St. Barnabas, Falmouth, Massachusetts August 23, 2020 The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Jesus had come to a point in his life when he needed to ask this hard question of those closest to him. “I know what others are saying about me,” he said. “But who do you say that I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” And then Peter stuck his neck out and said, “No. You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Location is important. Not speaking from a convention in Bethlehem, cleaning out the temple in Jerusalem, or teaching in a synagogue in his hometown, Jesus was talking to his disciples in Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was on his proverbial campaign trail, stepping far away from his family, his religious party and its leaders, and the political rulers of his country. He had traveled north with his disciples to reflect upon his own identity.
Identity politics is a buzzword and a trigger for many people. Now before you react to these words, in an article by German Lopez in August of 2017 entitled “The Battle over Identity Politics, Explained” he wrote that (quote) “identity politics isn’t just a tool of the left. The right has used it again and again. At the crux of both sides of identity politics is a simple problem: No one wants to get left behind.” (end quote) And so, our battles continue.
My recent battle started out innocently enough; and yet it has taken on “wings of its own.” I call it the battle at the bird feeder. You see, our son Brian created a bird feeder for my birthday. Initially, when my husband Paul and I began sheltering on the Cape, we placed the bird feeder on our deck. We were delighted and amazed at the variety of birds that arrived to eat. Then the raccoon appeared, followed by rabbits and chipmunks, and finally an army of gray and red squirrels.
At first, we would bring the feeder into our house at night, which made the squirrels so angry that they chewed through our screen door. One day, Paul found the leader of the pack happily helping himself to food in our living room. So, we decided to leave the bird feeder outside, where it was routinely occupied by the squirrels. The birds, chipmunks, and rabbits watched from a distance, feeding on whatever fell to the ground or scattered on the deck, and only after the squirrels had left. Apparently, the raccoon had moved on. There was no justice and no peace at our bird feeder. And it made me angry.
Our deck soon became littered with birdseed, animal waste, and property destruction. It looked like a city street after a bad night of protests or partying. And so, Paul and I decided to move our bird feeder to a different location and put it on a pole. We thought that the birds would then have total access to the food; but squirrels can jump; and they climbed the pole, even after we had greased and pepper sprayed it.
Some years ago, during my sabbatical from parish ministry, I took a course called Jesus in Palestine at St. George's College in Jerusalem. For two weeks we learned about Jesus and the ongoing battles between the Palestinian Christians, the Arabs in surrounding countries, and the Jews who inhabited the country of Israel. One day, we visited the northern district of Caesarea Philippi.
In ancient times, Caesarea Philippi was a pagan holy site. It had a deep spring of water inside a dark cave which inspired awe and mystery. Worshipers would throw human beings into the pool of water at the back of the cave as living sacrifices for their god. If the body disappeared, they believed their sacrifice had been accepted; if the body or blood rose to the surface, then the sacrifice had been rejected and they would try again.
When this territory became occupied by Alexander the Great, an altar was erected to the Greek god named Pan, who was believed to be part human and part goat. Goats were considered sacred; and so, like my squirrels, they had enormous freedom to frisk about in this grotto. They nibbled on the leaves and the gifts of food that had been left on the altar. After all, their god was part human and had to eat more than just leaves!
Now, in this very same location, which was now occupied by the Roman government, Jesus asked that question about his identity, “And who do people say that I am?” he asked. “You are the Messiah,” Peter claimed. That is “You are the anointed one, our divinely appointed king, who will save us from the religious and political leaders of our time. You are a human being just like us and yet you are the Son of the living God.” “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven,” Jesus responded.
“From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the religious and political people in power. “It will be me,” Jesus was saying to his disciples, “who will be thrown into that cave, but my sacrifice will be once and for all people. Although you will see my body and blood on the cross, you will not have to try again. So, present your bodies as “living sacrifices, which is your spiritual worship, and love others as I have loved you.”
Battles have raged over people, places, and things from the beginning of time, and power has shifted from one group to another with regularity. My innocent battle at the bird feeder got me thinking. I have been sorely tested by those squirrels in my backyard. As a mother against gun violence, and an opponent of the death penalty, at times I was tempted to hurt the squirrels. In my anger, I wanted to defend our property and stand my ground. No one wants to have their homes invaded, or their property destroyed. I wanted justice.
The bird feeder was created to feed birds; and yet my handouts were going to the squirrels. I looked at those “Have-a Heart” suggestions and thought of ICE: Immigration Control and Enforcement. But I know that relocation does not always solve our problems; and those squirrels keep coming back. As an advocate of open communion, I began to wonder. Perhaps I should welcome the squirrels to my bird feeder? “No one wants to be left behind,” right? Everybody’s gotta eat!
Identity is important. “Who are you?” my daughter once asked me when I did not behave like her mother. Well, that depends, I thought to myself. Politically, I am red, blue, purple, and green depending upon the issue. Spiritually, I can fly like the birds. Sometimes, I can even behave like those squirrels. But if I identify myself as a baptized Christian, then you will know that I am a member of Christ’s Body, who has renewed her covenant with God in front of God’s people, with regularity.
This past week, Brother James from SSJE wrote about dignity. He said, “In our baptisms we pledged, with God’s help, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. But we cannot do that if we are constantly elbowing people out of the way in order to get what we think we are owed. We cannot do that if we fail to see the image of God in the faces of those whom we deem to be insignificant, or least, or last.” And I would add or different from us.
On that day in Caesarea Philippi long ago, we renewed our baptismal promises in the trickling waters of the Jordan River. We made the sign of the cross on our foreheads and promised to respect the dignity of all people. We promised to care for all of God’s creation. While my battle at the bird feeder, the political and religious battles in our country and throughout our world are not yet over, in the end, the victory is ours. For the crux of the matter is that God does not want anyone, or any part of God’s creation left behind.
As Christians, we believe that God’s mission of reconciliation was accomplished in the person of Jesus, who was fully human and fully divine. Through Him we are forgiven, restored, and set free; for despite his initial request for secrecy, the identity of Jesus was revealed on the cross. Peter got it right. Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and that is good news for all of us, maybe even for the squirrels.
No comments:
Post a Comment