When Swords Pierce

 

Epiphany, January 6, 2025                            The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

 

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

In his article entitled “The Visited Planet”, Philip Yancey begins by commenting upon the change in Christmas cards he has received over the years. Like him, I too have noticed some things, like the shift from Biblical symbols to cultural images. The volume of cards has dropped. Pictures of family members and the “year in review” have accompanied the title “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas.” There are cheerful angels and smiling cherubs on today’s holiday cards and Biblical quotes are rare. I wonder. Are the changes due to waning beliefs or to avoid making offenses?

Yancey claims that the very first Christmas was different in tone and messaging from today. The various Christmas pageants in our churches and schools often usurp the Advent message of being prepared, expectant, patient, and hopeful for the Christ child to arrive. Rather “even those who accept the supernatural version of events concede that big trouble will follow: an old uncle prays for ‘salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us’; Simeon darkly warns the virgin that ‘a sword will pierce your own soul too’; and Mary’s hymn of thanksgiving mentions rulers overthrown and proud men scattered.” The first Christmas story in the Bible carries a different “vibe” than some of today’s holiday cheer.  (Yancey, Watch for the Light, p255)

Sometimes I look for good news in all the wrong places. On Christmas eve, I went to church. I heard not the good news of Jesus Christ, born in a manger, on His mission of redeeming our humanity, reconciling us to God once and for all, and forgiving our sins for eternity. Instead I heard a sermon intended to entertain the masses. He held up the image of a cultural icon who had nothing to do with the gospel, or God or Jesus. Even the cheerful acclamations of “Merry Christmas” rang as hollow as the political promises we hear on the eve of an election. Marketing missed the Message.

Turning to a Christian publication for some spiritual nurture was disappointing for me as well. I found partisan posturing. Yes, like Mary, my soul has been pierced by a sword many times, too often by colleagues and family, but not by who just won our presidential election. Like many people around the world I am praying that “Jesus is our King” and no one else. Instead, in this honorable publication, I read article after article about how to survive my post-election feelings of fear, rage, and disappointment. There were suggestions about endurance. Assumptions about my thoughts and feelings reigned supreme.

Meanwhile, across the pond, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, resigned over his handling of the youth abuse scandal. He wrote, “The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England.” Failures of such kind are everywhere. Moving east, wars are continuing in Syria, Ukraine, Israel and their surrounding countries. While thuribles may contribute holy smoke to our sanctuaries, bombs and wildfires pollute our airways. Smoking guns are common on our streets and in our schools. Airplanes crash and burst into flames; human bodies are set on fire or mowed down on the streets by a speeding vehicle. Smoke fills the air. Where to go for good news of any kind?

In the Episcopal Church our Christmas season ends after 12 days with the feast of the Epiphany when we celebrate the three kings, aka wise men or magi, who arrive from the east. They are bringing presents to the newborn king in Bethlehem. There is homage and joy. There is hope. Can you imagine that scene in Bethlehem today?! What gifts do foreign kings from the east bring to Bethlehem? To Gaza? To Palestine? Surely not gold and frankincense and myrrh?

“These resins were widely available when the three wise men visited the baby Jesus around 5 B.C.E. and would have been considered practical gifts with many uses. The expensive resins were symbolic as well. Frankincense, often burned, symbolized prayer rising to the heavens like smoke, while myrrh, often used in embalming, symbolized death. Scholars think that frankincense was presented to baby Jesus to represent his later role as a high priest for believers, while myrrh symbolized his eventual death and burial.”(Wikipedia) Surely practical gifts and prayers are needed today!

I like to watch movies that are based upon true stories or ones that reflect the holiday spirits of the season. In a recent conversation with colleagues we shared the kinds of movies we like to watch. I was accused of watching Hallmark movies when home alone. And when it came to watching movies with my grandchildren, the Grinch who stole Christmas was a favorite this year.

“Why was the Grinch a grinch?” my grandson asked me. “Because his heart was too small,” I replied. “But why?” he demanded. And so I told him that the Grinch had grown up in an orphanage and that he didn’t have a Mommy and Daddy like him. So his heart had been hurt and so it remained small. Isolated, he decided to hurt others. But then, after feeling the love of the “Who’s” in “Whoville” and being invited to sit at their holiday table, the Grinch’s heart grew many times over. It is a classic story of forgiveness and redemption and the power of love over anything material.

I confess that I’ve been “grinchy.” So this Christmas, I prayed that the Christ child, who was born in that manger long ago, and will come again some day in the future, would come again into my heart this new year. I prayed that as I receive the love of God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I will be able to share that very same kind of love with others. My new year’s resolution? I want to be a “Who.”

