November 13, 2022 - For What Do We Stand?
Sermon - What do we stand for? Carolyn Smith
INTRO - Today feels like November finally! I love the summer, but I’ll give it up for climate friendly ecosystem friendly temperatures.
What’s a place you love? Memories,stompinggrounds,...“God’scountry...”
Inextricably, we are interconnected with the places, the air, the wind and water that we inhabit and love. And we know beneath the humming of progress and economy, the buzz of daily living, we are inextricably connected to order and systems that function.
Hurricanes in Florida, - I’ve been to Fort Meyers probably 10 times in my early years, and BC - so many connections there - fires or floods and drought in so many places..... when we see those news photos of rivers and water reservoirs drained, or if you stand enveloped in the forests of the coast, we understand why one might be a tree-hugger... tree-huggers, granola crunchers, earth mothers, lousy derogatory terms... folks like that have stood apart from the mainstream, like prophets crying out, raging.To be a prophet has meant to stand apart, to be heard and even considered, but from a distance - and prophets are kinda different than leaders... leaders gain a following who take up the cause... prophets, well, that depends -
We’re hearing from prophets these next couple of weeks - - what biblical prophets come to mind for you? Prophet Isaiah... rolls of the tongue,John B,Amos... Jesus.... What do you know about them?? Many,
Isaiah and Micah and Amos pull no punches about the bitter failings of humans - how greed and sin and corruption is squandering the promise of God’s creation, of community. We’re throwing it away rather than turning to God who is right there waiting, calling, yearning for us.
I picture a Prophet standing on the side of a crowd while I imagine a leader pontificating
about something, and then here is this prophet, kind of ‘out there’ and when this prophet speaks, even the leader finds themselves turning , hearing, considering.... Prophets speak truth like a gut punch, like a bucket of ice cold water, like a stark truth of the cost of continuing on the path we walk. Andwhilethecrowdjostlesandtheleadersrally,theyallturnawkwardlysilentwhenthe prophet speaks hard truth.
Micah and Isaiah and Amos were doling out hard truths 2700 years ago... about impending war, fractured nations, disconnection from God’s dream. The Hebrew people have felt scattered, part of their story is separating into the 12 clans which allowed them to spread but they as you
can imagine, now feel scattered, squabbling between them, and corruption always finds its way, right? They’re easy targets for the mighty Assyrians bearing down on them. They have no strength or courage, no meaningful purpose or faithful direction and it weakens them in the face of adversaries, and how familiar is that? Provinces with different perspectives and experiences, countries navigating global unrest, efforts for clean water and feeding the hungry that must cross political, national, peaceful, lines and then face droughts and flooding and supply chain shortages. Inability to cooperate for unified purpose is a 2700 year old problem and right now too. The messages of prophets have rung out, with uncertain impact.
Just 3 years ago, Greta Thunberg was prophesying to the globe and people on their feet, hundreds of thousands, millions even were marching in the streets about climate extinction... Autumn Peltier - an Objibwe Water Keeper - a teenager from just north of here - was being heard in halls of power. There was momentum and then in political, pandemic and economic turmoil, they’ve -we the planet - have been sidelined... And Europe - how many of us can picture the fields of France or the Alps, or the lake district of England or highlands of Scotland as homeland or precious, and we see it ravaged again by war, at a devastating cost to Ukrainians, and all around.
Friday, we stood and said Never Again in the thin holy space of remembering as a bugle and the guns and the pipes cried out their prophecy.
Volodomyr Zelensky - he feels to me like a prophet and I think to others as well- he was Time magazine’s Person of the Year - less like the leader we expect - the way cool presidents show up or tyrants... this prophet - Zelensky was a comedian on television, elected, not even a Hollywood star like Reagan - he was a comedian when Ukrainians elected him and there was lot of speculation of a big mistake. But he stands between his people and all who suffer tyranny - he stands between them and world leaders, and all fall silent and listen awkwardly... When a comedian, and good ones are always whip smart and handy with biting satire that cuts deep, when a good comedian who is a dad with young kids who should be writing jokes and taking his wife on vacation, when he turns quiet and deadly serious, and steps forward, he rises as a prophet and the world takes notice. The cost of war, of human greed, destroys goodness and beauty and creation and drives unlikely people to their feet to serve however they can.
