December 11, 2011, Third Sunday of Advent

John the Baptist, again! Why two weekends in a row? Well, I'm not sure--I'd never try to out-guess a Vatican Official who is no doubt responsible for this choice of readings, but I'll bet that it has to do with the point being made. Last week we concentrated on what the Voice in the desert was crying out about--on making "straight the path," in other words "putting into practice each day" the message of peace at the heart of the Torah--at the heart of the Covenant. This week the emphasis shifts a bit. This week the emphasis is on the "Voice that cries in anguish", almost unheeded, begging the world to walk the path of peace. This is the frail Voice of the Suffering Servant, a "character" invented by Isaiah, to depict Israel--the "real" servant of God, the wandering Jew, if you will, the perpetual exile, running for shelter that never lasts, suffering in a world that hates Jews because they are Jews. Isaiah depicted this forlorn character, this world sufferer as the "healer" of humanity because in the way it modeled suffering for the earth, it would lead ALL humanity to the Mercy Seat of the One True God.

The Gospels show Jesus entering the desert, enchanted by John's meditation on this eerie Voice, where as He listens to John, He chooses to enter the peaceful waters of John's baptism--renouncing cruelty and violence--and then BECOMES, in a sense, the VOICE....and makes his message one of REPENT--repent of what? Of hatreds, of violence, of cruelty. In His life and ministry Jesus would never ever suggest rebellion against the persecutor--no mater how hideous the suffering--rather, in the shadow of Isaiah's Suffering Servant on whom he modeled His life, he urged the love of enemies, the turning of the other cheek, the going of the extra mile. He chose not to render evil for evil, instead He taught that evil and the pain it causes should be answered with kindness, and prayers for the persecutor.

When in Luke's Gospel Jesus introduces His Ministry to humanity in the synagogue in Nazareth, He quotes Isaiah's "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me" "the finest of the poems created by Isaiah in which he introduced this literary figure, this "character" of the Suffering Servant, which is how he understood Israel's life and meaning.

ALL the gospels, really, present Jesus as the "Suffering Servant" of God and of Humanity. They call him "Messiah," but they don't speak of Messianic theology--we never hear of the defeat of Israel's enemies--rather, Israel is asked by Jesus to suffer and pray for the persecutor--it's as the  "suffering servant" that Jesus is portrayed.

So, what does that say to us? And why is this used as the introduction to the Christmas story? The Christmas story is about a birth--a star-announced birth--a heaven sung birth. This is no ordinary birth, the text tells us, and so, it needs to be studied. And Luke "studies" the birth throughout his Gospel, as he looks at "pieces" of the later life of Jesus as it unfolded. And in those "pieces" he sees WHY the birth was heaven-sung by a chorus of angels singing of Peace On Earth. They sang of Peace on Earth because the Man Whose birth they are announcing would embrace a life and message of Peace. He would teach a Torah-path of inner peacefulness that would lead to a peaceful life in society, which would lead to a peaceful world.

The angels sang, remember, in Luke's Gospel to "shepherds." And the Dead Sea Scroll documents discovered in 1948 in the Judean wilderness, enlighten us regarding shepherds. Those ancient documents, coming from shortly before the time of Jesus of Nazareth, tell us of "prohibited professions"--jobs that NO self-respecting Jew would consider taking--and one of the is to be a professional shepherd. We are not speaking of farmers who have a flock of sheep--NOT THAT KIND OF SHEPHERD. We are speaking of "professional shepherds," people who drove vast herds of sheep between what is today, the southern steppes of Russia and Egypt--back and forth, each year. These folk lived under no sheriff. They knew no loyalty to any authority. They claimed no citizenship, no nationality. They were wayfarers on the earth, and they were trusted by no one. They tended to leave lots of crime in their wake, for they would come through an area with thousands of sheep or goats, with maybe 50 shepherds working, and they caused lots of trouble wherever they went. No one knew who they were, they were unrecognizable, they could disguise themselves and steal, and rob and kidnap and kill. And then, they were gone! They were the lowest of outlaws in the century before Jesus' birth. How far society had come from the "noble shepherd" of a small flock, like King David had been--to "corporate sheep markets" with vast holdings and anonymous thugs who ran the business, and ran dirty businesses of their own on the side. It was to THESE--the unredeemable outlaws of the age--that angels sang!

