a mirror, you will see yourself differently because you look different.

You are practicing simplicity.

 

Advent is a season when we are called to dream, to hope, to see what can be, to focus on promises and the fruition of those promises.  God is nudging us to expand our horizons – to expand how we think and how we participate in the bringing of God’s promises to this time and place.

 

Through Advent we hear the words of the prophets, songs from Zechariah, Mary, and Simeon. All contain similar words, words that speak of God’s vision of wholeness for creation.

This morning we hear the words from Isaiah - simple words – we have heard them many times before:

Speak good news to the oppressed, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captive, release to the prisoners,  comfort those who mourn.  All are simple instructions.

 

But our experience is that these are not simple instructions. And you would be right in so far as human beings have trouble with simple.  Speaking good news to the oppressed, binding up the broken hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captive, release to the prisoners, and comforting those who mourn are complicated by politics, religion, , philosophy, societal norms, culture, race, status quo.  In facing change to work towards fulfillment of promise and creating vision into reality – we spend a lot of time worrying and focusing on trying to keep everyone happy, not wanting to put ourselves in a corner by picking sides; we want to be seen as politically correct, have our opinion heard (and acted on), not have changes affect the life we are living, and we do not want to be ‘that’ person who rocks the boat. We do not practice simplicity.

 

Some of the biggest problems in the world have simple solution:

homelessness: build or provide a shelter for someone

hunger: give food

thirst: provide a clean water source

war: stop fighting

It is really quite simple!  Human beings are the ones who have made solutions complex.

Remember what Steve Jobs said: Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

And there it is – you can move mountains. God’s vision is possible, now. You can build and provide shelter. You can relieve hunger. You can provide water. You can stop fighting. If enough of us practice simplicity and model using simple solutions, homelessness, hunger, thirst, and war would be no more.

 

Advent is a season that gives us a chance to strip away the ‘extras’ and return to the foundation of who we are and what we are to be; as created in God’s image. This year, like non-other in our lifetime, is an opportunity to reflect and determine the simple truths. Without the same mad-dash to Christmas we have time to ponder the simplicity of faith, life, relationship, hope, peace, joy, love.

My prayer is that as each of us ponders and practices simplicity, the beautiful words of the prophet rest in our hearts – as a heart song- and that our brains refrain from complex acrobatics and rather follow our hearts to blanket the world in hope, peace, joy, love – solving the world’s biggest problems – for the healing of the whole world.

 

The German-British economist E.F. Schumacher once said: Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.

 

God grace you with a touch of genius and a lot of courage, much courage, to move in the opposite direction.  Amen.

Advent 2: Heart Songs

  The first Sunday of Advent we were presented with two practices for our journey through the season. Commended to us were the practice of attention and the practice of imagination. This morning we are offered two more practices to assist us in reflecting through the journey of Advent.

This past week I read the most beautiful line, written by Diana Gabaldon, in her book: “A Breath of Snow and Ashes;” Now’s the time we re-enter the womb of the world, dreaming the dreams of snow and silence. (REPEAT)

This word-thought has been zipping around my brain for days. When I read it I wrote it out immediately.  It sits well with me. It feels good to me.  It speaks deeply and resonates as truth to me. I can’t explain it in its entirety to you – I feel what it means, and it is wrapped up with the comfort of themes of hibernation, protection, warmth, purity, holiness, calm, peace, home.

Over the years, I have kept a journal book, wherein I write down lines that surprise me and fill me with ideas and thoughts; with phrases that gave -give- me something I didn’t even know I needed.

For Itty-Bitty Bible Study this past week I posted a verse, Isaiah 40: 8:

The grass withers and flower fades, but, the word of God stands forever. I chose this verse because it has meant something to me for a very long time. I put this verse to memory around the age of 15 – I liked the passage and it made me feel there was purpose and that things would be okay no matter what was going on.  The comments from others made on the post described how these words to them are comforting, give hope, help us imagine something far beyond our current state. 

The words resonate. The verse need not be explained (in fact it rings better when not exegeted to death or explained). It is the beauty, simplicity, and articulation of our own death – grass and flowers that pass away- and the promise of resurrection and continuance of the Great Spirit, God Present and Beyond.

Through Advent we hear the words of the prophets, the song of Mary, hymn texts rich in image – gems to hold onto.

Today we are being called to a practice of gathering Word.