“The writer of the gospel of Matthew sets up two diverging roads when contrasting the brutal Herod the Great with the Magi. Herod is fearful; the Magi are faithful. Herod deceives to cling to power; the Magi bow before the young Jesus. Herod cannot find Jesus, who is right under his nose; the Magi locate him from afar through a heavenly sign. Herod is Rome’s client king; the Magi seek the true king.” Epiphany, this author continues, “reminds us that God is available to all and is found along unexpected paths, including paths that we wouldn’t have taken or that make us uncomfortable. With God, all those roads lead to home.” Good news there! (Xian Century, Lisa A. Smith, p24, January)

Christ invites us to His table with grace. Such grace is undeserved and unmerited. Freely given, God’s love can be shared with those we hate. Even with those who pierce our souls.

 

Isaiah 60:1-3

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; 

but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

 

Psalm 72:1-7,10-14

Give the King your justice, O God, * and your righteousness to the King's Son;

That he may rule your people righteously *

and the poor with justice;

That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *

and the little hills bring righteousness.

He shall defend the needy among the people; *

he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *

from one generation to another.

He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *

like showers that water the earth.

In his time shall the righteous flourish; *

there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *

and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

All kings shall bow down before him, *

and all the nations do him service.

For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *

and the oppressed who have no helper.

He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *

he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Troubled Waters

 

3 Advent                December 15, 2024                    The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

 

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

“Violence is the new norm” was the headline for a Boston Globe article by Teresa Hanafin this past week. God surely knows that our world, our country, and our lives have been stirred up recently and “everyday violence” is common. The presidential election in the United States unleashed a torrent of feelings, ranging from joyful to devastated. Fears of retribution and rioting remain. Unity is an on-going goal and a seemingly far-off goalpost.

Anxious times are typical of change and these times, our times, seem troubling. “Wade in the water, wade in the water, children, God's agonna trouble the water. See that band all dressed in white? The leader looks like an Israelite - God's agonna trouble the water. See that band all dressed in red? It looks like the band that Moses led - God's agonna trouble the water.” (Wade in the Water, African American Spiritual)

“The songwriters who came up with these verses are as sophisticated theologians as anybody can find. You've got the water imagery of danger, liberation, and healing, and you have slaves, exiles, and cripples who are supposed to get in the water because God touches the water, stirs it up, and then they get healed. This song is saying that whatever's out there, get into the middle of it because some of the upheaval comes from God. That's confrontation spirituality.” (www.thefreelibrary.com/God’s+gonna+trouble+the+water)

So who is stirring up the trouble? Is it God or us? And why? Regardless of the trouble instigator, who would want to get in the middle of it anyway and why? Are you an agitator or a peace-maker? A vigilante or Good Samaritan? A divider or unifier?

Within one week’s time, we heard news about three different troubling events. Daniel Penny was accused of manslaughter or negligent homicide for putting a choke hold on a homeless man in the NYC subway. Apparently suffering from mental illness and drug addiction, Jordan Neely was threatening people in the car. “The incident was a national controversy. Critics of Penny joined protests and characterized him as a vigilante, demanded that he be charged, and alleged that he was motivated by racism against Neely, an African-American. Supporters of Penny defended him as a Good Samaritan seeking to protect other passengers, with some donating money to his legal defense. Given Neely's background of homelessness and mental health issues, the incident also prompted discussion about the treatment of such individuals in New York City.” (Wikipedia)

So who is stirring up the trouble and why? Who is responding to the trouble and why?

Acquitted by the jury as “not guilty”, Penny still faces civil lawsuits from the father of the deceased, people who are accusing him of racism.  Conversely, others are ready to award him a medal of honor. The “Good Samaritan”, as some people call him, has won this particular battle but not the war. Given the consequences of intervening, who, now, will want to “help” in “times of trouble”? And what about our criminal justice and health care systems? Do they help us with increasing mental illnesses and addictions or are they harming us further? Are they helping the good guys and containing the bad ones?

Meanwhile, another young man, Luigi Mangione, shot and killed the CEO of United Health Care, Brian Thompson, on the streets of NYC. He was identified and arrested some five days later in Pennsylvania. While his picture, masked and unmasked, was flashed across the country, it took a McDonald’s employee to call 911, rather than a family member or friend to offer his name to the FBI and police. Why? Some say, “blood is thicker than water.” Others claim that denial or refusal to believe that this person acting in that way could be my family member is to blame. Mr. Mangione appears to have “gone off the rails” mentally and was filled with a rage that fueled his misguided thinking. Surprisingly, other people even justified his actions given their own frustrations with our health care systems. Class warfare and issues of privilege were raised

