Agreements from Everything Around

So we have arrived here it seems all at once.  Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent often rereferred to as Mary Sunday.  It is also Christmas eve as we prepare for another service in less than eight hours.  Tomorrow we wake to the miracle that is Christmas.  Unto us a child is born, but unto one of us he was born first.

No matter how fast things come at us it is important I think to take them in order.  Sometimes, those few times, life can even be a little too slow for us, huh.  Not this Advent.  Not this Mary Sunday.  In the Anglican tradition there are two scriptures we often focus upon which have wonderful names.  The Annunciation and the Magnificat.

There are not many parts of the bible that have better names.  Especially such small pieces.  The Annunciation is just Mary being told what was going to happen.  She was being told that she was gonna be: a bad mama Jama.  This is the scripture I will look closer at today.  The Magnificat can truly be called an ancient hymn of Christianity, one of our first, it is the song of Mary.

As I worked on this message there was a story I was reminded.  One that I am often reminded when I think about things as deep.  It comes from the first chapter of Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan, the third installment of Carlos Castaneda’s book series about the teachings of a Yaqui sorcerer, it is called “Reaffirmations from the World Around Us”:

“Do you think that one can stop smoking or drinking that easily?” I asked.

“Sure!” he said with great conviction.” Smoking and drinking are nothing. Nothing at all if we want to drop them.”

At that very moment the water that was boiling in the coffee percolator made a loud perking sound.

“Hear that!” don Juan exclaimed with a shine in his eyes. “The boiling water agrees with me.”

Then he added after a pause, “A man can get agreements from everything around him.”

At that crucial instant the coffee percolator made a truly obscene gurgling sound.

He looked at the percolator and softly said, “Thank you,” nodded his head, and then broke into a roaring laughter.

People often build their beliefs upon their beliefs.  There is no doubt that the Annunciation and the Magnificat are important and really foundational to Christianity, but what has been often lost is the truly miraculous humanity of Mary.

Not talking about the human capacity, but the actual really doing part.  I have really come to believe that success comes from opportunity, but there was only one opportunity here we must remember.

At that very instant the wind blew the dry branch of a bush right to our feet.

"That was an agreement!" he exclaimed and looked at me with shiny eyes and broke

into a belly laugh.

That story has stuck with me I think because a great teacher I think teach in small ways.  There is very little else I remember other than the idea that we should walk with our hands free whenever possible.  Seems almost silly, but try it sometime.  Walk a distance with nothing in your hands and fingers curled to your palm.  Then try with your hands occupied.  This in my mind the sorcery of don juan.

I hope I am not making too subtle a point.  People think different things and come to believe different things and find the same agreements all around.  It almost seems like a trap set for us, huh, but we all look for agreement and often ignore clear warning signs.  Today we celebrate the deeper spiritual meaning of Mary's acceptance of God's will and her choice in accepting the divine message. We must challenge traditional views of Mary's passivity in the narrative.  A man in her role might have been more of the focus of the passage and less the fancy name.

Joseph is essential here as I believe few men of the time could do what he did, but it was something different.  His example is important because he supported a woman that society told him not to.  This was not always seen as an important aspect of Joseph I think, but it is most of what he was.

We must not forget the marginalized status of Mary and her willingness to accept a significant role in God's plan despite societal norms.  She was engaged and this was a binding agreement, but never fully secured.  In our history the easiest way to say this is nothing has really been secure for any woman in any role.  

We hope, pray and act to make a better world, but there are too many statistics to quote.  According to the World Health Organization, 30% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. This equates to 736 million women globally.  Today after two thousand years of improvement.

The problem as I see it is you can believe anything you want and you will find agreement all around.  It isn't enough we must be responsible.  How that young woman for a time responsible for all of us.  Nothing shows the ability of men for self-delusion then this idea that women are not as important.  Mary Magdalen did not have to be the first to see the risen lord, but she was.  Now Mary this Magnificat she was a bad mama Jama.

Luke 1:26-38 from the Amplified Bible - Jesus’ Birth Foretold 

26 Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 

So that is a day few would know.  The stories of the people who this had happened to before would be familiar.  Moses famously had five pretty good reasons God should pick someone else.

