“Six Days Later…” A Sermon preached by The Rev. Canon Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at Church of the Ascension, Rochester, New York
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. (Matt. 17:1-2)
15Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. (Exodus 24:15-16)
Well, we’ve finally made it. Today is the last Sunday in an unusually long season of Epiphany and we hear Matthew’s version of the transfiguration story. Notice the way the transfiguration story in Matthew’s gospel begins. “Six days later” Matthew writes, “Jesus went up the mountain, taking with him Peter, James and John.” In a gospel narrative full of activity, full of teaching, preaching, healing and miracles, full of important deep discussions between Jesus and his disciples, we have this gap – those mysterious six days about which we know nothing. The transfiguration story occurs mid-way through Matthew’s gospel. By the time we hear this story, Jesus has already established himself as a teacher, preacher, healer and miracle worker. He has become the subject of much discussion and controversy. He has been ignored in his own hometown, has fed the five thousand, walked on water, fed the four thousand, healed lepers, restored sight to the blind, preached the beatitudes, taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer and much more.
Six days before the transfiguration event, Jesus had a serious talk with his disciples. He asked them what people were saying about him, who the people thought he was. They told him, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But who do you say that I am”, he then asks them. Peter replies, “You are the Messiah, the son of the Living God.” After Peter makes this declaration Jesus then predicts his own passion, which causes Peter, at least, to cry out in protest. Then comes that mysterious six days. We know nothing of what happened then. Six quiet, uneventful, unknown days.
Perhaps those six days were a quiet time of reflection and gestation for Jesus and his friends. They’d been busy up till now, and the enormity of Jesus’ mission in the world was beginning to become obvious to them. When Peter spoke those fateful words, it was an up-short moment. Especially as Jesus then explained what would be involved in his destiny – the cross and death. They needed those six days to absorb all this information, to give it time to sink into their consciousness, to begin to orient themselves to this new and unsettling knowledge about how Jesus’ ministry would play out. Then Jesus took three of them and went apart, away from the hustle bustle of regular life, up to a mountain, presumably to pray. And of course, how does one get to the top of a mountain? By climbing, naturally, and that is not easy going. It’s hard work. It causes sore muscles and blisters on your feet and sweating and hard breathing. It’s not a mere stroll. And lo and behold, God rewarded all that effort, both the reflection during the six days and the climb up the mountain with a rather spectacular theophany.
In the midst of what seems like endless winter nature reminds us that it is natural to have times of inactivity and non-productivity, times when things seem to be in a holding pattern, nothing much going on. During the cold of winter, nature sleeps, resting before the awakening of spring. In our culture we are so conditioned to be productive and to accomplish, to make efficient use of our time, that we have a hard time allowing things to gestate and bloom in their own good time. When things get quiet and nothing much seems to be going on, we fear that we are letting things slide. In the spiritual life, however, those times of apparent inactivity are vitally important for real spiritual growth. Without them, the seeds God plants within us might never have time to produce fruit. Church of the Ascension is in one of those waiting times, as your Search Committee works diligently to vet potential priests and the rest of the congregation hangs in the balance, waiting, wondering, undoubtedly at times thinking nothing is going on and this limbo state will last forever. None of us feel comfortable in the waiting times. Hospital waiting rooms, airport departure lounges, the last weeks of pregnancy, the vigil at a deathbed - waiting for a hiring process to play itself out – all these waiting times try our patience and sometimes our faith. Transfiguration moments are what we all want – a spectacular theophany with God’s voice giving us direction. Yet what we often get are long periods of waiting and wondering, in a silence that feels deafening when we are eager for a divine word.
Six days after the serious and sobering conversation about Jesus’ identity as Messiah and his destiny of death on a cross, the disciples see him transfigured – “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. …While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!””
For a brief moment they were privileged to see and understand the complexity of Jesus and his mission in the world. They saw not only the human being who walked with them, and ate with them, and taught and preached and healed, but also the divine within him. They knew Jesus the man, they knew his mother and his brothers, they had been to parties with him and had walked many a dusty mile with him. But now they saw the other side of him. It was a heady moment, and one they would sorely need after they came down off that mountain and proceeded on to Jerusalem and the gruesome events that they would witness there. This moment of divine insight and revelation followed the quiet six days of ordinariness and the mundane, of nothing much of importance happening. I suspect that God was working through those disciples during that week of downtime, so that they were open and receptive to the vision that they received on that mountaintop. During six days of relatively uneventful, ordinary life, the souls of the disciples were being readied for the in-breaking of God on that mountaintop.
It is in the course of our ordinary moments that God works on our souls so that we might be open to a transfiguration moment. This story also tells us that we already have within us what we need to do God’s work and answer God’s call to us. When Jesus was transfigured on that mountaintop, the disciples didn’t see a new Jesus, they simply had a moment to see very clearly all that Jesus was called to be, all that God had placed within him. Those deep truths about him that were often concealed from daily sight were momentarily revealed in all their glory. When we have moments of transfiguration, all the glorious godly potential that lies in us is also revealed, even if only briefly, providing us the opportunity to grab that holy potential and run with it into the future.
For Ascension, this season of transition, this time of waiting for new leadership to be called and to arrive is like those six unknown days. God is working on this community and through each and every one of you as you pray, and wait, and reflect upon your call as a faith community and your life together and as you seek the right person to lead you into the future that God has prepared for you. Your Search Committee is climbing a holy mountain as they do the difficult spiritual work of discernment. They await a vision of Ascension’s hidden potential and of the gifts and hidden potential in the candidates that they will interview and get to know in the next months. This is tough spiritual work - hints of inspiration followed by hours of just waiting and wondering. And the rest of you are like the nine disciples that were left behind when Jesus and the other three went up the mountain. You’ve got to wait for the others to come down the mountain and then follow them on the road to Jerusalem.
