"Spiritually Unbalanced in Zone Unknown" January 26, 2014

Isaiah 9:1-4 Matthew 4:12-23 Several years ago, the Film The Matrix began with Keanu Reeves character suddenly waking up, bursting through the surface of a watery womblike pod to realize his entire life has been a dream, and life is lived out in the world with people. In the Lord of The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf the Wizard explains to Frodoo Baggins that they are about to undertake a great quest, leaving behind the Village and Shire you have known, recognizing that if you return, you will never be the same, you will see life differently. Captain Phillips begins with one more journey, one more trip across the sea, when the crew see modern-day Pirates, approaching fast, and one who comes aboard declares that now instead of the leadership they had known this new man is the Captain, and Captain Phillips is Captain no longer. Joseph Campbell spent his entire academic career and life researching the origin of Archetypes, twenty years ago he published a series of books and VHS Tapes on The POWER OF MYTH. According to Joseph Campbell, every great story begins with the Hero recognizing their reality has been changed, destiny has transported them to a place where their Spiritual Center of Gravity is Off, they are in an Unknown Zone. In Zone Unknown, the past is a dim memory, you know you can never truly return to. You may return to the same table, the same office, the same company, but because you have been Called to Live differently, you can never truly return to where you were. The difficulty is that the future is unfolding more quickly than we can take in, all we can do is trust our relationships, trust ourselves, trust we are not alone, that there is God, and see where the journey takes us in Zone Unknown. As 21st Century Christians, there are phrases and stories out of context, we think are safe, we think we know, about Fishermen being Called to become Fishers of Men; we only just read parts of Isaiah 9 on Christmas Eve recognizing Christ as the light piercing the dark world. Part of the wonder of The Bible, is that verses, the words, seem ever new and fresh and different, each times we listen. We remember the Old Testament as being about King Solomon, David, Moses and Abraham. This new day, both of our readings come from the same geographic location, but in different times and cultures. Galilee is the region in Northern Israel in and around Lake Galilee, sometimes called Gennesaret, or Sea of Tiberias, near the Golan Heights. It is the fresh water lake at the lowest elevation of sea level. Being in the Rift Valley between Africa and Asia, it is known for earthquakes and tremors. The Scriptures could have said that, could have given us longitude and latitude, but how much more romantic, fable-like, mythic, to identify this by the names of the ancient tribes of Israel: The Lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, Galilee among the Gentiles. Our Old Testament reading is from a time after Abraham, Moses and David, after the time of King Solomon, but still over 700 years before the birth of the savior. There have been constant wars in this area, first with the Canaanites, more recently from the Assyrian invaders. As an outlying region, we know what it is to identify ourselves to strangers as our being from Syracuse or Buffalo, although we are neither of those. As a settled people, those of Northern Israel hid in their homes when attacked. Anything of value was hidden or sold. They lived in darkness, waiting to be invaded. They lived in fear and doubt. Waiting to be taken over by the armies of Tigleth-Piser the General of Assyria. Knowing that if we should survive the onslaught, should we survive the battle, we would then be exiles, taken out of our culture, away from home and family and all we had known, to be foreigners in a foreign land. I was in awe, hearing those from South Sudan, describe the recent conflict, confident that come what may their Nation, their culture, their people would survive. There would be and have been thousands of people killed, tens of thousands displaced, but they would survive. This passage from Isaiah names that though you live in doubt and darkness, a land of deep darkness surrounded by those who are depressed and fearful, a new time will come, a savior, hope to lead us out into a different way of being. I have known a difference between people living with dying, versus those living with fear, with loss of job, loss of a child, imprisonment, those with a loved one in danger. Each of these, fear something more, something greater than death. Where those who are dying may or may not fear death, but wonder what lies beyond, what is next. For generations, I have heard preachers use this text from Matthew on the Call of the Disciples, to preach on the Call to a great Vocation. That choosing