Gospel text for Sunday 13 November 2022

Luke 21:5-19     When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!' Do not go after them.

"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.”

Reflection        The illuminating words of the theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli describe “a colorful and amazing world where universes explode, space collapses into bottomless holes, time sags and slows near a planet and the unbounded extensions of interstellar space ripple and sway like the surface of the sea….all of this..is not a tale told by an idiot in a fit of lunacy or a hallucination… (Rovelli asserts) it is a glimpse of reality.” (Seven Brief Lessons in Physics, p11)  In Jesus' words, " The days will come when not one stone (of the temple) will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." All created things change, change, even dramatically.

When we take Rovelli’s description and apply it to the planet on which we plant our feet, we step smack into Jesus’ apocalyptic assertions; “there will be wars and insurrections,  earthquakes, famines and plagues… you will be arrested and persecuted and betrayed even by your relatives and friends." Yes, all created things change and change dramatically.  But do not worry or look for a fortuneteller.  "Do not bother preparing a defense in advance," counsels Jesus,  “I will give you your words and your wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to contradict. “  

Please consider this apocalyptic moment during which I felt as if I was being brought to trial before a king and his governors. The 24 governors were actually 23 white collared Episcopal priests, one lay person (the only other female present) and the singular stand in for a king, a purple shirted Episcopal bishop. This illustrious body was the Commission on Ministry, fondly referred to as the COM. The meeting with the COM followed a year of discernment with members of my parish before they recommended to the rector (chief priest of my parish) that I be an aspirant for Holy Orders. After the rector interviewed me he sent me to the bishop for an initial screening and to declare my intent. Discernment continued with the parish as I was nominated and applied for postulancy, which hinged not only on the results of continued discernment, completing mountains of forms and composing countless essays but also on an executive medical evaluation, financial review, criminal background check and the most extensive psychiatric evaluation known to humankind. Having navigated this sea of shifting hoops I finally landed in an upstairs conference room to be interviewed by the bishop and 24 COM members.

And so I prayed. “OK God, remember, this is your idea and you promised to give me words and wisdom because I have none. If I am really called to the priesthood, which is probably a very bad idea, then give me the words because I am terrified and I cannot do this.” 

Following the briefest of introductions and no small talk, the river of questions flowed. I listened to each COM question, paused, closed my eyes, waited for a response, then spoke. It seemed to be going alright until Rev. Daniel, who was sitting three seats to my right, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and said, “Debra, tell us, what is your vision for the Church?” I think my gulp was audible as I choked out, “Church. Do you mean capital C Church?” “Yes.” 

Again I paused, closed my eyes, and there was nothing. Not a single thought or word. I wondered how long I could sit there with my eyes closed before someone asked me to leave. And when I figured my time expired and my heart like a volcano threatened  to erupt, I opened my eyes and words came pouring from my mouth. There were boatloads of words. I can recall none. When the words stopped, the room was so silent I was afraid to breath. I had no idea what was happening. Thankfully the bishop broke the pall saying, “Thank you Debra, you may leave.” As quickly as possible I exited.  Before I got to the stairs to descend into what I assumed was my grand failure the bishop called to me from behind. “Debra, wait.  You knocked the ball out of the park. Congratulations.” I was stunned and speechless. 

“I will give you your words and your wisdom … for nothing will be impossible with God.” 

All that to say, when challenge and change, even seemingly apocalyptic change is upon us, do not panic. When unwelcome events are exacerbated by wars and rumors of war, insurrections and betrayals, do not panic. Because, when we choose to put our faith in the one and only thing that is unchanging; the unborn, undying, eternally all that is that we call God , “Not a hair on (our) heads will perish. By (our) endurance we will gain (our) souls.”

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Hebrew Scripture for Sunday 16 October 2022

 Jeremiah 31:27-34        The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say:

"The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge."

But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Reflection       The prophet Jeremiah gives voice to one of my favorite scriptures. “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  What more could a woman (or man) possibly want? This all inclusive, unconditional promise is everything we humans need ; God’s law, God’s wisdom written on our hearts. What more could we possibly want?

