Psalm 10 Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

 John Harris WordLive-Scripture Union, August 22, 2021

‘I shall not fear the battle / if thou art by my side, / nor wander from the pathway / if thou wilt be my guide.’1

"The psalmist’s emotions fluctuate between gratitude for God’s past protection and desperate pleas for God’s deliverance in the present danger. The war imagery of nations in conflict, of blood, destruction and death, suggests that the psalmist was a warrior and the battle real, not a metaphor for personal inner conflict. The warrior psalmist had served in one of Israel’s many wars and he attributes the victories to God’s help. Now, in imminent danger, he calls out to God to protect and save him, as he has done before. The warrior psalmist believes that he is on the side of a righteous God and that the enemy are the ‘wicked’ (v 5), opposing God’s people. Yet, rather than exuding confidence, there is a note of desperation in his words. He calls upon God to see his peril and save him from the ‘gates of death’ (v 13).

This is the psalmists’ quandary, the dilemma of all the righteous, the good and godly people living under the old covenant. They believed in a simple equation. The righteous, who followed God and obeyed God’s Law would be blessed, whereas the wicked, who did not acknowledge and obey God, would be cursed. Despite their trust in God, however, people began to see that the equation did not always work. Good people sometimes suffered while bad people often triumphed. This becomes very evident in Psalm 10, originally part of the same psalm. ‘Why, Lord, do you stand far off?’, the psalmist asks. Why does God do nothing when the wicked crush the poor? Why does God let the wicked boast of their prosperity and revile God? The answers lay in a distant future which some psalmists ‘saw … from a distance’ but none truly understood, a future when, through Christ, all the redeemed people of God would finally experience unending peace and justice in God’s eternity."

‘[God] will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’

1 John Ernest Bode, 1816–74, ‘O Jesus, I have promised’  2 Deut 28:1–14  3 Deut 28:15–68  4 Ps 10:1  5 Heb 11:13  6 Rev 21:3

Psalm 10

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

   Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—

   let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,

   those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.

In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, ‘God will not seek it out’;

   all their thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’

Their ways prosper at all times;

   your judgements are on high, out of their sight;

   as for their foes, they scoff at them.

They think in their heart, ‘We shall not be moved;

   throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.’

Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;

   under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.

They sit in ambush in the villages;

   in hiding-places they murder the innocent.

Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

   they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;

they lurk that they may seize the poor;

   they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

They stoop, they crouch,

   and the helpless fall by their might.

They think in their heart, ‘God has forgotten,

   he has hidden his face, he will never see it.’

Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;

   do not forget the oppressed.

Why do the wicked renounce God,

   and say in their hearts, ‘You will not call us to account’?

But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,

   that you may take it into your hands;

the helpless commit themselves to you;

   you have been the helper of the orphan.

Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;

   seek out their wickedness until you find none.

The Lord is king for ever and ever;

   the nations shall perish from his land.

O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;

   you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear

to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,

   so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

Warrior God

 The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

I love how some people like to point to Jesus as the Prince of Peace and forget that he was also a warrior for God. In an article assuredly written before the recent Afghanistan and Haiti disasters, entitled “Needing a Warrior God”, Austin Crenshaw Shelley wrote about a seminarian classmate who challenged him saying, “You prefer verses about peace because you have never needed a warrior God.” Shelley responded, “I was gutted. My classmate was a Coptic Christian from Egypt whose home church had been the target of a terrorist bombing.”

Some of us refer to our friends, family members, and even strangers as “prayer warriors.” Well, now is the time to double down on that or be recruited for that kind of fight! Like the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is a time for everything. And it’s time for each of us to “pray in the Spirit at all times. To persevere in our supplications” for all beloved children of God. To pray that we can speak truth to power and be bold, indeed courageous, in matters of the heart. May we pray as if everything depends upon God - to be our warrior God in these turbulent and frightening times! And, ultimately, to bring peace to this beautiful world that God created.

The prophet Isaiah once told his people, during a time of enemy occupation, to “stand firm in your faith or you will not stand at all.” Today the author of Ephesians echoes his words. “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

 To be clear, I am not a pacifist. In fact, I would support military action under certain circumstances. I take various stands. I stand up for justice and stand down for violence. I stand firm for what is right and what is good and what is holy. I stand for equal human rights and honoring those who have fought for them. I will protest and resist everyone and everything that does not support this Way of Life and Love. This is not just a #MeToo movement, albeit the women and girls in Afghanistan need our unfailing support now more than ever. This is a #WeToo movement. Wee warriors are all of us.

