January 23, 2022: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen.
There is a thread running through all of these scriptures that we have heard today. Jesus is in the synagogue among others, the people gather at the Water Gate with Ezra in Nehemiah, and St. Paul is writing not to some singular church leader, but to the full assembly gathered in Corinth. We are the spiritual and the religious – because we know that God’s dream for us is to be gathered together – not as some monolithic people – but celebrating amidst the gift of our diversity. That was St. Paul’s direct message – that while united in Christ, we are not all alike, nor should we be.
There is so much to say about that, but setting that aside for a moment, let us as a community gathered now turn our attention to this gospel story. Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, goes back to his hometown, and being a good Jewish man, goes to temple on the sabbath. It was the custom in those days that one of the assembled would be appointed to read from the scriptures, beginning from where the last person left off the previous sabbath day. Then that person would interpret for all the passage they had just heard.
So apparently Jesus, the returning hometown hero, was chosen to read, and here is what happened. “He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.””
Now remember, all the eyes of the folks there were on him, because they were expecting him to offer an interpretation of what was just read – like a homily of sorts. What they got was Jesus saying – “look no further folks…all that you have been waiting for is right here – it is happening now.” A total mic drop moment. And what do they do? Well, at first they love it! Then, they started thinking about his past – how he was Joseph the carpenter’s son, and then they try to throw him off a cliff (as we will hear about next week). That’s what happened – they missed the moment – they couldn’t see the Holy One in front of them. How often does that happen to us all today?
Over the years, I have shared with you a number of stories from the Buddhist tradition, and I want to share this one with you again.
“Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door. “I would like to see the wise Holy Man,” he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around all the rooms, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant,
“But I want to see the Holy Man!”
“You already have,” said the old man. “Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant… see each of them as a wise Holy person. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved.””
I thought of this story, and others from that tradition, yesterday as the world lost a very wise holy man – Thich Nhat Hanh. “Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh 
[was] a global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist, renowned for his powerful teachings and bestselling writings on mindfulness and peace. A gentle, humble monk, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called him “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence” when nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Exiled from his native Vietnam for almost four decades, Thich Nhat Hanh [had] been a pioneer bringing Buddhism and mindfulness to the West, and establishing an engaged Buddhist community for the 21st Century.”[1] With the people of all the world, and especially the beloved Plum Village Community, the first that he founded, we are grieved at the loss of one who taught us so much.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s most important message that he offered consistently to us all was that the present moment is everything. When we are not fully present, we miss the grace right in front of us. Or in his words, “If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” What’s more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can’t wash the dishes, the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands. Thus we are sucked away into the future—and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.”[2]
So, what has washing the dishes, or the life of this Holy man, to do with us and what happened in the temple with Jesus? We find it in the first word Jesus spoke in interpreting the scriptures for the people gathered there, and it was a powerful one. He said “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
“Today.”
“Today”
For a moment, the people in the synagogue that day were all very pleased…then they began to think about the past. Today was lost to them. The Christ standing before them could not be experienced because they were wrapped up in what once was.
How often does that happen to us now?
How often do others want us to think about the past?
In the church today, many lament what has been, and article after article is published and passed around pointing our heads back to glory days, and then to a bleak future. Jesus could stand right in front of us today, proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor, and we would not see him. This is not to say that we are the same as we once were – and for that I give thanks. No, I am not saying that having lots of folks gathered together is bad – heavens no – all of our scriptures today tell us of the importance of community. What I am saying is that the past had its problems too – ones that are far more terrible than declining church attendance and difficult financial outlooks.
The church was a place of exclusion – women were not included in the full sacraments of the church, LGBTQ+ peoples were told they were not welcome, and people of color could only find respect and dignity in a church if they formed it themselves outside of the all-white power centers of faith. That is not a past I ever care to lift up, no matter how large the congregations, or how financially secure the parishes.