Of course we have to ask ourselves,  if God’s law is written on our hearts, “Why do we keep tripping all over our selves and one another, aligning our will with everything but God? Why do we have so much difficulty mercifully navigating life?”

I believe the answer is simple and demanding. Instead of putting our heads in our hearts,  listening to and acting on God’s will and wisdom, we are captivated by whirlwinds of words and destructive distractions shrewdly scheming for our attention. Every day we are assaulted by our country’s ceaseless litigation over matters of law, alarming news cycles, inflammatory humor and profane politics all crafted by humans in alignment with their partisan will and ploys for power. In the midst of our dis-ordered distractions the question we keep forgetting to ask is,“What is the will or the wisdom of God?” 

According to the Hebrew Scriptures our first human attempt to record the will or wisdom of God is scratched in stone as the Decalogue, the Ten Laws given through Moses to our ancestors. (Exodus 20.2-17) But as the prophet Jeremiah reminds us, our ancestors broke the laws (which of course none of us have) and so, speaking on behalf of God Jeremiah makes a new covenant with the people of God. “I will put my law within (the people), and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

This marks an incredibly important moment in which the source of authority is reimagined. Whereas Divine Law was once understood as being external or outside of humanity, the purview of a distant transcendent  God, now we recognize it as being sourced inside our selves. Jeremiah explains, “No longer shall (the people) teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest…”  We are all meant to know God from the inside out because the will and the wisdom of God is written on each of our hearts.

New Covenant

As early as the third century Christian hermits living in the desert understood the heart to be an organ of perceptivity, the site of engagement with Divine Wisdom. The well respected theologian, Episcopal priest and teacher of non-dual consciousness, Cynthia Bourgeault writes, “According to the great Christian, Jewish and Islamic wisdom traditions, the heart is first and foremost an organ of spiritual perception.” (The Heart of Centering Prayer, p54) 

When we turn our minds to read the law written on our hearts we penetrate the surface of things to access Divine wisdom and every single one of us has direct access to it.

Human access to Divine Wisdom is always available. But, driven my profit and power motives, religious and political institutions have appropriated and buried Divine Wisdom beneath doctrine and partisan politics. Still, Divine Wisdom is accessible to all us all of the time. Borrowing language from early Eastern Orthodox spiritual writings  Bourgeault counsels, “Put the mind in the heart…. Put the mind in the heart…. Stand before the Lord with the mind in the heart.”(p53) 

When we consciously and conscientiously endeavor to “put the mind (or head) in the heart” to actually direct our attention to experience our hearts beating, we begin to break through the constructed boundaries and barriers that prevent us from accessing wisdom. When we regularly take time to pause and plant our heads in our hearts we make ourselves available to experience Divine Wisdom. In Jeremiah’s words, “To know the Lord.” 

Every day we wake up to a world bombarding us with breaking news and boundless disaster. Our affections are disordered, our wills weakened and our patience worn thin. Rather than looking for the latest shout out telling us what we ‘need to know’ about the stock market, coronavirus, midterm elections, atrocities of war, conspiracy theories, rumors of disaster, whatever sound byte pokes our emotional buttons and puts cash in the pockets of a few, it is time to break through the noise that bars us from directly experiencing the promise Jeremiah made to humanity twenty six hundred years ago. It is time to commit to putting our heads in our hearts.

 “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, (in other words, no longer will we give priority to laws contrived by humans and our institutions…) for (we) shall all know (God), from the least of (us) to the greatest…”  We will all know God in the wisdom written on our hearts.

This all inclusive, unconditional promise is everything we humans need to live and thrive in peace.  God’s law is written on our hearts. Which is why we must turn away from media and marketing meant to deceive, distract and divide us. Here is a secret the media and our institutions do not want you to know. Whenever you experience yourself swept into a maelstorm of thoughts infused with fear, anger and judgment you can be sure your head is not in your heart and you are not accessing the will and the wisdom of God.