In Celtic Christianity these transfiguration moments are often referred to as “thin places.” Thin places are times and moments when the ever present reality of the sacred and divine, so often hidden and inscrutable momentarily becomes manifest – the veil seems to lift and God is revealed to the mortal eye. Thomas Merton describes this reality:
Life is this simple. We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent, and God is shining through it all the time. This is not just a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes, and we see it maybe frequently. God shows Himself everywhere, in everything- in people and in things and in nature and in events. It becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without Him. It’s impossible. The only thing is that we don’t see it. (Quoted in Marcus Borg’s Heart of Christianity, p.155)
God told Peter, James and John on that mountaintop, “listen to him.” Transfiguration has much to do with listening. Listening to each other, to the tugs and yearnings in our hearts, and most of all to the whispering of the Holy Spirit. Listening with the whole of our lives, so that, when we are ready to receive what God is offering, we are able to embrace that gift in all its complex fullness. Those moments on the mountaintop, those moments of intense clarity and vision don’t happen often and can’t be summoned. They are the fruit of long periods of quiet reflection and prayer followed by the courage to climb the mountain and encounter God in whatever way God chooses to become manifest. And transfiguration moments sometimes happen to some members of a community for the benefit of all. As your Search Committee continues its very hard work, I commend them to your prayers and encourage all of you to listen to them when they come down from the mountain to tell you what they have seen. Then you’ll all be called to walk together into the future that a new leader will help you to realize. That too is transfigurative work. One writer put it well - “Transfiguration is living by vision…The beyond shines in our midst-on the way to the cross.”
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Sermon, Epiphany 8, February 27, 2008
A Sermon preached by The Rev. Deborah Brown, Presiding Youth Missioner, Diocese of Rochester at Church of the Ascension, on Sunday, February 27, 2011
Our world today is dangerous. Modern technology, a globalized economy, easy communication, massive migration, and youth violence, especially in Rochester, now spread the effects of crises in one part of the world to other parts very quickly. Everyone is affected in some form or another. How can we not be anxious?
The Church still struggles with race, gender, and human sexuality. However, we may not be where we want to be, but thank God we have moved a little further ahead. As the Church continues to struggle over these issues, youth, who are the future and the hope for a beloved community, are dropping like flies into penal systems and the grave. Rochester is ranked 11th in the country for child poverty. Drug dealers are using 11-14 year olds to sell drugs and carrying guns. Street crime is up. How can we not worry about our life?
Many music videos convey messages that bling, violence, a 40 ounce, a blunt, and dressing like a thug or provocatively are ways of life. Some young girls think it is appropriate to allow boys call them nasty and derogatory names because “he loves me, and he is my baby’s daddy.” Some young girls are dressing in ways that, if my grandmother had seen them, she would have had a fit. Modern technology has produced educational computer software, yet our youth spend hours playing with avatars online, and playing the gambling game Texas Hold’em. Others are chatting unknowingly to sexual predators online in chat rooms, and arranging to meet them. And there are youth who are bullied, and for them, the only way out is suicide. Have we stood back and said that that today’s youth problems and anyone out side of these red doors, are characteristic of a particular culture, social status, or race? Or have we begun to figure out ways that as a community, we might begin dialogues within the faith community and the local community to help those that have difficulty helping themselves. Or are we only concerned about our safety, wellbeing, and fortune?
In our gospel text, Jesus tells us not to worry about anything. Don’t worry about what you are going wear, what you are going to eat because he is taking care of the birds of the airs, and the flowers of the fields. Therefore, he cares for us. It is comforting to know that God will provide for us, and sometimes we might have to go without in many circumstances. Birds of the air die, flowers of the field wither away, people are going hungry, people are still oppressed and depressed, and we like the flowers die. Well, that sounds very comforting if you have money in the bank, your house and car is paid for, you are retired with a good pension, or assured of having a job in the next six months. But what about those folks who are homeless, no clothes, food, jobs, no money? Sometimes just saying to a homeless person, “I’m praying for you” is not enough. They need help. I am sure that they are worried about where the next meal is coming from, where are they going to get money to buy formula and Pampers, how are they going to give their children money for school lunch when gas prices are getting close to $4.00 a gallon. It isn’t easy to say “I’m not worried,” when you are looking at a disconnection notice from RG&E or the doctor says I need to see you because there is a shadow on your x-ray.
In this day of individualism, the focus is still on how to keep up with the Jones, instead of asking how the Jones are doing. We get caught up in I get mine, and you get yours that we forget that we were put here on earth to love and serve one another as the Church, and as the Church we are suppose to take this same love to the streets and take care of the people outside these red doors. I believe Christ is calling us into accountability for each other in our times of anxiety, stress, and pressure. I often wonder why our anxiety, and fear of lack hinders us from reaching out into the community and reaching those who are lost which might mean sacrificing our personal desires and needs to help another person.
This is the last Sunday in Black History month. It is a time to reflect on the history and legacies of the great cloud of African-American witnesses who have gone before us, and fought for justice for all people. They endured the emotional, physical, and psychological abuses of segregation and rebelled against Jim Crow laws so that others might taste freedom and experience justice. It was their love and selflessness made it possible for me to stand here today in this pulpit as the first African-American priest ordained in the Diocese of Rochester.
When I read this text, I thought about The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. vision of the Beloved Community. Where is the beloved community that Dr. King? A world where there is love, adoration and respect for all people, including children and youth. His beloved community was a community in which the basic needs of every person-healthcare, meaningful and gainful employment, and education that includes the historically left-out stories—are met before the individual are allowed to accumulate massive amounts of wealth-wealth that is frequently amassed at the expense of human beings and non-human life forms and the environment. We should be anxious when our sisters and brothers in the community are broken and hurt, we should be anxious when their basic needs are not met. We should be worried that another black child got shot down, even though your grandchildren are doing just fine. It is too easy to sit back and say God will take care of it or it is not my problem. It is our problem because we are God’s ears, eyes, hands, and feet. We have been called to go out into the community and build relationships and partnerships with people, who for some reason, we fear, and we have been called by God to make a difference by creating transformative programs within the church that meet the needs of those in the community! We can’t wait for tomorrow because tomorrow has enough problems of its own. We have to work on today’s problems that might create a better tomorrow.
In President Obama’s speech to the people in Arizona, he stated that “he believes we can be better…we may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but he knows that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. He believes that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.” As members of the body of Christ, we are united through our humanity and our baptism. The baptismal vows remind us that we are responsible for every human being, and must respect the integrity and dignity of every human being. We need to worry about our brothers and sisters in the streets. The entire body of Christ must strive to work within the local community and within government to build a beloved community. The church, this church, that is located in the middle of a community in crises needs help, has the potential of being the plumb line of justice, the mortar of love, and can demonstrate the love of the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, who provides a solid foundation.
