tonight's christmas eve message: we are kindred in opposing the fear...

As a rule, I don’t usually share a message or reflection on Christmas Eve:  there are too many social, personal and cultural expectations already flying around the Sanctuary on this night and crashing into one another; so I usually just remind you of God’s everlasting invitation into love and grace and let the music and candles tell you the stories your heart most needs to hear. Sometimes silence speaks louder and more truthfully than any words we might conjure.  And on Christmas Eve, I sense that is the case more often than not.

But sometimes silence implies assent – acquiescence – or alarm – especially when our souls are troubled and fear is in the air. Sometimes silence is what tyrants and bullies count on – the binding of our tongues rather than a shout of solidarity or a call of complaint. Indeed, sometimes the energy of an era aches for songs of protest, hope and opposition but all that is heard is… silence. One of the spiritual elders of the American civil rights movement, the late Howard Thurman of All Souls Church in San Francisco, put it like this:  “When refugees seek deliverance that never comes and the heart consumes itself if it would life; where little children age before their time and life wears down the edges of the mind; where the old soul sits with mind grown cold, while bones and sinew, blood and cell, go slowly to death and Perfect Love seems long delayed: Christmas is waiting to be born – in you, in me and in all humanity.”

That is why I’ve chosen tonight to alter my usual Christmas Eve habit of honoring the silence and speak to you of the Christmas waiting to be born.  It is clear to me that the dangerous clouds of religious hatred are gathering on our horizon:  in a recent Berkshire Eagle poll it was revealed that 40% of our friends and neighbors in this county support the vicious bigotry and fear-mongering that Donald Trump and others are currently encouraging.  That means that about 50,000 people whom we love and care for in our region have exchanged the promise spoken by the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem, the Magi and later the disciples of Christ for an idol:  “Fear not” the angel proclaimed,  “for, behold, I bring you good tidings of a great joy which shall be to all people: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

I believe God is serious when the promise of peace and glad tidings is offered to all people – not just Jews or Christians, but Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, pagans, atheists and… all people.  Not because of what we believe or the creeds we confess, but because that is who God is – the healer – that is what Savior means – the healer: of our souls, our bodies and our common life. And right now religious snake oil hucksters are peddling fear rather than comfort and joy – and that fear is being manipulated by politicians – so that our deepest hopes and dreams are turning into acts of violence and despair.  So the angel comes to us again to say this fear MUST be challenged: FEAR NOT is God’s Christmas proclamation, a charge to empower our words and deeds with the living presence of all the Lord for this is how the miracle is multiplied within and among us. When God’s word takes up residence within us and becomes flesh, a light breaks forth in the darkness and the darkness cannot vanquish it.

+  You see, without a light shining in our dark streets, without a clear and compelling word of courage spoken at this time, fear thrives in our shadows – meaning more Muslim houses of prayer will burn, anti-Semitism will flourish unabated and immigrants will continue to be demonized and abandoned rather than embraced, nourished and resettled.

+  Did you know that to date over four million people have fled war-torn Syria – half of whom are

children?  Most have taken up residence in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt with about 40,000 in transit to Europe. Our neighbor to the north – Canada – is welcoming 10,000 refugees throughout the next month as part of their commitment to healing what is broken in the world. But given the context of presidential politics, fear and bigotry, our land has only been able to welcome 1,600 sisters and brothers fleeing violence, cold and hatred.  And our Governor, a good man, is on record against allowing the commonwealth to help out in this tragedy.

Beloved, something is wrong – something is broken – out of whack – and this brokenness calls for incarnational acts of compassion to repair the breach in our collective soul.  Some call it tikkun olam, others say satyagraha or soul force, those in this house speak of radical hospitality or deep ecumenism. Whatever our words, we’re talking about is the coming together of Christians and Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, Sikhs as well as atheists and all people of good will to say NO to the fear.  We cannot remain silent.