to Fish for People instead of Fishermen, was a Calling to a Vocation a purpose in life, rather than to a job. Yet, while many preachers can describe our sense of vocation in a Career, what I have heard from people is working for this business or that, working in a field or in management. I think the difference between the two is that preachers have as a career, as a job that we train for, working with people. We have no product, in our reality there are only souls and spirits and people who know joy and sorrow. There is importance in Jesus having called Fishermen. When we imagine fishing, it involves leaving behind all that we regularly know, rising in the morning when it is dark, to go out on the water, where our center of gravity is different, where reality is different. I know that it is simply a difference in temperature, but I am continually awed witnessing the clouds of steam that rise up from the lake and dance upon the waters. When we imagine fishing, we are not working, we leave all those pressures and stresses and responsibilities behind. I recall learning to fish, as piercing the worm and dropping a line. Only later to learn to cast, first for distance, then for accuracy, of dropping the line where you wanted. And later still taking up fly fishing, to whip the line in motion and set the fly upon the water where you desired. But that reality, that escape, is not what James and John the sons of Zebedee had known, not the experience of Andrew and Simon as Fishermen. Day in day out fishing had been their work, not with a bamboo pole, or waders, or specially tied flies. Their nets were skeins, that one team would let out and the other would walk or use their boats to drag into the current, until the whole net was let out in a great circle, then drawn in capturing everything inside. If there was a hole, even one, all the fish, all the labor would be lost. But this was not only work, day in day out in all kinds of weather, but in the time of the Roman Empire, where fishermen were taxed for their bait, taxed what they caught, taxed for their boat, taxed for how many fishermen you had, paying toll upon toll, until you did not enough to feed your village, you might barely have made enough to keep your family alive one more day. Jesus Calling, was a call from existence, from day to day survival to live in the Unknown Zone following where he led. Jesus Called them to leave the daily existence they had known to live in relationship with others and with God. Instead of this being a Calling into a Vocation, what I hear is a Call to Relationship. We do not know what the future holds, we do know what will happen today or tomorrow. What we do know is we can face tomorrow together, not having to be alone. This day is our Annual Meeting. For generations, Annual Meetings whether in the Church or Social Engagements, on a Sports Team or in Business have been done in much the same manor. We Call the Body to Order, we elect officers, approve salaries, review the events and circumstance of the past year as if a Shareholders Statement of Profit and Loss. What if, we could this differently? We as a congregation are entering into a new Journey. We know where we have been. We know there are churches around the world that have been doing the same thing for year after year after year. We know there are churches that are provocative and avantgarde. My Doctoral Thesis looked at a wide variety of congregations of differing sizes, all of which were stuck and what it would take to get them unstuck. What we found essential were 4 things: First, An identity of being the Church. We are not a club, not nice people, not a business. We are Church, The Church in this place and time. Our Session wrestled long and hard with what our Mission is today. What we agreed upon seems so simple and yet revolutionary. We exist, we are called to be here, to share the resources of the Church with those wanting to receive. That means we do weddings and funerals and faith celebrations, sharing our resources as gifts of God that we can host. Second, that we have the Resources to address the problems before us and a willingness to use them. Third, that the level of trust, and level of conflict are inter-connected. The greater our level of trust, the greater the relationships the more can be done. The greater the conflict competition with one another, intent on harming others, the less. And Fourth, that we embrace that there is a future Unknown. Those organizations, especially churches which envision how long before they close, are set to close, to die. Those church who share together, living in Zone Unknown where our Spiritual Center of Gravity will be off-center and we will all feel like exiles in a foreign land, but we will not be alone, and we believe in the possibilities of our working together to change the world will change the world working together.

