Homily 7.22.18

Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

Readings:
Judith 9:1, 9b, 10b-13a, 14
2 Cor 5:14-17
John 20:1-2, 11-18


[Jenn]

Today we are celebrating and honoring the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, also known as Mary of Magdala or Mary the Magdalene. What are some of the first things that come to your mind when you hear of Mary Magdalene? Take just a minute to share with a neighbor near you what you think of or what comes to mind.

[Erin]

So who was Mary Magdalene? It is a common misconception that she was a prostitute, a repentant sinner, or the woman caught in adultery that Jesus saved, but that is not true. Church tradition, art, popular myth and a patriarchal Church and culture have conflated stories and biblical characters to create a woman that is simply not the MM of the gospels.

Here’s what we DO know about Mary Magdalene, from the four canonical gospels: She was a woman, healed by Jesus, who became so devoted to him and his cause that she remains at the crucifixion, cares for him in his death at his burial, and is the first to witness the resurrection, commissioned by Christ to spread the good news not just to the disciples, but to the world. This is why the Church has given her the title, “apostle to the apostles.”

[Jenn]

Today in conjunction with this Feast of St. Mary Magdalene we will be offering the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. We chose this day because Mary Magdalene offers us a beautiful model of how our own personal healing opens us up to support the healing of others. And we could certainly use more healing in our world today.

[Erin]

The Evangelist Luke tells us that Mary is “freed of “7 demons”. This is fascinating to me. I am a practitioner of yoga and a yoga therapist. In yoga therapy, we look at whole-body healing, tuning into the seven energy centers of the body, also known in the ancient Indian tradition of yoga as chakras. The chakras are like wheels in the body, turning energy through the body constantly. Each center corresponds to a core part of being human-- grounding & rootedness; sexuality & creativity; will-power, love & service; speaking truth and resonance; inner wisdom & knowledge; union with all that is, the Divine. When all these wheels are turning, humming with life and flowing freely, a person is considered healthy. They are living into and integrating all aspects of their humanness, in balance and harmony. Energy flows from the heavens to the earth, and from the earth to the heavens, in the human person. In this way, every human is thought to be standing between heaven and earth, potentially a living Incarnation of Divine Life. This is what Jesus was, what he lived and embodied in wholeness. Salvation actually means to be healthy, integrated, whole. Jesus modeled this for us!

Now, most of us are not humming in this way, energy flowing freely and perfectly. Most of us have had pain in our life-- emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually. We have encountered obstacles-- in ourselves and in the world-- that have blocked some of these energy centers, kept us from living fully into our humanity. We experience pain in the body, illness and disease, soreness and anxiety, depression, feeling unable at times to function. Or sometimes it’s simply an energetic dullness-- we know there’s a fullness out there, an aliveness that we strive for.

When I imagine into this encounter between the Magdalene and the Christ, I imagine Mary so much like us-- not there, wanting so badly to live a full life, but just very much in the world, encountering blockages and difficulties. Yet she encounters the Christ-- this person just radiating at every level, so full of life and love, and in an instant he looks at her, sees her in her full life and vitality and boom-- she is healed of those blocks and obstacles in her seven energy centers. She steps into her full humanity, mirrored by him. She is converted in the truest sense of the word, transformed!! So of course, she gives her whole life over to him. She already has. It’s a choiceless choice. Their hearts resonate with the other, at the center of the rainbow bridge that teems with the life of heaven and earth.

[Jenn]

This idea of becoming fully human is central to the Christian mission, the Christian path. Jesus is the Incarnate one and he came to teach us all how to be HUMAN. After his death, he urged his disciples to do the same. It is no coincidence that Mary was the one who was sent, first, to urge the disciples to continue onto this path of healing, of life, of love and of justice laid out by the Christ. She experienced it in her entire being, devoted her life to it, so of course would be trusted to carry on, to continue to embody, this central Christian mission.

[Erin]

In the Gospel of Mary Magdalene it says, “Then Mary arose, embraced them all and began to speak to her brothers: ‘Do not remain in sorrow and doubt for his Grace will guide you and comfort you. Instead, let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us for this. He is calling upon us to become fully human [Anthropos].’ Thus Mary turned their hearts toward the Good, and they began to discuss the meaning of the Teacher’s words.”

As Mary makes clear, this fullness of humanity is not just for her, not just for Jesus. We are all called to be so radiant, so alive with divine-meets-human reality. We too are called to live and move and have our being in the heart of the Heart. When we live with this awakeness and aliveness in our bodies, seen and named in great love by the Christ, we cannot help but become healers in the world; we are so totally transformed that we cannot help but work for transformation in the world.