The angelic choirs sang songs of peace to the violent. They asked the unredeemable to go to the manger to find their salvation. The story of Jesus' entire life is in the birth story, and the birth story foreshadows every step of his life--right to the end, for in the end, the violent to whom He came would make an end of His life and ministry---or would they? Not if you and I can keep the message alive by living it, ourselves!

I think if St. Luke were here, today, he would tell us NOT to get all caught up in the story of angel choirs, and shepherds. I think he would say, "I know I wrote about angels and prophets of old, and shepherds...but THAT isn't what Christ is about! The Christ lives in the message of universal brotherhood and sisterhood. The Christ lives in the message of peace, and in the example He gave of how to treat other people. The Christ is bound up in the Divine Power that impelled Him and in His message to reach the ends of the gentile world with the truth of the God of Israel. The Christ lives in the hearts of those who have heard the call to holiness of life through the renunciation of hatred, and who seek to open their hearts to God and to all the brothers and sisters. I think St. Luke would say, with St. John: "No one can say they truly 'love God' while hating people," and  since we all have so much anger left inside, none of us can claim perfection, but all of us can stand at the foot of the Cross, and learn what real love is like--it submits to powers without becoming like them, and in doing so, it overcomes them! THAT is the victory of the Cross--there was no capitulation to returning violence for violence, there was no giving in to hate for those who sought only to harm. Instead there was forgiveness. And in returning good for evil, kindness for violence, care for hate, and forgiveness for persecutors NEW BIRTH--RESURRECTION was possible and real.

I think St. Luke would tell us to begin to convert the "unconverted" parts of ourselves, to root out the lingering hatreds and bitterness. I think St. Luke would say, "No one is perfect, but in the path of the Christ, Whose yoke is easy and Whose burden is light, there IS HEALING--for you and for all the earth. So, begin.

On Wednesday of this past week, the reading from Mark's Gospel where Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who labor and find life burdensome, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." I've thought about that. The yoke of Jesus really isn't "easy." There is nothing easy about loving an enemy, turning the other cheek, praying for the good of one who persecutes us. Those are truly hard things to do. BUT, think about it: They are, ultimately SO MUCH EASIER than the alternative! If we return evil for evil, violence for violence, we may feel a rush of adrenaline for a minute, but, then comes the aftermath of more violence and greater hatred. And life gets heavy and burdened, and dull. The path laid out for us as Christians is NOT EASY, but it IS EASIER than other paths, for it leads to fulfillment and peace. Nothing else does.

This is the Torah as taught by Jesus for those who had strayed so far from God that they had no idea what Torah was! This was the Torah as taught by Jesus' disciples to gentile converts who didn't know Hebrew and didn't understand covenant, and who didn't begin to understand what Torah meant. This is the path that has come to us in beatitudes and parables, sayings and prayers of Jesus. As we prepare to celebrate His birth, let us try to emulate His life, and live His teaching, so that the Power of the Living God can fill us and make of our lives benedictions of peace and goodness in our world. And may God bless you all. +

Sunday, December 4, 2011

There are really two separate emphases or points being made in the readings, this weekend. As you can see from the bulletin scripture blurb I do, the first reading is about "gathering" the broken and the alienated and bringing them home. "Ingathering" is a major biblical theme. So often the people of Israel found themselves enslaved somewhere—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Syria, Rome, and since the Roman conquest shortly after the time of Christ until 1948, when the modern State of Israel was established by the UN, Jews had wandered the globe, running from one persecution after another—chased through Russia, through Poland and Eastern Europe, forced out of Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella, and on the run everywhere, finally to be nearly obliterated in the ovens of Auschwitz. There remain only 8 million people of what was once one-tenth of the Roman Empire. What I want to say is that "sca ttering, fleeing, and persecution" have always been a part of the "Jewish story." Jewish comedians make jokes about it as a way to survive it—Jokes like: There are all sorts of famous Jewish violinists, flautists, conductors, but why aren't there many famous Jewish pianists or organists? Answer: It's hard to carry a piano on your back!" There's a veiled sadness in the humor—a recognition that no place is really safe, for no place is "home." Home is where safety is, or it should be. And the Bible is, in many ways, a long song of longing for home. The first reading sees the INGATHERING of the exiled as God's OWN holy action in the world.