+  We must be clear that we have one another’s backs in times like these. That we will speak with our legislators – write to our papers – open our wallets and checkbooks to those providing emergency services to refugees as winter comes upon the camps – and take a stand against any form of religious hatred or racial prejudice.

+  As I’ve told you before, the way of Mr. Trump is NOT the path to peace, it is the road to hell. The way of fear-mongering and prejudice never leads to the stable on Christmas Eve or common ground on Park Square; it only takes us to the internment or even concentration camps of incarceration and death.

Earlier this week I heard from some of our interfaith partners after my op-ed piece ran in the Eagle, including my friend and colleague Rabbi David at Knesset Israel, and they told me that they want to join us in the New Year in shaping a united public witness against religious bigotry and immigrant bashing.  Unlike some of us, these neighbors know what it means to be excluded and demonized, segregated and stripped of the human rights and dignity the Lord gave to all God’s children.  They have lived through the consequences of a reign of fear and terror – and have vowed: NEVER AGAIN!

So tonight, even as we gather to hear the ancient words and stories and songs of our tradition, we do so in the light of their witness and experiences in history.  You see, not all Scriptures are created equal.  Jesus and other rabbis and teachers before him, understood that we have to do some interpretive work if we’re going to overcome the punitive and exclusionary words that pit us one against the other. If we’re going to sing YES with the angels and encourage honesty, truth, beauty and humility in our community, we must be discerning.  In the Hebrew Bible there is an image – a metaphor for the human condition – which we translate as the vineyard. Sometimes the vineyard flourishes, sometimes it withers; sometimes it is fragile, sometimes it bears good fruit. And sometimes it is so unproductive that it must be pruned or even cut off at the roots.

Vineyards, in other words, are vulnerable – and that is probably why Jesus spoke of himself as a vineyard. It is NOT a symbol of strength or traditional power. Rather, as Lauren Winner writes, the vineyard “tells us something about the perils of incarnation – of making God’s word flesh within and among us – for clearly Jesus has interpreted his Hebrew scriptures and discovered in Jeremiah and Isaiah the most precarious depiction of humanity possible:  To say I am the vine and you are the branches is to confess that he is a fragile healer – an ally with humanity when we are most endangered. Whenever we are producing bad fruit or living in ways that are the farthest from pleasing God, Jesus is already there with us.  Our brokenness is not alien to this vineyard: That’s why He comes to us as a vulnerable baby tonight to show us the riskiness of incarnation.” 

So tonight our own vulnerability and the fragility of our neighbors calls us to interrupt our regular

Christian tradition and do something risky before singing “Silent Night” Tonight we gather to honor God’s call to FEAR NOT. Tonight we embrace one another as kindred, lighting the candle of peace not as souls from separate streams, but rather as family, countless currents flowing together into one great river of life. Tonight we own that our vineyard needs help.

+  The tradition of Judaism says:  You know what the Lord requires, dear people, it is to do justice, love with compassion and walk with humility throughout God’s creation.

+  Christianity is clear: In everything, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

+  And the Qur’an of Islam says: whoever saves one human life shall be regarded as though they had save all of humankind.

On this night of silence, the time has come to share the light of peace in human solidarity. So let me ask you to join with me in two ways:

+  If you are interested and willing to help Rabbi David and I strengthen our interfaith connections and offer a public alternative to immigrant bashing and fear-mongering, leave me your name and a contact number or email in tonight’s collection plate and we’ll make this happen in the New Year.

+  If you sense the time has come for us to stand up for peace – inner peace, peace among the races, peace beyond the divisions of faith – then join with me in singing a song another angel once shared with our people as we light one another’s candles of peace.

We shall overcome – we shall overcome – we shall overcome someday

O deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome someday.

+

We are not afraid…

+

We shall live in peace…

PRAYER

O God of new beginnings, who brings light out of night's darkness
and fresh green out of the hard winter earth:

there is barren land between us as people and as nations this day,
there are empty stretches of soul within us.
Give us eyes to see new dawnings of promise. 

