Torn Apart and Filled with Love

Sermon for 1-11-2009
Scripture: Acts 19:1-7, Mark1:4-11

“No shepherds. No angels. No Magi. No star. No stable. Not a word about Mary and Joseph. Mark's story of Jesus begins at the river: "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan." There's no list of ancestors. None of the cosmic wonder that opens John's Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Mark's word is far more ordinary and direct" "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan." Jesus entered the river with others to be washed in a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”1

We are so familiar with the first chapters of Matthew and Luke, filled with the Christmas stories. John’s Gospel is less familiar but we have heard the more metaphysical beginnings of Jesus as the Word and the light shining in the darkness. Mark gets right to Jesus’ baptism, filled with the drama of the heavens being torn apart and a Spirit descending on him like a dove. And then most amazing, the Word comes from God that Jesus is his son, the Beloved! It’s unclear as to whether or not this voice is a public or private voice. We don’t know if anyone else heard God’s voice or if it was heard only by Jesus. Did anyone else see the heavens torn apart or just Jesus? By the way, in Matthew and Luke it says the heavens are opened up, not torn apart. The word for torn apart in Mark comes from the Greek scizomevnou, meaning “to divide by use of force, split, divide, separate, tear apart…” the root for our word schizophrenic. It is not used again in Mark except at the time of Jesus’ death when he speaks of the veil of the Temple, being “torn in two, from top to bottom”2

For Mark’s Jesus, the world would never be the same again—the heavens would never be able to close up as tightly as before this happened. Barbara Lundblad in a sermon on this topic suggests that at this point Jesus begins to tear apart the pictures of whom the Messiah was suppose to be:

Tearing apart the social fabric that separated rich from poor.
Breaking
through hardness of heart to bring forth compassion.
Breaking through
rituals that had grown rigid or routine.
Tearing apart the chains that bound
some in the demon's power.
Tearing apart the notions of what it means to be
God's Beloved Son. 3

When Mark’s narrative continues, we are told that the Spirit immediately drove Jesus out into the wilderness. Those of us who know the story know that Jesus will be there for 40 days, being tempted by Satan. So there’s no doubt about this baptism leading Jesus to a new place.

Have you ever had a time in your life when your whole world changed? For some of our more evangelical church family, they may tell you it was the time when they were born again. For some of you that were baptized as adults, it might have been the time when you decided to be baptized. For most of us there are many moments, small and large that have impact on our life, that are defining moments. Maybe baptism itself, especially for those of us baptized as infants, should be thought of as not a once for all event but an invitation to constant growth.

Often it’s when we find a torn place in our lives that we can go forth in a new way, do a new thing. Maybe it is in those torn places that we can hear Jesus calling us. I always remember how the Chinese symbol for crisis is made up of two symbols: danger and opportunity. What are these torn places? A loss through death or divorce, a loss of function such as seeing, hearing, walking, or the ability to be independent are significant ones. Also, a relocation, both voluntary or involuntary, maybe my experience in India will be a torn place of change for me. It’s a radical change of some sort in your life.

In our Gospel lesson today there is another significant aspect that allows Jesus (and us) to be able to break away from the old and go on with the new and that is, knowing that we are loved. God tells Jesus that he is the Beloved, one in whom God is well pleased. Some of us are fortunate enough to have family that let us know in no uncertain way that we are loved. Others are not so fortunate. Henri Nouwen reminds us that in baptism God says, “All I want to say to you is: You are the beloved, and all I hope is that you can hear these words with all the tenderness and force that love can hold. My only desire is to make these words reverberate in every corner of your being… You are the beloved.” Whatever your situation, there is God’s love to inspire you, to comfort you, to give you confidence. I believe that one of the greatest duties of the church is to let the people know about God’s love. Can you imagine yourself as beloved? Can you imagine every woman, man, and child sitting here today as God’s beloved? What about your neighbors, those you work with, those you go to school with? If we each were to think about ourselves and each other as God’s beloved, do you think it would make a difference in our actions, how we treat each other, how we make laws and policies in our governments?

God comes to us through torn apart heavens and troubling waters. I love the Negro Spiritual, “Wade in the Water”, which is said to be a coded song telling the Negro slaves ways to escape to their freedom, covering their tracks and scent by entering the water. I wonder what it means for God to be troubling the waters in our life. Is troubled water a necessary part of our journey to be free?

Baptism is one of only two sacraments in the United Church of Christ. A sacrament means an outward and visible sign of an inward, spiritual grace given by God. When a baptism is performed, we are exhorted to remember our own baptism. Remembering helps us know who and whose we are; it reminds us that we are God’s beloved; it can help us find an equilibrium that is necessary when our heaven is torn apart or when God is “troublin’ the waters”. At this time I am going to walk up and down the aisles sprinkling you with water as a ritual for you to remember your own baptism, remember how you are God’s beloved sons and daughters. It’s also a way that I want to bless you as I leave for my Sabbatical to India. As the water is sprayed, please know that you are not only God’s beloved but that each of you is also very special to me. No matter where you are or where I am, may the water remind us of the Holy Spirit and of that special connection that we have. Amen!