Gathering Word is purposefully collecting words that resonate within us, touching those deep places where only the Holy Spirit can penetrate. Gathering Word is creating a compendium of words filled with hope, encouragement, comfort, and challenge -for you- as cache to support you, help you carry on, to assist you in living one day at a time.

Leah Pellegrini – on her blog “The Core Stories”, writes: the Cord Stories are tiny tales of human truth. They cut through the chaos of contemporary culture to find the sweet seeds of meaning at the center: the timelessness in timely trends, the heart in the hustle, and the magnificence in the mess. 

I have sat with many people over the years in their homes, at their bed sides, in times of stress, facing difficult circumstances, death, grief.  More often than not the person or family I am with share tiny tales of human truth, phrases that cut through the chaos, lines to offer meaning, and magnificence in the mess... yes, I hear the phrases - scripture, sayings,  hymn lyrics, lines of poetry  - in English, French, Dane, Estonian, Latvian, German... recited lines that have been taken to heart.  Such joy comes from these snippets because I hear them as the persons heart song. One’s heart song is that song that sings volumes of faith, hope, compassion, love – the centre of a person’s being.

Heart songs aren’t just there, heart songs are created through the journey of one’s life, and what one choses to gather to add to their song and their understanding of who they are and who they aim to be.

The practice of gathering Word is important – the Word gathered grounds us, supports us, feeds us in times of need, and is the wisdom we leave as we pass from this life to the next.

 

There is no better season to practice gathering the Word – rich as it is in the voices of the prophet, songs of the ages, the images of hope in sadness, peace in chaos, freedom in bondage, liberation in captivity.

And we are also given an additional option this year.

ELCIC Bishop Susan Johnson has called the church to a year of Scripture reading and Bible Study. Each month the ELCIC office sends out the book to be studied.  Readers read Genesis, then took on Deuteronomy and 1 Kings. For the month of December we are encouraged to read through the Psalms; wherein there are a plethora of text from which to gather Word.

The practice of gathering Word – through the rest of the season when you hear or read a phrase, line, image – in scripture or in hymn; write out the words. Place them in a journal where you can return to them again and again. Or write them on cue cards to read one a day. Perhaps put them on sticky notes and place them around your home. Commit the words to memory. Gather your texts on slips of paper and put them in an actual basket, where when you walk by you can pull a slip and read a snippet of Word.

 

There second part of the practice of gathering Word, is the Practice of sharing your heart song.

 

In 1946, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, the psychiatrist who authored the book ‘On Death and Dying,’ visited the Maidanek concentration camp in Poland. In her memoirs she tells of her experience in the children’s barracks. Looking past the debris of little shoes and clothing left behind, she noticed that the walls were graffitied – using pebbles and finger nails children had carved hundreds of butterflies on the walls. Over the years, working with those who were terminally ill, Dr. Kubler-Ross reflected that the children must have known they were going to die. She wrote: “they knew that soon they would become butterflies.  Once dead, they would be out of that hellish place. Not tortured anymore. Not separated from their families. Not sent to gas chambers. None of this gruesome life mattered anymore.  Soon they would leave their bodies the way a butterfly leaves its cocoon. And I realized that was the message they wanted to leave for future generations ... It is also provided the imagery that I would use for the rest of my career to explain the process of death and dying.”   Rather than words, it was image, -imagination to dream, hope, and share – a word, an image- freedom amidst bondage; beauty amidst terror, life amidst death.

The little ones shared their heart songs for those who would be in that place after them. Their gathered Word – shared- was wisdom greater than themselves.

 

Is this not the practice and action of Advent? Gathering and sharing -hope, peace, joy, love.

 

The Spirit be with you on your journey, deeply planting the Word you gather, and emboldening you to share your heart song with others.

 

 

 

Two Practices for Advent

 As many of you know, I teach the seminar portion of a Supervised Ministry Practicum class at the Atlantic School of Theology. This past week I was reviewing the book that students are writing their next papers on: Gordon Lathrop’s, The Pastor: A Spirituality.  To end his section on, The Pastor on Preaching: Word,  he urges preachers to focus on two practices – practices that will help the preacher preach and most certainly benefit the hearer-  lively attention and rich imagination.

I am so glad that I decided to pick up and take a fresh look at this book.  The words really spoke to me as I consider this new church year and a journey through the season of Advent. I think the practices of attention and imagination are the practices for everyone to embrace and focus on during this season.