In the run up to midterm elections, emotions are high, tempers are hot and the need for us to resist the wily ways of pundits and politicians could not be greater.  If ever we needed to keep our heads in our hearts, now is the time because God’s will is written on each one of our hearts. The way we know that our will is aligned in the will of God is by the quality of our thoughts, words and actions. When our thoughts, words and actions are brimming with mercy and breathing in peace, we can be assured, our heads are in our hearts and our will is aligned in the will of God. 

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 Luke 3:1-6        In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Reflection        Political and religious power pyramids have plagued humanity since long before the “ fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius” when God’s word did not come to Tiberius, one of Rome’s greatest generals. God’s word did not come to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who served under Tiberius. God’s word did not come Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee. God’s word did not come to Herod’s brother Philip.  God’s word did not come to Lysanias, ruler of the slopes of Mount Hermon.  Neither did God’s word come to the high priests Annas and Caiaphas nor to anyone else with power and privilege in government or the temple. 

As we read in Luke’s text, the word of God comes to John, the son of Zechariah, an itinerant prophet who lives in the wilderness; a sticky bearded eccentric calling for apocalyptic change. The word of God comes to John who pretty much has nothing at all… except bad breath, an empty belly and the word of God. How can this be?

Skipping ahead three chapters in Luke’s text we meet John's cousin Jesus who just spent the night praying on a mountaintop and choosing his twelve disciples. He is coming down to a flat place, a plain, where he heals the crowds of their afflictions and launches into his famous sermon of blessings and woes;

 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,

   for you will be filled.

‘Blessed are you who weep now,

   for you will laugh.

 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.…

‘But woe to you who are rich,

   for you have received your consolation. 

‘Woe to you who are full now,

   for you will be hungry.

‘Woe to you who are laughing now,

   for you will mourn and weep.

 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did

   to the false prophets.” (Luke 6.21-26)

According to Jesus being blessed, which is to say,  experiencing our “with God life,” does not depend on position, power and privilege. When it comes to life with God, apparently less is more. Perhaps this is why the word of God comes to John in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place of unadorned wandering and perplexing wondering, a place where we set aside our stature and distinction to eat bugs, listen to trees, talk to birds and grasp our rootedness in creation. Once disentangled from religious and political power pyramids we begin to be informed by wisdom, the living word of God with us.

John, the son of Zachariah whom we also know as John the Baptist, consents to his place in the mystery of the wilderness rather than turning toward the Roman baths or columned temple halls. Is it not interesting, people from all over the region around the Jordan river  clamor to hear this crusty bearded holy hippie “Crying out in the wilderness. Repent! Prepare the way of the Lord…” Don’t you want to shout right back, “Tell me how?”

I believe if John was here he would answer, “Take your heads out of the temple walls and government halls and put them in the wilderness of your hearts.” Do not be daunted by the mantle of power. Do not put your faith in emperors and presidents, governors and majority leaders, rulers and minority leaders, bishops, priests or anyone else. None of them can and none of them will mediate your relationship with God. 

So, repent! Turn around. Put your head in the wilderness of your heart. Stop looking for truth in the mouths of political and religious authorities. The wisdom word of God arises in the mysterious wilderness of our hearts, so, put your heads in the wilderness of your hearts. Listen to trees, talk to birds, smell the air and walk in the night forrest confident that God is with you. 

Since long before the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius the word of God has challenged humanity to stretch beyond our hierarchical apprehension of the world, experience our rootedness in creation and taste the words of wisdom rising in the  wilderness of our hearts.

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paint  image of garden with head planted in the middle

Gospel text for Sunday 27 November 2021

 Luke 21:25-36        Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

     

Reflection        While attending a meeting last week a man I will call Harold described a situation that deeply disturbed him. When Harold mentioned a good thing that former president Trump had accomplished a switch was flipped in his previously peaceful friend whose face turned red as Maude yelled, “The man is evil,” provoking a painful rift between them.   Here is the thing. Harold and Maude are operating from entirely different levels of consciousness; nondualistic and dualistic respectively.  

Maude insists that people or reality fit into one of two mutually exclusive categories. Right or wrong. Good or evil. No grey zone.  Harold is operating from a nondualistic perspective that tolerates ambiguity. For him life appears in fifty shades of grey. I believe much of the conflict we experience in our families, country and world is a consequence of people operating from different levels of consciousness much as Harold and Maude.