This is not a time to “stand behind the man you voted for” tempting as that may be. Rather, it is a time for uniformity, a time to be part of any war against any kind of evil. “As shoes put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” As you become one of God’s prayer warriors, “Take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” And pray for those warriors who bear arms and serve to protect the most vulnerable people in any country! 

Ephesians 6:10-20

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.”

Simple Wisdom

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

Proverbs 9:1-6

Wisdom has built her house,

she has hewn her seven pillars.

She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,

she has also set her table.

She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls

from the highest places in the town,

“You that are simple, turn in here!”

To those without sense she says,

“Come, eat of my bread

and drink the wine I have mixed.

Lay aside immaturity, and live,

and walk in the way of insight.”

The book of Proverbs, known as part of the wisdom literature in the Bible, is a series of collections written by the sages of their times. These were the times after the reign of King Solomon when the country of Israel had become divided. The sages were considered wise men, and came from what was considered the social class of the intellectual elite. They served as counselors, bureaucrats, and teachers of their traditions and culture; they claimed that knowledge of God came through the study of creation and human nature. The sages, both then and now, have concern for the daily morality of their people. (HCSB)

Wisdom built her foundation on the “fear of the Lord” which was defined as “the awe, obedience, and proper relationship to God that necessarily undergirds all attempts at living wisely.” How does one live wisely then? By following in the ways of God which are goodness, truth, unity, and beauty. How does one learn about God? Through our experiences as human beings and the study of our human nature. Our choices can make us look like fools or sages.

“The quest for knowledge may be pursued at higher speeds with smarter tools today,” writes Arianna Huffington. “But wisdom is found no more readily than it was three thousand years ago in the court of King Solomon. In fact, ours is a generation bloated with information and starved for wisdom.” (August 4, 2015, Christian Century) Certain actions invariably produce reliable consequences; and so wise people will consider the effects of their actions. Insight comes through results being reflected upon and reconsidered..

Wisdom is simple. Do good. Do the next right thing. Learn from your mistakes.The wicked are foolish. They scoff at correction. They act impulsively. They are self-serving rather than God-fearing. Sound familiar?  Fortunately, God’s intentions are not thwarted by human actions; “against Wisdom evil cannot prevail. Strongly, she reaches from one end of the world to the other and she governs the whole world for its good.” (The Book of Wisdom, 8:1, New Jerusalem Bible)

Holy Hunger

 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,  Dedham, Massachusetts

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

John 6: 35, 41-51

Come Holy Spirit and feed our hungry hearts and fill our souls.    

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

In FaceBook posts from colleagues recently, they questioned why St. Mark was interrupted by the gospel of John for five straight weeks, and how difficult it was to preach every Sunday about bread. Some colleagues responded with an answer. This is how, in a three year lectionary cycle, we can accommodate the four gospel messages. Others complained bitterly like the Israelites in the wilderness. Frankly I prefer St. Mark, a gospel which is filled with the fast paced action of our Savior. Instead, we seem to be caught in an endless cycle of Jesus talking ad nauseum about bread. 

 Truth be told, that is part of the reason why I preached on the letter to the Ephesians last week. And yet, I’ve stalled long enough. How do I offer some words about bread that haven’t gone stale for me over the years, I wondered; and then I remembered a book on my shelf called Holy Hunger. 

It was written by the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas who is a priest in the diocese of western Massachusetts. Her book, which was written over 20 years ago, is about a woman’s journey from food addiction to spiritual fulfillment. Her title reminded me of some very basic questions that I occasionally ask myself, especially in times of stress. What is eating at me? And what am I really hungry for? 

Now I am not a compulsive eater as Margaret discloses in her book. However, my family has known the challenges of addiction, and food addiction is an especially hard nut to crack. For those who seek recovery from substances, like alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes, it’s a matter of finding help to quit; and then learning how to thrive without their drug of choice. Daily counsel includes admonitions like “don’t buy this or that and stay away from those who do.” Or more importantly, “Turn to your higher power for help.”

Addictions aren’t always substances, however. Processes, like gambling and compulsive overeating, can take over someone’s life and affect members of their families, churches, and organizations just as much as any substance. Recently accused of gambling for and against his own hockey team, an NFL player is facing bankruptcy, divorce, and the loss of his job and his house. Obsessions and addictions ultimately destroy people in ever-widening circles. But how do you “put down” food?

Underlying all of these problems, whether it be processes or substances, one can usually find some sort of fear lurking at the bottom of a person’s mental, emotional, and spiritual life. In healthy and unhealthy ways we all try to blot out scary things from our minds. We try to comfort our fears, numb our pain, and ease our anxieties. It's just when these things take over our lives, and become destructive and debilitating, that we have a problem. 