[Jenn]

So what gets in the way of living into this call? There are many obstacles that block the flow of God’s love and life in our lives and in the world today: Fear, prejudice, ignorance, ego, hurt, trauma, etc. Just as our body is living organism invited into the fullness of life God create us for, we are also a small part of a larger organism: the whole of creation. There are many ways that we create walls around our own heart, that cuts us off from the flow of life, the flow of the Spirit - separating us not only from other humans but also from the living organism of creation. Think about the body and what happens when the flow of blood is cut off to a certain part – it dies! There are literal and metaphorical walls we create as societies and countries, that cut off the flow of God’s liberating love. Creation as one living organism, cannot be fully alive while we build more walls that keep us divided and cut off from one another and the flow of God’s love. It isn’t good for our personal or collective health.

Mary Magdalene offers us an example of how to continue the work of Jesus as one who knows his light and love flowing freely through her and welcomes that presence of life to lead her prophetic ministry, even when her closest friends and fellow apostles disagree with her, deny her prophetic vision, and even seek to silence her. Many might have even labeled her a “nasty woman”, but “Nevertheless, she persisted.”

We have many women in our Catholic tradition and in our personal lives who embody many characteristics of Mary Magdalene for us. We heard in our Gospel that Mary recognized the resurrected Jesus when he called her name. We invite you now, as you listen to each of these descriptions of Mary Magdalene, to call out the names of women you know or have been inspired by, so that we can hear them and know the presence of the risen Christ who lives in and through them.

[Erin]

**Migdala means fortress temple, watchtower, stronghold, and elevated pulpit in the in Aramaic and Hebrew. What women have been a fortress or stronghold for you during difficult times?

[Jenn]

The gospels name Mary of Magdala first and foremost as one of the women who funded Jesus, allowing the good-news movement to extend from Galilee all the way to Jerusalem. What women have supported you with resources to carry out your good work in the world?

[Erin]

In the gospels, Mary and other women in the movement “ministered to [Jesus].” The Greek word diakonos means minister. What women have been diakonos and ministered to you?

[Jenn]

Mary of Magdala stood with many women until the bitter end, witnessing Jesus die on the cross. She with other women went to the tomb with myrrh and entered into the rituals of mourning and burial. What women have accompanied you in times of pain or mourning?

[Erin]

In the gospels, Mary - either alone or with other women - is the first to experience the Resurrected Jesus. And she is commissioned by Jesus to go and tell the others the good news of his Resurrection. What women have been bearers of Good News in your life?

For all these women named and unnamed who live into these callings every day. We give thanks and praise for this cloud of witnesses that accompany us.

[Jenn]

How can we follow these and other brave, faithful women to open ourselves up to become channels of God’s love and liberation? These are trying times and we need people living into their full humanness, we need channels of God’s love to flow through our communities, our families, our country. So as we transition into the Sacrament of healing, think about where are the hurts, the blockages that need to be healed in your life, in your family, in our community? Invite that healing into your body, as a microcosm of the whole. Sit with it after you are anointed. If you receive the healing oils on your hands, consider placing your hands on an area of your body that feels tense, restricted, or tight. In your anointing pray for openness and healing in the areas you need to be an open channel of God’s love and liberation. 

**Litany borrowed and adapted from Future Church resources for the feast of Mary Magdalene

You can listen to a recorded version of this homily here: https://soundcloud.com/sts-clare-and-francis/july-21-2018-5-25-20-pm 

Homily 3.17.18

Readings: 

Jer 31:31-34

Heb 5:7-9

John 12:20-33

I want to start by focusing on the first reading tonight. There are two important concepts that Jeremiah highlights as ways to know God: through teaching - aka what others tell us - and through personal experience - what we know in our hearts. This shift from the written law to the law sown in our own hearts is a pretty radical reordering of life that God is promising through Jeremiah. You see in that time, access to God was mediated through the elite few who were literate and could read the Torah and teach it others.

But what God is speaking through Jeremiah is a promise that - from the least to the greatest, from the most learned to the illiterate - ALL will know that they are God’s people and that God is their God because it will be written in their hearts rather than stone or books.

This parallels some of my own spiritual journey and perhaps yours as well. I was raised a good Roman Catholic girl in Catholic schools and very active in my local parish growing up. I knew the teachings of the Catholic Church and could repeat them back to you and argue correct dogma with the best of them. But when I entered college my freshman year at SLU I had this epiphany that while I knew all the “correct” teachings about God and Jesus, I didn’t really know any of that to be true in my heart, in my own personal experience, and so it wasn’t authentic. It wasn’t MY truth that I was able to share about knowing God and myself as one of God’s beloved creation. So I went back to square 1 and decided to set aside all these laws and teachings to use the language of our 1st reading, and discover who God was to me. Since that time I have had many rich experiences of knowing God in a much more intimate way, truly feeling God’s love and presence in my life, in my heart.