 

The practice of attention – we hear today in the Gospel- Watch for signs – a darkened sun and moon, falling stars to mark the end of time. Jesus’ plea of “Keep awake” is very much one of ‘pay attention.’ Jesus speaks of people knowing the signs of the seasons – summer is coming as the leaves come out on the fig tree. This is akin to observing items as described in the farmers almanac: a narrow width striped on the woollybear caterpillar, an abundance of acorns, or lots of holly berries to determine the harshness of winter. Others note the melting of glaciers, the rising of temperatures, the extinction of animals as signs of the global warming.  There are also those who practice contemplative arts – who pay attention- seeing God in the sunrise, hearing God rustle in the leaves, and wowed by dew on spider webs; filling themselves with a spirit of gratitude.

It certainly doesn’t take much attention to notice that the world is hurting: environmentally, socially, politically, spiritually, emotionally. The signs are clear, warning signs have already turned to reality. The season of Advent offers us imagery and time to reflect on alternative possibilities and relationships – moments of wonder- that can so easily be missed or lost or forgotten.

 

The second practice of Advent counters warning signs that have already turned to reality.

The practice of imagination.

Lathrop’s book describes a letter he received from a friend where his friend quoted the English poet and philosopher William Blake, with Blake more or less saying, imagination destroys tyranny. And then Lathrop continues: Tyranny defines truth literally using that definition to hoard and distribute power. Imagination embraces the other, mystery, and the rich varieties of ambiguity.  Imagination at least has the possibility of serving a community.

Let’s think about this for a moment.

Jesus lived in a time of Roman tyranny. It was a time of unrighteousness on the part of Chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees.  Truth – fake news- was spun to keep power and hoard wealth.  Into this environment Jesus didn’t pour facts, state claims, or dictate rules or lists, rather Jesus asked questions, used similes, and told stories. The questions Jesus asked were not the one word answer sort – they were the kind that had no answer or 100  answers. Jesus’ similes were windows into describing the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God is like... thoughts one had to ponder. The stories – the parables are still confounding readers today; they are not plots that wrap up nicely, they are like stories with many interpretations.

To this world, Jesus taught in a way to activate and grow people’s capacity to speak and act in a different way to the world around them. To live outside of what they were conditioned to be, to live beyond what they were experiencing, to live God’s dream for creation. Jesus was trying to activate peoples’ imaginations so that God’s reign could and would become reality.

 

William Blake wrote:  The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the vegetative body. This world of imagination is infinite and eternal, where as the world of generation is finite and temporal.  --- “The Complete Works and Prose of William Blake” p.555

The world of imagination is the world of eternity.  Jesus knew that without imagination,  there can not be found: Hope in sadness, peace in chaos, liberation in captivity. There is no Freedom from bondage, life in death--- no Joy. No love – without imagination.

I attended a seminar that included a discussion on the how-tos of building healthy and wholesome brains in children.  Basically the brain is divided into different areas, each with a specific group of responsibilities. -Housekeeping, emotion, and thinking plus.- The brain's first priority is survival of the human: breathing, heart beating, finding food and water for fuel, protecting oneself from dangers. The more the brain works on tasks of survival the less energy there is for other parts of the brain and human development.  Research has been gathered showing that children who face repetitive trauma and live in precarious situations have heighten senses for survival, to the detriment of emotional and thinking abilities.  When children come out of such situations and are in safe places, educators/mentors/parents have a role in encouraging development in those parts of the brain that were set on hold. Yes, for wholeness of person, there needs to be a point made to grow the brain.  One of the best ways to foster this is to provide open-ended building opportunities. To grow imagination one needs to be given toys that are all about making decisions – but decisions that are not a list or a pattern or regulated or mapped – a toy that allows putting together and taking a part, so that there isn’t right or wrong, just the act of creation.  The suggestions offered in the seminar were wooden or Duplex blocks and  Lego.  The figuring out ‘how’ the blocks work grows the brain, thinking about ‘what’ to build grows the brain, considering ‘how’ to go about creating the ‘what’ grows the brain, finding solutions to problems as one is using the Lego grows the brain; making decisions of colour, figuring out space, conceptualizing, deciding to tear it down at the end... To some of you this may sound so very simple, but, I have watched children living in trauma – and met adults- for whom building with Lego or wooden blocks is next to impossible. If they are alone the blocks remain blocks – looked at – maybe moved around, but nothing created; and if with others they will copy whatever the person next to them is making.