We, the church, did not come this far by faith alone. It took concern for one another, discernment, tenacity, wisdom, collaboration, determination, and imagination. When we work as a community—old, young, black, white, blue, yellow, green, short or tall--and move by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, Dr. King’s dream of the beloved community will become a reality. AMEN
Our world today is dangerous. Modern technology, a globalized economy, easy communication, massive migration, and youth violence, especially in Rochester, now spread the effects of crises in one part of the world to other parts very quickly. Everyone is affected in some form or another. How can we not be anxious?
The Church still struggles with race, gender, and human sexuality. However, we may not be where we want to be, but thank God we have moved a little further ahead. As the Church continues to struggle over these issues, youth, who are the future and the hope for a beloved community, are dropping like flies into penal systems and the grave. Rochester is ranked 11th in the country for child poverty. Drug dealers are using 11-14 year olds to sell drugs and carrying guns. Street crime is up. How can we not worry about our life?
Many music videos convey messages that bling, violence, a 40 ounce, a blunt, and dressing like a thug or provocatively are ways of life. Some young girls think it is appropriate to allow boys call them nasty and derogatory names because “he loves me, and he is my baby’s daddy.” Some young girls are dressing in ways that, if my grandmother had seen them, she would have had a fit. Modern technology has produced educational computer software, yet our youth spend hours playing with avatars online, and playing the gambling game Texas Hold’em. Others are chatting unknowingly to sexual predators online in chat rooms, and arranging to meet them. And there are youth who are bullied, and for them, the only way out is suicide. Have we stood back and said that that today’s youth problems and anyone out side of these red doors, are characteristic of a particular culture, social status, or race? Or have we begun to figure out ways that as a community, we might begin dialogues within the faith community and the local community to help those that have difficulty helping themselves. Or are we only concerned about our safety, wellbeing, and fortune?
In our gospel text, Jesus tells us not to worry about anything. Don’t worry about what you are going wear, what you are going to eat because he is taking care of the birds of the airs, and the flowers of the fields. Therefore, he cares for us. It is comforting to know that God will provide for us, and sometimes we might have to go without in many circumstances. Birds of the air die, flowers of the field wither away, people are going hungry, people are still oppressed and depressed, and we like the flowers die. Well, that sounds very comforting if you have money in the bank, your house and car is paid for, you are retired with a good pension, or assured of having a job in the next six months. But what about those folks who are homeless, no clothes, food, jobs, no money? Sometimes just saying to a homeless person, “I’m praying for you” is not enough. They need help. I am sure that they are worried about where the next meal is coming from, where are they going to get money to buy formula and Pampers, how are they going to give their children money for school lunch when gas prices are getting close to $4.00 a gallon. It isn’t easy to say “I’m not worried,” when you are looking at a disconnection notice from RG&E or the doctor says I need to see you because there is a shadow on your x-ray.
In this day of individualism, the focus is still on how to keep up with the Jones, instead of asking how the Jones are doing. We get caught up in I get mine, and you get yours that we forget that we were put here on earth to love and serve one another as the Church, and as the Church we are suppose to take this same love to the streets and take care of the people outside these red doors. I believe Christ is calling us into accountability for each other in our times of anxiety, stress, and pressure. I often wonder why our anxiety, and fear of lack hinders us from reaching out into the community and reaching those who are lost which might mean sacrificing our personal desires and needs to help another person.
This is the last Sunday in Black History month. It is a time to reflect on the history and legacies of the great cloud of African-American witnesses who have gone before us, and fought for justice for all people. They endured the emotional, physical, and psychological abuses of segregation and rebelled against Jim Crow laws so that others might taste freedom and experience justice. It was their love and selflessness made it possible for me to stand here today in this pulpit as the first African-American priest ordained in the Diocese of Rochester.
When I read this text, I thought about The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. vision of the Beloved Community. Where is the beloved community that Dr. King? A world where there is love, adoration and respect for all people, including children and youth. His beloved community was a community in which the basic needs of every person-healthcare, meaningful and gainful employment, and education that includes the historically left-out stories—are met before the individual are allowed to accumulate massive amounts of wealth-wealth that is frequently amassed at the expense of human beings and non-human life forms and the environment. We should be anxious when our sisters and brothers in the community are broken and hurt, we should be anxious when their basic needs are not met. We should be worried that another black child got shot down, even though your grandchildren are doing just fine. It is too easy to sit back and say God will take care of it or it is not my problem. It is our problem because we are God’s ears, eyes, hands, and feet. We have been called to go out into the community and build relationships and partnerships with people, who for some reason, we fear, and we have been called by God to make a difference by creating transformative programs within the church that meet the needs of those in the community! We can’t wait for tomorrow because tomorrow has enough problems of its own. We have to work on today’s problems that might create a better tomorrow.
In President Obama’s speech to the people in Arizona, he stated that “he believes we can be better…we may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but he knows that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. He believes that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.” As members of the body of Christ, we are united through our humanity and our baptism. The baptismal vows remind us that we are responsible for every human being, and must respect the integrity and dignity of every human being. We need to worry about our brothers and sisters in the streets. The entire body of Christ must strive to work within the local community and within government to build a beloved community. The church, this church, that is located in the middle of a community in crises needs help, has the potential of being the plumb line of justice, the mortar of love, and can demonstrate the love of the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, who provides a solid foundation.
We, the church, did not come this far by faith alone. It took concern for one another, discernment, tenacity, wisdom, collaboration, determination, and imagination. When we work as a community—old, young, black, white, blue, yellow, green, short or tall--and move by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, Dr. King’s dream of the beloved community will become a reality. AMEN
Monday, February 28, 2011
And He was Transfigured Before Them
WE WELCOME ALL VISITORS AND SEEKERS OF GOD
ALL BAPTIZED CHRISTIANS ARE INVITED TO RECEIVE THE HOLY COMMUNION.