I want to invite you now to take a minute, close your eyes, and put your hand on your heart. As you breath in and out, feel your heartbeat. Remember that in Christ, God had a heartbeat. In you, God still has a heartbeat. Connect to that heart beat and reflect on a time when you felt close to God or Jesus.

I’ll sound the bell when that period of reflection is up and then I invite you if you are comfortable to find someone near you, preferably not your spouse or significant other, and share that experience with them. As you’re sharing notice any changes in your body as you tell your story, and notice in your partner how they might change as they tell their story. We’ll take 6 minutes to do this so about 3 minutes per person. I’ll again sound the bell when it’s time to end those conversations and then I’ll close with a final reflection.


(Period of reflection and sharing)


So perhaps you noticed as you or your partner shared their story that there was something more going on then just this intellectual exercise. I think most of us are pretty comfortable with experiencing God through teaching and learning - we learned this in school - but maybe are not quite as comfortable or used to really feeling God in our bodies, and participating in our faith in more embodied way that connects heart, mind, and soul.

The liturgies coming up in the next two weeks offer us some unique opportunities to really engage in the story of our faith in a more embodied way - and so I really encourage you to attend all of the services possible and engage in them as full body worship experiences.

During Palm Sunday we begin by embodying the joyful procession accompanying Jesus as he enters Jerusalem. We walk, we wave our palms, and we sing Hosanna! Then we shift to the passion of Christ where most of us become the crowd looking on and shouting “Crucify him! Crucify him!” I want us to really open ourselves up to this experience and enter this story that not only happened 2000 years ago, but is played out today in the ways that our own fears and succumbing to group think can lead to the death of innocent people. Don’t just say and hear the words, feel it, embody it.

On Holy Thursday we get our feet washed and wash the feet of others. This is a vulnerable and humbling embodied act of faith - engage it. See how it breaks open God for you in new ways.

On Good Friday experience the growing darkness, sit it in, don’t be too quick to search out the light, let the chaotic noise and drum beats reverberate in your soul.

And then on the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil see how the light returns, partake in the re-telling of our creation and faith history, dance with us, rejoice with us, feel the risen spirit rising up in your own heart and our community and respond. These are liturgies rich with knowing God because of how we experience them in our heart and soul and respond with our bodies.

One way, that we are invited to engage in this embodied practice of faith every week is through the Eucharist.

Jesus offers us a powerful image tonight in the Gospel that: “unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies it produces much fruit.”

God is revealed not just through the laws and the teachings of the church, but through interaction with all of creation. Jesus grew up in a community and culture that relied on subsistence agriculture to live, so they would know this life cycle of wheat well.

Maybe you don’t grow wheat (most likely you don’t) but perhaps you’ve had a vegetable garden before. Same principle. A tomato seed or a pepper seed remains just a seed unless it is planted in the soil, dies to its old way of being so it can be transformed into a plant that bears fruit or vegetables. And then we pick off that vegetable, and it dies again, only to be consumed by us and transformed into new life in our bodies.

This paschal mystery of life, death, and new transformed life is celebrated every week in the Eucharist. The grain of wheat dies and becomes a stalk of wheat. Which is harvested, dies, and is transformed into new life in the baking of bread. This bread becomes the body of Christ which is broken, dies again to its old way of being when it is consumed by us, but is then raised to new life in our very bodies which become its new transformed dwelling place. We are drawn into Jesus as the bread/body is drawn into our own bodies. We consume the body of Christ in order to become the body of Christ and it all involves this cyclical mystery of death and resurrection. This sanctuary in which we gather as the Body of Christ to hear the stories and learn how God is speaking to us today, is incorporated into this sanctuary (my body) which intimately knows that this God who is present in the grain of wheat, is present in the bread, is present in the body of Christ, is present in this holy body. This is our God, and we are her people.

May we hold onto this knowledge of our our hearts, and these experiences of our bodies, as we walk through holy week, experience the passion of Christ and the passions of our own lives, and live into the transformation of new life that comes from every death, in this sanctuary (the church) and this sanctuary (the body). Amen

Ordination Poems

Reflections on being present for the ordination of the first woman bishop in the Ecumenical Catholic Communion - in three poems.  Written 2/10/2018

Initial Reactions

Grace abounds
Gratitude abounds
Dwelling in the experience 
of God's power
and goodness
and love
and beauty.
  
