FEAR

Matthew 26:31 – Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

This past Sunday was Shepherd Sunday and we listened to a sermon on the sheep not being scattered but rather being gathered. That’s what Jesus does, gathers people. He always had people around him and often talked of them/us as being sheep without a shepherd. And sheep without a shepherd tend to scatter.

However, the disciples have Jesus as their shepherd, and yet he tells them they will become deserters. They will scatter. This was a shocking thing for Jesus to say and for them to hear. They have been following him for between one and three years and they have no intention of deserting him. How dare he!?

Well, Jesus (and we) knows something they don’t. We know that their ideas about Jesus’s kin-dom are not Jesus’s ideas. We know that Jesus will be crucified very shortly. He has tried to warn them and is again warning them here, teaching them about what will happen next. Jesus knows that the Roman soldiers will arrest him this night. And he knows how the disciples fear the Roman soldiers.

Their fear will cause them to run and hide. Their fear will cause panic. Their fear will cause them to scatter. I accidentally wrote shatter instead of scatter and it fits. Their fear will shatter their faith in Jesus and in their vision of God’s coming kin-dom. Their hopes and dreams will shatter, and they will desert Jesus; they will scatter.

We too know fear. Fear that causes us to panic and do stupid things. Fear that causes us to hide from others, physically or intimately. Fear that causes us to scatter; to blame others for our problems. Fear that causes us to judge others, demonize others, maybe even blame others. Yes, we too know fear.

Watching or reading the news is easier now that the previous guy is out of office, but it still creates fear and anxiety in me. I think it’s the endless speculation of whether Republicans or Democrats will do x or y. The endless suspense the news tries to create is not helpful to anyone. Their framing of government as a game rather than as governance is appalling. Yes, the news can be difficult to read or watch.

Part of the problem is that Fox News endlessly hypes the fear and panic of white supremacy and white nationalism. They constantly try to get their talking points into the mainstream and the more moderate news channels oblige them, because the media are not as liberal as Republicans would like us to believe. They treat everything as if both (or all) sides have a point. This is false and adds to my anxiety. White supremacists do not have a point. Fox News is not news at all; it is lies, slander, and speculation. It is Republican propaganda designed to keep its viewers angry and afraid; of people not like them, of Democrats, of being “replaced,” of Black people, of immigrants, of Muslims, of strong women, of whatever boogeyman they can scare up on any given day.

Yet, fear, like death, does not have the last word. Jesus isn’t finished speaking. He has one more line, which we’ll get to next week. Spoiler alert, he has plans to gather what will be scattered.

Fear scatters, Love gathers.

B

 

HE CAME THERE TO DIE

Matthew 26:30 – When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

I have been reading a lot of Hercule Poirot mysteries lately. In a recent one, The Clocks, a man dies in a house where no one recognizes him. A neighbor comments, “He came there to die.” Reading this, that line is what I thought about – he, Jesus, came to the Mount of Olives to die at the hands of the Roman state.

State terrorism. That’s what crucifixion was in reality, state terrorism. Jesus was killed for sedition as an example to others to obey the laws. That’s what all death penalty and harsh punishments are in my opinion. State terrorism.

However, there is a more prominent and disturbing form of state terrorism happening in the US: extrajudicial police killing of Black people. With impunity. There is no punishment for such acts, because it suits those in power to let it continue. That the murderer of George Floyd was convicted, does very little to change this situation. Indeed, while the verdict was being read, police in Columbus, OH, killed a 16-year-old girl. The following day, police killed a young man in North Carolina.

We are crucifying Christ every day in this country. It has been going on for decades. No. Centuries.

Writing about it isn’t enough, reading about it isn’t enough. They are necessary starting points for me and others as we try to explain to our family and friends, but they are not enough. As Christians, we are called to push back, to protest, to work for an end to the systems that perpetuate this extreme injustice, this perversion of humanity. Sadly, it’s also Christians perpetuating these systems and attitudes. I have such Christians in my extended family. They do not speak to us anymore. I suspect because we disagree on this and the previous guy.

