Called to do Justice

Isaiah 42: 1- 9: Called to do Justice

North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Decatur, GA

January 12, 2014

Would you mind repeating this phrase? Here is your servant.

Let’s say it together: Here is your servant.  

I’m going to have us say this together several times in this sermon.  And as you say it, put one hand on your heart. and extending another hand outward toward others.

Let’s try it,(hands): Here is your servant.

On this day in which we remember the baptism of Jesus, and are called to renew our own baptismal promises:

My hope, through this liturgy, the sermon, the music, is that we leave here with a renewed sense that we are called to serve boldly in this world.

I love this Isaiah passage: Strong statements, speaking of God’s Servant.

God’s servant will bring forth Justice to the nations”

God’s servant will faithfully bring forth justice”

God’s servant will not grow faint or be crushed until Justice has been established”

The task of the servant is clear: To bring about Justice on earth. on earth.

Let’s say our phrase again: “Here is your servant”

Undeniably, again and again, scripture attests to a God who loves Justice.  

Let justice roll down like waters  

What does the Lord require, but to do justice!

Isaiah says: The task of the God’s servant is to bring forth justice.

Say it with me: Here is your servant..

Now, Isaiah said this about God’s servant thousands of years ago.  Here we are in the 21st century.  Certainly, most of the issues of injustice have been resolved, right?

Of course i’m kidding.  

What are some of the issues of injustice we concern ourselves with?

(share….)

Now I’d like to do two things.

First, speak to some of the ways in which we may be hindered to fulfil our role as God’s servants:

our own blindness, and our our sense of feeling helpless or weary in the face of injustices.

And then, share stories about ways in which people have overcome some of these conditions in order to fight for justice.  

Isaiah says one of the foremost tasks of the the servant of God’s is to give sight to the blind

A servant must be able to see the injustices in the world…

The challenge is that so often we do not see:

...In many ways we are simply blind!

psychologists may call this denial.

Instead of being open to the way things actually are, we are convinced things are a certain way and it is very hard to convince us otherwise.  

Take for example economic inequality.

Most of us would agree this is a justice issue, right?

And it’s amazing how our society can continue to perpetuate or even exacerbate the so called wealth gap.

Social programs are being cut...no action is being taken on living wage issues

while at the same time

The biggest firms on wall street set aside $91 Billion in bonuses at the end of 2013, to add to the already incredibly high salaries.

Why?

Impoverished communities are easily demonized as dangerous places filled with bad people who are unwilling to work, or who work low wage jobs because they dropped out of school... why should social programs be funded to help them, why should wages be raised?

Contrast this with images in which the wealthy are lauded as being of reputable and upstanding character, and hard working.

Wealthy people are publicized all over as people to emulate.

And so programs are cut, working class wages remain flat, and bonuses are doled out.  

Public sentiment remains neutral, So often we fail to see the connections.

Regardless of where we fall on the issue we can all agree that we don’t want children going hungry, we don’t want people to live in poverty, Can we ask God for vision to see how to bring justice to these issues that so often divide?

Another more literal example of not seeing: the reality of climate change.

A huge justice issue because the poorest populations who are contributing the least to global warming will be the ones who suffer most as a result of global warming.  

One of my favorite podcasts is Living on Earth.

A recent show featured an interview with Bill Ruckelshaus--the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency who oversaw the initial implementation of the Clean Water Act. The EPA was formed in the early 70s because there was a public outcry about all the environmental degradation: “rivers caught fire and fish washed up dead by the thousands; cities were so fogged by pollution people had trouble seeing one another.”

When asked about the environmental problems of today, problems Mr. Ruckelshaus says are much more severe, Ruckelshaus admits that there is not as much public concern as there was then.  

His explanation:  

We don't see the same kinds of visible pollution problems today that we did.

We don't have flammable rivers anymore and we don't have smog that’s so awful that you can’t even see one another.

Problems today; they tend to be more invisible.

So often We don’t see.

Isaiah says: God’s servant is to bring sight to the blind

Can you say it again: Here is your servant.

