Sunday, January 8, 2017

Walking Hand in Hand

Isaiah 41:4b-10, 13   NRSV

I, the Lord, am first,
    and will be with the last.
5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid,
    the ends of the earth tremble;
    they have drawn near and come.

6 Each one helps the other,
    saying to one another, “Take courage!”
7 The artisan encourages the goldsmith,
    and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
    and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

8 But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 do not fear, for I am with you,
    do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand
.
13 For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,
    I will help you.”

**********************************************
You may or may not know that the scripture readings and titles of these messages are set long before the week they will be written.  Dee Anne, our office administrator, asks me for the scripture reading, sermon title and hymn of commitment for the coming month about a week before the end of the previous month so she can publish them in our church newsletter.  In this case, because Christmas and my vacation were at the end of the month, I had to figure all this out right at the beginning of December.  So if I ever knew what I would be preaching about on any given week, I may have forgotten unless I made some notes to myself about that particular passage.   That was not the case this week.  In fact, when I was looking for images that portrayed Walking Hand in Hand, and finding only sort of sugary boy/girl walking together pics, I was getting discouraged.  Then I thought of the Sistine Chapel, and that magnificent ceiling fresco, where God is reaching out to Adam, but not quite touching him . . . and then I found this picture of God reaching out to Adam, who is holding an adorable kitten!   Leah agreed that it was the perfect picture, even though at the time neither of us had any idea what it might have to do with the scripture reading.  But, kitten!  And so the game continues . . . 

I took a week’s vacation, as most of you know, during the week between Christmas and the New Year.  I activated the vacation response for my email, and I even stayed mostly off of Facebook during that week, because I knew Facebook would drag me into mind sets I didn’t want to deal with while I was entertaining houseguests and resting and reflecting and preparing myself spiritually and emotionally for the season to come.   When I returned to the office and Facebook I discovered, much to my dismay, that many people on my friends list were talking about how to show their displeasure over the election by doing something protest-like on Inauguration Day.  Some are going to refrain from spending money all day, while admitting that this is more likely to hurt small businesses than anyone else.  Some are going to a variety of protests and demonstrations.  The Interfaith group in Fresno will be gathering at the corners of a park to hold up signs naming things they hope President-elect Trump will consider important during his term.   My Spiritual Director will be gathering with a group of like minded folks for a time of centering prayer.  (To be honest with you, I won’t be watching the inauguration either, but then I haven’t watched any inauguration in decades.  I do have basic cable, but my TV isn’t even connected to the cable box.  I know, crazy, right?)   Some are even sporting t-shirts and signs that say “Not my president.”   And I get it, that they are angry and afraid for their futures.  But all I can think is, “Really?  Do you remember when you were complaining about the folks who were behaving this way after President Obama was elected?  Remember when you asked them to respect the office if they couldn’t respect the man?  Can you please practice what you used to preach?” 

It is often the same, sadly, between Christians.  We hear this group say, “Well, those folks over there aren’t really Christian,” while those folks over there are saying the same thing about the first group.   It’s sad, that a religion based in the teachings of one who came to explain how all of God’s children are precious and loved, who came to show us how to reach out even to the leper, the weak, the disrespected and disenfranchised, should somehow become increasingly exclusionary.  In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we don’t have to agree on everything, not on what the pastor is preaching, not even on how to do communion, but we do have to get along.  We do have to be willing to work together.  And we manage it.  Not easily, but we do manage it.

That’s one of the things I find most amazing and wonderful about the city of Selma, California.  In other places the idea that all the different variations of Christian thought can come together to work as a team is a dream.  Ministerial Associations in many other areas tend to be boys clubs of the fundamental and evangelical persuasion, with women and mainline pastors allowed a seat at the table grudgingly, if at all.  Here, however, everyone is truly welcome to be part of the work, to be part of the leadership, to be included in community church events.  We disagree, some of us, over some pretty fundamental theological points, and yet we have no problem working together in Christ’s name.  Selma is a microhabitat where that very rare thing known as Christian Unity exists and even thrives.

Isaiah said:  6 Each one helps the other, saying to one another, “Take courage!”
7 The artisan encourages the goldsmith,
    and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”;   


Among the many emails I get every day is a reflection on scripture from the United Church of Christ.   Yesterday that reflection was titled “Liberals dancing to Ted Nugent.”  I know, right?  That seems a bit, like, never gonna happen.   I read further.  

"The wolf will romp with the lamb,  the leopard sleep with the kid." - Isaiah 11:6
The leopard's claws exist so she can tear flesh efficiently. Remove her hunger and who is she? 
A vegetarian leopard is like a sophisticated liberal who loves Ted Nugent.  God wants coastal progressives to dance down the aisle of a heartland Walmart singing "Cat Scratch Fever" with anti-choice evangelicals who think global warming is a hoax.”  (Matt Fitzgerald, StillSpeaking Daily Devotional, United Church of Christ, January 7, 2017)

Whoa. Think about that for a moment.  Can you be part of that dance and still be you?  Can you be a vegetarian leopard?   Can I live without prejudice and without fear of the other?  I grew up in a household where racial, religious, and ethnic slurs were common.  I had to go out and make friends among those groups of people that my father used to disparage to learn that they are all just people like me, with the same kinds of prejudices and fears of the other, oftentimes even fear, or at least suspicion, of me.  I have learned much from those others - mostly about me, and my fears, and prejudices.  

We stand at the edge of a new year, a new political reality, a new future filled with possibilities.   Regardless of our individual stance on any given topic, we know for sure that we stand there along with people who disagree with us profoundly.  To some the way ahead looks like a precipice with an unknown distance to fall.  To others it looks like a walk in the park.  To some an adventure.  To others an obstacle course of untold difficulty.  But we are all standing on the edge of that future together.  We are all about to take a step forward into the unknown.   Just before we step forward, let us remember  . . .
God said, do not fear, for I am with you,
    do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand
.
13 For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,
    I will help you.”

Do not fear, the other, the future, the possibilities, for God is with us. God will help us.  And this image, which was simply adorable when I first saw it, becomes the image for going forward.  As we reach out toward each new thing, and each new person, let us see that thing, that person, as Adam holding an adorable kitten.  How can you not want to reach out to the other, when you know they have such adorableness in them.  For disagreement, even on fundamental topics, is not evil, and those who disagree with us are not evil.  They are simply people with different opinions.  Let us be the vegetarian leopard.  Let us be the hand reaching toward the new life, new possibilities, new opportunities represented by Adam’s kitten.  Let us be the ones who see the beauty in even those with whom we disagree, and let us dance together into the future.


God said, “Do not fear, I will help you.”   Let us remember that, today and on Inauguration Day and all year long, as we deal with whatever comes our way, good and not so good, encouraging and frightening.  Let us remember . . . and let us hold out our hands for everyone to hold, so that we might walk with Jesus.

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