 

We are in the season of Advent and we are looking out on a world facing repetitive trauma, with more and more people finding themselves living in precarious situations. People are living with heightened senses for survival, to the detriment of emotional and thinking abilities. Advent is calling our attention to this – pay attention – Jesus said,  “keep awake.”

And in Jesus’ manner, following in Jesus’ footsteps, respond to the world in a different way – a way that dissolves tyranny, precarious situations, and repetitive trauma.  In order to look at the world – renewed- by infusing it with hope, peace, liberation – themes of advent. To do this we need to be diligent in developing our capacity for imagination – so that we are better prepared to be conduits of God’s reign!  We need enormous abundance in our imaginations, and as a faith community, to dream what could be, can be, and imagination enough to say this WILL BE and then act using our creative powers to make it happen.

 

So what am I suggesting for practicing imagination:

When you go grab a deck of cards to play solitaire - build a card house instead;

When talking on the phone, doodle in the margins of whatever is lying near by;

Play with building blocks or buy yourself some Lego – even if you don’t have grandchildren to play with – treat your brain to new ways of thinking;

Make a gingerbread house – if you buy one in a box, get extra items to add and build with;

Read a Jesus’ parable every day and ponder the ins and outs of it ...

 

Practice attention and practice imagination – it is through these practices that we prepare for Christ and for birthing God’s reign on earth.

Robert Fulghum, in “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” wrote:

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe love is stronger than death.

May the stories of the season, themes of the season – hope, peace, liberation, freedom, joy, love-, and your growing imagination be the catalyst for the birthing of Christ in this place and time.

 Amen.

DIY Advent Wreath Project with Pastor Kimber

Reign of Christ - Living Courageously

This is our book end for the month of Nov. We began the month with the theme of living generously. Today we consider living courageously.

How does living courageously pair with our reflection on the reign of Christ?

When we talk about martyrs and saints it is often people from a long long time ago.  Tomorrow is the commemoration day for Miguel Agustin Pro, a martyr who died 1927.

Augsburg Fortress’ Sundays and Seasons resource describes Miguel’s life like this:

Miguel Agustin Pro grew up among oppression in Mexico, where revolutionaries accused the church of siding with the rich. He was a Jesuit priest who served during a time of intense anticlericalism, and therefore he carried out much of his ministry in private settings.  He worked on behalf of the poor and homeless.  Miguel and his two brothers were arrested, falsely accused of throwing a bomb at the car of a government official, and executed by a firing squad.  Just before the guns fired, he yelled, “!Viva Cristo Rey!” which means “Long live Christ the king!”

It is almost a 100 years since Miguel died a martyr –  a martyr for doing what Jesus speaks about in today’s gospel.  He lived courageously to bring the reign of God to earth in the midst of oppression in Mexico. Who here is ready to live the reign of Christ courageously in this century?

 

Miguel was by no means the first martyr. He had many examples to follow, all of whom followed the example of Christ – Jesus’ teaching what the reign of God looked like, can look like, on earth- and died for courageously living the example. Jesus - courageous Christ.  While on earth Jesus was connected to the faith community; Jesus went to the Temple; Jesus participated in rituals – like Passover; Jesus read scripture, prayed, and sang hymns; Jesus sat and learned with rabbis and teachers.  In the context of a faith community Jesus courageously challenged the religious leaders, and confronted others with how they interpreted and lived God’s kingdom. Jesus courageously asked challenging questions and opened uncomfortable conversations. In the end Jesus out of a courageous expenditure of love died for the community. This outpouring of love confounded death and  brought the reign of God into the possibility of being made alive in human community; through Christ  and in connection with community it was / is possible to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

 

Leadership events and seminars are keen on having participants write goals and personal mission statements.  As an exercise groups of clergy in the Synod were invited to do this. The mission statement I had was ‘to be a passionate expression of God’s grace.’  We were then put into groups to tell others our mission statement and listen to their responses to our statement.  The others in the group were to assess whether or not the mission statement fit, based on their knowing the person who shared their mission statement. The Bishop was in my group when I shared my mission statement. He felt that the mission statement fit – except – I had not included a vital  word he would use to describe me; courageous.  Never in a 1000 years would I use that word to describe myself. I have 100s of slightly embarrassing  examples of not being courageous. As he explained the description, his understanding of courageous was what I consider my normal outlook and articulation of life around me, my genuine sense of wonder, how my creativity and enthusiasm oozes – who knew that it is seen by others as something special, unique, something that takes courage to do and be – to me it is just my normal; nothing courageous about it.  Others saw courage to be oneself, courage to tell the truth, courage to express ones’ self, courage to believe in the simplicity of the gospel – a knowledged naivete.

