Words of Life

January 27, 2013 I wonder about any number of things --- about this world and about this thing we call life. Two of the things I wonder about concern the church. I sometimes wonder how people manage to get through life’s tough times without faith...mostly, I wonder about how people manage without the support of the church and her members. I’m sure you know people like this --- people without a church, without the loving and supportive friendships and the shared fellowship with church members. What do those people do with the struggles and the sorrows, the harsh realities of the world, the personal heartbreaks. And who is there for them when it is time to celebrate and acknowledge the really good stuff in life? Like you I know people who have lots of stuff, lots of relatives, good jobs, but no church, no church family, no kindred spirits in the faith...and what I see in them is a flailing, as they try to make sense of life’s circumstances that quite often don’t make sense...a flailing then that often turns to bitterness and despair...and what I hear in their voices is a flatness, an emptiness...and so often a lack of joy for the pure pleasure of living in the Lord. When I think about these people, I wish better for them. And the wish is for a faith and a church. For a sanctuary to sit in; for congregations to call, send a card, bring a warm meal, listen to their deepest worries. But even more that those things, what I wish is that they had the word of God to strengthen and comfort them, for much-loved scripture passages to be their anchor, or their compass, or a set of wings to lift them up and over the tough days that come to every life. The other thing I wonder about is how in the world the church has managed to keep on going for 2000 years. From the first day, there were outside forces that could have crushed the church and sent it into oblivion. Governments, regimes, dictators, wars, radical factions, other religions, underground movements, threats, disinterest. The church could have been over before it really started if people had gotten tired of waiting for Jesus’ return, or if they thought Paul was too crazy, or if following Christ took too much effort. All of it could have fallen apart if the arguments and differences...the prejudice and hard feelings were so great that they could not be overcome. Let us turn then to Nehemiah, where we meet a people who have been too long without the Word of God...a people whose way of life is threatened not only from the inside, but from the outside as well. The year was 440 BC. The Jews who were in exile have been released. With very little resources, but as best as possible - the Temple has been rebuilt – a mere shadow of its former self. Now as the people set about to rebuild the walls around their beloved Jerusalem – they face threats from the outside. Fearful that the Israelites were planning some kind of revolt – enemies promised to tear down the city walls once again. They tormented the Israelites with insults calling them poor workers, called them fools to even think they could rebuild, and humiliated them with jibes and taunts because the only materials they had to rebuild the city’s walls were the charred and fire damaged stones from the original wall. Rebuilding the city’s wall became dangerous. As the situation deteriorated, armed guards we stationed to keep watch; the builders grew tired; a sense of defeat and disillusionment set in. And there were economic problems. There was drought and crop failure – food was at a premium. Though farmers lost their livelihood, ---their already high taxes continued, their loans were called in by their creditors, and children were forced to work. The people were forced to pledge their fields, vineyards, and homes just to get grain to feed their families. The powerful and the creditors used this crisis for their personal gain. In chapter 5 Nehemiah notes that a people who have been freed from slavery are now being sold back into the slavery of debt. Forces on the outside were determined to erase the Jews – their traditions, their history, their faith, and their future. And that is also true for the forces from the inside. Because it was their own kinfolk who held, and now called in the notes on their property. It was their kinfolk – who – out of fear of their enemies - sabotaged the building of the wall. And...the Jews who were not taken into exile, but had remained in Jerusalem, the Jews who were left behind and did their best to farm the land, build up what they could, raise families, keep traditions ---it was those Jews who ‘held down the fort’, who the government forced to give up and leave their homes and their farms – so that the returning exiles could move in and take over. And those thousands who over the many years had married foreigners – were forced to divorce = forced to send spouses and children away - what misery that must have caused, and what resentment. This is a picture of a people who are surely broken, every hope dashed, exhausted by life’s struggles, crushed on all sides. These are a people without support – from the inside - not from their own, not from one another – and certainly not from the outside. So what was it that offered them strength and comfort? What was their anchor, their compass, and where did they find a good set of wings to lift them up and over all these tough days? Nehemiah wrote a beautiful sentence: All the people assembled as one man. Individuals, separated, torn apart by many circumstances...but together as one --- united and strong -- when they become a congregation. And where do they assemble? But at the Water Gate, a place where everyone could gather, men, women, children, and yes, even the ritually unclean. There is equality in this congregational gathering – it is inclusive, diverse, open, and available to all people. The congregation gathers together to do what??? To hear --- the Word of God. And that is important because it will be in the Word of God that they will not only reclaim their past – not only be renewed for the struggles of the day, but as well --be equipped for their future. The people’s amen – sealed once again – their covenant with God...and they wept – perhaps as they recognized all they had lost over the year ... perhaps after years of frustration, bitterness, unhappiness, worry and the loneliness of exile – the words they heard – words chosen by God and spoken specifically to them –were the wings they needed to lift them up and out of their despair, comforted and strengthened – encouraging them to carry on as a congregation, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. And with that good news – Nehemiah insisted that the weeping be left for another day – now it was time to celebrate. Time to eat the fat and drink sweet wine and share with those who had nothing, for – Scripture tells us that ....the day the people assembled to hear God’s Word was called holy. How do people get through the trials of life – without faith and without the care of the church --- I will still wonder about that. But what I will no longer wonder about is how the church has managed to stay alive, managed to stay together for all these good and bad years.... despite forces from within and without – we are bound...and we remain because of these Words of life....Wonderful – amazing -- grace filled words of life.