You might ask if understanding isn’t enough, and writing about it isn’t enough, what should we do? What can we do?

Good question, I’m glad you asked! I’ve posted about this before. In 2017, Corinne Shutack, writing for Medium, started a list. It’s currently up to 103 things white people can do for racial justice. I hope you’ll look at the list and pick one or two or many and begin.

The Apostle Paul also had something to say about this subject, “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). Take time to lament with those who lament. Lamentation has a bad rap in our “feel good” society. But, the first step of empathy or even compassion is to imagine how another feels. Lamentation is an act of love; a way into that imagination and empathy or compassion. A way into recognizing that there is indeed a grave injustice being perpetrated against Black people and people of color every day.

Every day.

Which means that every day that we possibly can, we need to take action. Or 103 actions.

B

 

MY FATHER'S KINGDOM

 Matthew 26:29 - I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

Matthew doesn’t say how the disciples reacted to this. We, who live 2,000 years later, know that he was referring to his death, resurrection, and eventual return. Did the disciples understand? Or did they think the war with Rome was about to start? How did they understand the term ‘my Father’s kingdom?’

How do we understand that term? What does it mean for us as Christians today? Does it imply or command any action on our part? Or is it something that comes about without our contribution?

My Father’s kingdom. To me, it means everyone, absolutely everyone (yes, even that person you’re thinking of) deserves dignity, justice, peace, love, joy, freedom, food, water, shelter, and all the good things in life in abundance. The New Jerusalem.

I’m thinking about this term in light of what has been happening these past weeks, especially, this past week: Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd, Duarte Wright’s murder at the hands of a police officer, school shootings in Knoxville, and so much more. It feels as though the US is coming apart at the seams, as though everything is unravelling. I think it’s the last gasp of White Supremacy and “Republicanism” (or Trumpism if you will). They are losing the cultural battle, the electoral battle, and the population battle. Because they only want white voters, the only way for Republican candidates to win in many places is to cheat: suppress the votes of Black people. They know this.

Jesus says the kin-dom of heaven is near; we can experience it in part here on earth. Yet, when we hold that vision of justice and equity and joy and love in our minds, we can’t help but see how far we are from that vision. And still I say we can experience God’s kin-dom here on earth, if we are willing to work with God for the dignity of all people, for a world in which no one suffers from poverty, for a world in which everyone has enough, for a world focused on love of God, ourselves, and others. No, we are not there, and that means we all have work to do.

In Matthew 25, we saw the cheat sheet for the final test, the judgement. Did we give water to the thirsty? Food to the hungry? Freedom to the prisoner? Companionship to the sick? Did we care for those around us in need? Did we do what we could for what Jesus calls ‘the least of these?’ Did we in fact love our neighbor as ourselves? That is our work, and those are the questions that not only will we be asked but that Christ is asking us even today. How are we loving others? Where can we do better?

One answer stands out to me: end systemic racism. That’s a lot to ask. Yet, racism, especially in the US, lies at the heart of the majority of the world’s problems – even climate change. We have never reckoned with our race problem and how it impacts everything from how our food is distributed, to our infrastructure (yes, highways are racist as Black neighborhoods were destroyed to clear a path), to our architecture, to our laws, to our health, to our view of the insurrection of January, to the way we see each other. Racism hurts everyone. Everyone. I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of seeing Black people be killed by police in situations where white people would walk away. We all deserve to live in a world in which we feel safe from oppression and predation. The US is not that place. But we can turn it around. We are called as Christians to turn it around in whatever way we can.