God’s servant is also one who brings out prisoners from the dungeon…

One of my biggest problems with being the servant I think I am called to be is my own sense of complacency: feeling okay about where I am, what I’m doing, and what’s going on.  

This complacency comes from two major factors:

First, what psychology calls role theory…

where we tend to act in a way other people expect.

I’m the son of Jim and Anne Topple, I’m a Presbyterian minister, I’m a father, I’m a white male…. I’m supposed to act a certain way; and in ways more powerful than I can understand I am imprisoned by these expectations...

to further illustrate role theory:

Some of you may have heard of the so-called prison experiment conducted at Stanford by professor Zimbardo.  

regular students were divided  into two sets: some were the guards and the

others were the prisoners; they started acting out roles as people expected.

The planned two-week investigation had to be ended after only six days because the guards became sadistic and the prisoners became depressed and showed signs of extreme stress.

Each student, as he acted as a guard or a prisoner, the action itself was pounding in the idea.

IN other words:

What you think may change what you do,

but perhaps even more important, what you do will change what you think.

We are both set free and imprisoned by our actions and our inaction.  

God’s servant is called to bring for the prisoner from the dungeon.

The second factor leading to my sense of complacency or inaction comes from my own sense of inadequacy...who am I to do something?  

I get trapped into thinking my efforts wouldn’t really matter, or overwhelmed by a sense that I can’t do enough, paralyzed by anger, fear, or frustration.  

So I’ll sometimes pass the buck, saying it’s someone else’s job,

or make up excuses as to why I can’t engage.  

When really, more likely I feel powerless in the face of so many challenges.

the late Nobel Price laureate, Wangiri Maathi nobel 2004,

Told a story to help one overcome any sense of inadequacy or what she calls a sense of awkwardness.

It’s the the story of a hummingbird:  

Maathi said:

We are constantly being bombarded by problems that we face

and sometimes we can get completely awkward.

The story of the hummingbird is about this huge forest being consumed by a fire.

All the animals in the forest come out

and they are transfixed as they watch their forest burning

and they feel very awkward, very powerless, except this little hummingbird.

It says ‘I’m going to do something about the fire.’

So it flies to the nearest stream, takes a drop of water and puts it on the fire.

It goes up and down, up and down, picking up water and putting it on the fire as fast as it can.

In the meantime all the other animals, much bigger animals,

like the elephant, with the big trunk, who could bring much more water.

They are standing there helpless, and they are saying to the hummingbird,

‘what do you think you can do? You’re too little. This fire is too big.

Your wings are too little, and you’re beak so small,

you can only bring a small drop of water at a time.’

But as they continue to discourage it,

it turns to them without wasting any time and tells them,

‘I’m doing the best I can.’

And that to me is what all of us should do. We should always feel like a hummingbird, concludes Maathi.

I like to think the story ends with the other animals finally joining the hummingbird in the struggle to put out the fire.    

So often, we find that justice workers begin their efforts surrounded by just a few or even alone, but in time, many people join in the struggle.  

One fighting hummingbird is another nobel laureate, Liberian Leymah Gbowee:

Ms. Gbowee, a trauma specialist, was caught in the raging fires of war in her country, Liberia...but, she grew weary of treating war victims, so she decided she was going to work to bring an end to war.  

Gbowee used the anger, frustration and sadness she had experienced and transformed it into energy for peace.

In 2002, she mobilized a network of over 2,000 women in 15 provinces, from different religious and ethnic backgrounds, to protest against the war and the violence in the region.

Gbowee's work inspired many women to engage in a non-violent struggle against war and violence and for women's rights.” (Nobel Prize Website)

When asked where she got her strength to stand up and make a difference....

Gbowee pointed to her faith:    

“I didn't get there by myself... or anything I did as an individual,

but it was by the grace and mercy of God....

He has held my hands.

In the most difficult of times, he has been there.