The pandemic has created a lot of strong feelings. We fear illness, hospitalization, and death. We fear losing people we love. We fear never being able to regain our lives the way they were before COVID 19 appeared on our doorsteps. We question every sign of disease and every person that might carry it. We have struggled with loneliness, anger, grief, and the emptiness of our lives as we’ve made adjustments to this “new normal.” 

“Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness” and they died, Jesus reminded the crowd that was complaining all around him. Perhaps common knowledge to many people and yet new to me, is the Hebrew word for manna, “man hu'', which translates “What is it?” What was this manna then and what is it now? And, if we eat it, will it help us cope with our fears? 

In her book called Bread of Angels, Barbara Brown Taylor claims that the Bedouins, who currently live in this part of the Sinai Desert, eat manna even today. She writes, “The flakes themselves come from plant lice that feed on the local tamarisk trees; and because the sap is poor in nitrogen, the bugs have to eat a lot of it in order to live. They excrete the extra in a yellowish-white flake or ball of juice that is rich in carbohydrates and sugars. It decays quickly and attracts ants, so a daily portion is the most anyone gathers.” (end quote) 

That was manna then, and that is manna now. So, is manna the providential miracle of God? Or is it just a scientific reality and easily explained as nothing more than that?

Food insecurity is a frequent topic of concern and conversation throughout our country and our world. There are many people who are never sure where their next meal will come from. They live on the edge of disease and death every day; and for some, dumpster diving is a temporary solution. It’s their manna in their wilderness. I once knew a homeless person who would go to the Dunkin Donuts trash bin every morning, knowing that he could find his daily bread there. 

Churches are known for providing healthy meals for the food insecure. Once again, many people know where to go at certain times of the day, assured that a good meal will be provided. On the Cape, a program entitled Food 4 Kids is a way in which the church provided bag lunches for children at summer camps. Without the meals provided by their schools during the summer recess, and even longer during the pandemic, these children were assured of at least one healthy meal every day.

Being hungry is no joke. Like our current vice-president, who was tasked with understanding the root causes of immigration, I have often wondered the same about food. What’s behind the reasons so many people are without food? And how do we address this systemic problem?  Then, while opening my refrigerator door and looking for some comfort food for myself, I ask, “So what exactly is eating at you?” and “For what do you really hunger?”

Thirty years ago, when my family was in the throes of addiction, and before my husband sought treatment for his disease of alcoholism, I attended a weekly Bible study with a few other parishioners. I remember the rector asking a question and a friend responding with this answer, “I can’t tell you what I think but I can tell you how I feel.” 

At that time I had no clue what she meant. I could not separate my thoughts from my feelings, and repressing my feelings of anger, fear, and sadness, was making me miserable. Then, through al-anon and 12 step spirituality, through Bible study and the support and love of my church community, I came to believe in miracles, in a power far greater, and higher, and deeper than my rational, scientific mind could comprehend. I learned that God provides us with daily bread, literally and metaphorically. I just needed to turn to that Source for my own health and salvation.

Now, I absolutely believe in the power of science and rational thinking but I’ve also discovered the power of emotional intelligence and spiritual maturity. Stinking thinking had dragged me down. I began to ask myself, “What exactly was eating me alive?” And I realized that it was my fears and concerns for the people that I loved. Then, “What exactly was I hungry for?” And Jesus replied, ““I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” 

Margaret Bullitt-Jonas talks about having food, and her compulsive eating, as a way to deny her own feelings of anger and fear and sadness. She desperately wanted to fill up the hole in her heart that was created by poor communication and addictive behavior. Longing for the love that could not be expressed by her human family, she stuffed her mouth with the “food that does not come from heaven.” It gave her temporary and yet unsatisfying relief; and then she found spiritual fulfillment in the bread of life. 

Like her, I speak of having a hole in my heart as well as a hole in my soul. Over time, through the love of God and others, I came to realize that God’s love can repair our hearts, and that the Holy Spirit can fill our souls. While I still hunger and thirst for many things, I have also come to believe that only God can sustain me for the long haul. I know that I need the bread of life and springs of living water every day.

Jesus knows how we human beings suffer. He knows how we lose ourselves in activities, in substances, and processes that will destroy pieces of ourselves, our families, and our communities. Yes, the material world is here today, and gone tomorrow, just like manna in the wilderness; and we also know that these things will not prevent us from the ultimate reality of death. And so Jesus reminds us repeatedly, indeed ad nauseum in the gospel of John, that there is another kind of daily bread that will satisfy us forever. 

