November 13, 2016: May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen.
What a week this has been. No matter who you may have voted for, no one can deny that a sea change has taken place – and it is one that has brought fear, hatred, bigotry, and violence to the forefront of our lives. We are wounded in heart, mind, and soul by the events coming out of the election, and one thing is very clear – nothing will ever be the same as a result of this unexpected turn of events.
Something has changed here too at Christ Church – something a bit unexpected as well. My chasuble and stole are blue. The church is decorated in blue. And you may be wondering if you stepped into some time warp and ended up on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, because we have entered Advent.
But the truth is, as I have preached about before, the original Advent was seven weeks long, changed as late as the 7th century, but some orthodox communities still practice the longer Advent, and many churches are returning to it as well. And the lectionary, the cycle of scripture we use from week to week, has Advent readings for seven weeks too – we began them last week. The only thing missing was our intentional focus on it in sight and sound. But that needs to change.
It needs to change ever so much this year, because the events of the past week have plunged our souls into Advent. Now while I do believe we “need a little Christmas, right this very minute,” in the church we know that Advent is not Christmas. Advent is powerful and powerfully needed right now, because we are a people walking in darkness, and that, my dear friends, is what Advent is all about.
Advent is the beginning of our church year, and it always starts with destruction, fear, and darkness, not news about a baby born in Bethlehem. So, in case any were wondering – the readings today were NOT selected because of the events of this week, but are the standard readings for this time of year all across the church, but they do seem to ring true for many, so perfectly timed – and no, not just because the canticle begins with “Surely, it is God who saves me; I will trust in God and not be afraid.”
Jesus tells his disciples in the gospel today that great upheavals across the world – wars, natural disasters, and plagues will come. And if that were not enough, his followers will be persecuted. He says, “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.”
“This will give you an opportunity to testify.”
And testify we shall.
The election to our nation’s highest office of someone who openly courted the most vile parts of our society – those who would themselves persecute others – has cast a pall of fear across this land, as horrific signs of hate erupt all over this country. The Southern Poverty Law Center has tallied over 200 incidents of intimidation and out-right threats since Nov. 8th, often invoking the election results as support for their hate. Perhaps the most disturbing statistic was that most of them were done in K-12 schools. Swatikas, the symbol of Nazi Germany, have been a favorite symbol, which is horribly ironic given that November 9th and 10th, the days after the election, are also the anniversary of “Kristallnacht,” the night of broken glass, which marked a turning point of Nazi anti-Semitic action against Jews. The name comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets from the windows of Jewish owned businesses and synagogues, after they had been vandalized and burned.
And here in the US, so many years later, we are faced with people, empowered by the words and actions of the President-Elect, to commit horrific acts in his name. To name just a few: A homophobic note left on the windshield of a gay priest addressed to “Father Homo” and threatening him, black people hung in effigy, women being told that it is now okay to grab them by the genitals using the same words that Trump used when he was caught saying that this was something he does, people of different races and religions being told to get out of the country, and even the KKK planning a Trump Victory March in North Carolina. To be clear, this is not what all, or even most, supporters of Trump believe or do, but that is small comfort in the face of terrorism. And yes, this is terrorism – the people who do this are terrorists – and it must be stopped.
It would seem that we have entered a darkness unimaginable, and many are stunned, shaken, and horrified. But if there is one thing we know as followers of Jesus, is that darkness never has the last word. Never. Because we know that the light of love is stronger than the darkness of hate, and there are signs of that light everywhere.
There have been signs of light seen in the people responding to what has happened with messages of hope, love, and welcome to all who feel they have no where to go. Protestors have taken to the streets to make it clear that we will not stand by in silence. Women are planning a March on Washington in January to protest the misogyny of this election. People from all walks of life are posting messages of comfort all over social media – making it clear to their Muslim, Jewish, Asian, Latino, Gay, Trans, Female, neighbors that they are loved and that they are not alone. That love trumps hate.
And that, my friends, is the message of Advent. In fact, it is the very life we live in Christ. If you have been here awhile, you have heard this quote by the Rt. Rev. Desmond Tutu, our retired Archbishop of South Africa coming from this pulpit before, but if ever there was a time we need to hear it, it is now:
“All over this magnificent world God calls us to extend [the] kingdom of shalom-peace and wholeness — of justice, of goodness, of compassion, of caring, of sharing, of laughter, of joy, of reconciliation. God is transfiguring the world right this very moment through us because God believes in us and because God loves us. What can separate us from the love of God? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And as we share God’s love with our brothers and sisters, God’s other children, there is no tyrant who can resist us, no opposition that cannot be ended, no hunger that cannot be fed, no wound that cannot be healed, no hatred that cannot be turned into love, no dream that cannot be fulfilled.”
You see, even in the midst of despair, of darkness, God is doing new and wonderful things – transformational things. In the lesson from Isaiah, God declares that She is “about to create new heavens and a new earth” in which “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent– its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says” God.
It is the very vision of the peaceable kin-dom, isn’t it. Something we all hope for, but something that seems so very far from us today. And yet, as Bishop Tutu suggests, we are part of bringing that to reality.
Today our hearts sit in the destruction that we hear about in the gospel, and yet in that gospel, Jesus tell us how to begin that needed transformation. He says “This will give you an opportunity to testify.”