And then there is the Syrian situation, in which the dictator, Bashar Al-Assad, was overthrown as the leader of his government. Known for the brutality of his own people, Al-Assad and his family have fled the country. "When you hear Chinese dissidents singing black spirituals in Tiananmen Square, or when you hear ‘We Shall Overcome' being sung in Berlin when the wall goes down, you've got to say there's something here that is very American. And it is the deepest liberation theology. Biblically, it all started with Moses who waded in those waters. The message of salvation and freedom contained in those old songs has power today for all those who experience oppression.” (www.thefreelibrary.com/God’s+gonna+trouble+the+water)

Recent polls show that our country is politically and ideologically divided. We are polarized by deep and systemic issues that threaten our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Drones hover over our heads producing anxiety and finger-pointing. Why are they there? And who is causing these troubles?

Clearly we need help, not only from each other, but also from God. Whoever and whatever is the power is stirring up trouble among us must be channeled for good, which may mean tearing down some things that are unjust, and building up some things out of love. How we do that means lowering the temperature of our discourse and actively engaging with differences. When we lose the limits of our echo chambers, and expand our minds and hearts, we can find the healing balm of our salvation. Troubled waters can become calm. Peace will reign as our king. Joy will come once again. One can only hope. And pray.

Many people celebrate this Sunday with “Blue Christmas services” acknowledging the reality that for many people, this is a time of grief and loss. Sadness is real. Troubled waters, near and far, remind us of our powerlessness. Advent 3 talks of God’s power. And today’s canticle from the Old Testament book of Isaiah 12: 2-6 offers us a message of hope. Our blue Sundays turn pink.

Surely, it is God who saves me;  

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,

and he will be my Savior.

 

Advent 1 2024

 

Watch for the Light - Readings for Advent and Christmas

 

December 1, 2024

“The eternal birth is now born in time, in human nature. Saint Augustine says this birth is always happening. But if it does not happen in me, what does it profit me?” (MeisterEckhart)

December 2, 2024

“Every year we pray those beautiful prayers of longing and waiting, and sing those lovely songs of hope and promise. Every year we roll up all our needs and yearnings and faithful expectation into one word: ‘Come!’” (Karl Rahner) 

December 3, 2024

          “But he (sic) that dwells in the light…dwells in that which never dies.” (Isaac Pennington)

December 4, 2024

“I walk out onto the deck of my cottage, looking up at the great river of the Milky Way flowing across the sky. Evening. Evening of this day. Evening of my own life. I stand on the deck of my cottage, looking at the sky full of God’s children, and know that I am one of them.” (Madeleine L’Engle) 

December 5, 2024

“Condemned as a traitor for his opposition to Hitler, Father Alfred Delp, a Jesuit priest, wrote this piece in a Nazi prison shortly before he was hanged in 1945.” The Shaking Reality of Advent: “There is perhaps nothing we modern people need more than to be genuinely shaken up.” 

December 6, 2024

“To Be Virgin” is to create space. It is to be like Mary. “What if, instead of doing something, we were to be something special? Be a womb. Be a dwelling for God. Be surprised. Mary offered only space, love, belief.” Loretta Ross-Gotta 

December 7, 2024

“We live now, in the United States, in a culture so profoundly pagan that Advent is no longer really noticed, much less observed. Churches have become so utterly securalized that they no longer remember the topic of Advent. What is the subject of Advent?” William Stringfellow

A Night Vision of Truth and Power

 A Night Vision of Truth and Power

Revelation 1: 4b-8,           John 18:33-37

 

As I watched in the night visions,

 

I saw one like a human being

coming with the clouds of heaven.

 

And he came to the Ancient One

and was presented before him.

 

To him was given dominion

and glory and kingship,

 

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him.

 

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

that shall not pass away,

 

and his kingship is one

that shall never be destroyed. (Daniel 7: 13-14)

 

For four years, I was part of a program called Education for Ministry, which was held weekly for nine months in the rector’s office. In his closet was the picture of a puppet, whose head was in a guillotine, and the words below it said, “The truth will set you free; but first it will make you miserable.” 

I don’t know about you, but transitions and holidays can stir up a lot of feelings in me. At times like these, we can easily get emotionally out of whack, lashing out at others with angry and resentful words, overreacting to people rather than responding to them, stuffing our feelings as well as our faces. Some of us refuse to talk about certain issues, or with certain people, or we just avoid them altogether. And yet, as a FaceBook post once related, “Of course your family pushes your buttons…..they installed them.” 

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, still on the heels of our recent presidential election, we continue to hear from certain professionals about how to deal with our feelings. If we voted for Trump, we’re cautioned not to “gloat.” If we voted for Kamala, we’re encouraged to process our feelings of grief and fear appropriately. One psychiatrist advised audiences to cancel their dinner invitations to certain family members for Thanksgiving. Food fights notwithstanding, there could be bloodshed. Black Friday could take on new meanings. 