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.”  Remember your holy hunger every day. And then pray for that daily bread.

Pilgrimages as Portals

 The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Dedham, Massachusetts

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)

I am grateful for your rector’s invitation to be with you this morning at St. Paul’s in Dedham. Both in real time and virtually! I have a special place in my heart for parishes named St. Paul; and your rector and I share some commonalities. We are both relatively new to the diocese of Massachusetts; we love to take pilgrimages and, like some of you, we have shared the experience of walking on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Most recently Melanie and I continued our education in a preaching course called Deep Calls to Deep.

One of the things that I have learned over time, through prayer and pilgrimages and life, is to pay attention to what the Spirit is saying to me. It’s how I continue to take a pilgrimage every day, one step at a time, one walk at a time, one day at a time. Spiritual pilgrimages are life long, even when we don’t leave home, or our chairs, or even our beds! Virtual worship is how the Spirit speaks to us from one deep place to another, and pilgrimages are portals to the Holy. 

The Spirit will “look for truth deep within me, and will make me understand wisdom secretly,” claimed the author of Psalm 51.Now I am always tempted to talk about how Nathan the prophet confronted King David about his sins. Or to talk about Jesus as the bread of life. Except, the Spirit called me from the Deep and invited me to reflect upon the letter to the Ephesians. 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. Unlike today, where hate violence appears to be on the rise, there was no singular event, crisis, or occasion that precipitated this letter. 

 Another shift in the letter to the Ephesians is about sin. When we listen deeply to the Spirit, we often are able to acknowledge some truths about ourselves, where we have erred and strayed like lost sheep, how we have fallen off the path of righteousness, and how we can begin to understand a situation or people in new and different ways. Whereas, previously, sin was seen as a hostile power, coming from God or evil spirits, from one country or king against another, now sin was being viewed as individual trespasses. Sin was against God; and their removal was by God. The author of the letter to the Ephesians reminds us that in Christ our sins are forgiven.

The author of Ephesians did have a purpose. He stresses that since the gentiles are now “in Christ” they are no longer aliens to anyone. During these current times throughout our country and our world, it seems to me that we are in times of alienation - alienation within ourselves, and from God, and from one another. I think that the pandemic, sheltering in place, and wearing masks, as necessary as they are, have increased these feelings of alienation. And while virtual worship has helped people connect with one another, we long for real human contact and conversation.

I love pilgrimages and have gone to South Dakota, Ireland, Rome, Israel, and Spain in search of drawing closer to God and to other people. When I walked part of the Camino to Santiago de Compostela, I was in a time of transition from Connecticut to Massachusetts, from a settled cure in parish ministry to being a “free agent in Christ.” Walking helped heal my feelings of alienation, and restored my soul to wholeness. The Spirit spoke truth deep within me, and made me understand wisdom secretly. Walking helps me to discern God’s call for me at any moment in time. 

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 Christendom; and yet it is currently without a welcome center. Thank you so very much for your past support of the vision of the Bishop of the Spanish Episcopal Church. He 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.” Your rector’s testimony and your picture with the bishop can now be found on their new website as they reboot their capital campaign to purchase a building for this Pilgrim Centre. (www.anglicancentresantiago.org)

People walk the Camino for all sorts of reasons; and people attend churches similarly. I’ve heard recently that the primary reason people attend church is that they want to become better human beings; they seek a community where they can connect with God and with others, and find ways to lead lives ‘worthy of their calling.’ Eugene Peterson wrote the words of 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.”

In an article written by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson in Christian Century (July 28, 2021) entitled “Hungry for Physical Places”, he writes, “I’ve come to regard pilgrimage as a journey with a holy purpose to a place of spiritual significance. Walking on pilgrim paths for days 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 I am where I am?” 

We are invited every day to be healed and transformed by God whose mission is one of restoration, reconciliation, and re-creation. 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. 

What does this letter mean for me and perhaps for you today? While world-wide circumstances may be very different from the time of Jesus, or when the author of Ephesians wrote this letter, some truths remain. Remember that this letter was sent not to any one church in particular but was a general letter written to all churches. Honoring the covenants that we make at our baptisms, we can lead lives worthy of our calling.

In these times of COVID 19, with the Delta variant surging, travel is now being cautioned once again, especially in areas where the vaccination rate is low and hot spots remain. And yet pilgrimages can be made right outside your door. Walk your neighborhood looking for signs of God’s presence and invitation. What part of God’s creation needs restoration? And how can you help with your time, talents, and treasure to further God’s mission of reconciliation? When we pay attention to the Spirit of God calling us from the deep, we may not be sure of our destination, but we can be assured of God’s companionship along the way.