What happened through this event was an addition to my personal mission statement:

My mission is: To be a courageous and passionate expression of God’s grace.

 

I share this with you this morning because confirmation Sunday reminds me that the promises made in baptism and at confirmation are courageous. We make promises to live courageously. It takes courage to be part of a faith community that challenges us be in relationship with God and others; to work together for the common good when so many are only concerned about themselves; to share good news when around us the world too often repeats the negative; to strive for justice and peace when the world too often fights to be richer and better than another. We are asked to live courageously.

 

Some of you will have heard of Stella Bowles, a student and public speaker from Bridgewater who received the Order of NS for her  environmental activism. At the age of 11, as a science project, she started to collect and test water from the La Have river. The river was a mess. Stella wasn’t able to swim in the water because of straight pipes dumping raw sewage into the river.  Her work to help the river, her courage to speak up and to act, led to a $15.7 million clean up. She lived courageously -to serve all people – creation- a Christ example where courageous action changed the water from a state of death to life.  We are asked to live courageously.

 

Since COVID this congregation has been courageous. We have had the courage to engage in conversation, confront issues – I’ll be it forced on us in some way – although we could have ignored the news and what was happening in the world. We had the courage to continue coming to this community via online and through email;  the courage to speak, listen, and discuss issues that included domestic violence, mass tragedy, racism, social inequality, living wage, homelessness, war, politics, investment in green energy; as a community we live courageously as we to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

 

As a community we live courageously, 6 generations daring to gather together – all with different needs, expectations, and understandings. This is not all a think tank where we all think exactly the same or are told exactly what to belief or what to do. No we belief and act not in the absolutes of black and white, prescribed rights and wrongs, rather we courageously embrace the difficulties of life being filled with areas of  grey. At confirmation we  “promise to live among God’s faithful people; ’ a most courageous act -  to be part of a community, all of whom we may not like, but willing to challenge and be challenged by each other, open to honest and deliberate conversation, willing to change and be changed, encouraged to speak the things that take courage to say; and most importantly encouraged to live courageously by being you!

Nicole and Emma – live courageously -   Be you!

 

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ parable has the faithful asking: When was it that we saw you: hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, in prison – and take care of you? The faithful were doing these things, bringing God’s kingdom, living courageously and oblivious to that fact because that is who they were. And that came from connection to God and a community with a mind for encouraging compassion, compelling participation in service ministries, and inspiring an authenticity of being.

Today as a community of faith we are excited that you choose to live courageously – to look beyond the promises offered in the world, to engage with concepts and beliefs bigger than yourself, and to be challenged to figure out your personal mission statement,  how you are being called to bring the reign of God to earth.

 

‘Together we will give thanks and praise to God and proclaim the good news to all the world.’

Long live Christ! Vivo Christo Rey!

WAR - The Frontline - Collective Wisdom (Pent 24A)

After hearing the scriptures this morning, are you feeling significantly shocked?!

The text from Judges is most certainly about war and most certainly comments on God’s orchestrating it.

First a history lesson:

This part of the Bible – the time of the judges is a period of around 450 yrs., beginning after Joshua’s death circa 1200 BCE. As Israel moved into Canaan there was little interference by any strong powers from outside – like Egypt or Mesopotamia (that would later be the Empires of Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Rome). Israel faced new nations forming in the Transjordan, raiders from the Arabian desert, Canaanite city-states, and the newly arrived Philistines along the Mediterranean Sea. Conflict was localized, growing from tribal jealousies. Israel was a confederacy of 12 tribes, loosely organized, and held together by a common basis of worship and social responsibility – held together by their fore-bearers and their shared covenant with God.  They would meet in the confederate sanctuary in Shiloh, and in times of crisis rise together in action in the name of the God of the covenant. For the most part tribes did their own thing, each having their own local chieftains or family heads.

It was also the period of judges. A judge was a nonhereditary position given to one upon whom rested a special charisma – an endowment of Yahweh’s, God’s, spirit. Authority of the person was recognized by the clan and by surrounding tribes.  People of the clans visited judges for mediating legal disputes; the judges applied covenant law to peoples’ lives and interpreted the law for specific cases.

The judge introduced to us this morning is Deborah – Deborah a charismatic leader who in the name of the covenant God corralled the tribal confederacy to go into battle against the Canaanites. 