My family is a 12 step family in which members can relate to issues of addiction, whether from an al-anon perspective or AA. In the program, there is a description of a certain personality type called King Baby. It describes someone who thinks he (or she) is the center of the universe and expects everyone to do as they want. Like a king, they rule with single authority. Like a baby, they are emotionally undeveloped. The world revolves around their opinions and actions. 

We’ve been hearing a lot about “truth” and “power” recently. These two words are rearranged, paired, or repeated so that the one who is speaking (that’s me right now) encourages certain types of behavior. For instance, one social media platform is called “Truth Social” although various people jump from one platform to another, searching for the truth. Tweets become X’s (not to be confused with Boston Celtic basketball star Xavier Tillman). Recently “BlueSky” has appeared as the new and preferred offering for some audiences. 

 Jesus was known as a prophet, priest, and king, who incarnated and modeled a person who would  “speak truth to power.” Neither afraid of his religious or political leaders, He represented the common person and child, and the people who felt powerless. While no one, we might argue, has a corner on the truth, and as some argue that “every politician lies”, with respect and dignity we can share our various beliefs and perspectives. Our power, however little or great, can be used or abused depending upon the person and the system. In the kingdom of God “It’s different here.” 

This year, at various presidential political rallies, certain faithful people had yelled “Jesus is King” much to the delight of some, and rejection by others; for kingship is a loaded and weighty word. As a democratic political system in our country and in the Episcopal Church, kingship can strike fear in the hearts of many people in our country today. We are a democracy, having fought a war for our own independence from the rule of kings and queens in England.Today, in our Church, we celebrate a feast day called “Christ the King Sunday.”

So why do we laud and honor Jesus as our King of kings? Perhaps because he was a human being unlike any others. He uses his power only to help and heal God’s people. Perhaps because He rules over all people, i.e., “to him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” Perhaps because “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away. His kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” 

This King of ours, Jesus, began his life in this world as a baby. Unjustly accused, condemned, and crucified He “loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.” And even still, as the ruler of all kings and all people, the fullness of His kingdom is “yet to come.” It is, indeed, out of this world. In today’s unsettled world, Now that’s a message of power, eternal truth, and everlasting hope.

Trust

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

Lord show us your love and mercy; for we put our trust in you.

Today, I want to write about something very fundamental in our relationships. Trust. Our relationships with God, people, and things are based upon trust. It is often taken for granted, until it is lost. It is often assumed, until it is broken. It is so important that we even put those words on our money. In God we trust.

       Recently, I’ve noticed that many people have lost trust in our institutions. On the heels of our recent presidential election, regardless of your choice, clearly the issue of trust in our political leaders, not to mention our media, is at play. As a country, we’ve lost confidence in our political, religious, legal, economic, health care and educational systems. Even our family systems raise questions about trust.

       Trust is broken when we experience empty promises, false words, and harmful actions. Whether intentional or not, when our actions repeatedly don’t match our words, when reality doesn’t reflect the rhetoric, when there is gaslighting, people become wary. When we suspect that people’s motives are self-serving, we lose trust in the integrity of our relationships and our systems. Once lost, trust is hard to get back. Today the psalmist reminds us. “Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, for there is no help in them.” (Psalm 146)

Our bodies are like beautifully crafted vessels of water, jars of meal, and jugs of oil which have been filled with abundant gifts from our Creator. Throughout our lives, we offer the contents of these vessels by giving some of our time, talents, and treasure to others. Sometimes dramatically and sacrificially, we may empty them in intense moments of love. More realistically, we often make choices based upon our income and expenses. Unaware of the tiny cracks in our human vessels, we leak.

         This process of life, of giving ourselves away, involves some choices on our parts. What exactly are we willing to give up? We decide to whom, and to what, and for what we are willing to give our time, talents, and money. We raise our voices and cast our votes. We decide how much is too much, and when enough is enough.

Jesus is critical of people in power who use their positions of trust to benefit themselves and not to help those they are called to serve. Regularly, and at his peril, he criticized the religious and political leaders of his day. “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” No wonder religious leaders don’t want to preach today! Not to mention the peril of commenting on recent politics, and the time of year for pledging and giving  in preparation for next year’s budget.