Then with humility, gentleness, and patience we can be kind to one another and not critical. We can bear the transgressions of others with love by loving others as Christ loved us. We can walk, maybe even run on our own pilgrimages, playing the bit parts that each of us is called to play in being agents of God’s transformative love. Pilgrimages are portals to God’s healing grace; and the Spirit will guide us along the Way.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. Amen.

Age Has Some Benefits

 I Don’t Want To Be Demure or Respectable, by Mary Oliver

I don’t want to be demure or respectable.

I was that way, asleep, for years.

That way, you forget too many important things.

How the little stones, even if you can’t hear them,

are singing.

How the river can’t wait to get to the ocean and

the sky, it’s been there before.

What traveling is that!

It is a joy to imagine such distances.

I could skip sleep for the next hundred years.

There is a fire in the lashes of my eyes.

It doesn’t matter where I am, it could be a small room.

The glimmer of gold Böhme saw on the kitchen pot

was missed by everyone else in the house.

Maybe the fire in my lashes is a reflection of that.

Why do I have so many thoughts, they are driving me

crazy.

Why am I always going anywhere, instead of

somewhere?

Listen to me or not, it hardly matters.

I’m not trying to be wise, that would be foolish.

I’m just chattering.

Age does have some benefits, even though my dentist told me that there were none, while working on the root canal in my tooth. I used to be demure and respectable; indeed I wanted to be that kind of woman when I was 30 years younger. Age and becoming a grandparent have changed that. Respectable, yes. Demure, no.

My granddaughter has taught me the wonderful world of make-believe. No longer a realist, I can imagine unicorns jumping on my bed. My twin grandsons showed me that language is spoken in many ways and “Yuk” is their favorite. Like me in my “old age”, they repeat some things and that’s just fine. I sing songs now, not with the demure sounds of a church mouse, but with the childlike gusto of a toddler. Following the cues of my grandchildren, I can ask for help more readily. I can express my needs. I can say “NO” without guilt. I know that messes can be cleaned up and that nothing is missed except people and things they love.

I was asleep for years living in the land of respectability and demurity, forgetting to find joy in simple things like eating corn on the cob. Or eating ice cream and not worrying if it drips all over my clothes and covers most of my face. In that far away land of youth, I forgot too many important things, like the fact that life can be lived only one day at a time.

I found pleasure in watching my son-in-law build sand castles on the beach, and not being upset when my grandsons destroyed them. I marveled at the little stones in my front yard, deposited there by them, and got excited when we saw a baby bunny hop across our path. We chased birds and ate fish. It wasn’t just the river that couldn’t wait to get to the ocean. It was all of us.

I’m not going somewhere anymore. No, I am going anywhere that brings me such simple joys, offers me hope, and embraces life and love. I’m done with those thoughts that drive me crazy. It doesn’t matter to me where I find glimmers of gold; they are like fairy dust, showing up unexpectedly in my life and not in my bank account. Really, listen to me or not. I’m not trying to be wise, that would be foolish. I’m just chattering to myself, which is another benefit of “old age.” 

Shake Off the Dust

 Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill    The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling            Mark 6:1-13

“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”

            Shake off the dust that is on your feet when someone does not welcome you. When people reject you, leave and shut the door behind you. If people are not willing to hear your message, then go. Testify and be witnesses to people who are willing to listen about the power of God.

This one little snippet of the gospel of Mark has so much power in its words that I have struggled to unpack it. I thought about basketball since my husband and I are season ticket holders for the Boston Celtics. It all began for us in 1973 when our first date was a fierce game of one on one. Paul claims that he won; my truth reads differently. He claims that he gave me an unfair advantage; I don’t see it that way. This is how we roll in politics and 47 years of married life.

We have been to several basketball games this past season as the Celtics ended their run to the playoffs. Limping along with injuries and the effects of COVID 19, they were defeated in Game 5 by the Brooklyn Nets. Have you heard of Kyrie Irving, one of the Nets point guards? He played for the Celtics basketball team until he disappeared from some crucial games, with no explanation. He made public promises that were broken. He made pejorative comments about fans. Later he spoke about mental health and his own personal struggles. 

Many Celtics fans took offense at what some considered unprofessional behavior. Salaries were high, especially in comparison to health care workers and teachers. When, claiming his 1st Nations heritage, Irving smudged TD Garden before a game, and people wondered who and what needed cleansing? In his defense, people argued that we needed to separate the basketball star from the person, the game of hoops from the life and faith of Kyrie Irving.