They have this song, she says:

"Order my steps in your ways, dear Lord,"

and every day as I wake up, that is my prayer, because there's no way that anyone can take this journey as a peacebuilder, as an agent of change in your community,

without having a sense of faith....

As I continue this journey in this life, I remind myself:

All that I am, all that I hope to be, is because of God.” (as quoted in Wikipedia article)

When thinking about being God’s servant, I’m reminded of the words of Archbishop Romero,  

It helps to take the long view.

fighting for justice takes time, effort; despite its urgency, it cannot be hurried.

Bringing about justice comes through organizing and community movements - we’re not in it alone, others are with us, we are with others.

Working in community requires patience and can be so very tiring.

Isaiah says:  God’s servant will not grow faint or be crushed…

Say it with me: here is your servant.  

we must lift one another up in this vital work.  

A friend of mine, Andrew Black, is an aid to US Senator Martin Heinrich.

After I’d been working with my small congregation for a few years in Santa Fe, I was surprised how easy it was for me to get justice workers to come to the church to give talks:

social workers addressing domestic violence, immigrant rights activist, worker justice advocates.

We were such a small group of people.

Why would they so readily come and speak to our small group, for no pay, on a Sunday morning?  I asked my friend Andrew this question.  

He said because church is one of the few places where communities who seek to do justice in this world consistently gather.

Churches are where people are called by a god who loves justice.

Churches are where communities are formed,

and through baptism, transformed and empowered to live into God’s vision for justice by fighting that good fight!  

Yet, We live in a time when it is hard to have faith in the power of a small community of believers. Has there been a time in history when ordinary Americans have felt more powerless, more disillusioned with government, or less capable of slamming the brakes on [fill in the blank] injustice in the world?" The problems are great...it’s a long hard road

But you know what: If it’s not us, then who?
If not here, where? If not now, When?

It's high time for us to take matters into our own hands.

It’s high time for us to take matters into our own hands!  

(adapted from Madelin Ostrander’s article "The YES! Breakthrough 15", Yes! Magazine, p. 17 ff, Winter 2012).   

Our own hands...

One Saturday morning, a kids show on a christian channel turns up on our tv screen.  

There, a smiling woman sings enthusiastically with green furry puppets:

“What’s in your hands…what’s in your hands

Use it for God! Use it for God

What’s in your hands…what’s in your hands,

Use it for Good!   Use it for Good”

What are the gifts God has given you?  

If we made a list of all the gifts found in this room, it would cover the sanctuary walls.

Author Margaret Wheatley in Turning to One Another,

a book on hope and community, writes

"In a crisis, the space is wide open for contribution...People have a deep desire to help, so they perform miracles. We discover capacities we didn't know we had.

(quoted by Madelin Ostrander, Yes! Magazine, "The YES! Breakthrough 15", p. 17 ff, Winter 2012.   

Children of God, as we remember the gift of our own baptisms, and our calling to use the gifts we’ve been given to make of this old world, a brand new world.

Let us say it one more time: God’s servant brings justice to the world.

“here is your servant.”Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Zia Fell Down

Two days ago, during dinner, Zia was not sitting in her seat eating, Instead she was running around playing. Suddenly, she fell down.  Trasie and I looked at each other, "What happened? Did she even trip over anything? Or did she just fall?" we wondered.  As we've come to know Zia, she has a tendency to go all out, but lacks a little coordination sometimes. Most likely scenario based on the evidence around her circumstance, she just fell.  "Ahh, pobrecita....estás bien? (Poor thing, are you okay?)," we ask her sympathetically.
When we see that she is, we start laughing. Not to make fun, but because it was funny. Poom, she's down. Her sister starts laughing, too. All of us are laughing!  She sees us laughing, and what does she do?  She takes a few steps and POOM falls again! She is laughing, we all are laughing. She gets up takes a few more steps and falls! Again and again she does this, and we are laughing all the while!  It was great.
There was no ego that said she should be embarrassed. No ego that would be suspicious or paranoid about how other people viewed her. She saw that we were having a good time, and took delight that she has been the entertainer, and was going to put on multiple encores as we took delight in one another.