Give us ears to hear fresh soundings of birth.

And give us strength to embrace our people’s fears 

with your boundless but vulnerable love.

For we pray in the name of all that is holy. Amen.

(adapted from John Philip Newell)

christ child's lullabye...

Everything is ready...

... the liturgies are done and printed.

... the music has been practiced and refined.

... the Sanctuary has been cleaned and made ready.

... the Eucharistic elements are waiting for a blessing to be shared.

... the prayers are written and the worship notes crafted.

... the gifts have been gathered and the food for the feast purchased.

... the house has been cleaned and decorated.

Now it is time to go to bed in anticipation of the birth of the Christ Child.  This song has been dancing in my heart all day and will continue to do so for a few more days.

almost here...

Just back from the final Christmas Eve rehearsal with these cats...

We've set up two very different liturgies - both with a time for lighting candles for peace and inter-faith solidarity and Eucharist - that should welcome every soul:

+ At 7 pm we'll do the Lessons and Carols order of worship from King's College.

+ At 11 pm we'll break out of the box and do a "Word Made Flesh" liturgy with ancient readings, poetry from Auden, Alice Walker and others, as well as our jazz reflections on traditional carols.

Both will give us all a time to go within and reconnect with grace among us. Join us if you can.

Christmas is waiting to be born...

As we head into the drive to Christmas Eve we're starting to get some local buzz on the call to stand up against religious bigotry, for immigrants of all nationalities and faiths, and a broad inter-faith presence for solidarity and justice.. Today's local paper, The Berkshire Eagle, ran my op-ed piece. Check it out @ http://www.berkshireeagle.com/columnists/ci_29285665/rev-dr-james-lumsden-stand-up-others-les

On Christmas Eve we will host an Inter-Faith Candle-lighting liturgy for Peace and Solidarity at both our 7 and 11 pm gatherings. And some of my friends and colleagues are joining me for an inter-faith event we'll start planning for early in the New Year. There is broad and deep support for taking a public stand despite 40% of our county supporting the bile and bigotry Trump is peddling.

a bit of christmas caroling...

We went Christmas caroling this afternoon - and it was a delight. We visited one nursing home

and one private apartment with 25+ youth and adults. What a blast! I can still remember being in 9th grade myself and going out with my church to sing carols. It was a time of wonder and thanksgiving.  Bringing the songs of this season into people's homes is a special privilege as they let us into their private space. There is a unique vulnerability and respect going on that can only be experienced, not explained.  At one point during "Silent Night" there were rich layered harmonies swirling in the room, young voices mixed with seasoned choristers, and I was simply overwhelmed with gratitude. Then we returned to church for treats and more singing together. It was just a bit of heaven.

The rest of this week will be filled with writing, prayer, visitation and rehearsals for Christmas Eve. Tomorrow will mostly be given over to last minute errands and preparing for the feast as well as working on my worship notes. Thursday afternoon finds the Brooklyn family members arriving for a few days of festivities. And on Christmas Day the Massachusetts contingent joins the soiree for a feast and sharing gifts. In so many ways, this season takes the life out of me with the energy expended - and then the blessings are returned in times like our caroling. Thanks be to God.

gimme shelter...

As many in the US (and Europe) grow more fearful about terrorism - domestic and foreign - I have found myself wrestling with seemingly contradictory truths:

+  First, having been sucked in to scapegoating, fear and the acceptance of massive violence in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US myself, I can now sense the same vicious feelings and actions being ramped-up in 2015. Listening for just a short time to the recent Republican "debate" makes it clear to me that demagoguery and future war crimes are just a breath away from becoming the new normal. Solidarity based on fear in pursuit of a common enemy works - this is the ugly truth of scapegoating - and it has been creation's "original sin." Religious and political leaders have used it since the start of time to retain power and build social cohesion. The problem with this course of action, however, is that it both requires an ever increasing level on new violence to satisfy human blood lust, and, more and more vulnerable or marginalized human beings are demonized and slaughtered as targets of the majority. The late Rene Girard hit the nail on the head: the gift that Christianity gives to the world is NOT Jesus dying for our sins, but rather showing the world through Christ what happens in such violence from the perspective of the scapegoat. Jesus on the Cross is what torture and death looks from the view point of the victim when religion collaborates with politics in pursuit of "the other." It is a vicious cycle than requires more and more enemy blood to maintain social cohesion.