One way to turn it around is to join with others already doing the work. My church has voted to become a Matthew 25 church in the PC(USA). The Matthew 25 Initiative focuses on three areas: ending systemic racism, ending systemic poverty, and congregational vitality. These three areas are intersectional; poverty and racism go hand in hand in the US. Working to end them entails educating ourselves about where our own church has had racist roots, where our own communities embody racism in their highways, their architecture, and their housing policies, what policies of our communities create more poverty, what policies might help, where is the dignity for people in our policing, our city councils, our county and state governments. There is so much to learn and address; working with God and the entire community, we can accomplish beautiful things. Is something similar possible in your worship community?

Jesus gave us the cheat sheet. How did we love our neighbor as ourselves? How can we love better? As Christians, these questions should always be in our minds and hearts always, and especially during the pandemic of COVID, the pandemic of poverty, and the pandemic of racism in the US.

B

COMMUNION

Matthew 26:27-28 - Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Again, we have the motif, the idea of consumption in the phrase ‘poured out,’ referencing Jesus’s blood. Spending one’s lifeblood on behalf of others and all. Together with the previous verse regarding Jesus’s body, these are the words of Institution of Holy Communion. Communion, a coming together.

Communion.

On this day in the Church calendar, we remember the trial and torture of Jesus. Tomorrow is Good Friday, the day on which he was crucified. Here in the US, we continue to crucify Jesus in many ways.

·         Jailing people of color at a higher rate than white people, which often has the effect of removing their right to vote.

·         We are witnessing the murder trial of the killer of George Floyd, but there are many such murders that have gone unpunished and unreported.

·         We have yet to treat women – of any color – as the equal of men.

·         We do not pay essential workers enough to live on.

·         Republican leadership is openly racist and anti-person. They’re more interested in businesses, forgetting that workers are the lifeblood of businesses.

·         There are over 250 bills being sponsored in multiple states restricting voting rights in response to Biden’s win. This affects minorities the most.

Communion?

I have heard a description of heaven and hell that applies here. Hell is a long banquet hall with fantastic food. However, the utensils are too long for people to use. Heaven, on the other hand is a long banquet hall with fantastic food. It has the same utensils too. The difference is that in heaven, people are feeding each other.

Communion.

A foretaste of heaven. Feeding each other. That image reminds me that communion requires vulnerability. The act of being fed requires vulnerability. Being fed by another person implies that we are dependent in some way. And we, Americans especially, don’t like being dependent. We ignore daily the myriad ways we are dependent on others and have been since the moment of our birth. Perhaps that’s why we have trouble with communion.

Communion.

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray specifically that the Lord’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are the ones tasked with doing God’s will on earth. Yet, we also pray that God’s kin-dom will come on earth as it is in heaven. Heaven is here, if we have eyes to see. If we’re willing to be vulnerable and be fed by others. If we’re willing to work for a world in which everyone – no exceptions – is cared for: housed, has enough to eat and drink, has access to healthcare – good quality healthcare, a job that interests them that pays enough to live on, enough free time to enjoy their life. A world, country, or even city in which citizens are cared for rather than sacrificed to the supply-side God of shareholder returns.

A world in which everyone is seen as Christ to everyone else.

Communion?

We don’t live in that world. Today is the day we set aside in our Church calendar to lament that sad fact. Christ was crucified about 2,000 years ago. We continue to crucify him today.

Sunday is beginning of the season of Easter. This Easter season, let’s work to resurrect the lives of those who are suffering around us, that they may be lived to the fullest. Let's work for a true communion.

B

 

GIVEN

 (Part 5 of a 5-part series. Part 1 here, Part2 here. Part 3 here. Part 4 here.)

Given.

Every year since we moved here, my spouse’s aunt has invited us to join her and friends at her country club for Thanksgiving dinner. (I know, I know.) The last time we went (2019) we all talked about our families and lives at the aunt’s house afterward. Then someone brought up politics. With the exception of one person, everyone listened when others shared their opinions and no one was shamed. We knew they were Republicans from previous years, but getting to know them as people before we really got into it – not arguing, just getting deep into the discussion – helped us see them as people, not caricatures. It was a beautiful and holy communion.