Luke's text reads like a graphic novel version of nondualistic consciousness. Jesus insists that when we are “faint(ing) from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world,…” we are supposed to “stand up and raise (our) heads, because (our) redemption is drawing near!” In other words, news of covid variants circling the globe, holiday parade horrors, essential supplies and Christmas gifts afloat in a traffic jam of cargo ships, sexual violence, misinformation, banning of books and backsliding of democracy not to mention rising tides and temperatures…… all this tells us that grace is near? Jesus, really? How do we hold this paradox together?

This is Jesus’ counsel. Despite rampant troubles in our families, country and the world Jesus is concerned with the condition of our hearts. “Be on guard… protect your hearts.” Regardless of the whims and wiles of the world our hearts must remain open and alert. But how?

Have you ever wondered how Jesus seems to know exactly what to say to resist temptation, diffuse an attacking attorney,  humble an arrogant seeker,  forgive a sinner, preach great sermons, tell amazing wisdom tales and not complain?  With not an ounce of arrogance Jesus admits, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father… “ (Luke10.22)  “All that I say and all that I do is given to me.”  Every morning and evening when Jesus steps away from the disciples to pray I believe he is “putting his head in his heart”**  by aligning his will in the will of God. 

Observing Jesus we witness the evolution of consciousness from which wisdom is born because wisdom is the child of intimate relationship between humble humanity, as exemplified by Jesus, and benevolent divinity, the Father. Wisdom is born when our heads are seated in our hearts.  

When we are absorbed in dualistic, this or that thinking it is as if we are wearing blinders and cannot see a full spectrum of possibilities. We are locked in a two chambered box with a narrow door between sides and forced go this way or that. Feeling stuck and stifled by the forced choice naturally our hearts are ‘weighed down.” We become anxious, angry or fearful.

Jesus shows us a way of living beyond the two chambered box. By never straying from his relationship with God, Jesus “puts his head in his heart” which is to say, he chooses to align his will with something greater than himself. As a result, wisdom, the child of nondualistic consciousness, is born. 

Knowing with our heads is necessary and good because reason is required to bring language and context to our hearts. But knowing with our heads alone does not engender wisdom. By putting our heads in our hearts we experience subtleties, nuance and mystery not available to our heads alone. This frees us from the prison of the two-chambered box. No longer forced to choose between this or that, good or evil, human or divine,  we begin to see all things are possible because nothing is impossible from the nondualistic "with God" perspective.

The way, the truth and the life revealed to us in Jesus insists that we rise above our dualistic thinking minds by putting our heads in our hearts and allowing wisdom to be born through us so that like Jesus  we will be free to resist temptation, diffuse  attacks,  be kind, forgiving, humble, speak wise words and not complain. 

** language I have borrowed from Cynthia Bourgeault’s The Heart of Centering Prayer

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Gospel text for Sunday 21 November 2022

 John 18:33-37        Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Reflection       Pilate works as a procurate (advocate or mouth-piece) for King Herod. If Jesus claims to be a king this poses a threat to the sovereignty of Herod which is intolerable. But there is a peculiar twist, it is not the King’s Roman subjects who bring Jesus to Pilate. It is the punctilious religious Jews who are convicting Jesus. Surely Pilate is scratching his head and wondering, “Am I facing a volatile political situation, or not?” Can you feel his frustration, “Just tell me, are you or are are you not a King?” 

Meanwhile Jesus must be thinking, “This issue about being a king is of no interest to me. What I care about is truth. People who are interested in truth listen to my voice, believe what I say. It has nothing to do with being a king.” And so, as do all wisdom teachers operating from an entirely different level of consciousness than Pilate, Jesus offers a confounding response, “My kingdom is not of this world” which of course crosses Pilate’s eyes and flies right above his head.

Here is the thing. When people truly listen to Jesus they recognize something deeply true within themselves, something that eludes their intellect as well as their social and political posturing for security, safety, esteem, power and control. When people listen to the words of Jesus they recognize something true, something that resonates deep inside them.