28 And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was.

Favored one?  The history of people being directly called might lead one to think that being favored does not mean things were going to be easy or even seem possible.  Perplexed she carefully considered what kind of greeting this was.  This is not the actions of the naive or someone with a lack of agency.  Mary knew what time it was it seems right away.  She was in it now, time for some careful thought here.

 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”

Even the tax man would have a role in the ministry of her son.  As hated as he was he was a man.  How would women be able to lead in this wonderous working of God she must have thought, cause she was in it.

34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?”

Right to the practicalities.  Mary here foreshadows her answer and her bold spirit.  There was none of the regular guy response, why me?  Not five good reasons God should pick someone else.  Curiosity was her response.  Pretty sure that is why God saw her and gave her this singular opportunity.

35 Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God.

The birth yes but the clear warning sign.  Women are not after thoughts in this creation.  Mary this young revolutionary.  She knew a winning team when she saw one.

 36 And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” 

So not alone must have been a wonderful relief.  She was ready but it was another sign to her that Elizabeth would have her part.  I am pretty sure she had a vision of the relationship of their sons as mothers will when pregnant at the same time.  There were still plenty of questions marks.  What would Joseph say to her?  How would he respond?  Mary was reassured she was held in a greater context of her family.

She still did not know what we know.  How she did. She just did it.  I think it was because she was oppressed that there was no thought of why me.  Her life was not a series of choices, but was the result of generations of double standards and she, huh, she was ready for revolution.

38 Then Mary said, “]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

So now the song of Mary -  Luke 1:46-55 from the Amplified Bible

The Magnificat

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord,

47 

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 

“For He has looked [with loving care] on the humble state of His maidservant;

For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed and happy and favored by God!

49 

“For He who is mighty has done great things for me;

And holy is His name [to be worshiped in His purity, majesty, and glory].

50 

“And His mercy is upon generation after generation

Toward those who [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him.

51 

“He has done mighty deeds with His [powerful] arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

52 

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And exalted those who were humble.

53 

“He has filled the hungry with good things;

And sent the rich away empty-handed.

54 

“He has helped His servant Israel,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 

Just as He promised to our fathers,

To Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Let us pray:

Holy and Compassionate One,

With gratitude, we echo Mary's song of praise. May we, like her, recognize the greatness of Your love and the transformative power of Your mercy.

Inspire us to seek justice, to stand with the oppressed, and to uplift the humble. In the name of Jesus, who taught us humility and compassion, we pray.

Amen.

Benediction:

May we, inspired by Mary's song, magnify the greatness of God's love. As we go forth, may we champion justice, stand with the oppressed, and embody the transformative power of mercy. Amen.

Nottingham UMC 12/24/2023

Dark as Night

The geography of the delta

The elastic nature inferred

Words find themselves matched

None for this feeling of things only I see

Where I go no one follows

What I have no one does

How do you define value

Dark as night I see more

You have to be in darkness to know what I mean

Your definition has as much value

Just not for me to go there

Where you go I do not follow

The meaning I am sure you have no use

Make your own way through

Dark as night a theme for me every day

A smile worth a million words

I imagine the world the other way around

Physics still works

Your judgements irrelevant lost like words they take so long

There will always be that smile and even when there are no worlds

Christ the King

This being my second time preaching for Christ the King Sunday,  I wanted to look a bit at the history of this celebration at the end of our year.  Starting last year in Advent we have arrived around again.  This celebration is one of the last added to our calendar.  This grows out of the first World War.

When we think of the history of our church we often think back two hundred years as we just passed that milestone as a congregation and we also think about two thousand years ago to the creation of the universal church.  

Pope Benedict XV began his papacy one month into world war I.  He was horrified at his inability to broker peace as bodies piled up in Europe.   He declared "There is no limit to the measure of ruin and of slaughter; day by day the earth is drenched with newly shed blood and is covered with the bodies of the wounded and of the slain."  We are horrified still.

He was replaced after his death in 1925 by Pope Pius XI who believed the aim of the papacy was to re-establish the kingdom of Christ by peace in Christ.  This is why he established Christ the king Sunday to refocus the church on the true ruler and away from unquestioning support of earthly powers.  This war to end all wars was something new that required a response.