+ Second, as one who appreciates the nuanced wisdom of Reinhold Niebuhr re: "the irony of American history" and political engagement, I know that any action executed in pursuit of the well being and safety of Americans always results in uneven and unplanned consequences at home and abroad. These unintended consequences may be less onerous than the problem being addressed, but not always. Take the use of drones that simultaneously execute terrorists before they can act, but also murder innocent civilians, too. I am not so cavalier or callous as to call these deaths "collateral damage," excusing them as a sad by-product of an ugly reality, because these deaths involve loved ones with hopes, dreams, and feelings much like my own. These deaths are sinful and ought not be described otherwise; at the same time, our sinful activity has likely reduced even more death, pain, and anguish for ourselves and our allies. So, while our actions are designed to maintain our safety they also wreak havoc upon innocent sisters and brothers and breed anger and terrorist resentment that leads to an increase in international acts or terror. Being a Niebuhrian, President Obama wrestles with the qualified morality of these acts even as they continue. It is a Faustian bargain, to be sure, that few can comprehend. 


+ Third, few of us have been able to synthesize the new political realities of this era. The hymn sings: "Time makes ancient truth uncouth" but for a time that new truth feels ungrounded. We operate with worldviews shaped by Vietnam - or the Cold War - or even the Reagan era's specious claim of "an end of ideology and history" (that is, the collapse of communism and the triumph of international corporate capitalism.) In his recent small book about the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict, Walter Brueggemann highlights how old thinking refuses to acknowledge the facts on the ground. I have been guilty of such limited vision, too in my deep support of Israel. In Chosen? Brueggemann makes three points that warrant serious explorations:

1) There is no question that nearly 2,000 years of Christian antisemitism - and our collective responsibility for the Shoah - have made many of us unquestioning advocates for the modern state of Israel. This is as it should be. What has occurred at the same time, however, is that we have let our loyalty and shame blind us to the human rights debacle that continues to fester and grow as Israel becomes ever more aggressive towards Palestinian women, men, and children. Palestine's violence - while terrifying and reprehensible - is not equivalent to the sophisticated arms and technology of Israel's modern armed forces. As a consequence, many (myself included) have been immobilized by our out-dated analysis and loyalty when it comes to 21st century Israel. We have been unable or unwilling to use our power and presence for a true peace between these two people who inhabit one land. Therefore, fear and loathing festers and more and more Palestinians suffer and die. Israeli soldiers also become inured to the effects of violence and the way it strangles the soul's desire for solace and peace. Everyone loses and despair is magnified.

2) This antiquated analysis is informed by an inaccurate and incomplete theology of the land that confuses the modern state of Israel with Biblical promises made in the Abrahamic and Mosaic/exodus narratives. To be sure, there is a dominant story that gives the Biblical lands to ancient Israel unconditionally. Fifty years after the Babylonian exile of 587 BCE, when the leaders and priests of Israel returned to their former home, a new theological viewpoint developed that celebrated exclusion and racial purity as essential to the new Israel. There is, however, another Biblical narrative informed by both Deuteronomy and the prophets that is equally important: namely, that retention of the land freely given to Israel by the Lord, is conditional upon maintaining Torah. To use Brueggemann's words that means practicing neighborliness and justice - even to those viewed as "the other." In this version of the covenant, the people of God must practice compassion, inclusion and right relations between all people in order to keep the gift of the land. Clearly, the first narrative has been the focal point of the settlers in modern Israel - and the current coalition government, too - and that guarantees intransigence when it comes to honoring the humanity of Palestinians. It also gives religious incentive for violence, bigotry and hatred. Please don't misread my intentions: I am crystal clear that there is a long, ugly and violent theology and history at work within the Palestinian world, too that has erupted in death and ever vicious acts of terror against Jews. My point is this: many Western allies of Israel who want to find a way to be equally supportive of Palestine have been inhibited from action by outmoded religious stories that no longer apply. To those for whom this matters - and that includes many - this is an important shift that could empower us towards greater solidarity with Palestine even as we work with our Jewish allies and friends.