Hope
fills my soul
as I taste
a sample
of the rich banquet
God has prepared
and invites us to share.

I am humbled; 
I am speechless 
in the presence
of such gift. 
Thank you
is the prayer
on my lips
and in my body. 

There is nothing to do
but dwell
be in this presence 
accept the gift
delight in God's goodness - 
this is what is pleasing to God
to open
to embrace
to fill
and rejoice. 

We are one - 
rejoicing together
dancing together
crying together
singing together
We are one.

God is here
God is good 


This Moment

This moment
is the only moment 
This moment

is enough 
This moment 
will inform and influence
all future moments
This moment
has been gestating
for over a decade
waiting patiently 
to be born
This moment 
contains all the past moments
that led to this moment 
This moment 
has planted new seeds
that will bear rich fruit 
This moment
will last forever 


A Snowy Baptism

It is fitting
that the snow
covers us 
in a white blanket
and blesses us
with her frozen water
a renewed Baptism 
as we enter
and leave
this holy place
the Church
is raised to new life
as the kin-dom of God 
breaks forth
and the Spirit rejoices: 

"These are my daughters,
in whom I am well pleased."  

Homily for 11.25.17

Scripture passages:

Ez 34:11-12, 15-17

1 Cor 15: 20-26, 28

Mt 25: 31-46

Christ the King.  This is the feast which we celebrate today.  Now, perhaps you like me don’t often use this title for talking about Jesus.  We as a church like to pride ourselves on not being hierarchical, and a title like King seems to support this hierarchical sense of power.  We like to use brother, or friend, but not often King.  However tonight I would like us to consider how this title of Christ as King might actually be Good News that we can claim and celebrate, by exploring who is Christ the King and where he is.  

I invite us to first reflect on our Gospel passage.  This is the last teaching of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew before the passion, so that shows us the importance.  This is Jesus's parting reminder and advice, and it sums up one of the central themes of Matthew’s Gospel: we are to love God and love neighbor which go hand in hand.  Typically the focus of the passage is on the sheep and goats, but tonight I want to focus on the King.

First imagine you are a first century follower of Jesus.  You are currently living under occupation by the Roman Empire.  You are subject to the whims and greed of the local King/Lord.  Only about 3% of people have any real power and wealth, and so you most likely either live in poverty or have a small trade that allows you to get by with the basics day to day.  You are heavily taxed, you have no voice or vote in governance, and little power to defend yourself against any verbal or physical abuses by the ruling elite and its army.    

What could possibly give you hope in such a desperate situation?  You have this story in your tradition, that you hear when you gather with friends to break bread and remember the promise of the one who was crucified, died, and rose again.  There is another Kingdom and another King, one who is mightier than all the powers of this Earth.  This King rules with justice and righteousness.  Not only that, but with all his power he chooses not to reside in a palace but on the streets, with the poor, hungry, and homeless.

Christ the King is not only present with the poor and marginalized, but has declared there will be consequences for those who fail to care for him in these spaces.  New Testament scholar Warren Carter says that “the judgment reverses the imperial privileging of elite interests by [prioritizing] the needs of the poor and powerless.  The vision reveals the imperial structures are not divinely sanctioned or “natural” but rather creations of and for the imperial elite - and under God’s judgment.”  This is incredible news for those living under these imperial structures.  None of this is God’s will, God is on our side, suffering with us under these current systems of oppression, and those responsible for my suffering will be judged accordingly.

Now perhaps your mind already jumped ahead, but given this ancient context and understanding for the early Jesus movement, it isn’t too hard to look at our world today and find some similar parallels.   We are living under a type of exploitative empire which keeps a very small percentage of people with exorbitant wealth and a great majority of people either in poverty or making just enough to get by each day.  This – let’s call them the 1% - in turn use their great wealth to influence power and control over the governance and laws of this country, which they use to maintain and expand their own power and wealth at the expense of the greater majority.

Meanwhile we see more families and young adults amassing overwhelming debt,

we see a growing despair that leads to drug overdoses or violence in our communities,

we experience increasing natural disasters and climate change fueled by extractive fuel and mining industries and increasing pollution and waste,

we hear stories about women being sexually harassed and assaulted on a daily basis,

families continue to be torn apart through deportation and unjust immigration policies,

and our Muslim and Jewish neighbors are the victims of hate crimes.

Where is Christ the King in the midst of all this?  The Gospel tells us that the King is present in the very people who are suffering under these unjust and exploitative economic, political, and legal systems.