We are told that when we fall, we need to get back up, be strong.  We avoid falling down because we think we look bad, we're clumsy or weak. People might laugh at us, or worse kick us when we're down.  But, ego aside, isn't it great when we can fall, and just laugh.  Delight in our weakness, because in weakness we are made strong.  Fall, and be reminded that we don't have to be perfect, (or right) all (any of) the time, but instead just be who we are.  Thank you Zia for reminding me that it's okay to fall, and when I do, maybe I can just laugh. 

Taking Off and Landing, Acts 1-2 Pentecost

WPC Santa Fe - Pentecost Sunday 2013

Acts 1-2 selected verses

Prayer:

God our creator, earth has many languages,

but your gospel proclaims your love

to all nations in one heavenly tongue.

As on the feast of Pentecost

Make us messengers of the good news

that, through the power of your Spirit,

all the world may unite in one song of praised;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen

The peace of God be with you.

Acts 1 and 2, Selected verses:

So when they had come together, they asked Jesus, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

  and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,

  and your old men shall dream dreams.  Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Los que estaban reunidos con Jesús, le preguntaron:

—Señor, ¿vas a restablecer en este momento el reino de Israel?

Jesús les contestó:

—No les corresponde a ustedes conocer el día o el momento que el Padre ha fijado con su propia autoridad; pero cuando el Espíritu Santo venga sobre ustedes, recibirán poder y saldrán a dar testimonio de mí, en Jerusalén, en toda la región de Judea y de Samaria, y hasta en las partes más lejanas de la tierra.

Dicho esto, mientras ellos lo estaban mirando, Jesús fue levantado, y una nube lo envolvió y no lo volvieron a ver.

Cuando llegó la fiesta de Pentecostés, todos los creyentes se encontraban reunidos en un mismo lugar. De repente, un gran ruido que venía del cielo, como de un viento fuerte, resonó en toda la casa donde ellos estaban. Y se les aparecieron lenguas como de fuego que se repartieron, y sobre cada uno de ellos se asentó una. Y todos quedaron llenos del Espíritu Santo, y comenzaron a hablar en otras lenguas, según el Espíritu hacía que hablaran.

Entonces Pedro se puso de pie junto con los otros once apóstoles, y con voz fuerte dijo: «Judíos y todos los que viven en Jerusalén, sepan ustedes esto y oigan bien lo que les voy a decir. Éstos no están borrachos como ustedes creen, ya que apenas son las nueve de la mañana. Al contrario, aquí está sucediendo lo que anunció el profeta Joel, cuando dijo:

“Sucederá que en los últimos días, dice Dios, derramaré mi Espíritu sobre toda la humanidad;

los hijos e hijas de ustedes comunicarán mensajes proféticos, los jóvenes tendrán visiones,

y los viejos tendrán sueños. Pero todos los que invoquen el nombre del Señor,

alcanzarán la salvación.”

This morning’s sermon is about the courage to taking off and to land.

This winter my mother lucked out.  

She planned a trip here to visit,

dragging my reluctant homebody father along with her.

Yes, she wanted to see us, but she really wanted to see the spectacular Sandhill Cranes down at Bosque del Apache.  

It was President’s Day weekend -

AKA Mt Taylor Quad Weekend--Mid february -

late in the season,

would there be any birds?

Well of course there would be birds,

would there be any Cranes?

We crossed our fingers and toes as we drove south...

I was encouraged to drive fast,

as if that would ensure the Cranes would be there!

We arrived at the lookout deck in plenty of time to see any flocks coming in for the evening.

Signs were promising, as a few other birders were at the deck with their long lens camera that cost as much as a car.

Ruby’s running around containing her enthusiasm to a shouting whisper--Nana, we’re going to see Cranes--

her pink binoculars shifting around her neck,

Hers turned out to be our best pair.

Zia, just learning to walk, was falling this way and that trying to keep up with big sister.

We're trying to keep her from falling into the water.

You can imagine the other birders.

Suddenly, in the distance, a formation of birds.

distinctive sounds

Was it the cranes?