3) Christians - who are grounded in our authentic Jewish roots - cannot remain neutral in

support of the status quo between Israel and Palestine. We must first seriously own and understand the history and consequences of our antisemitism. To do otherwise would be naive and short-sighted. There is a reason why Israel mistrusts so much of Christianity - and the death camps are the evidence. Still, Christians "must be zealous, relentless advocates for human rights. This means exposing the violations of human rights by all parties and recognizing the imbalance of power that makes Israel's violations of human rights all the more ignominious." (Breuggemann, p. 58)  We should accept as fact that there is no realistic hope for any two-state solution in Israel. Such a hope was a mixed desire by both parties, but there is no ambiguity today: "For all the pretense and obfuscation of Israel, it never intends to allow a viable Palestinian state, so two state negotiations simply buy more time for the development and expansion of the status quo...(when ideology coupled with unrivaled power is preferred to sharing the neighborhood, the chance for neighborliness is forfeited."

Prophetic faith is characteristically contemporary in its anticipation of the purpose of God: it insists on truth-telling that is attentive to bodily suffering. and it refuses ideological pretenses. It will tell the truth in the face of distortions that come with ideological passion and unrestrained power. When truthfulness about human suffering is honored, new possibilities of a just kind can and do emerge. Thus, being able to differentiate between old mantras and urgent truthfulness is a beginning point for faithful engagement in the real world.

The more Christians are able to own - and then speak - the truth about the suffering in Palestine without diminishing the anguish and fear that is real throughout Israel, the more credible we become as advocates for peace and hope. Equally, the more Christians find ways to create acts and symbols of solidarity with our cousins in Islam - insisting that we worship the same God albeit in different ways - the more likely common ground and trust can be built in a slow and careful way.

As I prepare to move into Advent IV, I am aware of the complexity of opposing religious hatred and fear in my country. I wish to God we were able to be more like Canada and welcome 10,000 Syrian refugees. I ache that Syrian suffering has become yet one more political football to be kicked around by politicians pandering to our lowest common denominator. And I am sickened and grieved that so many Protestant Christians are ready to celebrate war crimes against Muslims rather than sacrifice and advocate for their safety inf the spirit of Jesus. At the same time, I give thanks to the Lord the so many Roman Catholic bishops - starting with Pope Francis - offer an alternative to the hatred and fear. I give thanks for my own congregation that is seeking out ways to stand in solidarity with both Muslims and Jews during this season of xenophobia. And I trust that as we collectively and individually change what must be changed - and accept what cannot be changed - we will know that peace that passes understand: serenity even in the face of suffering.

Lisa Fischer and Le Grand Baton make "Gimme Shelter" the Advent hymn for this season...

like a bird on a...

It is now 4:24 pm and it is night time. In a month all will be different - there will be light and hope - but not until the winter solstice. This morning as I looked up at the winter sky, I took this shot as it expresses what many of us are feeling right now.

And all day long - as I have been writing, checking in with the church office or going to meetings, this tune has been quietly singing in the background.  It is a hymn for sure - and nobody "gospels" it up better than Joe Cocker with Leon Russell's brilliant help. Onward into the darkness even as we wait for the light.

stand with us on christmas eve...