There’s been a lot of talk about women this year. In today’s passages from scripture, we hear about two widows who made sacrifices. One widow gave part of her last meal to a stranger; the other put “everything she had” into the Temple treasury. Harper’s Study Bible says that the “status of widows in ancient Israelite society was precarious. They often had no means of economic support, and if they were not sustained by the king or by the religious community, they were quickly reduced to poverty and forced to become scavengers and beggars. Having no inheritance rights and often in want of life’s necessities, they were exposed to harsh treatment and exploitation.” (p. 547 and 1132)

In today’s passage from the Old Testament, 1 Kings, the widow and her son were preparing to die when Elijah arrived. She had only a handful of meal left in a jar, and a little oil in a jug. She was gathering sticks so that she could prepare a final meal for her and her son, when Elijah arrived and basically said, “Give me your last supper.” Understandably, this widow initially demurred, explaining to Elijah that she really had nothing to give him except some meal in a jar and a little oil; but Elijah insisted. “Give me this anyway,” he said to her. Then “after you’ve made my cake, you can make one for yourself and your son.” Is he tone-deaf? Self-serving? Unable to “read the room”?

Apparently, both Elijah and this woman revealed some level of trust in God and each other. Elijah had believed the “word of the Lord” when he was told to go to Zarephath and live where a widow would feed him. This widow must have trusted the words of Elijah when he told her that the “jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.”

In the gospel passage from Mark, Jesus commends the widow who throws her two pennies into the Temple Treasury. It’s easy for the rich to give from their abundance, Jesus said, but here’s a woman who “out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” I imagine she must have trusted her religious community to care for her, if not protect her. I imagine she believed that it was her duty to support the Temple.

It appears to me that both widows gave freely and faithfully, indeed sacrificially. There was something almost reckless in their actions. Perhaps they thought that they were at the end of their lives and had nothing left to lose. Perhaps they had learned to submit to their leaders and the laws of their religion and they trusted that they would be helped. Despite their vulnerability and fragility, they were being dutiful, displaying trust in their leaders to protect them. Or maybe, just maybe, they were revealing a deep trust in God who had promised “justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger, their God who sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked.” (Psalm 146)

To love God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself, does not mean to seek prominence and exaltation, but rather it is to be of service to others. Love is not about getting something, but rather it is about giving something. True giving, like unconditional love, is given freely, with no expectation of getting anything in return. There is almost something reckless, but deeply trusting, about sacrificial giving. It is a little scary, a little risky; indeed it is even liberating.

In Meditations for Women Who do Too Much, the author suggests that there is a direct correlation between trust and control. The less trust we have, the more we will try to control the people and events in our lives. The less trust we have in God, the more we will look to ourselves for self-sufficiency. Paradoxically, indeed counter-intuitively, the more we give, the more we get. The more we give, the more we grow. The more we give, the more we trust God to provide.

There is a great deal of mistrust, harsh treatment, and entitlement in our country these days. How is it then that we can regain the trust that we’ve lost in some of our leaders and our systems?

I believe that we begin once again through prayer. Like the widow, who gave her very last meal to Elijah, and the widow who threw her two coins into the treasury box, we can trust God to fill our empty jars, and provide our daily bread. We can ask God to repair our breaches and restore our systems. We can trust God to preserve our lives.

Do not be afraid, Elijah said. For with God, the jar never empties; indeed it is often re-filled to overflowing. And despite the promises of our religious and political leaders, ultimately, in the end, it is in God that we must trust; for God kept God’s promise of new life in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

 1 Kings 17:8-16            Psalm 146          Mark 12:38-44

 

Divorce

 

Church of the Redeemer, Lexington, Massachusetts          The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

            At the end of August, my husband Paul and I spent two weeks in Spain to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, which had occurred in June, but because of previous commitments, we could not plan this special trip until the end of the summer. Finishing my commitment to Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, and wanting to return to being a supply priest throughout our diocese, I had also committed to officiating at a wedding in upper state New York on August 10.

Ask most clergy these days about whether they prefer to officiate at a wedding or a funeral, most will respond that they prefer funerals. You might wonder why. Well, there are a lot of reasons, some of which can be found in today’s gospel lesson from Mark. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” the Pharisees had asked Jesus. And to his disciples he said that whoever divorces and remarries commits adultery.

          Talk about sticky situations. Some Pharisees, like today’s media, were testing Jesus on some critical moral issues. If we’re going to follow you, Jesus, then we need to know where you stand. And apparently divorce, like abortion today, was one of the burning issues that was at the crux of rabbinic debate at that time and in their culture.

Perhaps the Pharisees had multiple reasons for asking Jesus that question. Maybe they truly wanted to know what he thought? Or was this just a “gotcha question? Were they trying to get him into political trouble with King Herod, who had recently divorced his wife and then remarried another? Or did they wish to hear Jesus contradict the law of Moses so that they could charge Him with religious heresy? (Barclay’s p237)

As a rabbi and Jew, Jesus replied that Moses had allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and divorce his wife because of their hardness of hearts. In those days, one school of rabbinic thought claimed that divorce was permissible only in cases of adultery. Indeed today, in many states, adultery is still a crime.