And testify we shall.
We will testify against hate, against divisiveness, against fear, against bigotry, against violence. We will testify for inclusion, love, peace, and freedom. We will testify that love always wins, light overcomes darkness, and death never has the last word.
And here is the most important part to remember. You see, Jesus also tells us “…make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.”
If we react out of our own fear, our own hate, our own bitterness, we will not be open to hearing the words of the Spirit. Whatever is built from this place in which we find ourselves will take the form of the material we use. If we seek to build a future on a foundation of hate, because hate is on the rise, we build something that will only destroy us. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
The author of the epistle this morning from 2 Thessalonians implored “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” So what is right? Do we stand by and do nothing in the face of the misogyny, racism, and homophobia? No. But we do remember that everyone, even those who spew these horrific things, are children of God too. Yes, President Elect Donald and his wife Melania, and his supporters are children of God as much as Hillary, Bill, and all of her supporters. When we lose sight of that, we begin down the slippery slope of hate ourselves, and a kin-dom built on hate can never be one of peace, but will fester and erupt in even more hate in an ever revolving cesspool of fear.
But we can change all of that – all of us can – no matter who you voted for this election.
We are a resurrection people, an Advent people. We are a people that know that light overcomes darkness, love overcomes hate, life overcomes death. THAT, that is what we have to offer the world and one another.
I am becoming convinced that this will be a turning point in this country – not toward a dark future, but bringing out into the light the darkness which has always been there – simmering out of sight. But through love, kindness, listening, and hope, we can drive it out one small act at a time. The darkness will always be with us, but we can diminish it beyond all recognition if we respond with love, not hate. I see a good future ahead, but the challenges to get there will take fortitude and faith.
One of my favorite Advent hymns is O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and it is based on the more ancient O Antiphons of Advent, of which there are…you guessed it – seven! One of the verses goes like this:
“O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, And order all things, far and nigh; To us the path of knowledge show, And cause us in her ways to go.” And my favorite, the final verse, is so very needed today, “O come, Desire of nations, bind All peoples in one heart and mind; Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease; Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
But the truth is now, we are not at a place of the last stanza – but of the first. We need wisdom, but peace is not ours. Not yet. Destruction must first come – and it will require us to testify and cause it. Yes, cause it. Remember that Jesus tells his disciples that BEFORE any of the destruction takes place, they will be persecuted – opening up opportunities for them to testify – perhaps because it is their very testimony that bring it all about.
That is why Advent is so very powerful for us now. Because we have some destruction to do – the destruction Jesus tells us of, the destruction that needs to happen if the peaceable kin-dom can ever be built. It isn’t something to be feared, but hoped for, because it is destruction built not on hate, but on righteous anger, and brought about through our testimony of love.
We must destroy through our testimony the injustice of misogyny and sexism.
We must destroy through our testimony the injustice of racism.
We must destroy through our testimony the injustice of homophobia.
We must destroy through our testimony the injustice of poverty.
We must destroy through our testimony the hate, fear, and violence that infect the hearts and minds of so many in our country and around the world.
This isn’t about the movement of earth as in earthquakes, but the movement of hearts. This isn’t about death from plagues, but death to the disease of bigotry which infect us. This isn’t about rising up in armed warfare, but in peaceful civil protest and disobedience.
We are given at this time an opportunity to testify to that which is being destroyed, and that which must be destroyed. We do not need to worry about what to say, because if we can empty our hearts to the Christ that bids us to listen, we will be given the “words and a wisdom that none … will be able to withstand or contradict.”
And out of the rubble of the destruction, we will build on a foundation of hope, love, and peace. It is a foundation that will last, and that will bring about that peaceable kin-dom, one stone of hope at a time. It will not be easy, but “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” Know that Christ will renew us and give us what we need to fight on.
Today you will be given two items to take with you, blessed at the altar – the first is a safety pin, to wear as a symbol to all who are in fear that in you, they may find a safe place to be, to talk, and to find love, not hate. It is part of a larger movement happening all over the country, and I urge you all to wear it. The second is part of the gift we give at stewardship season, and today it is a large river stone. Take this, and when you hold it, consider the foundation of hope and peace you hope to build. Let it be a reminder that every stone we lay is important, and that they be ones of love, not hate.
We are drawn even more into the Advent story because of this election. And if we are open to it, we will come to experience the hope that is Advent, which ushers in the story of God born among us at Christmas. And on that day, we hear this: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness–on them light has shined.” Advent reminds us that there is no darkness which His light cannot overcome.
As the body of Christ alive in the world today, WE are that light, and so long as we set our hopes on Him, and walk in love as He loved us, we are not lost, but filled with purpose – to bring the light of God’s love out into the world, a place which is in need of it now more than ever.
So, let us be the light of love and hope to a people walking in the darkness of fear and hate.
Let us go from here destroying the walls that divide and demean us and replace them with bridges that unite and uplift all.
Let us testify to love – the inclusive love of God for everyone, that one day, we may indeed see and live the peaceable kin-dom where no one shall hurt or destroy.
Amen.
For the audio from the 10:30am service, click here:
The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
November 13, 2016
Advent 1 (7 Week Advent) – Year C Texts
1st Reading – Isaiah 65:17-25
Canticle 9
2nd Reading – 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Gospel – Luke 21:5-19