NOTE:  On Christmas Eve, we will pause from our celebration to intentionally pray for peace. We will rededicate ourselves to radical hospitality and authentic solidarity with the persecuted in our nation who have been singled out because of their faith. We will witness to the love of God as expressed in the mystery of Christ whose birth calls us to stand with our Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh and atheist neighbors. Here is a letter to the editor of our local paper. More as it unfolds..

December 15, 2015

Dear Editor

In the Christian tradition, we are encouraged to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” This has too often become disembodied sentiment without regard for the pain of real life.  In your editorial, you concluded that citizens stand up to the demagoguery of Donald Trump.  I would argue that this is a moral imperative for Christians who have often been used to fuel religious fear and violence rather than solidarity and justice.

Untold millions of our people are afraid: of domestic and international acts of terror.  But rather than nourishing peace and compassion, some spiritual leaders are supporting xenophobia and bigotry.  Take Franklin Graham – Billy Graham’s son – who last week tweeted that American Muslims represent a frightening evil that is tearing apart the security our nation. Consider Jerry Falwell, Jr. – current president of the largest Southern Baptist University in the USA – who not only encouraged students at Liberty University to carry concealed weapons to class and dorms, but is on record as saying: “I’ve always thought, if more good people had concealed-carry permits then we could end those Muslims before they walked in killing ... Let's teach them a lesson if they ever show up here!"

And then there is Donald Trump:  current front-runner for the Republican nomination for President in 2016 – a multi-millionaire, self-acknowledged Evangelical Presbyterian and master manipulator of the media – who continues to insist that Muslims be banned from entering our nation. Mr. Trump has called for surveillance of US mosques, a prohibition of Syrian refugees and the registration into a national database of all who practice Islam as a religion. And now he is advocates banning immigration because of one’s religion.

Small wonder that bastion of progressive journalism, the NY Daily News, ran a front page attack editorial stating: When Trump came for the Mexicans I did not speak out because I was not Mexican – and when he came for the Muslims, I did not speak out because I was not a Muslim… Those words are, of course, a satirical restatement of Martin Niemoller’s a poem written after his incarceration by the Nazis. Pastor Niemoller began his ministry in support of Adolf Hitler.  But as the Fuehrer became more aggressive – and broke his promises to the German Church – Niemoller abandoned ship and was arrested in 1937. Upon his release, he was imprisoned again by Himmler’s Gestapo and held in  Sachsenhausen and Dachau until 1945.  During this time he came to see how his fears and the anxiety of his nation impelled him to compromise his faith and strengthen a hate-filled regime of death. By the early 1950’s, Niemoller summarized his reality like this:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

The Nazis also came for homosexuals and gypsies, the intellectually and physically challenged, too – and no one spoke out until 11 million people had been murdered.  Sadly, Christians of all traditions not only remained silent during this sacrilege, but believed it was of the Lord to incinerate Jews and all who were vulnerable.  All the more reason to speak out today so that our Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh and atheist neighbors know that American Christians have their backs. Remember: this isn’t the first time people of faith have been manipulated by fear. The fears of our founding hours led us to commit genocide upon First Nations people. A comparable dread led us to discriminate against the Irish in the 1850s, practice intolerance toward European Roman Catholics, and exploit Chinese immigrants in California. Fifty years later this same evil was used to renew the Ku Klux Klan in the name of Jesus. Regularly our Christian faith has been used by mean-spirited men and women who masterfully manipulate the suspicions of ordinary working people into acts of religious bigotry and violence.

So let us confess that the way of Trump is not the way of Christ: it is the way of Hitler. The way of fear mongers is not the way to Christmas, but to the concentration camps.  Dr. King was right: When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men must seek to bring into being a real order of justice.

On Christmas Eve 2015 at 7:00 pm, my congregation will be praying for peace and common ground for all people of good will: Jews and Muslims, believers and atheists, Buddhists and Sikhs, Protestants and Catholics. We will light candles against this present darkness and renew our vow of radical hospitality. Jesus did not come into the world to convert Jews – or anyone else – he came to make the way of compassion and justice flesh. And so must we.