This is not to say that we don’t have our share of concerns – each of you gathered here know that we are grateful for the way you have all responded to our pledge campaign this year as we navigate this difficult time in our parish during pandemic. We also have our blessings – as our congregation continues to grow year after year. But the ridiculous lament of so many that the church is dying, that things were once so much better, or that the future is grim, is a cry of those who are truly sitting amidst the savior, and failing to see that the scriptures are fulfilled in our hearing!
Why we proclaim this truth every Sunday – we don’t say only Christ died – we proclaim that Christ is, and Christ will be again! Looking backward we will fail to see the Christ that is – right here, right now!
In his book, the Art of Power, Thich Nhat Hanh put it this way: “To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea is simply not to allow yourself to get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future. If you are firmly grounded in the present moment, the past can be an object of inquiry, the object of your mindfulness and concentration. You can attain many insights by looking into the past. But you are still grounded in the present moment.”
Jesus told them – “Today.”
“Today the scripture has been fulfilled.”
“Today.”
Today – the promise of God is here.
How hard that is for us to hear, especially as we stand at our proverbial sinks, washing dishes, and thinking about the bills we need to pay, grieving the loved ones we have lost, worrying over our own health and those of others, our hearts breaking at the division, hate, and violence that infests the world. Jesus calls us to mindfulness of the present reality – of his presence with us – of the kingdom of God all around us. He is telling us to focus on the dishwashing – not the tea – and the tea, not the next thing to do. For if we can do that, we will have our inner eyes opened to the presence of God in that moment – in every moment – and then, miracles do happen.
Miracles that will be good news to the poor – the poor in spirit, in health, and in means. What wonders are possible, what miracles will abound when we come to know, really know, God’s presence in the now!
Or as Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh put it: ““The kingdom of God is available to you in the here and the now. But the question is whether you are available to the kingdom [… ] You don’t need to die in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. In fact, you have to be truly alive in order to do so.”
Does that sound familiar? Then you know the teachings of our Master – Jesus – that the kingdom of God, the promise of our scriptures, is here – whereever he is.
And where is he?
Here – Today in our hearing!
For we, the the body of Christ, know that whenever we are gathered together – Jesus is in the midst of us.
How radical a thing we experience every single day of our lives! It is powerful – and that can be a scary thing. To get up every morning and realize that the promise of God is, not was, not to be hoped for, but IS! How does that reality change your day? What should we, the church, do?
The day of the lament for what was the church must be forever left behind, because it is weighing us down and preventing us from seeing the Christ present now. Yes, we don’t look like we used to – thanks be to God!
We are celebrating diversity in our community, not running from it.
We are open to the Spirit, not fighting Her to prevent change.
We see that Jesus IS, knowing He isn’t lost to some generation gone by.
Folks, if there is one thing we know about Jesus – nobody is going to kill him off. Not the Romans, and certainly not journalists and pollsters, and some in the church, who proclaim him dead. We can only die by denying him – by failing to see him standing right in front of us – and make no mistake about it – he won’t let our stubbornness have the last word.
Jesus is calling us to be mindful of the present moment – to know that he is here – now, Today! And that is transformative, because it forces us to focus not on hate, but on love; not on greed, but on compassion; not on division, but on forgiveness. When we are fully present with Jesus – who is fully present with us in the here and now – there is no other way but his – and that path is the one to enlightenment for all, and the realization of the kingdom of God as not a thing hoped for, but a thing experienced for us and for all the world. It doesn’t mean we don’t see the evils of this world, it means that they have no power over us – because we see him in all things, and that knowledge, so overwhelmingly wonderful, is more powerful than anything else.
Today, this promise is being fulfilled!
“Today”
“The kingdom of God is available to you in the here and the now. But the question [is are you] available to the kingdom?”
Amen.
For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible):
[1] https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/biography/
[2] Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
January 23, 2022
Epiphany 3 – Year C
1st Reading – Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19
2nd Reading – 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Gospel – Luke 4:14-21