This battle has religious meaning  - the Bible text in Judges describes that it was  God who lead the army out into the theatre of war and gave victory by intervening via thunderstorm; the battle was so epic that even the stars joined in the battle – historic and momentous the battle is recorded in Judges 5 as an epic song with victory praise going to the God of Israel.

As Empires rise on all sides,  Israel’s tribal confederacy faced pressure – tribes asked for a King so that they might be like other nations.  This was a  shift in understanding and practice. It would mean that tribes were no longer united by a common devotion to God and the covenant, or necessarily sharing a common worship and social responsibility – the tribes wanted a centralized government; where the government was what held common identity.  

Faith survived this change in understanding. Beyond the Confederacy, the voice of God in the charisma of the judges had expression through the prophetic tradition – where God spoke to the King, or Kings, through a prophet who reminded them/called them back to the covenant – a covenant of relationship in worship and social responsibility.

 

Move ahead 2500 years or so, explorers set out to discover lands ‘flowing with milk and honey;’ to take what land was ‘discovered’ in the name of God and in name of country. Arriving in the Americas, settlers found tribal confederacies and peoples, and in the name of God pushed people off their land, set tribes against each other, instigated war, bought and used people to fight the other settler groups who were also claiming the land in the name of God and country.

War is recorded in the Bible because war has always been apart of the human experience. And God -being part of human experience and understanding- has been placed right alongside the tellers of the tale into the heart of the war.

War conversation in the Bible upsets us because we want to believe that God is better than that – better than the role humans have written God into –  it comes down to ourselves, the war stories upset us because we want to believe that we are better than that.

 

It would be unfortunate to leave the conversation overshadowed with the human preoccupation on and proclivity to war. The idea of the judges is worth taking a moment to understand.  Setting society up with a system of judges rather than kings was God’s idea of doing something different; having people purposefully live differently – so as not be like other nations.  The focus was applying the law of the covenant – relationship – with God, with others.

The idea of judges was to show that there were options when facing conflict. For instance that conflict could be resolved without violence, without bearing arms, without going to war – that through a covenant mediator, a judge, people could embrace reconciliation, reparation, restorative justice, renewed relationship, that there could be negotiation even collaboration.

 

A second history lesson:

Canada just marked Remembrance Day where we take time to remember and to reflect on war.

Luther wrote: “War is the greatest plague that can afflict humanity, it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families. Any scourge is preferable to it.”

 

In WWII the Evangelical church – that’s the Lutheran church in Germany - shock hands with Hitler. Churches were places of flags, banners, and propaganda; and at the same time behind the scenes- churches participated in the underground transporting of people -Jews in particular- to get out. Churches towed the party line hosting state dignitaries and being visibly present and supportive of the Reich in public political gatherings. There were churches who stepped out- sending their pastors to universities abroad to teach – but really to let the pastors tell the truth of what was happening. Some pastors were chosen by the government to go abroad and be spies for the authorities – do it and send back information, failure to do so would mean imprisonment or death for them or family members.  Some pastors remained in the safety of North American university life while others went back to Germany to be with their people. Lutheran pastor Bonhoeffer who started an illegal seminary outside the church of the day was active in attempts to assassinate Hitler.

In the Canadian experience of figuring out what to do, who to be during WWII: we created internment camps for Japanese Canadians, gave Black and First Nation’s people more rights as soldiers than as citizens, German Lutheran congregations gave up their language so as not to be associated with their country of origin, Lutheran pastors were tarred and feathered in small town ON. Conscription caused heated conflicted between English and French Canada. Some chose not to fight – to stand as conscientious objectors – like Mennonites, 7^th Day Adventists, Quakers, on the grounds of faith   As the war came to an end, the Lutheran church in Canada reached out to Displaced People of Europe – Germans and Eastern Europeans; forming Canada Lutheran World Relief to open the homes of Lutherans in Canada to those refugeed by war.

 

The history lesson of the Lutheran Church and people of faith in WWII illustrates a myriad of options – without any one option being wholly acceptable or wholly flawed. The church, faithful communities, individuals were thrown into the theatre of war -having to make choices quickly in the midst of change. How does one make such choices and understand or see all the options? How does one faithfully weigh conscience, beliefs, acceptable actions, duty, social responsibility, and remain able to say one’s prayers at night?  This is why the Bible contains stories that make us uncomfortable – why we read of peoples’ experiences and how they interpret God in them, around them, through them. So that we might have the chance to reflect should we one day have to make such choices. And we hear it in community so that we might have conversation and reflection together.