Originally this feast was celebrated the day before all saints day.  October 31rst was the original day of this feast. It was moved to its current Sunday in 1969. This was done by Pope Paul VI, who believed that placing the feast on the last day of the liturgical year would highlight its significance.

So to me it is surprising to learn that this celebration is so new.  It seems so natural at the end of our year.  It is hard now to imagine the year without this ending.  Well at least fifty four years it has been at the end.  Wow I am almost that old.  

The themes are rather straight forward in my mind.  Jesus is the king of the universe and the Church.  Hard to believe this was not always celebrated.  The kingdom of Jesus will be established at the end of time.  Christians should follow and obey Jesus as their Lord.   Use his model of living.

   

We are also brough themes of sovereignty and who is really in charge.  Protection, power and the final judgment.  Matthew 25:31-46 is explicit on this last theme.  I read from the Amplified Bible- "The Judgment" as it is labeled.  

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and majesty and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him [for judgment]; and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right [the place of honor], and the goats on His left [the place of rejection].

This scripture is the end so the association with Christ the King is clear.  Also the current place on our calendar seems the most reasonable place to share this scripture.  We go around and around year A, year B and year C  and back again.  This placement at the end reassures us that there is a destination.

Two thousand years ago they did not expect this to take so long.  Maybe that is why this is such a modern celebration.  Two thousand years later the church coming out of World War I needed to reassure themselves of that destination.

Also realization of why things had gotten so bad.  Or why we might say things today are so bad.  He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats; this tells us things are going to be difficult until this happens.  For us it is impossible to separate them.  We do not have the ability to tell them apart.  The only thing we can do is trust.

It is a scary proposition.  Even more scary for someone who has trusted the wrong person.  Now even in this difficult situation we still can not tell them apart.  Perhaps we just trusted that person at the wrong time.  People go through things that we are not aware.  They are also motivated by things we do not know.

Not to get too far down a medical description, but people are different.  If we took one hundred people and used modern imaging technology we would find some difference.  Now would we know what those differences mean? probably not.  As amazing as science has progressed they are essentially silent on what human consciousness is.  Our Lord lays it out very simply: there are sheep and goats.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God, appointed to eternal salvation], inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me [with help and ministering care]; I was in prison, and you came to Me [ignoring personal danger].’ 

It would seem like the sheep would be able to identify themselves given all these qualities outlined in our scripture, but as we see they do not.  It seems to be the nature of the sheep that they feel they haven't done enough.  Even when someone breaks our trust we wonder was there something I did wrong.  It is the nature of sheep to be motivated by uncertainty up to the end.  

37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it for Me.’

The sheep will not be able to separate themselves.  There are many people in our world that try to.  There really is nothing to be completely certain in except that Christ is King.  As subjects of Christ the King, people should treat others with compassion and justice.  And see the Lord in all.

41 “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Leave Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (demons); 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me [with help and ministering care].’ 

So here we come to the most surprising part of everything.  The Goats have the same answer as the sheep:

44 Then they also [in their turn] will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will reply to them, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these [my followers], you did not do it for Me.’ 46 Then these [unbelieving people] will go away into eternal (unending) punishment, but those who are righteous and in right standing with God [will go, by His remarkable grace] into eternal (unending) life.”

We end here with what the church often in the past focused upon.  Eternal punishment.  The fire and brimstone they used to talk about plenty around here, but I say to you as subjects of Christ the King, people should treat others with compassion and justice.  Some will be with God and some will be separated.  As far as punishments go in my mind there really is nothing greater than being separated from our creator.  This was also my father's conclusion and he had grown up in a different time.

It is important who is around.  It makes all the difference, but there is no machine to tell people apart.  There is no way for us to separate people.  So listen you are going to trust in the wrong person at the wrong time.  Might be wrong person or just wrong time, but I assure you if you trust you will make mistakes.  If you don't trust you will have nothing.

You might think you need to be careful who you trust, but I have chosen to go another way.  You trust everyone.  How many times you might forgive, well another favorite of my fathers: Matthew 18:21-22

 from the  Amplified Bible says: 21 Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven."

