Saturdays in Advent

Sermon: Birth Pangs

          So, my niece Kathy has a baby due in mid-December.  Friday night was interesting, because she was having contractions 3 minutes apart.  This is her third child, so early would not be unheard of, but what was most interesting to me was the statement her mother made:  with all three children, Kathy had had Braxton Hicks' contractions beginning about the fifth month.  At this point, she knew the difference between the fake contractions and the real ones.  She knew these were real, but with the advice of her midwife, she took a benadryl and a bath, and they slowed back down. 

          Birth pangs.  Jesus warns of them, stating that nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom; we will have earthquakes and famine.  The Lord told Daniel, "There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence."  He, of course, is talking about the birth of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.  Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom – sounds like the "war to end all wars" that we talked about last week. 

          We've heard birth pains described as one of the most painful experiences possible, followed by one of the best.  The most colorful description I've heard thus far is, "[It's] [l]ike if you ate 100 hot peppers and then pooped out a watermelon."  And I think Christ was being pretty literal in how bad it was going to get – before it became sublime.

          And that's the message here today.  People have been waiting for the end times since before Christ.  The passage in Daniel today marks the first time in the Hebrew scriptures where the experience of resurrection is discussed.  He talks about the coming of "Michael", and scholars are divided on whether the Michael referred to here is Christ, or whether they're discussing the Archangel Michael.  The name Michael itself, means "Who is like God?"  So some believe that this reference, like the apocalyptic reference to Michael in Revelations 12, is actually referring to the Word made flesh, or to Christ.  If this is the case, the Hebrew scriptures are referring to a pre-incarnate Christ, or one of those sightings in the Old Testament of a person who simply appears, performs miraculous deeds, is the wisest of the wise, and yet has no parents, and no birth or death is described.  For a people who keep track of genealogy the way the Jews do, that's an anomaly.

          But whether Michael is Christ, or the Archangel, we know that there will be a battle, and that all those with their names written in the Book of Life will be delivered.  This includes those alive and those who have already died, or as Daniel puts it, who have been sleeping in the dust of the earth.  They will be divided into those who will have everlasting life, and those who will have shame and everlasting contempt.

          Now let's take a look at both the words of the Psalm and the words of the New Testament lesson.  The Psalm mentions, "Their libations of blood I will not offer, nor take the names of their gods upon my lips."  Part of what this is referring to is what Daniel had been lamenting prior to our Old Testament lesson.  The people had been experiencing a period of unspeakable oppression of the Jews under Antiochus IV/Epiphanes in the second century BCE. This king, who considered himself divine, had desecrated the Jerusalem temple, the dwelling-place of God, turning it into a pagan shrine. There had been a vicious civil war (167-164 BCE), following centuries of foreign domination, and the persecution of the faithful Jews was ongoing. Worship and sacrifice in Jerusalem had come to a temporary close, and the observance of festivals and circumcision was prohibited.  The sacrifices, as mentioned in the Psalm, were not to be acknowledged by observant Jews. 

          Now compare that to our New Testament reading, where Paul, or whoever actually wrote Hebrews, discussed the fact that the priests can preside over sacrifices, day after day, but that Christ came once and sacrificed Himself for us all.  "By a single offering, He has perfected for all times those who are sanctified."  Again, the experience of horrible suffering, followed by the resurrection to everlasting life. 

          And lastly, let's look at the Psalm along with our Gospel lesson, and the warnings against false teachers.  The Psalm tells us, "But those who run after other gods shall have their troubles multiplied."  And Christ tells us, "Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray."  To stay with the whole childbirth theme, these will be the Braxton Hicks contractions, always coming at a time of strife and worry and calamity – but without the promise of the life to come. 

          So how do we tell the difference?  Let's go back to the Psalm:  "Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; I have said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord, my good above all other.'  All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, upon those who are noble among the people."  We trust in God to guide us rightly.  We follow the commandments to love God with all our heart, strength, soul and mind, and we love our neighbors.  We think about the grace we have been given, both through Christ's sacrifice of Himself, and in our knowledge of the way, the truth and the life.  And we share that with others, so that they, too, may experience that grace.

          Our world has experienced more than its fair share of earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, floods, and hurricanes.  We've experienced the war to end all wars, and the ones that came after.  People around the world experience famine and degradation that we can only imagine in our very privileged lives.  I don't think we're experiencing Braxton Hicks, but rather, the beginnings of the birth pangs.  We're at the 3-minute contractions, and likely, those contractions will slow down again.  We're not yet at hard labor.  And that's a scary thought.  But at the same time, we know that at the end, we will be living with Christ, resurrected into the Kingdom of Heaven.  And that's what we have to share with others.  There is hope; there is life eternal waiting for us.  We just have to get through the labor, and the nursery still needs to be painted.