Given.

We are saved (however we define that word) not to just go through life for ourselves and follow certain rules. No, we are saved to continue Jesus’s work of loving people. That is what we were all doing during that Thanksgiving evening, loving people. Believe me, it was hard not to come at them with facts and anger, but, you see, we had just learned about their families and that connection was more important. Recognizing the dignity of others is the basis for loving them. That means mocking, making fun of, wishing others ill for their opinions, are all off the table. God’s table is about love.

Given to be Consumed

We are given to those around us to love them in whatever way they need love. There are so many ways to love others – helping, advocating, mourning when they mourn, healing, listening, being available, voting, supporting, smiling, saying hello, sharing meals. Jesus took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples to eat. To be consumed. Our lives in Christ are to be given and used for a higher purpose, spent in service to those around us.

Consumed.

The funny thing is this doesn’t just happen once. At least in my experience, as we grow in our spiritual lives, more is revealed to us and we get (re)broken, blessed, and given in many ways. I say broken, but here it is more of a reorientation of our thinking and way of being. Our ideas get broken and reformed as do our lives. We do not become all wise or all knowing when we follow Christ. In fact, all our defects will come up in our relations with others. Ideally, we work through them together, forgiveness is offered and accepted, and all are transformed in the process. And the cycle continues.

Given.

We have not seen any of the Thanksgiving attendees since that dinner. We don’t know if they supported the insurrection or believe the lies that the election was rigged. My spouse’s aunt doesn’t seem to, but for the rest, we don’t know. I have thought a lot about whether we will all be together again. If so, what will that look like? Will we be able to love them? Will we be able to be able to let ourselves be given again?

B

 

TAKEN

  (Part 4 of a 5-part series. Part 1 here, Part2 here. Part 3 here.)

 Taken. Chosen. Set Apart.

In my Intro to Theology class at seminary, we had to do a Holy Spirit project and present it to the class. I used the metaphor of the seasons to ground my project. Winter was the wind blowing and pushing us, sometimes to places we don’t really want to go. Spring was rain and refreshment and growth. Summer was warmth and light. Fall was cool and connection; a slowing of our pace. Today, I want to talk about the Holy Spirit as winter, blowing and driving us where God wants us to be.

Taken.

Sometimes to places we don’t want to go. Like church on a Sunday morning. Like seminary. Not only was I not looking for Jesus when I found him, I was not interested. I was only looking for a better life. That, however, did not stop Jesus from looking for and choosing me. I used to joke that seminary and ministry was for people who really needed it. Because what I learned in seminary wasn’t so much theology, but how to live in a community and how to love those I might deem unlovable. I got a lot of practice on that last one in seminary. I learned more about being loved too. And about myself. I’m not sure I would have learned these things otherwise. Although everyone there didn’t necessarily need it, I really needed seminary. I was chosen.

Chosen.

The thing is – God chooses everybody; in their own way. I have a friend who follows the Lakota way. She tells me that the spirits are always looking for someone to talk with, to teach, to love. If we’re too busy going about our lives, we won’t hear them. I like that. God is always broadcasting love. If we don’t listen, we won’t hear. In that sense, I chose God in choosing to listen. That sets those of us who listen apart from those who don't, but we're also set apart by what we hear God saying. My spouse and I routinely hear different messages, because we are different people. God is not calling him to the same service to which he is calling me.

Set Apart.

We’re taken or chosen or set apart – however you want to look at it – not because were awesome or special but because we heard, we listened, and we responded. What was once broadcasting has become a dialogue. Even if we grumble and complain, God still calls us to continue deeper into loving ourselves, loving him, loving others. Always.

And that leads us back to blessing. Because to follow Jesus, to go where the persistent wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing is to practice love, and to practice love is to be blessed by love. Even if I’m being blown where I don’t want to go, or asked to love someone I don’t want to love.

Taken.

May you be blessed to be taken ... chosen ... set apart.

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