'Cause it's a long way to go

A hard row to hoe

Yes, it's a long way to go

But in the meantime

Before you cross the street

Take my hand

Life is what happens to you

While you're busy making other plans

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful

Before you go to sleep

Say a little prayer

Every day, in every way

It's getting better and better

"Then these [unbelieving people] will go away"  Huh?  I think maybe till that last moment the vehicle of grace is available till they finally leave.  I think again what happens after your separated from God is kind of moot, what could be worse.  Maybe some will argue the goats were already separated and it was too late.  I'm not gonna argue, but I see something finally different in the two sides.  One saved by grace and one that gives up.  In the end the battle of good and evil is a forfeit.  

For even before there was good news we knew:

Ezekiel 34:20-24 continues

Amplified Bible

20 Therefore thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I Myself will judge between the [well-fed] fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and gore with your horns all those that have become weak and sick until you have scattered them away, 22 therefore, I will rescue My flock, and they shall no longer be prey; and I will judge between one sheep [ungodly] and another [godly].

23 “Then I will appoint over them one shepherd and he will feed them, [a ruler like] My servant David; he will feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I the Lord will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.

So this Christ the King Sunday we remember who we serve.

Let Us Pray,

Holy One, enthroned in glory over all creation, you are a shepherd to the lost and the least. Teach us to see your face among the poor— feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting those who are sick or in prison— so that we may share in your eternal realm prepared from the foundation of the world; through Jesus Christ, who is coming indeed, to reign with justice, compassion, and love. Amen 

Benediction

"Christ Has No Body,” – Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.

It is not enough to proclaim Jesus Christ

as our Lord and King.

Our mission in life is

to make his kingdom a reality among us

and to bring it to those around us

by our words and deeds.

The way to do this is to live as he lived:

for others, in love and service.

May almighty God bless you for this task:

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

and to give shape to his kingdom.

Thanks be to God!

Amen.

Nottingham UMC 11/26/2023

Earth Dragon

 

Hard to know the ways around the universe

Lucky are we confined to one planet

But there are many worlds

Created all the time

Many things I know

Only outnumbered by those I do not

Hot water I never thought funny

Pound Sterling

I remember that hallway

There are some places we never leave

It was the strangest thing I had ever seen

The electricity ran out

She did not call anyone

She was not even surprised

In her flat were solutions to all of life's problems

She searched through her change for a pound sterling

Quid pro quo 

I followed her out in the hallway

wondering where we were going

I had no idea

It was just above the door

She slotted in the coin and turned the dial

I followed her back to the table as did the electricity

North London so we finished our tea

A Reason

I pay attention mostly when I think I need to.  It was freshman orientation that caught my ear, "you're here for a reason."   That was the first thing Doc told them; there was more I could hear in his voice.  "You have shown yourself to be the best of the best."

For three years I did not pay attention except curtain time.  Up stage or down stage I would be there

Doc had them play the other side of the coin and they nailed it.

You can tell the great from the chaos that follows after; in the theater you can be the bad guy in a good way.  Marko has now ended up changing his major his senior year.  The long time department head lost his long health battle.  Sometimes not quantity but quality is what is most important.  Most of the last years were compromised by the pandemic.  The black box theater mostly dark.

There was a few windows that opened.  The production they did they each took different parts.  I wasn't sure what to think about Doc performing at the time.  Today I know I will never forget what was his last performance.  There are parts no one wants to play.  Someone has to.  The other side.

Thoughts of theater have been coming to me lately.  I worked recently in a performing arts school teaching third grade.   I told them there is a reason there are not that many performing arts schools: it is very hard.  Performance is such a big part of our lives we struggle so to teach it.

Jesus as a great teacher is a great performer.  Here in this scripture we have today Jesus gives one of his more memorable performances for his most difficult audience.  Our scripture today comes from. Matthew 22:15-22 which I will read from the Amplified Bible:

15 Then the Pharisees went and conspired together plotting how to trap Him by [distorting] what He said. 16 They sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are sincere and that You teach the way of God truthfully, without concerning Yourself about [what] anyone [thinks or says of Your teachings]; for You are impartial and do not seek anyone’s favor [and You treat all people alike, regardless of status]. 17 Tell us then, what do You think? Is it permissible [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” 

The Pharisees along with the Herodians.  This was not a mob that would approach anyone else.  We hear often of the Pharisees, but we might be forgiven for missing the Herodians.  These were the people who supported Roman rule.  The two groups were equally convinced the other was completely wrong, but both were afraid of Jesus.