Sermon: Choose Kindness

          I had a direction for my sermon this week when God decided to change my focus.  A friend of mine, Jan, called me:  she's a blind, Jewish widow, and she asked that I put on my spiritual guidance hat. I laughed. She said, "What do I do? We have the synagogue shot up last week, then the dance club this week, and now there are fires moving so fast, people are barely escaping with their lives. What can I do to make things better?" Now fortunately, since I don't have such answers, I went to Christ's commandments.  I told her that everyone she meets is going through something.  Be kind.  Be wise and keep safe, but think outside the box to be kind. She described a woman who had apparently been going around her trailer park, panhandling. All of the residents were worried, because most of them are old or disabled in some fashion, and they felt that she would take advantage of them. I said I realize you don't have a lot, but did you think about offering her a sandwich? To give it to her away from your home, but to show her some kindness. I told her that like the woman in 1 Kings this week, she may not have much, but she is rich in caring and can share - if nothing else, her presence and a listening ear. And just like that, my sermon direction changed.

          Both of the women in our lessons this week have very little, and expect to die shortly. So their kindness isn't really going to cost them a whole lot in their own minds, because they are not long for this world in any case. Part of what fascinated me about today's gospel is that we found out that Christ is a people watcher. He looks at what people do, not what they say. And he ensures that his disciples learn how to properly observe as well.

          While we don't see what Christ did after watching the woman give her last two coins, I have a feeling that he ensured she would be doing better as a result of her piety. Elijah, in the first lesson, ensured that the woman and her son would not starve, and would have food to last until the rains fell again and crops could be grown. 

          One of the interesting aspects of the Old Testament lesson is that God didn't provide enough food until the rain fell; He provided the ingredients for daily bread until the rainfall. We've all heard the saying "God helps those who help themselves," but that particular quote is nowhere in the Bible. It is however, stories like this one that helped to develop what seems to be a truism.

          On this Veterans Day, we remember all who have died in service to their country. But more particularly, this day used to be known as Armistice Day, the Remembrance Day, the day when the War to End All Wars finally came to an end. Unfortunately, since that war is now known as World War I, we are aware that it was not the war that would end all wars. World War I became known as the initiation of a new change in policy for the United States. We were now the champions of democracy, and this has led to many more conflicts and wars in which the US has been involved.

          One of the things that has been learned over time, has been that there is difficulty in keeping the troops supplied with food. During World War I, food was often still being delivered by horse and wagon, and a lot of specialized foods had to be prepared by the troops themselves. In Britain, the troops were often provided with something known as bully, a tinned meat that stored well based on the French boeuf bouilli or boiled beef. The other thing that they got were hard biscuits, which apparently every cook in the military tried various and sundry ways to make taste better by soaking or crumbling. They rarely succeeded.

          We don't often hear about the troops that came from India or from Iraq during World War I. Both of these cultural groups had specific food requirements that were not usually handled in the field. It resulted in flocks of sheep or goats following the troops so that the soldiers would know that the deaths of the animals were carried out in a humane and religiously prescribed manner. They did offer to allow for frozen meat to be distributed, but only if someone could be there at the time the animal was frozen.

          Unfortunately, these two groups did not have the same requirements.  A major concern was that the slaughter be done the right way – halal (throat slitting) for Muslims, and jatka (decapitation) for Sikhs and Hindus. Separate slaughtering spots were set up, though at least once even this caused problems when one group angrily alleged that flies from the other side were contaminating their meat.

          Additionally, the foreign troops were told that they didn't have flour to make bread, and they would be stuck with the hard biscuits. However, the troops realized that there were plenty of mills around, and where there is civilization, there is flour. They requested Atta, the whole wheat flour they used to make bread. Soon, Indian troops were getting an Atta ration, and a ToI report from Jan 4, 1915 of a visit of King George V to the front writes of "his Majesty tasting a chapatti which had just been cooked." It's not known whether the royal endorsement had any effect on things, but recipe books on how to cook flatbread within the tins that were used for their beef sprang up and made their way around Europe.

        The point here is that by asking nicely, the troops were provided with what they needed on a daily basis. It wasn't much, but it kept them fed and continued the war efforts.

          Kindness is a universal attribute. It doesn't require a lot of effort, but even the smallest act can mean the world to someone in need. We don't have to be rich, we just have to be willing to share what we have. Like the two widows in our lessons today, we have the ability to change someone's life.

          And interestingly, the sign hanging across the main road into town from the high school kids today says, "You always a choice – Choose Kindness."  So I guess God's direction for the sermon was spot on.

Sermon: Commandment to Love

          Christ gave us a lot to think about when he told us the greatest of the Commandments.  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."  I'd like you to keep these commandments in mind throughout this sermon.

          A Christian pre-school teacher was putting together a play that the children would perform Christmas Eve.  As with all teachers, she wanted to take advantage of teaching moments, so as she was ending her remarks to the kids before they got started on rehearsals, she wanted them to know why this play was important.  She asked, "Do you know that some people don't love Jesus?"  The children, of course, were astounded, so she continued, "That's why it's important to pray for the conversion of their souls, so they can love Jesus too, and go to heaven."  Now, 4-year-olds pretty much think in black and white.  If a 4-year-old hears that some people don't love Jesus, well, then that means, they must hate Him!  Who would want to be friends with someone who hates Jesus?  Most 4-year-olds aren't going to hear or understand what conversion is.  Without the context that some people have a different belief system – for which we have respect because we love God and we love our neighbor – and without the context that they don't know Jesus, and so don't know how important He is, this teacher has inadvertently created the seeds of ill will and prejudice.