Now, we are not Jews. The history of Israel is not our own history. But, in a sense, it IS archetypical. In other words, in some way, it is EVERYONE'S history, too. Think about how much of our life's energy is spent on "finding safety," – a job that's "safe" –where we aren't underpaid while overworked, where we aren't under constant threat of being let go, a job that gives us a sense of security and provides for our needs. We spend so much time worrying about our money—and will it be enough to make all the payments I have and save some for my old age, and will I ever have enough for old age?!? And, think of how much time we spend trying to be in a place of safety and security regarding our health—I don't know about you, but after 55, all sorts of medical issues just seemed to worm their way into my life, and all of a sudden, I have 15 doctors and dentists names in my address book. I remember when in was one doctor and one dentist! And think about how much energy we expend in having a home—even if it's not a free-standing house, but an apartment! We want a place that's not too dangerous, that is friendly to our kids, that allows us to be among friends, so we don't have to worry we'll be robbed each night. And "safe schools" for our kids is always a major concern—a school that actually educates! A school that isn't drug-ridden! A school that has enough activities to protect kids from gang-influence! All of a sudden, we see how we, too, like Israel of old, are always "on the run" looking for safety in a precarious world.

Isaiah's message says that this "fleeing" and the "finding of safety" are holy tasks. That God is found in them. It is God Who guides us to safety, for only HE can secure a life. That's a wonderful Advent message, for the Advent focus is on the coming of God in the form of Christ into a violent, ugly world that only valued material things, and chose to see "safety" and "security" only in what could be put in the bank. God entered that world, endured its suffering, died under its weight, all to Give us "the path" to a security that is beyond what this world can really offer. AND, the "security," the "safety" of the Christ, when lived, often leads to greater safety in this world, too. Why? Because potential enemies are made into friends.

The Gospel reading is about how to live "after" the Ingathering—how to live in spiritual security—how to make the potential enemy into friends. It's message comes from the words used by the prophet in the first reading, but it shifts the focus from ingathering to  "make straight the path." In other words, "put this 'path' into practice every day!" John the Baptist, the odd fellow from the desert (the desert is "the quintessential symbol" for a LACK of safety) had a message for the "folk from Jerusalem," (Jerusalem is "the quintessential symbol" for safety and security). He's saying if you want "security" to really stay with you: Repent of your materialistic, avaricious, and vicious ways, and learn the path of Torah, the path of peace.

And, of course, Christ chose to inaugurate His mission to humanity in the peaceful waters of John's baptism—which is why the reading focuses on John's statement, "'one is coming after me", in other words,  He is the One you should heed! Thus, the reading is the perfect reading to focus us on the meaning of Christmas. Christmas will celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace into a violent world. The violence of the world is there because our human focus is so often on "stuff"—toys, the house, the car,  the dog, the drapes, the basement full of rifles! We so rarely focus on the intangibles of life—meaning, purpose, love, commitment. The first focus—the focus on material things—will always lead to violence; the other focus, the focus on inner meaning, purpose in life, love, connection, commitmen t will always lead us to God and to peace. The Christ came to show us what life's focus ought to be.

So, isn't it interesting that to celebrate the "focus on the spiritual," which His life taught, we celebrate His birth with the most "material-consumer-driven" holiday of the year! It just points out how hard it is to keep the focus Christ wants—even when we love Him and want to serve Him!

So, in this coming week, as we begin the inevitable gift purchases that accompany this season, let's let our focus be on what will be spiritually helpful for our world, including those we are buying our gifts for. There is a way to do gift giving that isn't about 'money' and isn't about 'making ourselves look good,' but about truly loving another person—instead of saying, "O Lord, we have to get something for Aunt Fanny, let's get her a bauble from Bon Marché, you can take a moment to think of the "person" Aunt Fanny has been all her life—interests she's had, goals she's achieved—and spend the time to pick something that will be meaningful for her—then, it doesn't have to be expensive to impress—your "consideration" will have taken care of that! Remember, as the followers of Christ, and focusers on "the healing spirit of God", we want to use our lives and o ur time to become benedictions of goodness and peace. May we all become benedictions of goodness for someone this week. And may God bless you all. +