A modern day telling of our Gospel might sound like this:

For I was undocumented and you offered me sanctuary.

I was targeted by systemic racism and police brutality and you joined me to advocate for accountability and protest in the streets.  

I was a refugee fleeing violence, drought, or flooding and you welcomed me.  

I was poisoned by living near a toxic waste site and you fought to protect funding for clean-up and ensured I had access to affordable health care.  

I was a victim of sexual assault and you believed me and supported me.   

Christ the King, our loving and powerful God, could choose to be anywhere, and they choose over and over again to show up in the people and places that the empires of this world de-value and cast aside.  

When the messages of earthly empires are telling you that you are nothing, you are worthless, you are not fully human, you don’t deserve the same rights and opportunities as others, to be able to know in your heart and say with confidence that they do not have any claim to your life, there is one mightier than them who not only knows you by name and calls you beloved, but is actually present with you in all you are experiencing and struggling with - that is good news!  

So where does this leave us?  Maybe you fall into one of these categories of the marginalized or suffering, and can take comfort and hope in knowing that God is with you.  The powers of this world are nothing compared to the power of the Spirit that accompanies you and actually is present in you as you are going through your current struggles.

If not, I would hope that as Christians you have a desire at least to know Christ and be in relationship with him.  In order to build a relationship and grow in love and understanding, you have to spend time with the other person.  And our Gospel tonight tells us where we can find Christ the King, to engage in this relationship building.    

It is in our encounter with the poor, the homeless, the oppressed fighting for their liberation that we encounter Christ in a way that we cannot encounter him anywhere else.  We can’t fully know and love Christ, without knowing and loving the poor and the oppressed.   And when we know and love them, we make their struggles our struggles.  Of course we will share our food, our drink, our clothing, our comfort and presence, our resources and privilege, because that’s what you do for those you love.  

Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement has said that "it is love that will make us want to do great things for each other.  I do not know how to love God except by loving the poor.  I do not know how to serve God except by serving the poor."

Karen House, the Catholic Worker house here in St. Louis, continues the mission Dorothy Day started to foster loving encounter and transformation.  And we as a community have an opportunity to participate in this transformative encounter of love by preparing, serving, and sharing meals with the women and children who are currently housed at Karen House.  I have personally lived in the Karen House community and can testify to the power of getting to know Christ our King, present in those the world is quick to overlook or cast away, through something as simple as sharing food and conversation.

I want to close with some words of Pope Francis, from his address for the World Day of the Poor last weekend.  He made a beautiful connection between what we do in this space as we gather each week to remember and celebrate the Eucharist and what we are called to do outside this gathering within the larger community.  “If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist.  The Body of Christ, broken in the sacred liturgy, can be seen in the faces and persons of the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.”

May we, through a love and vision that is born in the celebration of Christ broken and blessed in the Eucharist, go out into the world to encounter Christ the King present in the broken and blessed spaces, and through this encounter grow deeper in love and actively participate in God’s kingdom breaking forth in the world.  Amen

Homily 11.2.17

(This was a homily I preached on 11/2/17 for my Preaching class at Eden to my seminary classmates)  

Focus Scripture: 2 Kings 2:1-15 

We are gathered together this morning on the feast of All Souls, which is a day for many in the Christian community to remember the great cloud of witnesses who accompany us and continue to inspire us in the life we live and the work that we do as faith leaders.  It is a day to reflect on our loved ones who have passed from this life, and yet continue to live on through the ways they touched our own life. 

It is a perfect day to reflect on this passage from 2 Kings – a journey of a student accompanying his beloved teacher as he prepares to leave this world, and then trying to figure out, – well now what?  I invite us to engage with this story of Elisha and Elijah today as a way to also reflect on our own mentors, teachers, and loved ones who we have accompanied, bid farewell to, and remember now on this Feast of All Souls. 

Our Scripture passage begins with this dynamic of accompaniment and farewell.   Throughout the life and ministry of Elijah, he has established these schools of prophets throughout the region, which he is now visiting one last time as he prepares to ascend into heaven.  Accompanying Elijah on this journey is one particular, chosen and beloved student: Elisha.  In each town they visit on this farewell tour, Elijah tells Elisha to stay behind, and he refuses.  The prophets in each town tell Elisha what he already knows, Elijah’s time is drawing to a close and he will soon be taken from him.  He doesn’t want to hear this, or be reminded, he just wants to spend as much time as possible with his beloved mentor and friend.