Jesus had already been questioned by his family and friends before he arrived in Nazareth. Was he demon-possessed and crazy, some people wondered? Like Irving, there were questions about his mental health. Upon his arrival in Nazareth, attending his home synagogue, Jesus was also rejected, despite having done many deeds of power before then. He had cured women, children, and men who were suffering from all sorts of diseases, and then tamed the sea during an unexpected storm. What’s not to like about that?

Now I am not comparing Jesus, our Messiah, to Kyrie Irving, the basketball star, but they both might be described as prophets. Prophets speak the truth as they see it, especially in difficult and highly charged times. They speak truth to power and to the powerless; and people often “take offense” at their words. Prophets do not always agree with each other. Often, they are not welcome on their home courts, in their hometowns, in their synagogues, churches, or mosques, nor even in their own families.

Hospitality in biblical times was of paramount importance. To not welcome anyone, whether a stranger or a guest, not to mention a relative or a friend, was considered a major sin. “If people don’t welcome you,” Jesus told his disciples, “then shake the dust off your feet and leave.”

After the smudging incident, Kyrie Irving, now as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, avoided every chance to return to TD Garden during the regular season. He knew that his reception would not be favorable, indeed unwelcome, and whether it was dealing with the media, the fans, or his rejection, some thought that he could not face the music. Playoff games were a different story however; he knew he would have to show up. So, to protect himself, as some people claimed, he made comments about how racist the Boston crowd is.

Paul and I were at TD Garden when Kyrie Irving returned. To say that he was rejected is an understatement. The fans booed him every time he touched the ball. Every single time! Relentless, they mocked him, using expletives to express their anger, and rejected him in every way possible. While no racist comments were noted publicly, one young man threw a water bottle at Irving on his way out. But right before that, Irving made his own statement of rejection. He purposely walked to center court, stepped on the Celtics logo, and then wiped his sneaker across the floor.

Commentators were outraged and confused. Some called it unprofessional; others claimed that his behavior had been done before by others. Boos and gestures are just part of the game, they said, and Irving later acknowledged. His silent message, however, raised some questions for me. Was he responding in kind to the behavior he had just experienced from the fans? Like basketball, what goes around comes around. Was he telling everyone that the Nets would win the next game and therefore he would not be coming back?

Recalling this passage from scripture, I wondered if Irving was claiming his identity not only as a basketball player, and a great one at that, but also as a prophet? Was he speaking truth to the crowd without using any words? Knowing he was not welcome there, his gesture was a testimony against the people whom he was leaving behind. To shake the dust off one’s feet is an act of disapproval. In effect, the message says, “I’m done with you.” As St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” 

Now, before this game, at the urging of colleagues, and sitting on the sidelines with an injury, a Celtics player, another basketball star and a prophet in his own right, named Jaylen Brown, spoke to the media about systemic racism, about Boston fans, and the truth as he saw it. Quote, “I think racism right now is bigger than basketball,” he stated. “I think that racism is bigger than Game 3 of the Playoffs. So I want to urge the media to paint that narrative as well, because when it’s painted in that manner, it’s insensitive to people who are actually dealing with racism on a daily basis,” said Jaylen Brown, who also recognized his privilege as an athlete and the power of his spoken words.

In the game of basketball, a defensive foul is committed when one player aggressively blocks another player, causing the potential for injury. Offensive fouls are when a player aggressively moves to the basket and sends the defender flying. Such sacrifices are considered “taking one for the team.” Fouls are part of the game of basketball and of life; and in truth, we all give and take offenses. We foul and we do harm, consciously and unconsciously, individually and as part of systems.

The people of Nazareth took offense at Jesus. Why? Because he revealed an amazing power to heal people, not harm them, and yet they knew him only as the carpenter’s son, and not as a prophet. How dare he show anyone another truth about himself? And so, his family, friends, and people rejected him. They wanted him to behave according to their standards. And in response, Jesus acknowledged that “prophets are not without honor except in their hometowns.” He tells his disciples that if people do not welcome them, then they should leave. Shake the dust off your feet and move on to others who will listen, believe, and be healed.

Now, I know that we have many issues in our country, with systemic racism and mental health being among them. In no way do I want to minimize their importance; I know the reality of racism, and sexism, and ageism. I find the uptick in hate crimes and violence to be worrisome; and this past year we all have struggled to maintain our physical and mental health. And yet I can also testify that we each hold many identities. I identify as a prophet, priest, and pastor. I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. I am a baptized Christian, a fan of certain teams, and I can testify to many truths.