1 Barbara Lundblad, “Torn apart Forever”, online sermon.
2 Mark 15:38-9)
3 Op.cit

A Light for All People

Epiphany Sunday, January 4, 2009
Scripture: Isaiah 60: 1-6 and Matthew 2: 2-12

Oh, star of wonder, star of night; guide us to thy perfect light.

Epiphany—a revelation, a manifestation of Divine Presence right in the midst of ordinary life! In the church year, Epiphany is twelve days after Christmas, January 6. Epiphany celebrates the visit to Jesus of the wise men from the East, often called the three kings or the Magi. The Greek word for the Magi really has nothing to do with kings “but designates a priestly class of Persian or Babylonian experts in the occult, such as astrology and the interpretation of dreams.” (New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 7, p. 140)

In Isaiah we have a prediction of camels from the East bringing gold and frankincense and praising the Lord. That scripture opens with a resounding call, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” The next verse describes thick darkness covering the earth and all its peoples, but then the light of the Lord shines forth, bringing all nations to the brightness of dawn. Epiphany is also used as a word referring to a sudden brightness that lights up our mind, gives us insights we never had before. It is definitely a gift. It may be something that comes to an individual or to whole community. It is like the bright light shining in the darkness. Light attracts, brings people together.

In the world of Isaiah there had been a number of prophecies, known to religious and pagans alike, about the possibility of a promised King. There was a belief that a special star would be the sign of the birth of this special person. Since the wise men were astrologers, it would be common for them to study the sky for signs of extraordinary events.

Today let’s look at the journey of the wise men to see what we can learn from it that might apply to us spreading the light in our world today. In the Gospel of Matthew we are given a time and place for this story. It was in Bethlehem of Judea in the time of King Herod, this King Herod ruled from 37-4 BCE. Now Herod was considered the King of the Jews so when he heard that another “King” had been born. He was indeed threatened. And the inquirers were not local folks but were from far away, from the East. They would be considered pagans or Gentiles as opposed to Jews, yet here they were, having come a very long distance to pay homage, to worship this King of the Jews. The fact that these wise men were from another nation and another religion, establishes in my mind how Jesus was for all people, all nations, all races, and so forth right from the very beginning. To reinforce that belief, we have the story in Luke where it is the Jewish shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem to whom the angels appear. The angels say, I am bringing you good news of great joy for ALL the people; to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (2:10-11) These shepherds are as poor as the Magi are rich. Jesus is for all, rich or poor. Through God’s grace in the birth of Jesus, the dividing wall was broken down to create one new human family, all loved by God.

By now most of you know that I believe that God wants us all to be part of a loving, inclusive community. Most of us Christians have been taught that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Light—so far so good. For me, Jesus is definitely the way, the truth, and the light; however, I do not interpret the Bible literally as do our Fundamentalist and Evangelical brothers and sisters, who believe that only those that accept Jesus as their personal Savior will be saved and have eternal life as part of God’s family. Some of you have heard me express my affinity to Progressive Christianity, which talks about Jesus being the “Gate” to the realm of God for us as Christians, yet also recognizing the faithfulness of others who may use different names for the gateway to God’s realm. I believe it’s crucial that in our enthusiasm for including all people in God’s family and in our common life that we do not impose on them the necessity of becoming like us. Saying all of this brings me back to my sermon title of Jesus being the light for all people. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, Asian or African, Middle Eastern or American, the teachings and promises of Jesus are available to all. I further believe that it’s up to us to preach the gospel of Jesus at all times to all peoples and when necessary, to use words.

Looking at another meaning, Epiphany means to behold the world or one’s life in a new way. For me learning about the teachings of Progressive Christianity was an epiphany. It helped me blend my Christian faith with my worldview of inclusiveness. I have recently been reading a lot of the Hindu beliefs and rejoice when I learn that the Hindu religion teaches both tolerance and universal acceptance, teaching that all religions are equally worthy of respect. One of the authors I was reading says he is proud that he can honor the sanctity of other faiths without feeling he is betraying his own.1

Throughout this Advent and Christmas season, I have preached a lot about the suffering in the world; we had our own share of suffering in NH with those many hours without power, without light. Star of wonder, Star of Night,….Guide us to your perfect light. I think we appreciate light more than ever now. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” If we talk about the hope, joy, peace, and love of Christmas, and sing these joyous, blissful songs without seeing and helping with the terrible suffering and anguish in the world around us, the Christmas sentiments will indeed be only “pious platitudes” (Nettleson). We celebrate Christmas because we do live in a suffering world; and the One has come to bring us light, to give us life. Emmanuelle, God with us. My prayer for you and for me is that in this week and forward, we let Jesus’ light shine in us as we go into the world. We, too, can be the light in the world. Epiphany is about sending out those who have learned the good news to share it with all nations. Go Tell It On the Mountain that Jesus Christ is born. May we have the courage and the love to both recognize and follow where God calls, even if at times these places terrify and horrify us. May God bless us and help us. Amen

1Shashi Tharoor, The Elephant, the tiger, and the cell phone,2007.