Perhaps you can relate to this dynamic of accompaniment and farewell, of not wanting to let go or say goodbye to a loved one.  Even as you know that their time is coming to an end, when others around you remind you that their days or hours are numbered you just want to shout back, like Elisha, “Shut up!  I know!  Just let me be.” 

I saw this dynamic play out when my grandma was dying.  It was obvious when she was getting close and her body was starting to shut down.  My grandpa continued to lovingly accompany her and care for her until she took her last breath. In those final months he didn’t want to hear from those of us who would remind him of what he already knew was going to happen, he didn’t want to waste any time preparing for the inevitable, he just wanted to spend every minute he could with the love of his life. 

And then whether we want it to or not, that moment finally comes.  We are separated from the one we love and look up to.  And even though we knew it was coming, it is still so incredibly hard to let go.  Our friend, our teacher, our family member, our beloved – is gone.  What are we to do now?   

When Elijah is carried up into heaven, Elisha responds with a great shout and tears his clothes in two – a symbol of deep, profound grief in the ancient world.  While the Scripture doesn’t clearly communicate how much time Elisha spent in that spot where he last saw Elijah, I imagine him being so overwhelmed that he stays there for a good while, sobbing, shouting, not knowing what will happen now and not wanting to move on too soon. 

Eventually he does get up, and picks up what is left behind of his beloved friend and mentor: the mantle.  What a perfect symbol right?  He literally picks up the mantel of the one who has gone before him, and returns to the water’s edge where Elijah with God’s help had parted the waters to allow safe passage.  He’s now alone and not sure what will happen. You see Elisha knew and felt that God was present in and through the life of Elijah, and now that Elijah is gone, there is a question – has God left as well? In this moment of anxiety and uncertainty he cries out: Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?  

Do we not also ask this question when we experience great pain or loss?  When we have to say goodbye to someone that we love?  Where is this good and loving God who is supposed to protect us and never leave us?  Where is the Spirit of God that was so active and present in the life of our loved one, which we experienced in relationship with them? 

Elisha’s question is answered in the parting of the waters.  The same Spirit of God that was with Moses in the parting of the Red Sea, the same Spirit of God that was with Elijah in parting the Jordan, now rests with Elisha as he crosses through the parted waters, returning to the company of the prophets who can see this truth and proclaim: “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.”  God hadn’t left, just because Elijah had departed.  God was still here with Elisha, ready to accompany him as he carries on God’s prophetic and healing work in the world.    

I hope and pray that you receive the same blessed assurance as Elisha when you cry out to God in moments of grief and despair – and know that God is here.  The life giving Spirit of God does not stop its prophetic work in the world when there is a death.  The life giving Spirit of God continues its work through you, and you, and me as we pick up the mantles of the prophets who have gone before us and continue their work in the world.  

 

I experienced this truth in a deep and profound way during the five months I lived in the beautiful country of El Salvador.  Archbishop Oscar Romero was a priest and prophet of God for the Salvadoran people, speaking out against the corruption, injustice, and violence of the State on behalf of the poor.  He was assassinated for this prophetic work by a military death squad while celebrating the Eucharist on March 24, 1980. 

You see, the government thought that they could stop the prophetic work of God in the world, by killing God’s prophet.  But they were so wrong.  Archbishop Romero said before he died, “If they kill me, I will arise again in the Salvadoran people.”  And he did.  I encountered his Spirit in the lives of the Salvadorans I had the privilege to know, who not only keep his memory alive but continue his prophetic work in the world for peace and justice on behalf of the poor. 

I am reminded of another of God’s prophets, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated on April 4, 1968.  The powers of white supremacy thought they could silence God’s prophetic voice and stop God’s prophetic work for justice and racial equity by tearing down one of its prophets.  But they too were so wrong.  Because the life giving Spirit of God does not stop its prophetic work in the world when there is a death.  There are those who pick up the mantles left behind, go out to the water’s edge, cry out to God, and find safe passage to continue the work until the time comes to pass on the mantle to another. 

Perhaps this doesn’t look so dramatic or public in our own lives. 

Perhaps we are reassured of the presence of God’s loving and liberating spirit when we offer the same kind of radical hospitality and loving attention that we were taught by a beloved grandparent. 

Or when we step into this seminary journey knowing that we are continuing the family business of Christian ministry, started by our dearly departed ancestors. 

Or maybe it looks like the inexplicable sense of courage and conviction that arises out on the streets, linked arm in arm, shouting “Free Our People,” knowing that Jesus is here, Moses is here, Romero is here, King is here. 

God’s life giving, liberating Spirit is here.  We do not walk alone, even when we say goodbye.