Unless I walk in another person’s shoes, I will never fully understand their personal experiences, their motivations, nor their intentions. I also know that I don’t have to take offense if someone is throwing shade at me, or bottles, or making abusive comments. I can leave the court. I can walk away from my hometown. I can speak my truth without shouting expletives at the ones who have hurt me.

Moving on does not mean letting go, however. Just as the Celtics have plenty of work to do on improving their games, so do we, as citizens of this great country. Jaylen Brown spoke specifically about racism in Boston. Quote, “I know that every Celtics fan in the arena is not a racist,” stated Brown. “We have people of all walks of life, ethnicities, colors, that are die-hard Celtics fans. So, I think by painting every Celtics fan as a racist would be unfair. However, in Boston we have got a lot of work to do. No question. The incarceration rate is ridiculous. The wealth disparity is embarrassing. The inequality in education specifically in Boston public schools needs to be better.” (End quote)

Jesus was a preacher and a prophet in his own day, sharing multiple identities, eventually not only a carpenter’s son, and a prophet, but also the Son of God. He spoke His truths to power and to the powerless because He acted with the power of God's Spirit. He used his words and gestures to respectfully show that God’s love is the greatest weapon of all to combat human sin. Despite being rejected by his own people, at his last supper, he wrapped a towel around his waist and wiped the dust off His disciples’ feet. Then He got up and took one for the team.  

When we each claim our identities as beloved children of God, created equally in the image of God, and tapping into the power of God’s Spirit, we can be prophets in our own right. We can testify to God’s love for everyone, no exceptions. As disciples of Jesus, traveling two by two, we can help heal our society of its “isms” and illnesses. Preach the gospel at all times. And use words if necessary.

Hunger, Healing, and Hope

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Mark 5:21-43

Let us pray:

Come Holy Spirit, and give us God’s grace that we may know the healing power of Christ’s love. Amen.

In a conversation with some clergy colleagues a few weeks ago, I heard them talk about the blessings and challenges of opening up our parishes for increased numbers of people. There were three “H’s” upon which we agreed: hunger, healing, and hope. Enter the gospel of Mark. Considered the first gospel to be written, and an eyewitness to the first century disciples and Jesus, Mark is filled with fast paced healings. People are hungry for good news and Jesus offers them hope.

In today’s passage, Jesus heals two women, a statement by, in, and of itself. Women were second class citizens, just like children, and considered to be chattel, property to be owned and used by their owners. In today’s gospel, there is a woman who has suffered from hemorrhages for 12 years, and therefore she became isolated because she was considered ‘unclean.’ She dared to touch Jesus in the crowd. 

The other woman was Jairus’ 12 year old daughter; and Jairus believed that Jesus could heal his daughter who lay dying at home. Both people were hungry for healing. Both people were looking to Jesus for hope, and the response of Jesus is recurrent throughout this gospel. “Do not fear, only believe,” he said. And then, after each healing event, Jesus says, “Your faith has made you well.”

 Really? I mean, just believe? Just like that, no questions asked? Now, consider that symbiotic relationship between fear and faith. I have a long history and relationship with both, and quite frankly I can get a little prickly when well-meaning people suggest that a healing did not occur because someone’s faith was too little. And today, the Lord knows that fear is all around us. Lord knows, we’ve been begging for healing and hope.

So what about fear? According to modern day culture, the only two things we should fear are death and taxes. According to Herb Kaighan, an octogenarian and 12 step spiritual retreat leader, there are only two innate fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling. The condo collapse in Miami must have been truly terrifying! Kaighan claims that all other fears are learned behavior. Like ticks on a dog, we accumulate them from the very beginning of our existence and through our personal experiences.

At one point in my own faith journey, my spiritual director called me “Little Miss Much Afraid.” I was afraid of a lot of things for a variety of reasons; and so my faith journey involved a great hunger for healing and hope. I eventually discovered that what is learned can also be unlearned; and old beliefs can be replaced by new beliefs. What I’ve also learned is that I cannot eliminate my fears, only balance them with faith. Like a seesaw, one thing goes up and the other goes down. 

So what exactly were those two people in Mark’s gospel afraid of, I asked myself? First, clearly the leader of the synagogue, named Jairus, was afraid that his daughter was going to die. I can understand that. She was only 12 years old, on the brink of womanhood, and his only daughter. He loved her and he didn’t want to lose her. So great was his fear that Jairus was willing to throw himself at the feet of Jesus and beg for help. I can understand that too. I’ve been there, and done that.