As another Berkshire pastor, Reinhold Niebuhr, wrote in the darkness of 1941: “O God, give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other.” We can change the hatred that must be changed by cherishing the integrity of every faith tradition this Christmas, standing up against the hate-mongers and strengthening the Spirit of one love that unites us all. Then we can rejoice in the Lord all ways!

James Lumsden

Minister

First Church of Christ on Park Square

Pittsfield, MA

sensing the call of Mary...

I have long had a love/hate relationship with John the Baptist - and so I am so glad we are moving towards the Virgin Mary this week in worship. First of all, while I appreciate the heart of his message, the Baptist is too strident and harsh for my pastoral tastes. His speech is too judgmental and his disposition too binary. Life is just more complicated than his ministry allows for.So while I dig John as the Christian connection to the Green Man, but I think Barbara Brown Taylor gets it right:

Silence was the backdrop against which the Word began to be heard. While Jesus stood in the wings, John the Baptist prepared the way, using such ferocious language that many must have expected a fire-breathing messiah to drop from the sky. Instead it was Jesus who came among them, making so little noise that even John did not know who he was at first. And even when he spoke, Jesus created silence. Many of his saying were so cryptic that no response was possible, while others were so offensive that replies were withheld. "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who abuse you." Any questions?

Second Mary is open to ambiguity and trusts without more than God's promise. Further, someone has suggested that she was the first Eucharistic minister as she brought the Body of Christ to her beloved cousin Elizabeth and stayed with the old woman until Liz gave birth to the Baptist. What an incredible model of faithful servant she is to me - and I still yearn to be closer to her spirit. .So I'm looking forward to Advent IV this Sunday where the heart of worship is Mary's song of quiet acceptance. And as much as John Shelby Spong doesn't make it for me as Biblical scholar, I appreciate this contemporary setting of the Magnificat.

My soul sings in gratitude.

I’m dancing in the mystery of God.

The light of the Holy One is within me

and I am blessed, so truly blessed.

This goes deeper than human thinking.

I am filled with awe

at Love whose only condition

is to be received.

The gift is not for the proud,

for they have no room for it.

The strong and self-sufficient ones

don’t have this awareness.

But those who know their emptiness

can rejoice in Love’s fullness.

It’s the Love that we are made for,

the reason for our being.

It fills our inmost heart space

and brings to birth in us, the Holy One.

while my guitar...

"Moma said there'd be days like this..." sang one of my favorite "girl" groups from the 60s - the Shirelles - and this was one of them.

The Shirelles hailed from Passaic, NJ and got their start singing together in high school back in 1958. And damn if they didn't have a string of hits: from "Soldier Boy" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" to "Boys" and "I Met Him on a Sunday." I dug them from the start and loved what the Beatles did with their tune "Boys" and Laura Nyro and La Belle did with "I Met Him on a Sunday."

To me, they were they the essence of sassy, earthy rhythm and blues singers who could do justice to doo wop but with a deep rock and soul groove. And that's just what it felt like I needed as this day unfolded: a rock and soul sensibility grounded in R and B that helped me embrace the pressure, expectation, beauty and frustration of people caught up in the anguish and joy of the Christmas holidays. There is too much work. There is too much sorrow. There is too much wishing on a star that can never, ever deliver as well as too much grace and joy to comprehend. To be present with love and hope patience and respect - when people you love are suffering demands a connection to a deeper back beat than is obvious, don't you think? 

You have to trust it is there - feel it like a bass player - because sometimes there is too much noise and craziness to hear the downbeat. You have to sense it. Trust it. Know that it is bigger and deeper than all the fuss and hurt. And that made me think of another "mama" song that I have loved since forever... and nobody does it better than Sir Tom Jones!

