Remembering The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 19 January 2020

John 1:29-42        John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Reflection        Rather than reflect on the gospel I want to join our entire country recognizing an ordinary Holy man.  In his now famous and final Sunday sermon preached at the National Cathedral on March 31, 1968 I believe The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words are as relevant today as they were fifty two years ago. “Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God.”

As it is with prophets throughout the ages, King’s words pierce the veneer of culture and call all citizens to right action. King confronts us, “On some positions, cowardice asks the question: Is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question: Is it politic? Vanity asks the question: Is it popular? Conscience asks the question: Is it right?” Now hear King’s call to action, “There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.” King was an ordinary Holy man calling on each and every one of us to be ordinary Holy men and Holy women (and forgive King his lack of gender neutral language) living for what is right. 

Prophets are ordinary people who dare to speak when others are silent. Prophets are people like you and me who choose to stand on the ground of our relationship with God even when it is not expedient, politic or popular because prophets are ordinary people who live by our conscience and choose to reveal God’s love every hour of every day, even, and perhaps especially, when it makes us uncomfortable.

Are prophets perfect? No. History has a scathing way of slicing and dicing a prophet’s character. And, that is actually good news because, prophets are ordinary people like you and me, imperfect people who have taken to heart and fashioned their lives as best they are able on the words of that Jewish prophet Jesus whom we hear praying, “Not my will, your will be done.” Somehow prophets know, and have always known, that God is present and active in the world today, something that we affirm at the beginning of our worship every single Sunday.

The presider acclaims, “God is with you.”   The people respond, “And also with you.”

Are these empty words? Do we mean them? It we do that means each one of us stands with God, derives our blessings from God, finds our courage in God, and acts deliberately to be a co-worker with God. 

It takes humility, courage and audacity to claim our identity as ordinary Holy people. Humility to admit that all that we are and all that we have is pure gift. Courage to put our faith in God with us, enabling us to be more than we can imagine. Audacity to not only hope but to act deliberately to call out the evils we witness and extend the blessings we enjoy. 

The world is crying out for us to  be co-workers with God and claim our place with ordinary Holy women and men like Martin Luther King, Jr. Shall we choose to live by our conscience?

Gospel text for Sunday 5 November 2017

Matthew 23.1-12

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-- the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Reflection        Celebrating the differences of a particular group’s identity without simultaneously affirming an appreciation of our shared  humanity leads to the fracturing of families, communities and countries that is igniting dissent everywhere we turn today. In his book  The Disuniting of America  the historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.   discusses identity politics and makes the argument that a liberal democracy depends upon affirming a common ground from which society and culture functions.  Schlesinger avers that politics based on group marginalization fractures society and ironically undermines efforts to end marginalization by accentuating polarization. He suggests "movements for civil rights should aim toward full acceptance and integration of marginalized groups into the mainstream culture, rather than… perpetuating that marginalization through affirmations of difference.” *  I believe this is where we find ourselves today and what Jesus recognized when he spoke to the crowds and disciples in Matthew’s gospel saying,

“The scribes and the Pharisees … tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.” In other words, the religious and political leaders elevate themselves and marginalize others, identity politics prevail.

Just in case you are wondering, phylacteries are small leather boxes. Inside the box is a piece of parchment – hand-written on the parchment are the words of the Shema- the Jewish prayer that begins – “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One…” This Torah prayer identifies the Jewish people as the monotheistic people – the people of the One God. 

An interesting thing is, the blue cords and fringe on the hem of a person’s garment were

so fundamentally associated with the wearers identity that when they wanted to seal a

legally binding agreement, they rolled out a slab of clay and pressed the hem of their

garment – like a signature – into the wet clay. The hem of a Jew’s garment is the mark of their identity. So when Jesus is instructing the crowds and the disciples and he denounces the Jewish officials behavior, “They do all their deeds to be seen by others. They make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,” he not only challenges their excessive displays of piety, he also challenges their identity politics. 

This begs the question, what about the people who have no blue cord or fringe on the hems of their garments? How can they enter into contracts? Have access to property? Have a place in the community? From the perspective of identity politics being not affiliated with the “right” group, they are marginalized and oppressed. 

But Jesus comes to deliver the people from oppression and marginalization so in single sentence he wipes out social, political, and religious identity politics. “You are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father, the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.” In one sweeping statement Jesus effectively erases the affirmation of differences that perpetuate marginalization.  

All  people, including the rabbis, the rebels and the ruffians, all people are equally students of the ONE teacher, the One father, the One Instructor. This is humanity’s common ground. It is in affirming our common ground rather than accentuating our differences that we transcend marginalization and begin to heal our fractured families, communities and culture. Our true identity is sisters and brothers of the One God. 

As faithful people of the One God I believe we need to ask ourselves “Where do we find our identity? Is it in our social, political or religious group affiliation? In the ways we feel marginalized or empowered? How will we be identified as people of God if not by the quality of all of our relationships ? It is time for us to “aim toward full acceptance and integration of marginalized groups into the mainstream culture,” transcending and including our distinctions as revelations of the extraordinary common ground of our humanity. 

*Schlesinger, Jr. Arthur M., The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society, Whittle Books, 1991. Revised/expanded edition W. W. Norton & Company, 1998.

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