“No worries,” said Jesus to Jairus. “She’s only sleeping. Just believe me.” “Yeah, right,” laughs the crowd, echoing their sentiments of disbelief to one another. But then like the sun peeking out from a cloud of sorrow, Jesus offers a glimmer of hope. Maybe she is only sleeping? And so Mark invites us to be eyewitnesses with his disciples and the girl's parents when we go into the bedroom with Jesus. There he tells Jairus’ daughter, “Little girl, get up!” And she does.

The disciples had seen what Jesus had done on the other side of the sea before this encounter. They had witnessed Jesus heal a man, tormented by demons, and which caused him to be ostracized from his family, friends, and community of faith. Homeless, he lived in a cave until Jesus appeared and healed him. The disciples had also seen Jesus tame the sea on their way back home. With fear in their voices, they asked one another, “Who does that?”

You know that we’ve all hungered for healing and hope during this past year of COVID 19. I don’t need to state the obvious  - even though I just did. While pandemic diseases have claimed the most vulnerable of people, often the poorest, death is still an equal opportunity employer. Eventually it comes to us all. At times of fear then, you may have wondered like me, did my prayers make any difference? Is there more to life than what I can see and touch? And how can I just believe in the invisible powers of God when the visible powers of viruses, violence, and vitriol keep tipping my seesaw? 

Sickness and death are common and universal experiences for us all; and yet our cultural responses to them will vary. According to John Pilch, in his book The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible, for “biblical people, every misfortune was caused by a ‘who’ (God or an evil spirit) and not by a ‘what’ (germs, viruses, genes, and hormones.) The problem therefore could only be helped by a ‘who’ rather than a ‘what’. In today’s gospel Jesus is the ‘who’ who can help us with our ‘whats.’

Pilch also compares the cultural system of the United States to theirs. We tend to prefer the value of achievement over our existence. Oftentimes events like a pandemic, the loss of a loved one or a job, an unwelcome retirement, the crumbling of a building or a marriage, or the aging process can throw our whole sense of integrity, worthiness, and life’s meaning into question. We worry about things that are far beyond our control rather than living simply, one minute and one day at a time, letting go and letting God handle what we cannot. We come to believe that life alone is a gift to be appreciated, and that God holds our lives always in God’s hands. 

In the New Testament, Jesus heals people by restoring them to a proper state of existence in a variety of ways, ending their isolation: lepers are made clean, the blind see, the mute speak, demons are cast out, the sea becomes calm, the girl is roused from her bed, and the woman stops hemorrhaging. Healing was about the restoration of relationships and a reintegration into one’s community not necessarily about a change in physicality. Above all, Jesus healed them by ending their isolation. Welcome back people of Redeemer!

I remember an old joke from years ago when the Sunday School teacher was questioning her class of 1st graders about their faith, perhaps as Barrie Rose is doing this morning. The teacher began by saying. “If I give up all my money, give everything I have to the church, and to the poor and the needy of the world, will I get into heaven?” “NO,” says the class. “How about if I teach Sunday school; serve on the vestry; visit nursing homes and hospitals, and feed the hungry with good food, will I get into heaven then?” “NO,” says the class. “OK, how about if I go to seminary, a preaching class in Virginia, become the rector of Redeemer, surely then I will get into heaven?” For the third time, the class of 1st graders yell, “NO!”

“All right,” the teacher says, thinking that these kids are smarter than she realized. “Then how do I get into heaven?” she asked. And the little boy in the back of the room yells, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.”

Members of The Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill, despite your amazing stewardship campaign, the gifts that you have and you share, and the resources that enable your mission and ministry, you are like every other community of faith suffering in one way or another from the post-traumatic stress of this pandemic. Yes, we can point to the who, who caused it (read China or the virus) and the ‘what’ that can cure it (read science and vaccines); but our true health and salvation can come only through the power of God. Integrated once again with our family, friends, and members of our communities we can be grateful today simply for our existence. The gift of life and eternal life is given to us by our Creator. God’s mission is always one of reconciliation, restoration, and resurrection; and we are the beneficiaries.

This passage from the gospel of Mark and today’s cultural reality, invites some questions for personal reflection. What is it that you hunger for? And where are you in need of healing? Will you laugh in disbelief or will you hang onto that glimmer of hope? Will you put your whole trust in God rather than living in fear?

 Hope is the bird that sings in our souls before the light of day. Hope is the anchor under our seesaw that tips our lives from fear into faith. Hope rests in the hands of God, who is always faithful. Believe in the good news of the gospel of Mark; for Jesus will heal us and our faith in God will make us well. Amen.