The other rabbinic school interpreted the law much more broadly. Divorce was permissible for many reasons: if the wife “spoiled a dish of food, if she talked to a strange man, if she spoke disrespectfully of her husband’s family, if she was a woman whose voice could be heard in the next house, or just because he found another woman” more appealing. (p239) Let’s just say, given those guidelines, I wouldn’t still be married today!

Apparently this broader interpretation of the law had become tragically common, exceedingly easy, and dangerous for women, which is why Jesus was seeking to restore the sanctity of marriage for the benefit of women. Referring back to their creation story in Genesis, Jesus reminded the Pharisees how God had created men and women for a purpose. Marriage was not just a physical union but also a spiritual one, which should not be separated by human beings, whose hearts had become hardened over time. Joined together by God, they should not be broken apart by human beings.  According to William Barclay, “The real essence of this passage is that Jesus insisted that the loose sexuality of his day must be mended.” (p240)

          As you can imagine, Jesus’ words about divorce are not easily tolerated in our culture today. In most cases, men and women divorce their partners with frequency and ease, and for a variety of reasons, both honorable and dishonorable. When money or children or abuse or adultery is involved in the divorce, the situation can become downright ugly. Untangling previous commitments, even when prenuptial agreements are involved, become matters of the courts. Religious laws become stumbling blocks or ignored altogether.

 Now, as priests in the Episcopal Church, we are able to marry a couple both as legal agents of the state and as religious leaders in our Church. In preparation for the marriage, presumably we cover all the necessary topics that are important in a relationship. We talk about a lifelong commitment, responsibilities to each other, the hard work of love, and how marriage is intended to be a one and done kind of affair. Forsaking all others, the individuals promise fidelity to one person and are reminded that God is part of their covenant. Forgiving each other regularly, the individuals promise to soften their hearts when they become hardened by human sin.

          Weddings involve a lot of high drama, strong feelings, complicated relationships, religious diversity, and oftentimes some very difficult conversations. No wonder people no longer want to engage in premarital counseling. No wonder clergy prefer the simplicity of mourning the dead, burying the body or the ashes as well as the family hatchets, while proclaiming the promise of resurrection and eternal life. Let’s just say that God has a bigger and more explicit role at memorial services than they do at weddings.

          When our church was wrestling with the issue of gay marriages, I heard many of our clergy encouraging the Episcopal Church to uncouple the ministry of our priests as legal agents of the state from their religious authority in the Church. “Go get married by a justice of the peace,” these clergy will argue, “and then, if you want, come back to the Church for God’s blessing.” This policy would take away the sticky situations and the hard questions about love and divorce, about money and children, about fidelity and adultery, about sin and reconciliation. “Let the state take care of that unpleasant business and let the clergy be all about offering God’s love and blessings,” they will argue.

It is typical that our culture, for better or worse, is often showing us where the Church is headed. When individuals, whether clergy or people wanting to get married, bump up against religious requirements, or the policies and permissions given by our Church hierarchy, when it comes to deciding what is morally OK or not, what is lawful in the eyes of God or not, many couples and clergy just want to avoid the issues all together.

I read with interest an opinion article in the Boston Globe printed on September 27 of this year. The headline stated “Polyamorous relationships are a good thing.” The summary lines below it said, “Expanding our understanding of what kinds of committed relationships are possible and desirable will strengthen American society, not weaken it, particularly given that Americans are delaying and avoiding marriage like never before.” I’ll let you find the article and read more, and make up your own minds, only saying that these authors are encouraging our Commonwealth to be at “the vanguard of necessary social change.”

If a couple can just get a justice of the peace to put a stamp of legality on a relationship or relationships, with no questions asked, then isn’t that better for everyone? And who needs a blessing from God in the Church when you can have it offered by anyone and anywhere? Who needs clergy and the potential of religious judgment, when you can have a friend or family member do the nuptials and make it a party to remember? And how about those readings? Who needs an outdated scripture lesson that limits gender identity and eschews divorce? I wonder, what would Jesus say to us today?

There are many reasons in today’s culture for skipping a church wedding officiated by clergy. In this sermon, I do not intend to offer any concrete answers for you today but rather raise many questions about our human relationships and offer some observations about marriage and divorce. I’m happy to hear your thoughts.

The good news for me is that despite our rebellious spirits and hardened hearts, God remains faithful to us even when we are not faithful to God or to others. And so the celebration of God’s covenant with us is remembered in our Church at every Eucharistic feast, where Jesus is the groom and the Church is His bride. God welcomes everyone to the table in this sacred ceremony of love,  and blessed are we who are called to the wedding supper of the lamb.