 

In the 1980s the church went through a period where an effort was made to clean up what was heard at church. The readings for today would definitely have been expunged; out the door with all the great stories of lions, fiery furnaces, and children being eaten by bears (yes that does happen in 2 Kings); all to focus on the happy feel good stories. However, as you have heard me preach before, those very terrible stories to a parent of the 1980s were the very stories that placed a framework within a child’s brain.  When someone has a frame work -a black and white story of good and evil- as one grows and starts to question because of circumstances faced in life, then the story can change, be added to, taken away from, questioned, thought about, gain more dimension.  That is what is happening with the adult story we hear today. All this talk of war is a reflection of the human condition -and instead of sweeping it under the rug- people of faith are being asked to wrestle with war, faith, relationship with other people, solving conflict, violence, and where does God fit into all of this.

 

I have no answers this morning -outside of why I feel such texts are included in the Bible- I don’t know what I would do in a time of war, I certainly have taken time to reflect on it; and have much more reflecting to do. I have heard many stories from faithful people who have experienced war, who interpret God being active and apart of the experience – right there beside them: God present in escaping, in hiding, in fighting, in offering mercy, or being shown mercy.  I would like to belief that those holy conversations, that my relationships with you and our talks about how God is and how are we to be in the world; that our connection to the God of the covenant, our common worship and social responsibility --- is so much apart of me, that any choices I make, options I look for, are made, trusting in this collective wisdom.

 

God -involved in the human condition-

When confronted with conflict may we have courage to seek options without violence or war;

When war is at our door and there are no choices that are acceptable be at our side

And let collective wisdom be our guide.  Amen.

 

 

 

Mirror of Joy

 

 

As a little girl I looked forward to Advent – although not much of a singer – I was drawn to the hymns of Advent. In fact quite a few are on my all time favourite hymn list. In the newest hymn book some have moved from the Advent section to section labelled ‘End Time.’ 

In the hymns, what resonated with me was the tone; I could feel– a hopeful sadness, a peace in chaos, a breathe of liberation in captivity.

 

It seems odd to talk about the season of Advent when it is yet 3 weeks away – however, once upon the time Advent was longer, beginning in mid-November, and marked as a time of fasting and abstinence – a time to prepare oneself for the coming of the Lord, as in not Christmas but rather the Second Coming.  Our scripture texts coincide with the practice – for the next few weeks we read sections of the Bible that talk about the end times. A vast array of images are thrown at us to contemplate: living the reign of God and bringing it to earth, Jesus’ return, the gathering of saints, judgment, life after, our own mortality and virtue. Spin-offs of any one of these contemplations can keep me awake night after night.

 

I was not sure what I would preach today until I noted the hymn of the day chosen by Tim -Wake, Awake for Night is Flying – I was immediately drawn to memories of my younger years, in my home church, drawn into the hopeful sadness, a peace in chaos, a breathe of liberation in captivity. What is more needed as we look out into this world facing those things that have been described as the announcement of the  ‘end of time’:  reverberating waves post US election, pandemic at the door, catastrophic natural disasters the world over?  It is time to sit and bask – soak in – the hopeful sadness.

 

Wake, awake, for night if flying, the watchmen on the heights are crying; awake, Jerusalem, at last. Midnight hears the welcome voices, and at the thrilling cry rejoices; “Come forth, you maidens! Night is past.  The bridegroom comes! Awake; your lamps with gladness take!” Alleluia! Rise and prepare the feast to share; go, meet the bridegroom, who draws near.

 

These words were written by Philip Nicolai – a Lutheran pastor- who grew up in a time of religious war in Europe. Several times during his ministry he had to flee and go into hiding -the church met secretly in homes under his leadership.   One of his pastorates was in Unna, Germany. In 1597-8 the words of the hymn just mentioned were the gospel preached via song, sung from his heart to his people.  In that year, Pastor Philip witnessed 1300 parishioners die of the plague; 1300.  It is said that while comforting the sick and the grieving, he did as many as 30 funerals a day- all winter long.

In his spare time – or better put, one of his ways of coping and articulating what he was feeling –was through writing two pieces of music: Wake, Awake and O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright! These hymns are extremely important in the history of music. Dubbed ‘the King and Queen of chorales’, both the words and the music were written by Philip.

In Bibliographic Sketches of Memorable Christians of the Past, James Kiefer states, “If pure quality, without   respect to quantity, were our criterion, Nicolai would be ranked as history’s greatest choral-writer, and one of the greatest hymn-writers.”

