Seraphs and Eagle

 

Sometimes when I have had occasion to stay at hotel, I have been excited by the room. Much of that excitement is from how the bed is dressed. A plush, luxurious, array of pillows; a crisp sheet tautly wrapped around a cushioned mattress. The bed topped with a soft puffy duvet, tightly tucked on three sides; a nice finishing roll across the pillow line – inviting one to easily slip into cozy relaxation and comfortable sleep. I get drawn in – I love the look, the feel, the luxury – but 20 mins later; not so much. I wake up to wheezing, sneezing, and itchy eyes. I get drawn in -forgetting to have called ahead to say I am allergic to feathers: feather pillows, feather duvets, feather mattress toppers.

 

Sometimes when I read scripture, I am excited by the descriptions given and curious about what is mentioned. This week I have been pondering feathers, along with the Sacred Teaching of love represented by Eagle. Isaiah describes an order of angels called Seraphs as having six wings, massive enough to cover their faces, their feet, and two used for flying. They exist and serve in the presence of God. Indigenous elders teach that Eagle flies the closest to Creator and has the sight to see all the ways of being from great distances.

 

The winged creatures -Seraphs and Eagle- soar into our hearts and minds carrying a specific and important message. They feather us with the core of all knowledge and knowing – coming on the wings of Love.

 

I started the sermon with my experience of a lovely and inviting bed, a situation that takes a turn for the worse because I am allergic to feathers. This story is an analogy where the luxurious, extravagant, nicely made and inviting bed represents our experiences of love. It is wonderful and comfortable – but 20 mins later; not so much. Drawn in – we momentarily forget that we are allergic to love.

Hear me out. how many people do you know who have a lack of faith or trust in others, who put up walls to protect themselves from being hurt by others? Do you know people who, when everything is good, comfortable, and peaceful, some how sabotage their good relationships, and push people away? Have you experienced family or friends who are loving but are unable to give or receive forgiveness? How many humans care for others, but fail to care for themselves? Or have more care for animals that other human beings?  How many of us are allergic to love, in the sense that, we do not fully love ourselves; speaking to our inner selves with harmful self-talk; how many of us feel unworthy, or undeserving? How many of us have trouble receiving grand gestures of thanks, exuberant compliments, or generous gifts? We love love, until we don’t.

 

The experience of Isaiah in today’s reading is about LOVE – Creator’s love.

Isaiah has this fantastic experience in the realm of Seraphs and God’s majesty. We bear witness to the human response of being in God’s presence: woe who is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips; yet I have seen the Lord of hosts! Struck with humility and self-awareness, Isaiah, fears for his life and is conscious of his unworthiness.

This is where humans can get stuck, wallowing in unworthiness. How many times do I get asked, “Does God really forgive me, I have been that irreverent, that despicable, I don’t even like myself? How is it that God can love me? I am guilty and have nothing to offer in return.”

The telling of Isaiah’s experience is important because his feeling of unworthiness is not the last word.

Because there is some knowledge that humans embody more readily through ritual action, a Seraph uses a hot coal to touch Isaiah’s lips. The coal signifies God’s grace and forgiveness; Creator’s unconditional love. Isaiah is told, now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.

 

The experience of baptism and confirmation is about LOVE – Creator’s love.

A person, or parents on behalf of their child, come to sacred space responding to God’s presence. We come to baptism and confirmation with humility and self-awareness, we come with fears for our lives and conscious of our unworthiness. When come, we find that we are welcomed as we are – through ritual of word and action – the washing of water, the marking of a cross, the laying on of hands we are touched. We are seen. The water, oil, hands signify God’s grace and forgiveness upon us; Creator’s unconditional love.  

 

Many of you will remember Gertrud Klatt. Gertrud told me a beautiful story of her confirmation in her local church in Germany. When she was confirmed, the confirmands sat together in the front row. They were encouraged by the people sitting in the pew behind them who were confirmed 25 years before; and they were supported by the those in the next pew who were celebrating 50 year anniversaries of their confirmations.  

What amazed me most about the story was the excitement and duty felt to return to the home community to reconnect and to pray for and empower the new confirmands in their faith journeys. Gertrud did return for an anniversary – despite WWI and II, people being displaced, moving around the world – whole confirmation classes made their way home. I can’t remember if invitations were sent out, but invitations were not needed, people returned to be part of the ritual. Their presence was needed to signify to those being confirmed, the living grace and forgiveness of God; I have come to stand with you, though we may never have met to represent Creator’s unconditional love. Trust in God – trust us that - You are loved. You belong.

We can thank Gertrud for our new practice of recognizing and inviting people to their confirmation anniversaries. Those who came today, thank you for being present. You remind all of us, the importance of being present, for it symbolizes God’s love – and despite how we individually feel, lovable or unlovable, worthy or not- we are each surrounded by God’s presence and grace through each other.

 

All of us are human. We easily drift away from the people who love us, from journeying in relationship with God, from caring for creation, from loving ourselves. Confirmation and the Affirmation of Faith is the ritual that chirps GRACE to our hearts. In the ritual we make promises, knowing that sometimes promises will be broken, we ask for the spirit to be stirred up in us. Because of inadequacies we are encouraged to trust God to guide, equip, and empower us; to continue to shower grace especially in the times we push Love away.

 

To be given an eagle feather is the highest honour and a sacred gift. This is so because Eagle’s teaching of love can be found at the core of all teachings. To know love is to know peace.

Creator comes on the wings of the spirit and hovers in this space, each wing beat proclaiming you are beloved, you belong; each wing movement gracefully spreading God’s unconditional love.

Today’s ritual invites us to view our inner-selves, not from our own minds, but from the perspective of all teachings. This is to know LOVE and to love ourself truly. Through this practice we learn to be at peace with ourself, the balance of life, all things, and with Creator.

 

 

God of the sky and heavens,

Stir up in us hearts to receive Love,

letting go feelings of unworthiness may we soar like Eagle,

flying free may the wind of the spirit keep us ever in the currents of Love, never to drift away.

When Creator asks who embodies and carries this Love – this most important message-

 

 “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” As a flock of birds joyfully swooping through an updraft, let us call in one voice:   “Here am I; send me!”