You and I here are sheltered from a call to arms...
And hear the prophet calling from the hill top... a call to give our lives in service of this dream of God
Micah’s people with their early Hebrew faith - had created their ways of appeasing God - sacrifice was a common part. Sacrifice - means to make holy, sacred - runs in your blood - what did you sacrifices to God - often goats and doves and food and so on - some groups were still sacrificing each other. Hey God - while we’re down here making a mess of everything, we’ll just give you a goat or two, and we’re even, right??? And we have a way of deciding it’s someone else’s fault too... Micah levelled his pronouncements on the leaders and the self-serving religion orders- and maybe everyone thought “he’s not talking to us...”
Except ‘us’ is always adjustable by perspective - we are not the 1 percent, but we are almost all in the top 5 per cent of this planet. We have varying levels of privilege, choices and values in spending time and money, immigrant status, stories of hard times, luck, some call it blessing as if God picks one favourite child over another, US vs Them will always be foggy... and it should be. And when a prophet speaks, the message settles in each of us... we hear it in our gut.
We scuff our toe on the ground and wince. This truth hits hard and awkwardly,
And then the prophet continues, for the prophet knows not just the hard truth but the whole truth... underneath our avoidance and our blustery excuses, we long to face the truths we’ve avoided and justified, and we know that something better IS promised, waiting, ready for us!! Micah speaks of a mighty God ever present, waiting for people to turn, despite the ravages of destruction, that peace is still possible, that God’s presence is steadfast. And Somehow Micah- who knows how - he even promises them a leader, a shepherd of mercy and justice from a little town of Bethlehem - meaning city of bread or abundance ... some day... to come and bring peace of all things.
Hard truth and still the prophet yearns for us to hear that dream of peace and abundance... in humbly turning to the God, there is the whole truth of hope.
Does this sound like a God of petty vengeance? Or one who demands symbols and sacrifices and traditions of proper activities... What does God require of us? Do you remember? Not hardship or sacrifice, not giving up what is precious, but something else -What is it??
To seek Justice, Love Kindness (Mercy) and Walk humbly with god...
Turn that around - when you turn humbly to the still small voice of hope, to the call of prophetic witness, your steps your way become holy... bitterness lightens. As each of us walks
this new hopeful way, are you alone, disconnected, how can you be? And our interactions become more kind
To love kindness - sometimes said as mercy - compassion for one another in all our differences, compassion for ourselves with is sometimes the hardest... fill yourself with that loving kindness, and mercy... and hear the call ... how can we not seek justice?
It’s not justice as some bitter folks like to describe it when what they mean is vengeance, retribution. Feel that darken the sacred space we’re in right now... that is not Scriptural, faithful justice. What do I mean? Clarity, Equality, voices for the voiceless, Shalom, it’s hopeful seeking of the kingdom of God for this world.... Seeking justice... Friday, we remembered the call to service and the cost of taking up arms. That is not our call today but peace still requires our hearts. In Egypt, COP 27 is meeting- the Council of the Parties, of the UN Conference on Climate Change... hearing from prophets calling to leaders and masses alike, nations, and global inhabitants. We need to end reliance on oil and plastics. We need trees and biodiversity and creatures thriving. We need inconvenient new habits and vocal advocacy and voting. The complexities are enormous, and hard truths are devastating and they are impacting every issue we care about, every place you treasure, every issue that would bring you to your feet... inequality of food, water, energy, opportunity, it is racial injustice, it is ending livelihoods in agriculture and more, it is driving fear and greed which impact the poorest and the vulnerable. Climate extinction fuels war.
Prophecy hits hard, but it holds whole and hopeful truth, and Micah could be said to have nailed it. If one only heard this about the Christian way, about being a follower, one might have hope. What does God’s dream of peace require of you? What will bring about the abundance of heaven on earth NOW? When your prayers rise and bring you to your feet and inspire us as a faith community that matters , what are you called to?
To seek justice,To love kindness,And walk humbly with God.
I’m with you... we walk together. Amen.