The Herodians remind me of the scene in the Life of Brian.  While they meet to discuss revolution they come up with actually a very long list of good things the Romans had done.  Aqueducts and such.  It was Herod who did the last major construction of the Temple so it is easy to understand there were some who supported him, the Herodians.  This is not strange.

What is strange is these two groups confronting Jesus.  According to Josephus, the Pharisees appeared before Pompey asking him to interfere and restore the old priesthood while abolishing the royalty of the Hasmoneans altogether, descendants of the Maccabee family.  Pharisees also opened Jerusalem's gates to the Romans, and actively supported them against the Sadducean faction.  When the Romans finally broke the entrance to the Jerusalem's Temple, they killed the priests who were officiating the Temple services on Saturday.  They regarded Pompey's defilement of the Temple in Jerusalem as a divine punishment of Sadducean misrule.

According to Josephus, the Pharisees ultimately opposed him and thus fell victims (4 BCE) to his bloodthirstiness.  The family of Boethus, whom Herod had raised to the high-priesthood, revived the spirit of the Sadducees, and thenceforth the Pharisees again had them as antagonists.

The Herodians still supported Roman Rule.  The Pharisees did not.  When they formulated this question both sides probably thought they knew what Jesus would say.  Or maybe they thought there was nothing he could say.  He had frustratingly refused to take sides in their conflict.  This is actually what brought them there together.

They figured he would have to take sides as we often feel.  We take sides.

18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, asked, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 

They had no business together there asking this of Jesus, but he decides to take their test.  The Pharisees, who strongly opposed Herod and Roman rule, and the Herodians, who were strong allies of Herod and Rome, set aside their political differences in order to conspire together against Jesus.

It didn't matter if you supported Rome or not if you supported God.  It doesn't matter who you support or not if you support God.  

19 "Show me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius [a day’s wage]. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “The Emperor Tiberius Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were caught off guard, and they left Him and went away.

The Pharisees, who strongly opposed Herod and Roman rule, and the Herodians, who were strong allies of Herod and Rome, set aside their political differences in order to conspire together against Jesus.  Every Jew was required to pay the poll-tax. It was considered a sign of subservience to Rome.

They wanted to know who's side he was on.  It was important to them.  It is almost comical.  They were so sure of their positions that they were sure Jesus would have to pick sides.  The Pharisees planned to trap Jesus with his words. They sent their disciples and the Herodians to him. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to make an unpopular statement or open himself to arrest for rebellion against the Roman Empire.

It is interesting to note in Luke 20:20 again from the Amplified Bible says: 

20 So they watched [for a chance to trap] Him. They sent spies who pretended to be upright and sincere, in order that they might catch Him in some statement [that they could distort and use against Him], so that they could turn Him over to the control and authority of [Pilate] the governor.

Luke was not as interested in the political factions of the time.  He continues in Luke30:26: They were not able to seize on anything He said in the presence of the people; and being unnerved at His reply, they were silent.  

Unnerved: deprived of courage, strength, and steadiness.  It must have felt so unnatural for them to be working together.  

The issues raised by this scripture are ones of allegiance. The lesson Jesus gives is as valid today as it was 2,000 years ago: Repay to Cesar what belongs to Cesar, and to God what belongs to God.  Some say that this passage shows that Jesus taught that Christians should support the government no matter what. Others say that Jesus doesn't care about mundane things like what you do with your money.

There are things we do not have a consensus on.  We often find ourselves picking sides.  Thirty-seven percent of people in Ohio who call themselves evangelical also support the reproductive rights amendment on the ballot.  I'm not here to tell you what to vote for or against, but to highlight our lack of consensus.

We often do not know the difference between the freedom fighter and the terrorist.  We have trouble telling between a despot and a tool of the almighty.. 

Isaiah 45:1-7 in the Amplified Bible says: 

This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus [king of Persia],

Whose right hand I have held

To subdue nations before him,

And I will ungird the loins of kings [disarming them];

To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

2 

“I will go before you and level the mountains;

I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

3 

“I will give you the treasures of darkness [the hoarded treasures]

And the hidden riches of secret places,

So that you may know that it is I,

The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you (Cyrus the Great) by your name.