 Mark 10: 2-16

Wedding Homily for Zoe and Scott

 The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage

For Zoe Slasor Riddell and Scott Joseph Weatherup 

August 10, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. Three Timbers Chapel, Bay Pond Park

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling, Officiant

The priest asked the small boy why he wore this white collar around his neck and the boy replied, “So you won’t get any fleas or ticks for the next 30 days.” As priests in the Episcopal Church, we call them Anglican collars because they indicate that we are part of a world-wide communion of a Christian community. For me, it reminds me that God’s love is circular, dipping down from heaven to earth and then back up again, and swirling all around us. It reminds me that we can stand and face the world together, forming a circle of love that includes the whole human family.

In his revival sermon at our General Convention in June, our Presiding Bishop from North Carolina said that “love can save us all because love comes from the heart of God." PB, Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, GC Revival sermon.

Now some of us wear gold rings or silver bands on our fingers, often in our ears, and maybe even sometimes in our noses. These little hoops are not intended for pulling people into our own personal orbits however, but they are signs of our dedicated love for another person. They signify shared common values. They suggest that we want our love to be unbroken, that we will make commitments to forgive and forget, appreciate the other, and have their back. On our hands, these bands claim that we are right partners for each other.

Love is complicated, and the word “love can easily be sentimentalized, commercialized, and trivialized” said Bishop Curry. “But there's power in love. Don't underestimate it. Don't even over-sentimentalize it.There's power in love to help and heal when nothing else can. There's power in love to lift up and liberate when nothing else will. There's power in love to show us the way to live.” (royal wedding sermon 2018 Harry and Meghan) 

 Tonight's love revival is not only about this couple standing in front of me however. It’s also about all of us who are here with them. We have been invited here for a reason, and that is to be witnesses to the vows that Zoe and Scott make to each other AND to support them fully in the days and years ahead. Scott and Zoe intend to keep the flames of their love burning in life-giving and creative ways. So help them do that by sharing your love and support for them regularly. Be their partners on this journey.

Only God’s love is perfect; and so we dare not look for perfection in anyone or any relationship. We are all unique creations, like every tree and every flower, and not one of us is exactly alike. And so we can thank God that we don’t marry carbon copies of ourselves! True love makes space for the other person, allowing them to be fully who they are, a unique partner standing by our side and at the center of our life. 

It’s been a privilege for me to meet with Zoe and Scott this past year over Zoom, as we talked about how this ceremony might reflect the beautiful, good, and authentic human beings that they are. Burning buildings can go up in flames and can be reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes; while controlled burns can create new life. Tonight we’re celebrating the marriage of Zoe and Scott in a sacred ceremony, the beginning of a controlled burn! 

Zoe and Scott, don’t ever forget that God’s love is an eternal flame that never dies, a God-given pilot light placed within our souls. When your human flames begin to flicker, tap into God’s eternal flame of love and keep your fire burning!

Lives Worthy of our Calling

Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill            The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

Specifically, what does it mean to lead lives worthy of our calling? 

My HarperCollins Study Bible tells me that scholars actually believe that St. Paul did not write this letter. Rather, they think that it may have been one of his disciples who penned it after St. Paul’s death. They also believe that the letter was not sent to any one church in particular but was a general letter written to all churches, specifically to the gentiles. 

Our churches, our country, and our world are in a time of great transition. Changes are frequent and the grounds of our being can feel shaky. Unlike today, where Israel and the Middle East have escalated into war and violence, there was no singular event, crisis, or occasion that precipitated this letter. However, the author of Ephesians was calling this Christian community, indeed begging them, to lead lives that were worthy of their calling, that included humility and gentleness, patience and peace, who were bonded together in unity and love.

Another shift in the letter to the Ephesians is about sin. When we listen deeply to the Spirit, we can acknowledge some truths about ourselves, how we have been “tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.” We can acknowledge that we have acted in ways not worthy of our calling as Christians. Whereas, previously, sin was seen as a hostile power, coming from evil spirits outside of our control, or from one country or leader against another, now sin was being viewed as individual trespasses. Something that was within their control.

The author of Ephesians had a purpose. He stressed that since the gentiles are now “in Christ '' they are no longer aliens to anyone, specifically to the Jews. Now “alien” is a buzzword these days; it is a trigger for so many people for various reasons. But the author of Ephesians is claiming that Jesus came to reconcile all people to God and to one another. There is “one God and Father of all,” the author wrote.

The ministry and mission of Jesus was one of reconciliation in a world of people who had become alienated from God and from one another for various reasons. In Christ, however, St. Paul had written to the Galatians that there was no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free. In Christ, we are no longer foreigners or aliens to one another. Through Christ, we can maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We can speak the truth with love without fearing retaliation, condemnation, or imprisonment.