          We're hearing a lot in the news about Hate Crime Prevention, and the No Hate Act – Episcopal preachers throughout the country received a set of instructions forwarded from the Presiding Bishop and put together by the Anti-Defamation League.  And there are a lot of very good points in those instructions.  But let's look at the difference between the original "ten" commandments, and the two that Christ gave us.

          Within the 10, 2 are positive – as in, do this (Keep the Sabbath and Honor our parents) – and 8 are negative – as in, don't do this.  If we broaden it out to entirety of the 613 Mitzvot originally given to the Jews, there are 248 positive commandments, and 365 negative.  As humans, I think we have rather a strong tendency to focus on the negatives, on what we shouldn't do, on what we should prevent others from doing.  We still see that today, even though Christ gave us two commandments, on which hang "all the law and the prophets." 

          I'd like us to look at some definitions, that I've taken from dictionary.com. 

          Hate - to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward.

          Discriminate- to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit.  Notice that discrimination can be a positive, as well as a negative.  It is, however, a showing of partiality.

          Tolerate - to endure without repugnance; put up with.

          Violence - rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment.

          Love - unselfish love of one person for another; brotherly love.

          Neighbor - one's fellow human being.

          Now those last two, I've obviously put in the context that we're discussing here.  Love, in this context is agape; neighbor is as Christ was instructing us as to whom to love.

          After the end of the Civil War, there's an account of a Sunday service in Washington, D.C.  The preacher had remarked on those who were absent, and upon finishing, invited people to the rail to take communion.  No one had noticed the old man shuffling down the aisle at first. His faced bowed, looking intently at the floor rather than making eye contact with row after row of astonished worshippers who turned to gawk at him.

          His leathered ebony flesh was a stark contrast to the smoother ivory-skinned church attendees. His calloused hands and emaciated frame left no mystery as to his former station in life – a slave to people just like those gathered in the church that day.

          A solemn quiet fell over the congregation as the man bowed at the altar, having come forward to take part in the Lord’s Supper.

          No one knew what to do.

          Everyone remained still except one man. The gray-haired gentleman stood to his feet. All eyes were upon this man whom everyone respected. His face was gaunt; his appearance, wizened from the terrors of war. Those who knew him recognized just how heavy a toll he had paid.

          Despite his age, he moved with military discipline. He left his family’s pew and padded toward the old man praying before the cross. Without hesitation, the distinguished fellow knelt beside the former slave and they both took Communion.

          His efforts so moved the congregation that they joined them at the altar.

          The man was General Robert E. Lee.  Many would have you believe that he was exemplifying Paul's words from Galatians, " For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  And it may be the case that he said, the ground is level beneath the cross.  And, it could also be the case that he literally ignored the existence of the black man, in order not to bring the Civil War into church.  The first explanation would be exemplifying Christ's comment to love one another.  The latter explanation would be an example of tolerance.  History is unsure which it is.

          The media provides us with endless examples of negativity, preaching tolerance and the need for "no hate" legislation, for hotlines and ways of reporting on those who practice hateful ways.  But we wouldn't have put that pre-school teacher in that category.  We know that her intent was to teach her kids the important of evangelism, of spreading the good news.  She just maybe left a few things out.

          The thing is, Christ didn't say, tolerate one another, don't hate one another, don't discriminate.  His commandments, which are literally taken from the Old Testament, and are from the positive commandments, are to love.  To love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.  To love your neighbor as yourself. 

          Why?  Why is it important to love your neighbor?  To love one's fellow human being?

          Well, let's go back to very beginning when God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness."  Every single person on earth reflects the image of God.  Now, knowing that, can you hate your fellow man?  Should you tolerate them?  Discriminate against them?  Perpetuate violence against them? 

          Obviously, our answer as Christians, is no.  But I think it's the reason that the answer is no that's much more important to think about.  We are commanded to love.  Not to judge, not to tolerate, not to hate, but to love.  And I think teaching that to our children, exemplifying that to others – that Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors, and that God made all humankind in His image – is the best thing that we can do for humanity.

          Rabbi Nachman of Breslov said the following:  Let us pray:  May it be Your Will, our Eternal God and God of our ancestors, to put an end to war and bloodshed on earth, and to spread a great and wonderful peace over the whole world, so that nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.  May all inhabitants of this planet come to recognize and know the ultimate truth: We did not come to this world for conflict and strife, nor for hatred, envy, mockery or bloodshed; we came to this world only to know You.

          Therefore, have mercy on us, and fulfill for us what is written, “And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down and none shall make you afraid. I will drive the wild beasts from the land, and neither shall the sword go through your country.”*(Leviticus 26:6)

          “And justice will well up like water, righteousness like a mighty stream.” (Amos 5:24).

          “For the earth will be filled with knowledge  of the Eternal as water covers the sea.”(Isaiah 11:9).

          May it be Your Will. And let all us say: Amen.