4 

“For the sake of Jacob My servant,

And of Israel My chosen,

I have also called you by your name;

I have given you an honorable name

Though you have not known Me.

5 

“I am the Lord, and there is no one else;

There is no God except Me.

I will embrace and arm you, though you have not known Me,

6 

That people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun [the world over]

That there is no one except Me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other,

7 

The One forming light and creating darkness,

Causing peace and creating disaster;

I am the Lord who does all these things.

This passage can lead us in many directions.  We may think there is no point to choosing sides because God is in charge.  Doesn't sound wrong, but there is something here we must render to God.  We must pick sides.  

The protest we make could be the wrong one it seems to me.  But I think we must take a side.  When you look at the ballot it is easy to see that these are things of Caesar.  

In the theater you can inhabit any side.  You can play one character one day and the complete opposite the next day.  Acting closer to who you are I imagine is easier, but acting further from yourself is really where the craft exists.  Up stage or down stage I would be there.  Doc had them play the other side of the coin and they nailed it.  They rendered nothing to Caesar.

Jesus is inviting us to look and make our own decisions where we lack consensus.  I don't think that morality can be legislated.  I also don't think you can reform the world.  I think that it needs saved. 

Jesus' response to the question about paying taxes to Caesar is not just about taxes but is a subtle critique of the entanglement of religious and political power. It could be seen as a call to keep them separate and to prioritize spiritual and moral values over worldly concerns.  Jesus was advocating a more fundamental separation of church and state, where believers should give their loyalty to God (what is God's) and not allow themselves to be compromised by secular authorities (Caesar).  

More traditional interpretations focus on the lesson of fulfilling civic obligations (paying taxes) while also honoring one's spiritual commitments.  I do think that everything Jesus does is meant to teach us, but it is just a remarkable response.  These two sides that really did not belong together.  They were sure he would say something wrong.  Each probably thought he was really on their side.

They didn't think that it was possible to be on everybody's side.  I sure find difficulty, but I know that Jesus is on every side.  What brought them together was fear.  We might not agree about everything but we don't have to fear.

There is a reason for everything.  With the sheer vastness of space, it seems quite conceivable that there should be more intelligent civilizations out there besides us. The observable universe contains at least 2 trillion galaxies, with each such galaxy having approximately 100 million stars on average but with some like our Milky Way Galaxy estimated as having as many as 200 billion stars and 100 billion planets.

Given the math, it is hard to believe that we are so unique that no other life could have sprouted in the far reaches of the cosmos. This conflict between the possibility of life and the fact that we haven’t seen any aliens around was famously encapsulated in the so-called “Fermi Paradox” by the celebrated physicist Enrico Fermi, who reportedly asked in a 1950 conversation with fellow physicists Edward Teller, Herbert York and Emil Konopinsky something like “But where is everybody?” referring to potential extraterrestrials.

Maybe God needed to make the entire universe just to make you.  Maybe life has been started trillions of times.  We really don't have a consensus.  Neither case would be hard for God.  Both can't be true.  The Pharisees and the Herodians were behaving in a way that suggests they had higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.  They did not have an answer to their own question.

So, perhaps we should behave in a way that suggests we have lower standards or less noble beliefs than is the case.  The opposite.  Maybe we could welcome the stranger and not have any questions.

Let Us Pray:

Dear Lord

Let us set the opposite of a trap

Let us be radical in our hospitality

We fail to find consensus in everything we believe

Help us to love anyways

We ask the way home

In the name of your Son Jesus Christ

Amen

Benediction

We may not always have consensus

We always have love

When in doubt love

Go with the grace of our Lord

Nottingham UMC 10-22-2023

A Reason

I pay attention mostly when I think I need to

It was freshman orientation that caught my ear.

"You're here for a reason." was the first thing Doc told them

There was more I could hear in his voice

"You have shown yourself to be the best of the best."

For three years I did not pay attention except curtain time

Up stage or down stage I would be there

Doc had them play the other side of the coin and they nailed it

They rendered nothing to Caesar

You can tell the great from the chaos that follows after