Hands and fingers signaled their magnificent arrival.

Their brilliant colors shimmered in the evening’s light, reflecting/absorbing, water, mountain, and sky.  

They had arrived--a small remnant of what had been there a few months earlier, but still, we were mesmerized.

And, of course they flew right over our heads and landed somewhere far away.

Such uncooperative birds.

We missed the landing.  

But!

We did see where they had landed on our way to our lodging;

so, the next morning we made it out in the early cold to catch their take off.

Slowly, almost one by one or two by two, they began to wake up, uncurling their wrapped necks from their bodies, stretching a bit by walking...

and then, seemingly randomly, one bird, would declare itself leader by straining her neck, and then others would begin to imitate leaning forward until the neck was practically parallel to the water...the body would lean and then the wings would flap and off they would go high into the sky until out of sight.

Would they return? were they off for Canada for the season? Only God knew.  

Taking flight, and landing.

Planes, birds, frogs, kangaroos, rabbits, monkeys, mariposas, mariquitas,

Jesus, disciples, us.  

A fascinating don’t you think:  Jesus taking flight!

He leaves the apostles and goes high into the sky!

And now, on cue,

I signal the beloved painting in our chancel here. There he goes!

Different from Elijah who has chariots of fire to accompany his dramatic departure, Jesus, graceful as the dove that descended upon him at his baptism, floats off...

and he gets lost in the clouds.  

I’m sure Peter would have loved to have had Ruby’s pink binoculars....

Where did Jesus land?

How did he land?

The disciples didn’t know.

They were left dumbfounded,

scratching their heads at this unusually departure.  

They were wondering how they would land, themselves, given their new reality.

In many ways Jesus’ take off in flight was the the invitation for the disciples to take off as well, they weren’t exactly sure where they would be going,

or what flying would be like, but eventually, they had to take off,

begin a new journey...

And take off they did in dramatic fashion...tongues of fire.

Off they go, preaching, prophesying, visions.

Nothing would hold them back.

Not fear, not false accusations --they must be drunk!

Not with regret - if only I had gone fishing with Jesus that time he asked!  

Not floundering unsure of their mission with their leader no longer around.

Propelled by the Spirit of Fire

They learned languages, cultures, effective communication

They went beyond their comfort zones and insecurities.

Nothing could stop their dreams.

Their visions seemed limitless.

They were fulfilling Jesus’ desire share good news with the world in new and exciting ways.

They took off,

where would they land? God only knew.

In case you haven’t realized it over these past 6 and a half years,

I cherish opportunities to draw parallels between the life of Jesus and my own:)   

Trasie, Ruby Gene, Zia and I, now leave you,

thursday will be my last day, ending with Taize worship,

worship that has fed my soul, please come if you are able 5:30-6 Thursday evening

June 1 we will be in the big sky of Ghost Ranch this summer coordinating the College Staff

- we hope to see many of you there!

and then in August we will take flight to Georgia, close to family,

Trasie will land in her Doctoral Program of Social work...

I will land in a new role - Stay at Home Dad. Woah!

We leave you behind =  that’s the Jesus parallel.

And now you may - like the apostles in this case -

claim the Spirit of God in your hearts and in your lives as you take flight to discover how God may be leading in our absence.

Guided by the spirit:

Leaders emerge from among you.

Elders, who have shared their wisdom countless times with me,

gain a new sense of purpose.

Retired clergy, who so deeply have blessed my life, take on a new way of being a blessing to this congregation.

Over the years many have become part of and left this community. Noe Cervantes was one of these.

A brilliant artist, he painted a beautiful oil on canvas of the church building - a gift he gave us.

In it, he has Trasie standing outside on the sidewalk at the front of the sanctuary, holding a baby --Ruby had not yet been born when he painted it, and we weren’t sure we could get pregnant!

Then there’s this strange figure emerging from inside sanctuary doors, waving.

He said it was me.  

What I will see when I contemplate the picture are the people who are inside, I envision it to be the end of a worship service.