LORD, LET US PRAY AND WORK TO HEAR YOUR WORD, CHANGE OUR HEARTS
AND GO
Dear Friends, February 28, 2011
We were pleased to have The Rev. Deborah Brown presenting the sermon for the services yesterday. Rev. Brown is the Presiding Youth Missioner for the Diocese. Her sermon addressed the charge given us in the Gospel reading that we should not worry about our next meal, or what we will wear. However, she pointed out that there are many individuals today, specifically in our own community, who must worry about where their next meal is coming from, or the desperate situations that they find themselves facing. Her charge to us was that "We are the body of Christ." As such we should indeed not worry about our own needs, but attempt to reach out to those who must worry about the future they are facing.
Please keep in your daily prayers all those in need of healing, and those who serve in our military forces. To assist in our spiritual life, Forward Day by Day booklets are $.85 each in the back of the Church [Tower Room].
If we want to grow and share God's prosperity of faith, we must love God, love our friends and then speak openly to them. A congregation grows starting with each faithful person. God will help us share the Bread of Life.....God will help us live into our Baptismal Covenant of sharing His word and our lives and resources [which is the true Meaning of Life]. We never know how ready a friend may be to hear a word of encouragement in faith. We never know when God will bring someone to speak to us, and enrich our own life.
WOMEN'S GROUP: Our next meeting will take place on Thursday, March 3rd in the library. At that time Nancy Lennox will present the "State of the Church". This will include an update on the plans for Church repair and renovation, the new outreach programs and the status of the clergy search. Please bring a sandwich and dessert and beverages will be provided.
BLANKET DRIVE: Sunday was the last official Sunday for the blanket drive. However, if you have not as yet made a contribution, please do so as soon as possible. Prior to yesterday's services, we had received enought funds for 214 blankets which was 58 blankets short of our last years' total of 282. A reminder that checks can be made out to Ellie Swarts.
SPAGHETTI DINNER: The Spaghetti Dinner is this coming Saturday, March 5th. As always, Patty Frasca is in need of individuals to assist in food preparation, serving and clean-up. If you are able to help out in any capacity, please contact Patty at 615-6790. Also don't forget to make your reservations for this wonderful dinner and bring your friends. Reservations can be made on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex, or by calling the Church office at 458-5423. The dinner is $8.00 for adults, $4.00 for children 6-12, free for children under 6.
PANCAKE SUPPER: In preparation for Lent, there will be a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper held on Tuesday, March 8th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the great hall. This event is hosted by the Ascension Men's Club. There is no charge for this supper but donations will be welcomed. Reservations can be made on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex or by calling the Church office at 458-5423.
CONCERTO CONCERT: Our organist and choir director, John Allegar, will be performing in a concerto concert of Eastman students at Sacred Heart Cathedral the evening of Tuesday, March 1st at 8 PM. Mark that date on your calendars to hear some wonderful performances.
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES: Services for Ash Wednesday, on March 9th will be held at 9 AM and 7:30 PM. The Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes will be offered at both services.
LENTEN BOOK STUDY: The Lenten Book Study will be using "The Last Week" by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. This book is a day-by-day account of Jesus' final week in
DIOCESAN SUBSCRIPTION UPDATES: A reminder: If you have not completed the individual and family information updates for the diocese, please go on the Diocese web site and update your information or get a form from Mary in the office to complete.
DON'T FORGET - The Ascension Piecemakers Quilt Group is offering a stunning queen-size quilt. This quilt would be a handsome addition to any decor! Coupons are $2 or 3 for $5. All proceeds will go to the Bell Tower Restoration Project. You can see the quilt and get more details each Sunday at Coffee Hour.
TIME TO MARK CALENDARS! There are memorable dinners upcoming.
Saturday. March 5th, 2011 SPAGHETTI DINNER
Saturday. April 30th, 2011 CHICKEN & BISCUIT DINNER
Friday. June 3rd, 2011 LOBSTER DINNER
PLEASE MAKE NOTE!!!
Coffee Hour after the 10 AM Sunday service is a wonderful opportunity to greet friends, old and new, and catch up on news. There are opportunities to host Coffee Hour in the weeks ahead. Won't you help this ministry? If not sure how to host, you may call
Please phone or visit a friend who is not able to get out or whom you've been meaning to contact. There are many who would love a call and an invitation to church or an inquiry as to when you might pay a visit. We can invite friends to accompany us to church - and take them out for brunch afterward!
To beautify our worship, in upcoming weeks there are opportunities for altar flowers. We will soon be asked to sign up for Easter Lilies to be placed on the altar in memory of our loved ones. When the fliers are put in the bulletin, please turn them in as soon as possible so Laurie can order the proper amount and can submit the list of memorials to be indicated. As you fill out the sheets, please print so Laurie can use proper spellings in the bulletin at Easter. Will you take up this ministry to the glory of God and to our spirits? To donate, please contact Laurie Phillips, 865-2802 or email LBP@rochester.rr.com
If we wish to learn the true Meaning of Life, grow as Christians and share our love of God, we need to know the stories of the Bible. Thursday Bible Study is in the Library at 9 AM. Please 'Come and See'. The season of Epiphany presents us with an exploration of the life of Christ and his teachings. There is food for thought and often refreshments to share. The study is of the Gospel Lesson for next Sunday, found below. No Bible Thumping, just good conversation!!
The Rochester Interfaith Jail Ministry asks your ongoing help - by donating through
There is God's work for each of us when we see new people on Sunday or at an event. Let's introduce ourselves and make them welcome. An invitation to chat at Coffee Hour is a great ice-breaker. So is sitting with a new person and guiding her/him in the materials, if this is their first time with us.
Do you have a pocket card to hand to a friend who asks about Ascension? Cards are on the table in the back of the church. Please take a few, and be ready to share. We have pocket crosses in the table drawer to hand to those who answer the call to "Come and See"..
The anthem this coming Sunday will be "O How Amiable are Thy Dwellings". To hear a performance of this familiar anthem go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W11knO4jbqs
If you have a new or better email address for yourself, or know someone who might like to receive this weekly e-letter, please send in that information.
Blessings,
Jan Wills
585-621-3900
*******************************
Matthew 17:1-9
17:1 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
17:2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.
17:3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
17:4 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
17:5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!"
17:6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
17:7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid."