No doubt you have had this experience. That time you knew that you knew that you knew something was true even though you could not say why or make a rational argument for it. You knew you were in love? You knew it was time to change jobs or careers? You knew you  had to call a friend? You knew something was going on? You read a sentence in a book or scripture and knew that it was true? This is knowing that exceeds our intellect. It is the kind of knowing experienced when we put our heads in our hearts. 

We hear Jesus’ voice when we plant our intellect in our hearts because rather than issuing kingly policies and employing procurates like Pilate to insure their edicts are followed,  Jesus speaks the mysterious language of wisdom rendered from the heart. Jesus’ humble presence and peaceful actions do not demand attention nor wield threats to any who fail to follow. Jesus lives truth, reveals truth and is available to any who are attracted to truth. 

Which brings us to what is arguably the most famous of Pilate’s questions, “So, what is truth?” (18.38)  I believe truth is Divine Presence dwelling as our core, available in every breath when we put our heads in or hearts. 

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Hebrew and Gospel Texts observing The Epiphany 3 January 2021

 

Isaiah 60:1-6        Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,

and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah; 

all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Matthew 2:1-12        In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection        When I came to the phrase in today’s gospel text describing the wise men as being, “overwhelmed with joy,” everything in me screeched to a halt. What happens in those moments when we are “overwhelmed with joy?” We stop, draw in our breath, and can almost hear the prophecy of Third Isaiah, 

“Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, (nothing is left out) the wealth of the nations shall come to you. (there is no more to seek)”

A special kind of knowing accompanies being “overwhelmed with joy,” knowing that surpasses rational understanding. Knowing that is rich and ripe and radiant. When we let this radiant knowing enlighten us, like the wise men who are not duped by Herod’s plot to extinguish the light, we can turn our lives around to go a different way, a way illumined by the radiance of joy.  

I believe joy is the Real Presence of God with us. In those moments when we are moved to pause, draw in our breath and taste the sublime perfection of joy, like the wise men we naturally open the treasure chests of our hearts to be and to give the very best of who we are. Here is the thing. We are the wise ones. We know the child of light and hope for all people has been born. We have seen the star and it has enlightened our minds. Now the question is, will we open the treasure chests of our hearts to be the radiant beings bearing gifts of joy for all humankind?

On December 21st low in the southwestern sky Saturn and Jupiter crossed paths, and for a moment they appeared as if one brilliant celestial body. Many wondered, “Could this be the second coming of the Star of Bethlehem?”

Contemporary theologians agree the two thousand year old story of the Star of Bethlehem is unlikely to have been an astronomical event because stars do not move from the east, turn left, drop to the south and stop over a particular dwelling. It is more likely the writer of Matthew’s gospel uses star as a metaphor (the only gospel in which it appears) to accentuate the importance of the birth of Jesus. Nonetheless, the celestial event on December 21st, 2020 was very exciting.

At the conclusion of a year fraught with every order of disease, disappointment and disaster the “Star of Bethlehem” beamed above us as a beacon of hope. This celestial event led us to stop whatever we were doing, go outside, be still, gaze into the night sky and allow our hearts and imaginations to soar. Again, as our prophet professes, 

“Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

We “see” and we “be” radiant when like the wise men we stop our preoccupation with the myriad details of daily life, take the risk of walking into the uncertainty of darkness and make ourselves available to be “overwhelmed with joy.” Joy comes, not when we strive to contrive it, but when we show up and allow it to arise through us.

 I have been reading a leadership book called “Flying Lead Change” that gleans its wisdom from the nature of horses and humans. Quoting one of her teachers the author, Kelly Wendorf writes, “Don’t let your dreams obscure the joy that is already here.” I love that counsel and pray we will all take it to heart. “Don’t let your dreams obscure the joy that is already here.”

We are meant not only to see but also to be the radiant star. Sometimes our dreams of what we think we want or need or must have are the very things that obscure the radiance of joy that is already here. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, 

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

That which we seek has already been born and is with us right now.  

“because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, (nothing is missing)

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.” (we are already more than enough)

The call to action for 2021 is to be radiant, allowing joy to shine through us and enlighten the world. We are the radiance of the star. We are the vision of the wise ones. And we are the hope of the poor peasant child. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 18 October 2020

Matthew 22:15-22        The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Reflection

Are you Republican or Democrat? I say, “Yes.”