People are gathered standing singing Amen Amen!

I see You who are so down to earth - real,

you who are so amazingly gifted, gracious and good natured.  

You who laugh,

you who take risks and try new things,

you who have touched our lives so profoundly because of your spirit given gifts of love, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, peace, and joy..   

As I have been saying goodbye to friends and colleagues in this community - so many have such wonderful things to say about this small church--how important your role is in the way of Peace and justice.

With our departure, things will not be the same as they have been--

as if things were ever the same while we were here!

and why should things stay the same.

You now have an opportunity to dig deep and find new resolve about why this community means so much to you.

If you’re not sure...

look around the room for a moment.

These are the dreamers, the prophets, the visionaries

Wasn’t the visioning process with George Packard inspiring.

And it ain’t over, yet.

In upcoming months, you may be challenged in new ways to move outside your comfort zone...Holy Spirit lead!

Part of what may no be the same is the way in which you search for and what you seek in a new pastor.

One thing is for sure...

She or he will be a fortunate one to join with you.

Jesus took off.

The apostles took off

The Topples are taking off

WPC is taking off!

Where did Jesus land?

Where will we land?

Wherever it is, it will be God’s miracle.  

The future is our God’s.

And I’m going to be following, watching, praying, hoping for what will come.

I want to read a poem, and I’m headin to a close, we have some celebratin to do...

And like all poetry, you take from it what you will.

How it fits is for you to discern:

 

Drinking With My Father in London by Phil Pardi

With his mate, Wilfred, who was dying

I discussed ornithology as best I could

Given the circumstances, my father flushed

And silent, a second pint before me,

My fish and chips not yet in sight.

Condensation covered the windows

and in the corner a couple played

tic-tac-toe with their fingers.

Behind it all, convincingly, the rain fell.

The mystery, Wilfred was saying, isn’t flight.

Flight is easy, he says, lifting his cap, but

landing--he tosses it at the coat rack--

landing is the miracle. Would you believe

thirty feet away the cap hits

and softly takes in the one bare peg?

Would you believe no one but me notices?

I’d like to come back as a bird,

Wilfred says, both hands on the glass

before him, and here my father

comes to life. You already

were a bird once, Wilfred, he says, next time

next time you get to be

the whole damn flock.

I sat with margaret sandoval last night and read her this poem.

 I teasingly asked her if she wanted to come back as  a bird.

Without hesitating she said

"yes, a finch. They seem to have so much fun."

Margaret gave me a book when I first arrived to set the tone  of our relationship: World’s Greatest Collection of Church Jokes

Here’s one I read recently: there are certain tribes that demand that when a man rises to speak, he must stand on one food while delivering his speech. The minute the lifted foot touches the ground the speech ends--or the speaker is forcibly silenced.

this is a good suggestion for preachers!

If only I had known when I first started here!

Could of been known across town as the guy who preaches standing on one foot!

How might things have turned out differently...

But, here we are, at the end.  

It has been such a beautiful ending -

kind words, warm embraces, loving gazes

- such a beautiful people.

Since we cannot cling to each other...

we cling to the holy spirit as we take off!

And pray for one another God’s grace as we miraculously land, again and again over the course of our lives.  

I want to close using words of Henri Nouwen about the Holy Spirit of God.

"When we speak about the Holy Spirit, we speak about the breath of God, breathing in us.

The Greek word for 'spirit' is pneuma, which means 'breath.'

We are seldom aware of our breathing.

It is so essential for life that we only think about it when something is wrong with it.

The Spirit of God is like our breath.

God's spirit is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves.

We might not often be aware of it,

but without it we cannot live a 'spiritual life.'

It is the Holy Spirit of God who prays in us, who offers us the gifts of love, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, peace, and joy.

It is the Holy Spirit who offers us the life that death cannot destroy.

Let us always pray: 'Come, Holy Spirit, come.'"

And so we pray: come holy spirit, come”

as we sing together Hymn #156 in the red hymnal - Santo Espiritu Desciende