17:8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
RECIPE: I decided it was time for a good vegetable recipe. This is one that can be used any time and works very well if you have to take a dish to a dinner. I use it alot in the summer when I have a large quantity of zucchini in the garden.
Zucchini Casserole
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1 bag bread stuffing mix
1 jar chopped pimento or 1 cup shredded carrot (for additional color)
1 stick butter
Fill a large kettle with water, add zucchini and onion slices, bring to a boil. Boil until vegetables are fork tender. Drain well.
Mix soup, sour cream and pimento or carrot.
In a 9x13 baking pan pour half of the bag of stuffing mix and spread evenly on the bottom. Melt the butter and pour half over the stuffing mix.
Spread the drained zucchini and onions over the stuffing.
Spread the soup and sour cream mixture over the vegetables.
Add the remaining stuffing mix spread evenly over the top.
Drizzle the remaining butter on top.
Bake at 350 degrees about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is brown and casserole is bubbling.
Next week, I will give you another good fish recipe for the Lenten season.
HAVE A WONDERFUL AND BLESSED WEEK!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sermon, February 20, 2011 - Epiphany 7
"Being Holy", A Sermon Preached by The Rev. Canon Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at Church of the Ascension, Rochester, New York
You shall be holy, as I the Lord your God am Holy. (Leviticus 19:2)Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. (Matt. 5:48)
“Be all that you can be.” When I was an attorney working for Young & Rubicam advertising agency in New York, that was the slogan we created and developed for the United States Army, a major and remunerative client of the agency. Ads for the Army showed able bodied, beautiful buff young men and women working out, riding jeeps, climbing walls, engaging in acts of “derring do” with flags and military uniforms and a good dose of old fashioned patriotism as we lured young people into military service. How ironic that the U. S. military would have as its slogan a phrase that captures the essence of the final line of the section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that we read today. “Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect” is a somewhat sloppy translation from the Greek, where the word we translate as “perfect” actually derives from the Greek word telos, meaning “goal”, or “end” or “purpose.” The phrase does not mean what it sounds like in the NRSV translation, i.e. it does not call us to some ideal of perfection in behavior or outward appearance or conduct, but rather calls us to become all that we are created to be as children of the living God. It is a call to “be all you can be” but that you that is called into being is the you that is a child of God, a holy, compassionate being grounded in love and committed to being love in the world.
That last line of today’s portion of the Sermon on the Mount has troubled many a commentator through the centuries and, no doubt, has been one of those exhortations from holy writ that has left many a faithful person despairing of ever rising to the level that Jesus appears to be calling us to achieve. A different translation of that phrase is found in Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible, the version known as The Message, a very contemporary translation, where Jesus says, “Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." Being “kingdom subjects” means we are people who are citizens of the kingdom of heaven, and we are expected to live our everyday lives as if we are living in the kingdom of heaven.
Both today’s reading from the Sermon on the Mount and the portion of Leviticus which contains what is known as the Holiness Code deal with some very concrete images of what it means to be “kingdom subjects.” These two passages read like a sacred version of the book “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” given that these are very direct and specific examples of ways of acting in the world that are pleasing to God. Loving one’s parents and neighbors, observing the Sabbath, leaving gleanings in the field for the poor, don’t steal, commit fraud, or lie, pay your workers their wages on time, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Then Jesus adds some more instruction which sounds like he’s even more strict than the Holiness Code when in truth he’s simply broadening what is already embedded in the tradition. His language about turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and loving one’s enemies all speak to the need to be holy people by refusing to engage in enmity, revenge, or violence. The line about not resisting evildoers is not a command to let evildoers run amok in our world. The Greek words translated as “do not resist” are more accurately translated as “do not resist violently,” or “with violence.” Resistance isn’t the issue, it’s violence. All of Jesus’ exhortations in this portion of the Sermon are about being peaceful, reconciling, non-violent people in a world that often rewards and invites just the opposite behavior. “Love your enemies” is a tough command to swallow in the world that is not God’s kingdom, but in God’s kingdom there would be no enemies. By loving those we might call “enemy” we bring in the kingdom as we reduce the alienation and polarization of an us/them world and learn to see all people in the world as children of God deserving of the same love and respect that we want for ourselves.
The advice to turn the other cheek is an exhortation to engage in non-violent resistance to evildoers, quite the opposite of the way it is often interpreted as essentially making yourself a doormat and letting someone beat up on you. In the ancient world, a slap on the face was done with the back of the right hand. For someone to hit you a second time, on the “other cheek” with the back of their right hand is very difficult to do, so to turn the other cheek is actually a way of standing up to the person, not unlike non-violent resisters who place themselves in front of tanks or nuclear plants daring their opponents to run them over. The example of giving your cloak if someone asks for your coat is another image that involves the people on the bottom of an oppressive regime standing up to the oppressor, by stripping themselves naked before the oppressor thus humiliating that oppressor through the extreme action. And going a second mile refers to the practice in the Roman Empire of the ruling class being able to conscript a poor person on a moment’s notice to do manual labor for them. By suggesting that the person do more than is asked of them is to encourage them to put the oppressor in a position of being the recipient of freely given service rather than slave labor. All of these are situations where the underdog stands up to cruel ruling powers with dignified, non-violent resistance.
All of the commandments that the writer of Leviticus and Jesus are articulating deal with very ordinary, everyday human interactions. Both Leviticus and Jesus suggest that being holy is all about how we deal with other people in the world and becoming holy is something we do in the course of our ordinary, humdrum, work-a-day lives. It’s not about retreating to a holy mountain or monastery and praying for hours on end, or engaging in strict ascetical practices. Holiness is born in the midst of ordinary human interactions. Love is something that is incarnate in the everyday interactions between people in a society, and most particularly for Jesus, between people who may not have a natural affective relational tie.
The command to pray for enemies calls us to treat those we think of as enemies as real human beings with a story, with feelings, with hopes, dreams and desires that must be respected. It is probably the single most challenging spiritual discipline there is. Loving someone who has hurt you or whom you believe may hurt you is not easy and takes discipline and hard work and courage. It is a mark of maturity, spiritual and psychological. The command to pray for our enemies is one worth keeping, not for the sake of our enemies, but for the sake of our own souls. If someone drives you completely crazy, or has made you enormously angry, pray for them. It’s hard to hate someone you pray for regularly.