"Double Secret Predestination", January 19, 2014

Isaiah 49:1-7 John 1:29-42 Seven days ago, I was able to do something, preachers never do! Larry preached, and I sat in the pew to listen. We are extremely blessed as a Church. With all that this community has to offer, as healthy and vital as this congregation is, in addition to ordained and installed leaders, the Holy Spirit has gifted Lay Preachers like Larry Weiss, and Gustav Niebuhr and Mary Margaret Biss, our former Secretary Gail has gone on to become a Lay Pastor at the Church at Amboy Belle Isle. These are transitions, Calls, that have come not only to these individual, but through the nurture and faith of this Church. Listening, I heard a transition occur, that the scholars simply assumed we all accepted, without explanation. For a Century the Church has followed 2 cycles Christmas/Easter. Each having a season of preparation: Advent and Lent; a season of celebration: Christmas and Easter; and a season of reflection: the time of Epiphany and the season of Pentecost. However, about 20 years ago, a priest realized that while Christmas and Easter are actually seasons, Epiphany for 1900 years was celebrated as A Day, Shakespeare's 12th Night, and Baptism of the Lord is a Day, and Ascension a Day 40 days after Easter, and Pentecost a single day literally Pentecost = 50 Days after Passover, after the Resurrection. All the remainder, from January 7th until Ash Wednesday, and from Pentecost in early June until Thanksgiving, when we again prepare for Advent, were and again now are described as Ordinary time. Ordinary does not make these Secular or Profane days, or Tax days, but the Latin “Ordinal” identified days for the ringing of bells and prayer 7 times a day. That transition, from seasons of Epiphany and Pentecost, to only a Day for each does not make them cease to exist, but identifies anew what each represents and the importance of our lives. In 2008, Scientists reclassified our Solar System, and Pluto which was the furthest from our sun, ceased to be a planet. Not that it was destroyed, or its moons spun off in space, just simply that the Dog Planet was now too small to have the purpose of being a planet. It is this same re-purposing, Calling anew, that is described in Isaiah 49. In American culture one of our most dearly held beliefs is in Destiny. The American Dream, that every person has within their being the ability to advance beyond their station in life, to become far more. We have come to believe American Exceptionalism is easy. How many Reality Shows do we now have, where all it takes is applying, in order to be discovered, to be Famous, or Infamous? To be America's Idol, America's Got Talent, The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, Who wants to be A Millionaire? All are based on the belief that within us is a superstar, a hero nobody knew. In 3 weeks, each of us will transcend to miraculously know more about sticking a landing, speed skating, curling and snowboarding than any of the Olympic judges. Our dreams are a coping mechanism, that like Walter Middy, inside each one of us is a polished arrow, a secret weapon waiting to be called. Malcom Gladwell the author of books like the Tipping Point, Blink, The Story of Success, and also David & Goliath, claims that to master anything takes one simple thing, 10,000 hours of doing nothing else. Unfortunately, few if any of us have that devotion, that is what sets some apart. But the point of Isaiah 49 is that for the Exiles of Israel wanting, praying, wishing, hoping to be claimed by God, to be that polished arrow in God's quiver, suddenly to realize that the point, the whole point of your life, the purpose of our Nation as Elect, is not for our own power, prestige or authority. The people of God are here for Salvation of the rest of the World! The common misunderstanding about us as Presbyterians is that from Calvin, we believe in Predestination, or even Double Predestination. Let me disillusion you to say "No, What we believe in is Double Secret Predestination." Predestination, at the time of Calvin was belief in the Moral Depravity of humankind. Left to our devices we are selfish and sin. Double Predestination, is that God does not leave us alone, God offers Grace to All the World that you can turn your life around and find Salvation. The Secret part of Double Secret Predestination is not that some are elect to receive and some are not, but the secret is that in caring about others we are redeemed. The Gospel of John is different from all the others. Not because he tells parables the others do not, although he does. Not because he has more miracles, though he does. John's Gospel was written long after the others. Because of this The Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus silencing Satan until Jesus can figure out what it means to be Christ; the Gospel of Matthew begins Jesus' Ministry offering the Sermon on the Mount; Luke begins with Jesus preaching a passage from Isaiah that today this prophecy is fulfilled. John begins with John The Baptist proclaiming Jesus is the Lamb, and Jesus asking the disciples, asking each of us as readers: What do you seek? What are you looking for in life? It is a question worth wrestling with for us as individuals, as professionals, in