On this feast of All Souls, I invite us to close by speaking out loud the names of our departed prophets and loved ones in confidence that the Spirit of God which flowed through them and touched our lives, continues to flow through us as we continue and expand their work.  After each name please say together in confidence and affirmation: Present!  

(Since this was part of a class assignment, it was also filmed.  If you would like to watch the video of the Scripture passage being read as well as the homily preached follow this link:  https://youtu.be/NbNMGtVey3Q) 

Remembering and Reconnecting

"I have arrived.  I am home."

This is a mantra that is used for walking meditation in the Engaged Buddhism tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.  Instead of walking to get somewhere, walking meditation is about being present to each step, each breath, in the present moment, and realizing you've already arrived; you can be at home here and now.

I recently had the opportunity to do some walking meditation when I attended a local sangha's regular gathering because they had invited a special guest nun and dharma teacher with the Order of Engaged Buddhism, Sr. Ocean.  What made this particular walking meditation so special is that it took place at Eden Theological Seminary where I am currently a student.  There was something so satisfying and joy inducing to be in a sangha that follows in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh at the same place I am studying to be a Christian minister.  It was this beautiful coalescing of traditions that have shaped me.

This repeated phrase, "I have arrived.  I am home." was particularly moving as I slowly walked around the front quad at Eden, thinking about how I get to claim this place and space as a spiritual home, and I get to claim my arrival and presence here.  I have arrived.  I am home.

I also chose to do the walking barefoot, because part of being in the present is connecting to all that is around and within me, really feeling each step on the earth.  When was the last time you intentionally walked barefoot through the grass?  Re-connecting with earth, feeling the grass between my toes, splashing in the water fountains, delighting in the sun and flowers - what joy and thanksgiving!

I was reminded of a line from the Little Prince which I had just re-watched the day before: the problem isn't growing older, the problem is forgetting.  When did we forget how to be present and delight in creation?  Because kids know how to do this so well.  We have to remember.  We have to reconnect - to ourselves, to one another, to all living beings, the whole of creation, the Divine.  Slow down.  Breathe deep.  Be present.  Let joy overflow in you and through you.  Know that you have arrived right here, right now.  You are home.  And it is wonderful.

Remember.  Reclaim.  Reconnect.

Homily 9.8.17

Remembering we belong to one another, Re-membering the Body of Christ

Scripture Readings:

Ez 33:7-9

Rom 13:8-10

Matthew 18:15-20

Mother Theresa has a beautiful quote that says, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another.”  Our faith and tradition tell us that we belong to one another because we belong to God, the source of all life.  If the problem is we have forgotten, then the solution is to remember.  When we remember who we are and for what we are created we can re-member, that is put back together, the broken Body of Christ. 

Our Gospel reading this weekend is all about this idea of remembering and re-membering: naming and healing from the sin and conflict that separates the Body of Christ.  This is an incredibly practical topic for Jesus to teach on.  How many people here have ever had a conflict with another person before?  Every hand should be raised because if you’re alive and interact with other people it is guaranteed you’ve also experienced conflict.  This was no different two thousand years ago.  We know from the Scriptures that Jesus’ disciples were frequently arguing or in conflict with one another or even with Jesus himself.  So Jesus gives them a four point plan for how to respond when your brother or sister sins against you, which is really getting at how to repair and restore community when there is a break or divide. 

I want us to look at this idea of division and restoration on three levels.  The individual or interpersonal level, the societal and structural level, and finally in the whole of creation. 

So first on the interpersonal level.  We’ve already established that being in relationship with someone will most likely at some point involve a conflict, a disagreement, something that breaks apart the bond that was there. 

The first question is why do anything at all?  Why not just walk away and write that person off?  I don’t know about you, but I’m sometimes tempted to do that.  With our modern day social networks it is so easy to unfriend or block someone when I have been hurt or offended, rather than seek healing and reconciliation. 

But being made in God’s image means being made in and for community.  Where two or three are gathered, there too God is present.  Our second reading points to love as the greatest commandment, and love is inherently dynamic and relational.  God is love.  Love is lived out in community.  God/Love is present when two or three gather together in right relationship.  And so when there isn’t right relationship, when there is division and discord our faith compels us to seek healing and reconciliation. 

So step one is identifying that there has been harm done and going directly to the person who caused it with their words or actions. In movement spaces now a days there is language used about calling someone in, rather than calling them out.  I like this language in reference to people because we call out the harmful action, ideology, or structure but call in the person - call them back in to community, back in to their true selves, back in to their connection with us and with God. 