... because of these two hymns.

The quality is rich because the art came from a place where there are few words, where the Spirit groans and sighs on our behalf. The hymn came from a pastor’s heart who was articulating the gospel, speaking to the hopes and fears of the people with whom he lived and served. For his community of faith – and for many more in the century following, to today- he captured the contemplation of the ‘end times.’ The Word – along a simple string of notes – is an expression of encouragement through a statement of faith; Christ overcame death and the cross, and so too allows us to overcome death and the grave.

 

Zion hears the watchmen singing, and all her heart with joy is springing.  She wakes, she rises from her gloom.  Her dear friend comes down, all glorious, the strong in grace, in truth victorious: her star is ris’n;  her light is come.  Now come, O Blessed One, Lord Jesus, God’s own Son. Sing hosanna! Oh, hear the call! Come one, come all, and follow to the banquet hall.

 

This hymn celebrates the coming of Christ. It focuses on the heavenly hosts, singing; and joy!  To his faith community Philip expounded on the JOY of the Second Coming – not judgement. This is the beauty!

Perhaps to modern ears it is uber – beyond how we might describe heaven, with gates and gold, exuberant singing – the uberness is to correct -to balance out the messages being received from the world.  

In a few minutes when you hear the hymn sung, note that there are no words or images of judgment. Nicolai is not pounding people on the head reminding them to repent, to set their hearts right, or to do good works of any sort to save their soul. The hymn is so very Lutheran in theology – in the very middle of the hymn are the words “strong in grace.”  Everything hinges off this phrase.

Because of God’s love for the world...

Because of God’s continued commitment to the Covenant...

Because of God’s willingness to become incarnate...

Because God chose to die -not for need of sacrifice to assuage God- but to show the very depths of love to which God will go for each of us... so that we might in a small way grasp this Love – this pure gift of Grace- and once experiencing this Love be so overwhelmed with JOY -our whole lives are changed. That is: our attitudes, the way we live, how we birth God’s reign, how we focus on grace -not scaring people into believing because they are afraid of judgement – but sharing a JOY that comes from the Creator of life itself.

Where it becomes words of love and mercy that turn peoples hearts to God.

Philip Nicolai’s  two hymns were attached to a booklet of Mediations. I just love this - called – Freudenspiegel, translated, Mirror of Joy.

Even after the past few months, I can’t imagine being a pastor in the time of Philip – in the midst of religious war and pandemic – grieving 1300 parishioners; 30 funerals a day, every day. 

Philip gives us an interesting perspective and a way to proceed in troubling times.

Freudenspiegel – Mirror of Joy. 

 

One item I like to have in my yard and love to find in other gardens are mirrors. The mirrors have an interesting way of reflecting light through foliage, creating mysterious wrinkles, making an area look bigger, a window to another dimension, providing a never ending backdrop.  I think this might be the image Philip is talking about. Christians living grace in the world is like being the holder of a mirror.

The mirror is a window – a portal- illuminating flickers of hope, sparks of love, particles of possibility, a glance outside of the present to relationship far bigger than ourselves, an opening to the mysterious, an expanse where grace can seep into a world that otherwise -without the mirror- would continue to wallow in chaos, despair, judgement, purgatory, guilt, sin, evil, death.

 

At our baptisms we were commissioned to let our lights shine, to share God’s redeeming love with all the world.  We have our lamps lit, but unlike the bridesmaids in the parable, we need not hoard the oil. We can accentuate the light – reflect the light, spread love farther.  Hold a mirror  and practice capturing hope, peace, and liberation and redirecting it back into the eyes and hearts of people passing by. Be a reflection of JOY.   Be ready, be watching, be awake, to mirror -Hope in sadness, peace in chaos, liberation in captivity- and thus blanket the world with joy.

Mirrors work that way.  I have been on camping trips were a mirror was used to redirect sunlight, the reflection of the sunlight lit our little pile of wood shavings with a spark; in time and with a little care we had a whole blazing fire.  It was glorious.

 

Gloria! Let heav’n adore you! Let saints and angels sing before you, with harp and cymbal’s clearest tone. Gates of pearl, twelve portals gleaming, lead us to bliss beyond all dreaming, with angel choirs around your throne. No eye has caught the light, no ear the thund’ring might of such glory.  There we will go: what joy we’ll know! There sweet delight will ever flow.