our marriages, as parents, as a community, as the Church? What will make us happy? What do you seek? Here the Gospel of John gives us two answers. The disciples responded to Jesus “Where are you staying?” When I was learning to read Greek, we psychoanalyzed this, that two of John's disciples heard John on two occasions heard him identify Jesus as The Lamb of God, so they hid behind walls and corners and barrels, watching him, and when they got caught following Jesus, he asked What do you seek? And they responded “Where are you staying?” But the point is more complicated than where is the best hotel in town. In Greek, the phrase is “mevnw” which has a sense of permanence, like David wanting to build a permanent Temple to worship God... Where can we find you when we need, where do you endure forever? Like the identity “Emmanuel” prophesied in Advent, Jesus says “Come See”. But also, the Gospel describes Andrew went and found his brother and called him. One of the ways we find faith, is in sharing faith with others. Christian faith is not private or exclusive. One of the core beliefs of Christian faith from the very beginning is Hospitality. But the Romans practiced Hospitality, they invited influential people to their homes, in hope of being invited to their homes in reciprocity. The Greeks practiced Hospitality, believing that you needed to welcome strangers, and offer them a hearty meal and place to rest before asking their name, because in this way you may entertain Angels or Gods. Christians instead practiced a Promiscuous Hospitality. Christians intentionally cared for and served those who were excluded, the poor, the prostitutes, the sinners, and here we are not spiritual-izing this to say “Those who have prostituted themselves after things” or “those who have stumbled and sinned without knowing.” And these were not invited because they needed faith more than anyone else. Salvation is for all the world if we will accept it. Jesus intentionally called and invited those who were marginalized and exiled by society, the Lepers, the Blind, the Lame, and welcomed them as being the ones we are called to serve. How often we are invited to events, to groups. At least once a day, I receive a Facebook invite to join a Group, to Like what someone said. In the mail, we receive keys to a car, we receive invitations to come to an opening. I am told the Kiwanis give out awards for who invite the most new visitors. Would that not be a great assignment for us as a Church? To live extending Promiscuous Hospitality.

"Connecting Particles and Systems" January 5, 2014

Isaiah 60:1-6 Matthew 2:1-12 How many times have we seen the Creche in front of the Library, or witnessed a Christmas Pageant? Before opening the bulletin for this morning's worship, many of us knew tomorrow is the 6th of January, this is 12th Night, the arrival of the 3 Kings, completion of the Christmas story with the star and wise-men. There are some images so ingrained into us, we imagine we know what they are all about without listening to the Scriptures, without hearing the sermon, without considering our faith. Isaiah proclaimed “Arise, Shine, For your light has come, the glory of the Lord is upon Thee! For behold Darkness shall cover the earth, Gross darkness shall cover the people, but the Lord shall arise, and God's glory shall be seen upon You!” There is a subtlety to this passage, often lost to us. As Central New Yorkers we know what is to swell in darkness! Yesterday, there was a great orange ball in the sky, several of us were so unaccustomed to seeing the sun, we imagined it had to do with SU Basketball. There is a wonderful irony to our circumstance, we have come to know that living with so many cloudy days, so little sunshine, we are naturally deficient in Vitamin D, so what does it mean when we are deficient in seeing the Son? When we have lived our lives focused upon what we can do what we accomplish, what we can control? All Addiction programs are based on the 12 Step Model, the first step of which is admission that we are powerless over our addictions, we are not in control. A frightening mood has been undermining our nation, our world. For the first time in hundreds of years many have come to realize that our children will not have the opportunities we had. We implicitly believed the world would always get better! Where Grandparents had survived the Great Depression, their children had fought for Freedom, fought against tyranny and oppression to create a world without war. The next generation in many cases were the first in their family to go to college. But economically, and in terms of pollution, politically, and socially the world we pass to our children may not be as bright and hopeful. However, there is another side to that. I am very proud of our children, but to be honest, I really do not know what they do. One is in the field of “magnetellurics”hypothesizing possibilities based on Plate Tectonics, theoretically using the heat of earth's core as an energy source. Through him, I have come to learn that light, is not only a brightness, but can be measured as a point, particles, a spot, a line, a ray, or a wave. Light can be bent and both reflected and refracted. And depending upon our unique position in relation to the light, we may see