So we call in our brother and sister, and if there is repentance and reconciliation – great you’re done!  If not, step two.  Sometimes we can’t do this work on our own and we need to bring in a neutral third party who can help us mediate the conflict.  If that works – great, you’re done!  If not, it’s time to turn to the larger faith community.  Why?  Because we belong to one another and a division between two members of the community impacts the whole.  If the whole community in unable to bring healing and reconciliation to the person or persons who have caused the division, you are to treat them as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. 

Now this is my favorite part and I think the most challenging part of the whole passage.  What does it mean to treat them as you would a Gentile or a tax collector?  When I first read this passage I thought, ok here’s the part where Jesus is finally giving us permission to unfriend them and walk away.  Because Jewish society treated the Gentile and tax collector as the other, outside the community.  But Jesus is the one giving this teaching and Jesus lived and taught that even the Gentiles and tax collectors can be welcomed to God’s table and are part of the beloved community. 

This means that we always have to hold space for future repentance and reconciliation, to welcome back into community the one who has hurt and wronged us.  Sr. Helen Prejean who has spent most of her life ministering to those on death row, says that we are all more than the worst thing we have ever done.  If we really believe in God’s grace, that God’s love is big enough and powerful enough to forgive everyone, for everything, then it is our challenge to do the same as the living body of Christ in the world. 

So all of that is on the interpersonal level, but this dynamic is also played out on the societal and structural level.  There are deep divides in the Body of Christ not just because of what one individual said or did to another, but because of large, ingrained, systems and structures that have said some lives matter, and some lives do not; some people can image God, and some can not; some people can be called God’s beloved, and some can not. Entire groups of people have forgotten that we belong to one another. 

Addressing this level of division can take a similar formula.  We call out the oppressive system or structure, and call in the individuals caught up in it to repentance and reconciliation.  And I want to make sure we understand what causes division and what doesn’t, because in conversations I have often around the hurts and divides caused by structural oppression there seems to be some confusion. 

The act of calling out systemic and structural oppression is not divisive.  Naming structural evil for what it is, is not divisive.  It is the systemic and structural oppression which is already causing the divide, the break in community.  So calling out and naming white supremacy and racism as sinful is not divisive, white supremacy and racism are what is divisive.  Calling out and naming homophobia and transphobia as sinful is not divisive, homophobia and transphobia are divisive.  Calling out and naming sexism and ableism as sinful is not divisive, sexism and ableism are divisive. Calling out and naming xenophobia as sinful is not divisive, xenophobia is divisive. 

Not only is this act of naming injustice whenever and wherever we encounter it not divisive, it is actually required of us by the first reading.  The LORD says we will be held responsible for the harm done by our brother or sister if we do and say nothing.  Silence is violence, and we will be held accountable.  We have a responsibility to heal the divides caused by structural oppression, and we cannot heal what we will not first name.

These divisions in the body of Christ extend beyond just the human family to the whole of creation.  We are currently in the Season of Creation which lasts from Sept 1 – Oct 4, and it is a perfect opportunity to remember that not only do we belong to one another, but we belong to the whole of creation. 

The poet Mary Oliver has put it this way, “The farthest star and the mud at our feet are our family; and there is no decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list.  The pine tree, the leopard, the river and ourselves – we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together.  We are each other’s destiny.” 

There currently exists a deep divide between humanity and the earth, reflected in the ways that we fail to even consider her part of ourselves and in the ways that we actively and passively contribute to her destruction and degradation.  Extreme weather events fueled by climate change are impacting millions around the world right now, and some still try to deny that we are one living organism that is intimately connected to everyone and everything, and as such our fate is intertwined. 

We are called to hold one another accountable to living in ecologically sustainable and responsible ways, to repent for the ways we fail daily to honor our interconnectedness to the earth, and to make changes in our daily actions and choices to protect and promote in the words of Pope Francis an ‘integral ecology.’

We know and acknowledge that as we continue to walk with one another in our personal lives, in our faith community, and in our larger society, we will face conflict and are called to respond with earnest, loving invitation to repentance and reconciliation.  This is difficult work that we will fall inevitably fall short on, but the good news is we are not doing it alone.  God’s love and grace is greater than our shortcomings, and if we can keep remembering who we are and for what we are created, we can also go about this work of re-membering the Body of Christ. 

This is the charge and challenge I want to leave you with today to bring into the week to come: Rooted in God who is Love, may we have the courage and grace to call one another in to reject the ideologies and structures that keep us broken and separated, and work together to restore beloved community, incarnating – putting into flesh -  the truth that we belong to one another because we belong to the source of Life itself.

 

Amen