This is a harsh season for some of us - so much grief and sorrow - and mostly we don't have words to describe this hurt and stress. All we can do is be present with love - and a little bit of sassy humor - and enter the silent hurt with our loved ones. Oh yea, and one thing more I would add: listen to some freakin' good music too! PLEASE!!!! Barbara Brown Taylor wrote at the close of her fine little book, When God is Silent, hat while "Jesus came among us as a word..."

I believe God remains among us as music (and the Holy Spirit as the breath that brings both word and music to life.) Those of us who preach may never stop judging ourselves for failing to do justice to the Word but how can we EVER do justice to the Music? How would you preach a sermon on Barber's Adagio or the slow movement of Schubert's C-Major quintet? Would you hum? Snap your fingers? How does the human voice capture the sound of sobbing violins? And yet that is what we are up against as we try to toss the fragile nets of word over the bone-melting universe-making of God.

Now as much as I love me some Barber or Schubert - and I do - I have to have me some rock and soul as well as some wild ass guitar and horns or else I can't get my mojo workin' in a season like this: it is just too simultaneously blue and beautiful.  Today there was death, there was sorrow, there was anger and fear right along side stunning jazz charts and exquisite choral singers. There was physical pain and spiritual emptiness surrounded by a darkening sky, a frightening political world and people reaching out to one another with small acts of kindness and hope.

So, as I often do about this time of year, I had to take solace and sustenance in this version of Brother George Harrison's most excellent gift to creation as performed at "The Concert for George" by his buddies Eric Clapton et al. It is the perfect prayer for a full day. And to my heart NOTHING rivals the angst and pathos of Clapton's guitar break at the close of his song. It is pure spirit piercing my Advent heart.

we can grow in compassionate solidarity...

"In solitude," Henri Nouwen observes, "we grow in compassionate solidarity... we realize that nothing human in alien to us, that the roots of all conflict, war, injustice, cruelty, hatred, jealousy and envy are deeply anchored in our own heart."  I love what what he writes next:

In solitude our heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh, a rebellious heart into a contrite heart, and a closed heart into a heart that can open itself to all suffering people in a gesture of solidarity...(The desert fathers and mothers used to say) that solitude gives birth to compassion as we "learn to die to our neighbor." At first this seems disturbing to the modern mind. But when we give it a closer look we can see that in order to be of service to others we have to die to them; that is, we have to give up measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others. To dies to our neighbors means to stop judging them, to stop evaluating them, and thus to become free to be compassionate. Compassion can never exist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with the other.

This is a lifetime endeavor, yes? It is true for individuals as well as congregations. I once had a mentor who told me that he hated to attend regional denominational functions because every one was so insecure. Ask about last week's worship and you'll be told that it was the best sermon ever delivered and 4000 were in attendance. Ask about the well-being of the church and you'll be told that the money is pouring in and there are more volunteers showing up to help the poor than the minister can handle so they must add new staff. "It is just one crock of shit after another," he confided to me. "So much concentrated bullshit that I just dread showing up."

God knows clergy are just as insecure and anxious as the members of our congregations - especially during hard times or transitions. So we take time away in the quiet darkness for a season. We take "all these things and ponder them in our hearts" as the Blessed Virgin Mary says in Luke's gospel. We wait to see what is truly being born in our prayers and through God's grace. Tonight my council of leaders and I will spend time in directed prayer, discernment and discussion in a way that I trust will help us become more compassionate with one another. We have been called to own our smallness - to stop judging ourselves based upon the past or what other churches are doing - and live into the truth of this moment in time.

"The soul does not grow by addition, but by subtraction" wrote the 14th century mystic Meister Eckhart. I think that can be true for our faith community, too if we are willing first to be quiet and let God calm our fears. This leads to tender listening rather than hard talk or judgment. And when we listen carefully, we can hear - as in "Shema, o Yisrael"- and this is the central task of people of faith.  This 19th century painting by Geri Melchers captures for me the essence of being faithful in the quiet darkness of waiting..