differing colors. Truthfully, I do not understand. While my grandfather was Professor of Engineering and our son has advanced degrees in Optical Engineering, I was one of those who in Geometry Class, understood that there were Givens, so to arrive at the answer made up Rules. Perhaps that is the clue! Not that we make up phony rules, not that we can control the world and give to our children gold and frankincense and myrrh. But that we have given the world our children! The world has a future because it did not stop with you and me. I recall growing up, my parents discussing a Generation Gap, and they could not understand or agree with our music, our ideas, our hairstyles. But we do not need to agree, or to adopt as our own, or to prevent, but to trust. Isaiah's point is not that "God has shined upon you," but THROUGH you to the world. Our role, our purpose in life, is not to be the star, not to be the ones who control everything that is to come. Instead, God shines through each one of us, to bring the world to know God cares. The Gospel of Matthew's archaic Story of the Wise-men is incredibly appropriate for today. Because the point is that the Savior comes to the world through Judaism. Prophesied by Angels, in the lineage of David, born in Bethlehem. However, those who are not Jewish, recognize the signs from Nature, from Science, from Wisdom, all of which point them to seek the Savior. We live in a time of Alternative Spiritualities. Prior to this, throughout history, there was very little interaction across religions. Marrying outside your faith, might mean marrying an Episcopalian, or a Methodist, or a Baptist. Couples who did not marry someone from their own congregation had to choose which religious system to raise their children. Today, if our children marry, they are as likely to find someone who is B'hai or Hindu, or Atheist. Many of us find Meditation and Tai Chi important to our overall balance. The story of the Kings, is that those who come from systems outside Judaism, all recognize the need for a Messiah sent from God, and leave everything to come. This passage emphasizes that those who come from other traditions, other parts of the world may be willing and able to risk trusting, where King Herod, who was put in place by the Roman Empire saw only a threat to his power and identity. They left home and family, and traveled across the world, seeking a Savior. King Herod, when he heard of this, tried to murder the one who threatened his power, and when he was thwarted, he killed anyone and everyone who might be a potential threat. Are we willing to trust the future to be in the hands of another generation, those from another culture whom we may never understand? OR, do we guard and protect and fear that others will not recognize our power system, will act differently? There is another, implicit issue in this story. For the Star led the Wise-men to King Herod. Had Mary and Joseph not had the baby; had the wise-men not come to Herod, he would not have killed all the male children under two years of age. Herod learned from the Wise-men that a King was being born. But Herod, even with his authority and power, did not know where. He consulted his advisors, they did not immediately know and needed to look up the answers. Finding a passage from Micah 5 that said he was to be born in Bethlehem, the Scribes reported this to King Herod, who told where to the Kings. They went and paid him homage. The point of faith IS NOT that a Savior comes to protect the world from all evil. But rather that in the midst of the evil of this world, God does provide a Savior. Because God does, there are perhaps worse things that happen, but also the possibility for all Creation to be brought to God. Finally, there is a curiosity about this story. Over time, there has been speculation who these three were and what they represent, as well as where they went afterward. Like Shakespeare's three ages of humanity, we have given them identities one very young, one in mid-life, one aged. One from East Africa, one from Babylon, one from Persia. We have even given them names of Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar. While there have been creative stories of the impact upon each for having seen the child in the Manger, no one knows what happened to them. The point being, that it was not about what they got out of their quest, out of witnessing the Savior. They gave everything they had and laid it before him. In fact, according to the Bible, we do not actually know how many wise-men there were, only that there were three gifts: Gold representing the Gift for a King, Frankincense the Gift for a High Priest, Myrrh the oil for Anointing the Dead. Perhaps there were four Wise-men, or Five, or Twenty, we do not know. What the Bible does say, is that entering, before presenting their gifts they each did something, they GAVE HIM HOMAGE. If they had dropped their gifts at the door, it would have seemed like their Admission Fee for seeing the Savior and you have to have something to see him. If they had presented their gifts upon seeing him, it could have appeared like visiting Presidents and Kings appearing before an Equal presenting gifts to demonstrate their power. Instead, before anything else, the Wise-men knelt in homage and prayed.