"Cybercondria" March 2, 2014

Exodus 24:12-18 Matthew 17: 1-9 The other evening my bride asked me whether this morning's was a tough sermon? And I responded “No, it is Transfiguration, the end of Christmas and Epiphany and the start of Lent. The passages are Moses receiving the 10 Commandments and Jesus' Transfiguration. This is Church... But the more I have reflected upon this, I think this is one of the hardest sermons I have ever had to preach, about the reality of faith and fear and circumstance in our lives. Yesterday was not a quiet Saturday, the Youth were coming in at 11 to discuss a Summer Mission Trip and conflicts. The Associate Pastor Search Committee were trying to make SKYPE work on their computers. The Business Administrator was connecting up her computer to the Projector to show how hers worked, even though the Church Apple Computers did not. The Video camera had been replaced. Flowers were being delivered. Communion Elements were being prepared. There were 147 emails since the day before. And someone left on my desk a model of the Clinic in S.Sudan, and like a Voodoo doll, a stake was thrust into the heart of the Clinic with a large black Cloud over the top. The one who had made this said, I don't know what you want to do with this tomorrow but I woke up during the night knowing I needed to make this for you. I wanted to cry, But there was no time. Friends have described having gone to the internet for answers to problems, while those who are doctors have named frustration at patients coming in and instead of being able to listen to their symptoms, they have diagnosed everything it could be and what medications they want to have. So I typed into my Computer: Mission, Loss, Violation, Theft, Graying Hair, Aches, Pains, Brittle Bones, Stiff Joints. Instantly, up popped 37 pages of diagnoses... Dating Websites for Married Men; Lead Poisoning; Bone Cancer; Erectile Dysfunction; Hair Replacement; Eye Surgery; Miracle Foods to eat and avoid; order this pill and this cream; subscribe for Alcoholics Anonymous; and the Diagnosis: “Cyber-Condria.” I clicked on this unknown malady, and the page read: “An addiction to wanting to know, believing anything and everything people type on the Internet as being True!” For the last five hundred years we have been in search of the Laws of the Universe, the absolute truth, enlightenment, answers to what is right and wrong, fact and fiction. We have each wanted to become experts, rather trusting professionals. In the process we have been overloaded with so much possible information, there comes a point we want and need a voice from heaven to proclaim: STOP & LISTEN! This is “The Day of Transfiguration” the last after Epiphany and before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Throughout human history there has been a fascination with “change,” with whether change could be possible, and if so how things are transformed. A Prince into a Frog, an Ogre into a Prince, a Pumpkin and white Mice into a Coach and team of Horses, Cinderella into a Princess with glass slippers, or with Rumplestilskin any substance being spun into Gold. In the Harry Potter series there are a great many magic spells for transformation, specifically to “transmogrify,” as beginning students on their first day try to change needles and pins into matches, and by Fourth year in The Goblet of Fire are to try to change a lab rat into a drinking goblet, although who would want to drink out of a rat or why, is beyond me. Transformation is routinely equated with magic and spells and incantations, that if we had the right words from the Roman Empire and the correct wand, we could change the substance of anything into another, or anyone into something else. One of the commercials which perpetually catches my attention, is the one that says “It's not complicated” where the interviewer is talking with a group of four year olds and the little girl wishes she had a changing machine so she could turn her brother into a puppy, and when asked why she does not just wish for a puppy, she describes bringing him to Show& Tell as the only person ever who had a puppy-brother. The reality is as Protestant Americans in the 21st Century we have a natural predisposition to worship the god: Fact, and to smile knowingly and shake our heads at anything which seems fictional, too good to be true, or mystical as if like a puppy-brother or information on the internet, it is CUTE. Even the Bible and our acceptance of Faith, are based on what we expect to believe to be Fact. But the point of both Exodus and The Transfiguration is neither You nor I are God. We are not Moses. We are not cast as the Savior. The People, the Witnesses, actually do have roles in each story. Moses went up the mountain with Joshua and left leaders with the people to resolve their conflicts. But when a dark cloud appeared over the mountain, with thunder and lightning, and when Moses did not come back right away, the people were filled with fear. They turned to Moses' brother Aaron with their fears crying out give us something to believe in, give us something to worship. Aaron describes having collected all the fears and the gold from the people, putting these together into the heat and pressure of a forge and out popped the Golden Calf. So that before Moses even came down the mountain with the Commandments of Stone, the people had already broken them. Shortly after the disciples had named Jesus as being the Messiah the first time, Jesus went up the mountain with Peter and James and John and Jesus was transfigured before them to be speaking with Moses and Elijah. The point of the text is not what was said, that is not given to us. What is described is that Peter tries to take over the situation, he begins talking making plans, trying to build something permanent out of this spiritual moment. And it is not James or John who answer Peter. It is not Jesus, Elijah or Moses who rebuke the disciple. God Almighty says STOP TALKING and LISTEN. This week, I have prayed and thought a great deal about the last 14 years and the last 10. Mission has changed for us, and changed us. Mission is no longer an offering. Mission is no longer Charitable Giving or having to sacrifice a 10th. Mission became commitment, personal involvement locally and across the world to try to make a difference. Businesses create goods for a Profit. Governments create services for what the community want but business sees no profit in making. Mission is doing whatever is necessary, committing ourselves because people are in need, and as Christians, as the People of God we respond to human suffering. Throughout the last decade, Mission has been about building and creating and expanding, and there were accomplishments and blessings. When I first went to South Sudan, the experience quite literally almost killed me, and I felt quite abandoned and alone. When members of the church volunteered to go to make a difference, as your pastor I felt great concern and overwhelming pride. When I foirst saw the Clinic, and it was only just a building, a colleague described Emperors and Kings have built Palaces, Bishops have created Churches, but you a people who will never see this have created the means of changing the lives of people in poverty, giving health to people in great need. Two years ago, the Supreme Chief of one of the largest tribes in South Sudan described “Women and Children know the name Skaneateles and are singing your praises and blessings.” There were stories shared of people regardless of tribe being healed, eyesight given to the blind. Then the resources provided were looted, dismantled and stolen, for the profit of individuals. What suddenly occurred to me is that the moments of greatest suffering have also been the moments of greatest faith. This is not about the innocence of Christmas, and adoration of the Incarnation of God in Christ. This is about facing the reality of what life is all about, our need to forgive those who have stolen from us, our need to forgive those who have denied others healing. Our need to enter the cloud of mysticism and stop talking to listen. After Jesus was identified on the Road by Peter as being the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Jesus described that that would mean his suffering and death for the redemption of the world. And the same Peter rebuked Jesus. Jesus then responded “Get behind me Satan, for you are not on the side of God but of Men.” I always saw this as Jesus condemnation of Peter saying “Get out of my way,” but I think instead what he was saying was “Get in line behind me.” I pray this is not a Voodoo doll of placing a Dark Cloud over the Clinic, but instead a recognition, of our need to enter into the Cloud of Mysticism, the Cloud of God on the Mountaintop, intentionally going to that place to STOP our doing and to LISTEN for God. It occurs to me that that fits with our Expectations of Marriage when we think we know, when we think we are right, when we have everything all figured out, to STOP & LISTEN. Our Expectations of Religion. In fact all our relationships and all we think we know. To Stop & Listen.