Two Ways

1.6.13 He was a schemer who took advantage of every situation in order to get to the top. He levied exorbitant taxes on Jewish citizens so that he could live lavishly, and finance his pet projects. He did all kinds of horrible things to remain in power - divorced his first wife, and sent her and their son away. He ended up having 9 wives, several of whom he had killed. He killed one of his wive’s brother, her grandfather, her mother, and two more of his sons. He was violently jealous, suspicious, and paranoid. As the years went by, as he gained more and more powerful, he grew more and more fearful of losing it all...and his dark and cruel streak grew worse. Family members – and a whole bunch of other people – never knew if they were in or out of favor...if they were on his good side or his bad side. In his world there was no room for anyone but himself=== and whoever he decided would fit, whoever he decided was acceptable, whoever he decided he liked --- at the time. His heart was small – he looked out for himself, was obsessed with what he wanted, disregarded the needs of others, offered no hope to anyone, protected himself and his own interests, ruled with fear. Toward the end of his life he ordered the murder of every child in and around Bethlehem who was two years old or younger. Because the wise men were searching for a child who was born king of the Jews. And the jealous, power hungry, paranoid, violently crazy ruler, could not stand the thought that a new king had been born - who would grow up to dethrone him...who might be better than him, who might actually be loved by the people. A grown man afraid of a child...a baby who threatened – and in his world all threats must come to an end. Herod, a man who could not stand the idea of a Jesus. Jesus – who shunned power and chose the path of peace; a man who was tender, showed compassion, and spoke of justice. A man who preferred the company of those who everyone else hated, ignored, avoided or feared. A man who spent his time with men and women with bad reputations, questionable pasts ..with those who were...unacceptable by cultural and moral standards...those who were sick and unclean. A man who broke into history – to serve and not be served, to sacrifice all, bringing with him an unknown hope and an unimaginable light to a despairing and dark world. Wise men from places about which we can only guess. Star-gazers who recognized the light of the world in the rising of a distant star. Wise men who packed a bit of hope in their bags and journeyed long and far - faithfully following the star that told of the birth of a king. The Magi who came from distant lands, would have been considered unacceptable and unclean because they were different – and unknown; and foreigners - Gentile foreigners at that. New Testament professor from Brite Divinity School comments: We do not see the rich, the powerful, the educated, the so-called “normal”...so... how can we miss the message of the gospel? When from the very beginning of Jesus’ life, we see only lowly shepherds and foreigners – they are the first to hear...it is to them that Jesus’ Kingship is revealed. At the very beginning of Jesus’ life the gospel reveals to us that in His kingdom the dividing walls between races and cultures, the prejudice between people who are different will be broken down. We just heard Isaiah say: nations shall come to your light; all will gather together; all will come to you; from far away, even the abundance of the sea shall come; they will come from places like Midian and Ephah and Sheba – all foreign places. If ever you believed that God was exclusive..if ever you believed that God came only for certain people...then you were mistaken. We have begun a New Year - A New Year in a world that has been labeled post-Christian, a world that is more and more secular, where church and her members are viewed with skeptical --if not indifferent eyes. And so, the church has to choose – we have to choose -- between two ways. Between the ways of the Herod’s of the world - and the way of Jesus Christ. We have to choose between Herod’s way of being so consumed with our own existence that we see nothing else, so consumed with keeping the circle of who is acceptable very small; we have to choose between protecting our own interests, choose between extending love, compassion, support and hope to only those who are on our side, only those who we like, only those who fit in the way we think they should fit. We have to choose that... Or Choose to walk with a loving, compassionate, inclusive Christ. A harder road to be sure, a narrower path without a doubt, a route – which much like the one taken by the Magi – will cause you to make a change. The road we walked before we heard the angels, before we came to the manger, cannot be taken again. We, like the magi - cannot go back the way we came, but we will travel by another – a new road. This new road is the one upon which the master insists we go – Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame ...go out into the roads and lanes and compel people to come in so that my house may be filled – yes filled, with every sad and sorry outcast you can find. Filled, with people who need to be fed, who need a human touch, and a voice of understanding, - fill my house with people who are tired of being hurt out there, and long to be safe in here. Fill my house with the lowly shepherds and the foreign magi’s of the world. The virgin will conceive and bear and son and he will be called Emmanuel – God with us. Not God with us...and then there is them....but God with us – all of us. Two ways – which will we choose...because we must choose.