The readings appointed can be found here.
If you would like to listen to an audio file of this sermon, click here
If you would like to listen to an audio file of this sermon, click here
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This day is, the day has been, the day will come. And, this, this is our Advent season of already but not yet, and this is a day when we hear comfort and castigation. And so, on this day, we're going to start by reflecting on the what was, in order to understand the what is, and in consideration of what shall be.
Let's begin in the 8th century BCE...
This portion of the book of the prophet Isaiah arose out of the 8th
century and a very specific crisis--Judah’s war with Syria and Israel. Weak governance and a lack of trust in God in
public life was deemed by the prophet to be the source of the struggles for the
people of Israel. Throughout the book
those in power, those who would exploit the poor and oppress the needy are
castigated and called to remember that the justice of God will ultimately
prevail.
Then, once human abuses are rectified, the earth will return to the
state that God intends--a place of peaceful coexistance. This is the hope that carries the poor and
the oppressed--the hope that they will be liberated from oppression by the
intervention, the salvation, of the Creator who has called them into being. The
intervention of God in world affairs is central to this prophetic vision. It’s
not human initiative, but divine imperative—all will be set aright and God WILL
reclaim creation for God’s purposes.
God’s purposes…equity, peace, and the knowledge of God.
A knowledge that transcends human knowledge of power, greed, and hate, and
infuses the earth with the true knowledge of God’s all-powerful love for every
aspect of creation. An all-powerful love that refuses to allow anyone to accrue
power, wealth, success, or status, at the expense of another.
Wow. Take a moment and consider this. Consider what it means that we
worship a God whose vision for creation is one of complete equity for all
creation. All creation. The earth left unspoiled, predator and prey at peace,
and the powerful laid low so that the poor can prosper.
What would be different if this is how Christians lived? If this was how we
lived, in relationship with each other and with the earth and its creatures…
This would radically upset everything we know. This would turn the table
on our expectations of how the world works. This would transform the world we
know—and not, perhaps, to our personal benefit.
Which brings me to today, today when I can’t help but think about the ongoing conversations about restructuring the Minneapolis Public School District. I find myself
considering the signs outside of stately homes in Minneapolis neighborhoods,
signs that read “Don’t bulldoze my neighborhood”. I’m thinking about school
levies and lunches. I’m thinking about deportation and demographics. I’m
thinking about property taxes and trash removal.
I’m thinking about all of the
issues that we face in which some "lose" and others "win" and where I stand when the rubber hits the road--when I am faced with issues in which what God would want is in conflict with my own privilege, my own comfort, and my own self interest.
To be clear, I’m not passing judgement on sides or perspectives on any
of these issues—and honestly, on some of these issues, I’m unsure what the “right”
answer, for all of us is. But, I do know that some of these issues affect me
personally, and I’m faced with the dilemma of what is “right” when I recognize
that my own security is coming at another person’s expense.
And, this? This is the reckoning.
Are we sure we want Christmas to come?
Christmas…for some it is a hope. Shepherds' hope and angels glory. For others? For others, it is a
threat--a threat to their privilege, a threat to their way of life, a threat. King Herod was certainly unsettled by the birth of a rumored king.
Hope and threat.
And, I wonder...will we flee or will we stay if the vote or the board doesn't go our way? Will we advocate for changes if they require OUR personal sacrifice for the good of others?
And, I find myself convicted by John the Baptist’s address, “You brood
of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of
repentance.”
the Reverend Greg Klimovitz, a Presbyterian pastor, writes of this passage, “We are
confronted with similar questions as those posed to the ancient crowds, is
our witness reflective of our identity as the children of God or as the
hatchlings of systems designed to maintain power and privilege? Do we breed
liberating goodness or infuse toxic venom into our neighborhoods? Is our
professed allegiance to God’s kingdom come mere deception to our preference for
the control of others?”
Try posting that on Next Door, "are you breeding liberating goodness or infusing toxic venom in our neighborhood?"
I know that these are not easy questions. This is not an easy address.
And, it is awful to consider—it is Awe-Full to consider, how one person’s
greatest hope can be another’s greatest fear. Facing the question being posed
today, will we harm or heal? Will we live at the expense of others, or give of
ourselves for all?
For all, not some. For all.
“May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in
harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you
may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Hear Paul’s petition, may you live in harmony and with one voice glorify
God. This petition expresses a yearning, a yearning born of a world in which
division and conflict were the backdrop to day to day life.
We’ve touched on the political and social crisis’ of the 8th
century BCE. But, we haven’t yet considered the political backdrop to Jesus’ birth.
Economic exploitation, the casual cruelty of Rome, puppet kings, and political
peril. Mary’s magnificat is a manifesto for a people who are experiencing abuse,
enslavement, persecution and peril. It can feel jarring to remember in this
season the terror that caused Jesus’ family to flee across the border with him
into Egypt—but, that’s the world in which these texts emerged. And, for many,
this remains the world in which they live.
Later today, at our Advent liturgy of lessons and carols, we will hear a
passage written by Archbishop Oscar Romero on Christmas Eve, 1978.
We debated including this writing in the service, would it dampen the mood, would people object?
Would folks be mad?
Or, would we all find cause to examine our lives in consideration of our own need for God?
Would we all find within ourselves, not necessarily a physical poverty, but a poverty of spirit?
Would we find ourselves in solidarity with those who long for God?
So now, without further adieu, the contentious piece,
No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas
without being truly poor.
The self-sufficient,
the proud,
those who, because they have everything,
look down on others,
those who have no need even of God –
for them there will be no Christmas.
Only the poor,
the hungry,
those who need someone to come on their behalf,
will have that someone.
That someone is God,
Emmanuel,
God-with-us.
Without poverty of spirit
there can be no abundance of God.
without being truly poor.
The self-sufficient,
the proud,
those who, because they have everything,
look down on others,
those who have no need even of God –
for them there will be no Christmas.
Only the poor,
the hungry,
those who need someone to come on their behalf,
will have that someone.
That someone is God,
Emmanuel,
God-with-us.
Without poverty of spirit
there can be no abundance of God.
Oscar Romero, December 24, 1978
Having heard these words, consider your hearts.
Consider where you are impoverished.
Consider, how you, you can be, in your physical body, the God-with-us of the Body of Christ...
The one who shows up on behalf, the one who brings Christmas to those who long for the promised day.
And, then, pray.
Pray, for Christmas to come. For the poor. For immigrants and refugees.
For our neighbors. For ourselves.
Pray.
Amen.
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Because this is the issue confronting my family right now, and what inspired this particular sermon, here are some links to information about the Minneapolis Public School's Comprehensive District Design Plan:
From proponents of the plan:
Student placement diversity and equity impact assessment--this is the document I found the most edifying,
From a blog that unpacks some of the issues in the plan where spin is being created to direct the district towards a specific outcome,
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