“One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” wrote André Gide. “When we've let go of our old certainties but aren't yet established securely in the new, we may be afraid we’ll flounder forever,” the author wrote. (Todays’ Gift from Hazelden/Betty Ford,)  If we stay the course, however, we may be pleasantly surprised by our new discoveries. About ourselves and other people.

I like change and I love pilgrimages; and so I have gone to South Dakota, Ireland, Rome, Israel, and Spain on pilgrimages to let go of some of my old certainties. When I walked part of the Camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, I was in a time of transition from Connecticut to Massachusetts, from a settled cure in one parish to becoming a “free agent in Christ.” Walking helped heal my feelings of alienation during this time of great transition. The Spirit helped me to have faith and not fear that I would flounder forever. From foreign lands I could see our country, our culture, my church, and various people from different perspectives. I was pleasantly surprised.

“Unless we let go of the familiar, the safe, the secure; unless we take the risk of becoming vulnerable, we cannot grow. So much of the literature of the world is about this very theme. From the story of Abraham in Genesis, the great Exodus from Egypt, to the great epic stories of the Odyssey, the Iliad, the Lord of the Rings. They all require leaving everything and going on a journey that will lead to a new life, a new identity,” wrote Brother Geoffrey of SSJE. (Journey, Brother Give us a Word, 7/26/24)

One of the things that I have learned over time, through prayer and pilgrimages, is to pay attention to what the Spirit is saying. Indeed in our more contemporary Episcopal liturgies, the scripture readings are not followed by “The Word of the Lord” but rather by the words, “Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.” Clearly, to my mind, the Spirit is speaking to us even today, most especially in this letter to the Ephesians.

Recently I accepted a call to serve on the steering committee for the Friends of the Anglican Pilgrim Centre in Santiago de Compostela. After Jerusalem and Rome, Santiago is considered to be the third holiest pilgrimage site in all Christendom; and yet it was without a welcome center. The Bishop of the Spanish Episcopal Church wrote, “I envision an ecumenical place that would offer hospitality, learning, healing, hope and love to pilgrims at the end of their journey across Spain.” Responding to the Spirit’s calling, the Casa Anglicana was created; it is a place for pilgrims coming from around the world to be welcomed. It signifies “a unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Eugene Peterson translated the words in the letter to the Ephesians in this way: “In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk- better yet, run! - on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want any of you strolling down a path that goes to nowhere.”

Since walking part of the camino in Spain 10 years ago,  I continue to take a pilgrimage every day, one step at a time, one walk at a time, one day at a time. Wherever I am. If we want to lead lives worthy of God’s calling to us then we will let the Spirit lead us, honoring our baptismal vows. “Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.”

In an article written by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, entitled “Hungry for Physical Places,” he wrote, “I’ve come to regard pilgrimage as a journey with a holy purpose to a place of spiritual significance. Walking on pilgrim paths allows us to leave our psychological baggage and mental distractions behind, opening inner space for probing questions amidst changing landscapes. Questions like "Why am I?” “Who am I?” and  "Where am I?”(Christian Century (July 28, 2021)  And I would add, what gifts can I offer in Christ’s name?

We are all on various paths and at different ages and stages in our lives and on our journeys. In truth, our pilgrimages are everywhere, within these great walls and right outside our doors. When we pay attention to the Spirit of God calling us from the deep, we may not always be sure of our destination, but we can be assured of God’s companionship along the way. We can walk by faith and not fear. We can discover new lands, new ideas, and new opportunities to serve.

Given the gifts that God has given to you, how can you lead a life worthy of God’s calling? “It is easy to downplay the importance of lifting up our fellow pilgrims even though it is no small thing. We are powerful people! We can make a difference in people’s lives, for good or for ill. We can enhance people's lives when we encourage, support, and congratulate them. Today, make the world a little better by being in it,” wrote the author of Today’s Gift. (Hazelden Betty Ford, 7/26/24) 

Through the Spirit, with humility, gentleness, and patience we can be kind to one another and not critical. We can bear the transgressions of others with love as Christ loves us. We can walk, maybe even run on our own pilgrimages, playing the bit parts that each of us is called to play in this holy drama. 

Through Jesus, whose mission was one of reconciliation, we are no longer aliens, foreigners, or strangers to anyone. In Christ we are forgiven and set free to lead lives worthy of His call. To that end, every day we are invited to be on a pilgrimage, listening to the Spirit deep within us, acknowledging our sins, gaining new perspectives, and redirecting our lives. Offering our own unique gifts, we can become agents of God’s transformative love wherever we are on the journey.

Ephesians 4:1-16