And while some may criticize this portion of the Sermon on the Mount as being idealistic and unrealistic, I would suggest that the part about loving and praying for enemies is something that contains the most transformative potential of any spiritual wisdom there is. Think of how it has worked in our world historically. The civil rights movement, which was the product of Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to non-violent resistance based on the gospel of love, the end of apartheid in South Africa, also a product of non-violent resistance rooted in Jesus’ teachings about loving enemies and forgiveness, the increasing use of restorative justice principles to resolve criminal disputes, where the victim and the perpetrator actually meet one another and listen to one another and come to understand one another as human beings, and even the recent peaceful revolution in Egypt are all examples of people loving enemies and being transformed in the process. The Forgiveness Project is a worldwide movement dedicated to restorative justice principles. They have a website that I invite you to visit. There you will see and read countless stories of people who have found healing and wholeness – indeed, “holiness” through building personal relationships with their enemies.
When I visited the West Bank in Palestine I met one of the people featured on the Forgiveness Project site. Bassam Aramin is a Palestinian, a former “freedom fighter” who had engaged in violent action against the Israeli occupation of Palestine. He spent seven years in an Israeli jail after throwing grenades at an Israeli soldier’s jeep. No one was killed but he was arrested and thrown in jail at the age of 17. While there, he was beaten and humiliated. He struck up a dialogue with an Israeli guard in the prison which proved to be transformative for him and the guard. He came to understand in prison that dialogue and education and peaceful resistance to oppression was the only way forward. After his release he founded an organization named “Combatants for Peace” along with former Israeli soldiers who also wanted to find a non-violent way forward. These former enemies came together, having laid down their arms permanently to work together for peace. Two years after beginning this active peace work, Mr. Arramin’s 10 year old daughter was shot to death outside her school by Israeli soldiers. Even then, he refused to go down the road of anger and revenge. The soldier who killed his child has still not been held accountable, but 100 former Israeli soldiers who have joined his movement for peace built a garden in her honor at the school where she was killed. Bassam had to overcome his rage and hatred and desire for revenge, just as the Israeli soldiers had to overcome years of indoctrination and dehumanization of Palestinians, in order to engage one another as human beings deserving of respect and dignity. Combatants for Peace works to bring peace in the midst of the intractable conflict in Israel and Palestine, building playgrounds for Israeli and Palestinian children to share and play in together. The path of non-violence and respectful engagement of those we might call “enemy” is the path towards making the kingdom of heaven a reality in the world today.
Yes, the commandments given by Jesus in today’s reading from the Sermon on the Mount are tough going. If we take them seriously, as we must, we will be forced to do some of the most difficult spiritual and emotional work there is to do in the course of human life. But, if we want to “be all we can be” as holy people of God we have no choice but to take seriously the call to non-violence, peaceful resolution of conflict, and dignified and respectful engagement with those we consider “enemies.” Just as army recruits have to go through boot camp to “be all they can be”, we who want to be disciples of the Risen Christ have to be willing to go through the spiritual boot camp of learning to love enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and resist violence and oppression with non-violence and embodied love. Being holy is not for the faint of heart but it is a requirement for citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
WE WELCOME ALL VISITORS AND SEEKERS OF GOD
ALL BAPTIZED CHRISTIANS ARE INVITED TO RECEIVE THE HOLY COMMUNION.
LORD, LET US PRAY AND WORK TO HEAR YOUR WORD, CHANGE OUR HEARTS
AND GO FORTH TO DO YOUR WILL, EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
Dear Friends, February 14, 2011
During the 10 AM service yesterday, Rev. Denise preached on "Sacred Choices". Her message focused on the teachings of both Moses and Jesus regarding living in a community. Her final statement was from the words of Moses, "Choose life … Loving the Lord your God." Rev. Denise's full sermon is available in the Blog Archive.
During the 10 AM service yesterday we had the pleasure of being part of the baptism of Madison Renee McKinley.
Marcial left for Africa on Saturday. I had hoped to include his itinerary in this Happenings. However my computer is not cooperating today and I was unable to open the copy that Diane sent me. I will be working in the Church office tomorrow and hope to access it there. I will send an addendum out when I can acquire the information. However, we know that these young people are going into a troubled part of the world to do mission work. Please keep them in your prayers for safety and health.
Please keep in your daily prayers all those in need of healing, and those who serve in our military forces. To assist in our spiritual life, Forward Day by Day booklets are $.85 each in the back of the Church [Tower Room].
If we want to grow and share God's prosperity of faith, we must love God, love our friends and then speak openly to them. A congregation grows starting with each faithful person. God will help us share the Bread of Life.....God will help us live into our Baptismal Covenant of sharing His word and our lives and resources [which is the true Meaning of Life]. We never know how ready a friend may be to hear a word of encouragement in faith. We never know when God will bring someone to speak to us, and enrich our own life.
WOMEN'S GROUP: Our next meeting will take place on Thursday, March 3rd in the library. At that time Nancy Lennox will present the "State of the Church". This will include an update on the plans for Church repair and renovation, the new outreach programs and the status of the clergy search. Please bring a sandwich and dessert and beverages will be provided.
BLANKET DRIVE: February is the month for the annual Church World Services Blanket Drive. Church of the Ascension has been exceedingly generous in their support of this annual drive which provides such needed services to areas of the world in need of food, shelter and training to become self-supporting. To quote from the information sheet: "$200 can provide a struggling farm family with a draft animal to significantly increase their food production and carry their produce to market. $250 can provide a sewing machine to a young mother who needs to support her family." Please consider making a personal commitment to this drive. Checks can be made out to Ellie Swarts, chairman of the drive.
SPAGHETTI DINNER: We are only two weeks away from our first dinner for the year, the Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, March 5th. As always, Patty Frasca is in need of individuals to assist in food preparation, serving and clean-up. If you are able to help out in any capacity, please contact Patty. Also don't forget to make your reservations for this wonderful dinner and bring your friends.
CHURCH OFFICE: Mary will be on vacation the weeks of Feb. 14th and Feb. 21st. There will be coverage in the office each day. However, if you have information for the weekly bulletin or Messenger, please submit these in a timely fashion as there will not be clerical staff in the office each day. If you are unable to reach someone in the Church office and are in need of pastoral care, please contact Don Taylor at 746-2455.
