Acts of the Apostles and Psalm texts for 3 May 2020

Acts 2:42-47        Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; *

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures *

and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul *

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil; *

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *

you have anointed my head with oil,

and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Reflection        Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is leading us to recognize the beauty that surrounds us? lying down in the green pastures of our homes? being still by the waters of our pools and fountain features? resting in the thick nest of silence?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is showing us a new way of being (not doing) in the world? joining our neighbors sitting six feet apart in the crook of our cul de sacs, raising our cups and crackers in thanksgiving for a community we did not know was there? thanksgiving for the simple pleasure of being present, being alive?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is teaching us the way of holy waiting? offering messages of encouragement by card or call or written in chalk on our driveways? bidding blessings to strangers hand painted on rocks tucked beside cactus and street posts? pausing and being embraced by an unknown person’s care?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God is inviting us to look into the mirror and examine the ways in which our personal programs for security, safety, esteem, power and control enslave us? admitting our addictions and confessing our hidden agendas? seeking help and praying for the grace to be healed?  being the source of healing?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God sees us as sheep conformed to the status quo? damned by the deception of civil, religious and political officials? confused by contention? provoked by propaganda? bound by our fear of the unknown?

Could it be that in this time of stillness, silence and social distance our shepherd, our God calls us by name?  guiding us along the right pathways? reviving our souls as we pass through the valley of the shadow of Covid-19 deaths? anointing our heads with the hands of Divine blessing?

Could it be that we will emerge from this time of stillness, silence and social distance a new and transformed people? recognizing how quickly the earth heals when we are still, silent and let God be God?  the air is purified, the water is clarified and we are restored to immaculate innocence. 

Could it be that this time of stillness, silence and social distance is God’s way of transforming our hearts, our minds, our lives and our planet? leading us on the pathways of righteousness? anointing our heads with the oil of gladness? Could it be?

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Hebrew Testament Text for Sunday 21 October 2018

Job 38:1-7, 34-41

The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up your loins like a man,

I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone

when the morning stars sang together

and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

so that a flood of waters may cover you?

Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go

and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,

or given understanding to the mind?

Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?

Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

when the dust runs into a mass

and the clods cling together?

“Can you hunt the prey for the lion,

or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

when they crouch in their dens,

or lie in wait in their covert?

Who provides for the raven its prey,

when its young ones cry to God, 

and wander about for lack of food?”

Reflection         For weeks, for months, it seems like forever,  we have been standing shoulder to shoulder with Job, crying out to God… “Where are you? Where are you in the midst of my suffering? Where are you in the ruins of Mexico Beach, Florida? in school shootings? among the homeless? the 16.2 million children going to sleep (cannot say bed because many do not have a bed) going to sleep hungry every night? where are you for the two hundred plus migrant children separated from their parents? Where are you for the people marginalized or persecuted because of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social status or age? Where are you for the victims of violence, oppression and genocide throughout the world?”

In answer to these questions I hear the voice of Elie Wiesel, the Jewish writer, professor, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor, whose book, “Night,” recounts his experience as a prisoner in Auschwitz and Buchenwald and his struggle to come to terms with the horrors of the death camps. When receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 Weisel said, “It seemed as impossible to conceive of Auschwitz with God as to conceive of Auschwitz without God.”  He continued, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” We must never stop calling out for God.

This week a parishioner sent me the link to a NYTimes opinion piece titled, “It’s Getting Harder to Talk About God.”* *https://nyti.ms/2QQF5yl The writer, Jonathan Merritt asks, “How do we speak about God in times like these when God is hard to spot?” To address his query Merritt turns to a survey of one thousand American adults, more than three fourths of whom report they do not often have spiritual or religious conversations, and that includes self identified Christians. Merritt, a preacher’s kid and part-time minister describes his own experience, “conversations stall out the moment the subject turns spiritual.”   In his book, “Learning to Speak God from Scratch”  Merritt avers that words connoting moral virtues such as love, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness and thankfulness “are falling out of use” by as much as 56% since the early 20th century. The question echoes, “Where is God in this?”

Here is the thing, what matters is not that we can speak fluently about God - after all, what can we rightly say? What matters is that we never stop speaking for God. Dear people of God, I believe what really matters is that we join Elie Weisel and refuse “to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.” Like Job, we must never stop calling out for God and then pause, listen for God’s presence in the midst of our whirlwinds. 

Another good read about finding God in the midst of pain is

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/25/opinion/sunday/after-great-pain-where-is-god.html

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Gospel text for 4th Sunday of Easter 7 May 2017

John 10:1-10        Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 

Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Reflection     Do you remember this Easter morning story? Early in the morning on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene remained alone at Jesus’ empty tomb crying? At first she didn’t recognize him,  but when he  called her by name in the depths of her heart Mary recognized Jesus’ voice? (John 20.1, 14-16) I believe this story points beyond the physical hearing of voices on the outside to the deep interior place where we “hear and know” what is right and good and true. 

Or the much loved story of two disciples leaving Jerusalem recounting the torture and death of their friend Jesus, when the risen Christ appeared to them as they remembered the words of holy scripture and how  Jesus took bread and blessed, broke and gave it to them?  “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road.”( Luke 24.13-25)

In  John’s text we listen to Jesus’ parable,  “… the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

Is it too bold to assume that every one of us has had the experience of something stirring inside us, our hearts burning or perhaps a still, small voice, “Don’t do that?” Or a nagging inner sense, “I really need to call Harold.” Or maybe you caught yourself saying, “Something told me….” or “I knew better,” or that just felt right or wrong, or I knew he was telling the truth or I knew she was lying.

Jesus invites the disciples and us to pay attention to the voice we recognize within ourselves, the voice of the Good Shepherd who knows us deeply and intimately, the still small voice within that leads us out of temptation and “guides us along right pathways.” Jesus encourages us to rely on the voice of the Good Shepherd within to comfort us in our dark times and guide us when faced with evil. 

Unlike rulers, leaders and teachers who steal and kill, manipulate and destroy for their own gain, the interior voice of the Good Shepherd may be trusted to guide and direct us toward life in abundance. 

If you are wondering what you can do to better hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, consider trying a practice of  silence and deep listening, centering prayer, Christian meditation or walking silently alone on the desert. Even ten minutes every day will tune your inner 'hearing.' Join us for Centering Prayer Wednesdays as 2pm. 

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