Are you pro choice or pro life? I say, “Yes.”

Are you capitalist or environmentalist? I say, “Yes.”

I experience these as forced choice questions, questions designed to assign me to a particular category or group, questions aligned with a narrowly defined set of values or ideology, questions meant to make me smaller and separate me from you. I do not want to bite. 

Do you want drinkable water and breathable air or freedom from government over reach? What answer could we possibly have but, “Yes?”

Using forced choice questions to distract, divide and entrap people is nothing new. This is what we witness in our gospel text as the Jewish religious officials, the Pharisees, along with the men who profit by collecting taxes for the Romans, the Herodians, try to entrap Jesus with their question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”

The first thing to remember is, the Pharisees and the Herodians are opposing groups. The Pharisees enforce strict worship of God in prayer and study of the Jewish law. The Herodians support the monarchy of Herod who is the source of their livelihood. Together they are trying to force Jesus to choose sides. If Jesus protests against paying taxes to Rome, the Herodians will quickly accuse him of treason and inciting the people to rebel against Roman authority. If Jesus supports paying taxes to Rome he will be counseling the Jews to use idolatrous coins  that not only sport Caesar’s image but also the inscription, “Tiberius Caesar, Augustus, son of divine Augustus.” Jewish law definitively prohibits the use of such idolatrous objects. Furthermore, Jesus’ followers who are suffering beneath the burden of excessive taxes will feel betrayed. 

We have all been there, caught between a train and a platform. Are you for profitable business or are you for healthcare? Are you for free speech or for civil discourse? Are you for free enterprise or environmental regulation? Whenever we are faced with these forced choice questions our antennae need to rise and we must become wise, wise as Jesus, and refuse to be distracted, divided and entrapped. Refuse to bite.

Let us with wisdom look at a contemporary example of a forced choice question intended by each party to entrap and incriminate the opposition. Are you for environmentalism or capitalism? How do we begin to wisely engage this question? Wisdom begins by asking, what are the fundamental values and downsides of each? Please pardon this simplified description.

Capitalism affirms peoples rights to private ownership (many of us own our home and car). Capitalism maintains our freedom to use our resources for profit (invest our money), and privileges individual rights (to own property including guns and to have custody over our bodies). Overall, capitalism has led the U.S. to great economic success. 

Environmentalism values protection and conservation of natural resources (many of us are mindful of our use of power and water). Environmentalism privileges the common good (we care about our neighbors and our planet). Environmentalism has protected public lands and provided national parks and seashores available for all to enjoy. 

A downside of environmentalism is that action aimed for the common good can impinge on individual rights eg to do fracking on my privately owned land.  A downside of capitalism is private ownership of resources does not incentivize action aimed at the common good, eg manufacturing practices tend to privilege profit over the side effects of contaminants on the shared resources of earth and air. 

So let me ask again, Are you for capitalism or environmentalism? If we are honest with our selves what can we say but, “Yes?” What then shall we do?

As people of faith I believe we must refuse to be distracted, divided and entrapped. Distracted by the high emotion with which each group spins their story, divided by shrinking ourselves to fit into a singular category or group, entrapped by political ideologues, who, like the Pharisees and Herodians are bent on winning by getting us to shrink into their side. We must not bite.

As people of faith we affirm that all of creation is good, including the earth and all that dwells in and on and around her, so, we are environmentalists. As people of faith we affirm that from the beginning human beings are very good with the right to freedom and fullness of life, so, we are also capitalists. Therefore, the question is not, “Are you for capitalism or environmentalism?” The question is, “How do we embody our value for both the individual and the collective, for personal agency and the common good?” 

Is it fair to appropriate Jesus’ words and say, “Give therefore to the individual the things that are the individuals, and to collective the things that are the collectives?” 

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Hebrew Testament text for Labor Day, Sunday 6 September 2020

 

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 38:27-32

So it is with every artisan and master artisan 

who labours by night as well as by day;

those who cut the signets of seals,

each is diligent in making a great variety;

they set their heart on painting a lifelike image,

and they are careful to finish their work.