DIOCESAN SUBSCRIPTION UPDATES: A reminder: If you have not completed the individual and family information updates for the diocese, please go on the Diocese web site and update your information or get a form from Mary in the office to complete.
Next Sunday we will celebrate the Dedication of the Church. This is a particularly important year as it is the 125th Anniversary of the founding and of the ministry of Ascension. In preparation, let us draw closer to God - and partake of the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit to counsel, energize and sustain us all.. We honor our long history, but it is our future that must command our attention and energy.
DON'T FORGET - The Ascension Piecemakers Quilt Group is offering a stunning queen-size quilt. This quilt would be a handsome addition to any decor! Coupons are $2 or 3 for $5. All proceeds will go to the Bell Tower Restoration Project. You can see the quilt and get more details each Sunday at Coffee Hour.
TIME TO MARK CALENDARS! There are memorable dinners upcoming.
Saturday. March 5th, 2011 SPAGHETTI DINNER
Saturday. April 30th, 2011 CHICKEN & BISCUIT DINNER
Friday. June 3rd, 2011 LOBSTER DINNER
PLEASE MAKE NOTE!!!
Coffee Hour after the 10 AM Sunday service is a wonderful opportunity to greet friends, old and new, and catch up on news. There are opportunities to host Coffee Hour in the weeks ahead. Won't you help this ministry? If not sure how to host, you may call Nancy Lennox at 663-5805 or Stu or Gene Denison at 663-0988. To sign up - see list in the back of the church or call 458-5423. Thanks!
Please phone or visit a friend who is not able to get out or whom you've been meaning to contact. There are many who would love a call and an invitation to church or an inquiry as to when you might pay a visit. We can invite friends to accompany us to church - and take them out for brunch afterward!
To beautify our worship, in upcoming weeks there are opportunities for altar flowers. Will you take up this ministry to the glory of God and to our spirits? To donate, please contact Laurie Phillips, 865-2802 or email LBP@rochester.rr.com
If we wish to learn the true Meaning of Life, grow as Christians and share our love of God, we need to know the stories of the Bible. Thursday Bible Study is in the Library at 9 AM. Please 'Come and See'. The season of Epiphany presents us with an exploration of the life of Christ and his teachings. There is food for thought and often refreshments to share. The study is of the Gospel Lesson for next Sunday, found below. No Bible Thumping, just good conversation!!
The Rochester Interfaith Jail Ministry asks your ongoing help - by donating through United Way or directly by check to RIJM, 2 Riverside St., Rochester, NY 14613. This will bring books of healing and group sessions to those needing to start lives anew. Remember the Good Samaritan... Please answer this call. To volunteer, call 254-6790. The invitation to help is ongoing, so you are not late to the party! Someone recently made and ongoing United Way designation for RIJM. Many Thanks!
There is God's work for each of us when we see new people on Sunday or at an event. Let's introduce ourselves and make them welcome. An invitation to chat at Coffee Hour is a great ice-breaker. So is sitting with a new person and guiding her/him in the materials, if this is their first time with us.
Do you have a pocket card to hand to a friend who asks about Ascension? Cards are on the table in the back of the church. Please take a few, and be ready to share. We have pocket crosses in the table drawer to hand to those who answer the call to "Come and See"..
In keeping with the theme for the coming week of Dedication of the Church, the choir will be performing the classic anthem, "Locus iste a Deo factus est" by Anton Bruckner. The English translation is "This place was made by God a priceless mystery; it is without reproof." To hear a beautiful presentation of this anthem by the Cologne Cathedral Boys Choir go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmMkHqhe45YOne
If you have a new or better email address for yourself, or know someone who might like to receive this weekly e-letter, please send in that information.
Blessings,
Jan Wills
585-621-3900
*******************************
Matthew 5:38-48
5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
5:39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;
5:40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;
5:41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
5:42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
5:45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
5:47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
RECIPE: For Valentine's Day I couldn't resist giving you a deliciously overindulgent dessert.
CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING
4 TO 5 cups bread - cut into cubes
4 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs (beaten)
butter (for pan)
Cut up bread and let soak in milk for 30 minutes.
In double boiler cook chocolate and milk on low until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. (Note: You can buy chocolate in pouches that is already melted. In that case combine the chocolate and milk and just heat on low until well blended).
Whisk into the milk and chocolate mixture the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt.
Coat an 8x8x2 pan well with butter. Place bread in the pan. Pour the chocolate mixture over the bread. Let stand 2 minutes. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Remember Lent is coming up soon. We have to get in some rich desserts and chocolate before we give them all up for the six weeks of Lent. Starting next week I will give you some good seafood and healthy eating recipes to use during the Lenten season.
HAVE A WONDERFUL AND BLESSED WEEK!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sermon, February 13, 2011, Epiphany 6
“Sacred Choices,” A Sermon preached by The Rev. Canon Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at Church of the Ascension, Rochester, New York
Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days. (Deut. 30:19-20)
We live in a culture that reveres choices. Go down any aisle in Wegman’s and you are overwhelmed with choices, whether it be for breakfast cereal, flavored water, soft drinks or detergents. Tide with bleach or with febreze? Whole grain cereal with honey or plain? Regular Triscuits or the low fat variety? Butter with or without salt? Organic veggies or regular? And we value choice in more important matters too – how many of those who lobbied against health care reform chanted the mantra that government sponsored health care would adversely affect the consumer’s choice of doctors? And the several decades old controversy over legal abortion pits pro-choice advocates against the pro-life advocates, as if choice and life were definitional opposites. We now encourage people to execute living wills so that they are able to make choices about their end of life care before they are rendered unable to voice their choice. We revere personal choice so much that we allow individuals the right to bear arms, even when doing so encourages the carnage that we witnessed in Tucson several weeks ago. Our pioneering, rugged individualist spirits thrive on personal autonomy and individual choice and woe to anyone, governmental or religious, that appears to want to curtail our freedom to choose.
Enter Jesus and Moses. Today you have the privilege of hearing three sermons: one by Moses, one by Jesus and mine, attempting to unpack the other two! And neither of those other two sermons are of the kind I prefer! Moses sounds like a prosperity gospel preacher, dangling the carrot and stick threat that if you don’t do what God wants, bad things will happen to you while if you do what God wants, everything will go well for you, which frankly doesn’t comport with my experience of life. According to Moses, the choices are simple – choose covenant, receive life; reject covenant, receive death. Choose covenant, gain land; reject covenant, lose land. Choose covenant, receive blessing, reject covenant, receive curse. God isn’t offering choices here, rather God is demanding obedience. And obedience to anyone other than our own autonomous selves isn’t something we modern Americans cotton to really well.
And then Jesus seems to be doing a version of fire and brimstone preaching, with his hyperbole about poking out your eye and cutting off your hand if they cause you to sin in order to avoid having your whole body go into hell. Not to mention, if you read this portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount carefully, you might be inclined to throw up your hands and give up, because truly, no matter what you might do, you’re wrong, according to his interpretation of God’s law. It’s now not enough to refrain from murder, you can’t even be angry. It’s not enough to discipline yourself to remain faithful to marriage vows, if you merely “lust in your heart” you’ve already committed adultery. And if you choose to divorce, and you are a woman, you will forever after be committing adultery if you choose to remarry. How is this good news?? Especially in a world where we have seen all too often how just these kinds of human choices have devastating consequences not only for the person who made the choice but for those he or she hurts as well. Take the Tucson shooting – if it’s true that merely being angry is as sinful as acting on that anger, then the shooter did nothing more sinful in shooting and killing six people while wounding nineteen others, than someone who might have been similarly angry but who chose to refrain from violence and deal with their anger some other way. Surely we don’t want to encourage an ethic where it’s just as bad to think bad thoughts as to act on them?
Honestly, the sermons of Moses and Jesus’ are the kinds of sermons that give institutional religion a bad name. And yet, both of these sermons are important and significant wisdom texts from our tradition, preached by Moses and Jesus respectively at major transitional times in the history of our religious ancestors. These are not sermons we can ignore or dismiss. And when we understand more of the context of these sermons, their messages make considerably more spiritual sense.
Moses is addressing the Ancient Israelites at the very end of his life. He is dying and will not see the Promised Land that they are about to enter. His farewell address to his people takes 26 chapters and in it he reviews their entire sojourn together, starting with their liberation from captivity in Egypt, continuing on through their forty years of wandering in the desert. As they are on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, Moses wants to remind them of their covenant with YHWH and of the fact that they prosper and thrive best when they are in right relationship with YHWH. He reviews for them God’s insistence that they be about justice, and that their people thrived best when they canceled the debts of the poor (15:1-11), pushed government to guard against excessive wealth (16:18-20), limited punishment to protect human dignity (19:1-7), offered hospitality to runaway slaves (23:15-16), paid employees fairly (14:14-15) and left the gleanings in the fields for those who are poor. (24:19-22) As Moses looked back he noticed that life was best for God’s people when they were trying to please God and working to keep the promises of their covenant with God. And so he exhorts them to choose well, to choose that which is pleasing to God because God longs for all God’s people to thrive and prosper and God expects God’s people to care about each other so that the community will know life. God, you see, is concerned about people being loving community, and God urges God’s people to make choices that benefit the larger collective, not choices that are good only for a given individual or small group. Here’s where God’s ethics diverge from the prevailing ethic of our contemporary culture.
Now Jesus, as you recall, is preaching to his disciples. He has just told them that they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He believes in them and their connectedness with God and their ability to be God’s light in a dark world. He then moves to some of the minutiae of their laws to emphasize the importance of not only adhering strictly to certain behavioral norms, but to be mindful of their feelings, of what is happening in their hearts so that they remain able to direct their behavior in ways that benefit the society as a whole. He understands that the society will not thrive or reflect the love and mercy of God if the people in it merely refrain from certain bad acts while interiorly experiencing enmity or contempt or apathy. He engages in some homiletical hyperbole, to get their attention and make a point. The gist of his concern is that they work on their inner selves so that their outer behaviors will conform with a transformed and holy inner self. That is advice that stands the test of time, and while the details of the civil laws may change throughout history and from culture to culture, the importance of developing our souls to be bearers of love and compassion in the world remains paramount for all cultures in all ages.
Today we are baptizing Madison Renee McKinley and her parents and godparents will make promises on her behalf as we go through the baptismal covenant. We will all reaffirm our baptismal covenant along with them. Note that our baptismal covenant calls us to be about just the transformation of soul and heart that Jesus and Moses preached about in their respective contexts all those thousands of years ago. Turning from evil, repenting when we fall into sin, loving our neighbor as ourselves, respecting the dignity of every human being, participating actively in the teachings and worship of our faith community, are all means by which we grow into the full stature of Christ and develop ourselves into a community of people who make the love and compassion of God a reality in our contemporary society. Dr. Cornel West wrote “never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” Justice and love are two sides of the same coin and so our baptismal covenant binds us to a life of justice seeking and peace making as the way we will live out God’s love in the world. And neither justice nor love becomes real in the world without choices being made by God’s people to create a society that is just and loving. Our choices do matter and the only way we will have a just society or a peaceful world is if we choose to be about justice and love. And choosing to be just and loving requires that we let go of a lot of that rugged individualism and “me first” mentality that is so much a part of our civic culture and be prepared to make decisions and choices that are good for everyone not just for our own selves.
Both Jesus and Moses were preaching to a community. They were talking about how people live in community, and how a community lives according to the will of a loving and just God. In God’s heart, every individual matters and is loved unconditionally, but no individual is more important than the community of which he or she is a part. Self giving and sacrifice, love of other and generosity are necessary for a community to be God’s light in the world. To be a religious person is to agree that the interests of others are just as important as my own interests and to make choices taking into consideration what will bring prosperity and justice and peace to my community, not just to me. Our lives are filled with choices, profane and ordinary choices like what detergent to buy or kind of car to drive, and sacred choices, like what social policies we will support and work to enshrine in our civic life, and how we will transform our own hearts and souls to become peacemakers in a violent world, and justice seekers in a culture that encourages and creates injustice. Every day we confront sacred choices. So when you face an important decision and you are trying to figure out what to do, remember the words of Moses, “Choose life…loving the Lord your God.” Amen.
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