So it is with the smith, sitting by the anvil,

intent on his ironwork;

the breath of the fire melts his flesh,

and he struggles with the heat of the furnace;

the sound of the hammer deafens his ears,

and his eyes are on the pattern of the object.

He sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,

and he is careful to complete its decoration.

So it is with is the potter sitting at his work

and turning the wheel with his feet;

he is always deeply concerned over his products,

and he produces them in quantity.

He moulds the clay with his arm

and makes it pliable with his feet;

he sets his heart on finishing the glazing,

and he takes care in firing the kiln.

All these rely on their hands,

and all are skillful in their own work.

Reflection        The August 31st issue of the New Yorker includes an essay titled, “Survival Story: A New York City bus driver faces a pandemic and an uprising.” (p48-55) Terrence Layne is a fifty one year old bus driver, married father of three, who took advantage of 1980s education programs in prison and has worked his way up to shop steward in the NY City Transit Authority. Tuned in to his colleagues terror of contracting Covid-19, one morning in late March Layne stopped his bus on 116th St, put his phone on the dashboard and recorded this message.  

“Brothers and sisters. I want to thank you all for stepping up and coming to work today and showing what leadership looks like. We are performing an essential and invaluable task. We are not only delivering hospital personnel to their jobs. What about the person who needs dialysis? What about the person who needs regular cancer treatments? … Ordinarily we are not appreciated, not valued… If no one else recognizes you, know that I do.” Layne posted his message to three transit workers Facebook groups. 

Layne explains to the New Yorker interviewer, “ People think of front line workers  - the grocery workers, transit workers, first responders, cops, firefighters - as having helped the city get through it. But that’s not what happened. We helped the city survive it.” 

“Without (the workers) no city can be inhabited…

Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people…”

These wise words, penned by the teacher and philosopher Joshua one hundred and eighty years before the common era, in what we now refer to as the Wisdom of Sirach or Ecclesiasticus, outlive time in their trustworthiness. Joshua’s wisdom points to the value of craftsmen; ordinary people who “labor by night as well as by day. All these (who) rely on their hands, and … are skillful in their own work.”

Is it not interesting, three times in our wisdom text Joshua spotlights the place in which the craftsperson sets her heart?  Artisans “set their heart on painting a lifelike image,” the blacksmith “sets his heart on finishing his handiwork,” and the potter “sets his heart on finishing the glazing.”  The artisan is not setting her heart on becoming a ballerina. The blacksmith is not setting his heart on getting rich and securing his retirement. The potter is not setting his heart on becoming a governor or religious official. 

Living in the way of wisdom each laborer Joshua commends sets their heart on the thing that is right in front of them. Their attentions are not flying on wings of wild imaginings, heading for fantastical places. They are not distracted by arguments of who is right and who is wrong, whether it is more laudable to be a blacksmith or a potter (translate to today, Republican or Democrat).  In the view of wisdom, a person is notable, laudable and esteemed, when they apply the skills they have to the work that is right in front of them. In other words, a person who lives the wayof wisdom consents to who they truly are and applies their skills (their particular gifts and treasure) to the context in which they find themselves.

Today we observe Labor Day, established in the late 19th century by the labor movement to recognize and pay tribute to the often invisible workers who make the United States strong, prosperous and keep her going even in the most titanic times. I believe it is not an overstatement to suggest that the well-being of this country stands on the shoulders of, “All these (who) rely on their hands, and all are skillful in their own work. (Because, as Joshua proclaims) without them no city can be inhabited.” 

The opening collect for Labor Day begins, “Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives.” This is a sentence worth pondering. “All that we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives.” Terence Layne reminds his colleagues that their decision to show up and drive their bus means that someone gets to their dialysis appointment or can receive their cancer treatment. Nurses, medical assistants and grocery workers can get to work and tend to strangers needs for food and comfort. 

This Labor Day begs us to ask ourselves, “How is my life linked to the people around me? How do my actions effect them, for good or ill? What action will I take today aimed at what is right?”

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