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Ash Wednesday 2014

Ash Wednesday 2014

 

Our friend Kathy Clark up at the Federated Church in East Arlington is joining with Scott Neal at St. James Episcopal Church in Arlington to offer drive-by ashes today, once this morning, and then again later on in the day, each time at one of their churches.  It’s an act of public liturgy, inspired, perhaps, by the publicity gained by Sara Miles, the director of ministry at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco.  There they have been taking ashes and creating a street altar in the middle of San Francisco’s Mission district for the past few years, a way of acknowledging the darkness and sin in the world while taking a symbol of God’s mercy into the streets.  It’s a public act of faith.

I will be curious to hear about Kathy and Scott’s experiences, and I confess my own hesitancy to doing something like that here.  Not only are we located on a street where people are not likely to "drive by," but there’s something a little too "hip," a little too "McChurch" for me in a drive-by imposition of ashes.

Clearly this is not a "popular" service amongst us New England UCC-types.  Of the five of us at my clergy support group yesterday, ours was the only church having an Ash Wednesday service.  And really, for a day when the gospel reading warns us against public shows of piety, the smearing of gritty, black ashes on our foreheads in the shape of a cross is an odd ritual.  We don’t do this kind of thing usually. It’s a little too showy, too "catholic," I’ve heard, and, when you think about it, rather an intimate act to have someone touch your face.   It stops us in our tracks, which, actually, I think, is what it’s supposed to do.

"It’s the most honest of days," one woman commented.  "It’s a mystery, a sitting-with...a sitting with the dark.  It is bearing witness to the dark."  She said this, remembering another Ash Wednesday, when her older sister had killed herself by jumping off the top floor of the parking garage at the hospital.  The hospital chaplain had given her the ashes earlier in the day.  Ash Wednesday is a bearing witness to the dark. [Christian Century, 2/5/14, p. 24]

I guess that’s my main objection to drive-by ashes.  I’m as introverted as the next person–more than most, perhaps–but when I am called to bear witness to the darkness of my own life and the world’s, I don’t want to sit alone with it in my car.  I think it is important that we bear witness to the dark–Ash Wednesday is something like Yom Kippur for our Jewish brothers and sisters.  We don’t need to live our lives weighed down by our darkness and sin, but we do need to acknowledge it at some point, acknowledge that we are part of the evil and hatred and depravity of the world, tied up in structures and systems that oppress and destroy and deprive.  We need to acknowledge that and let that knowledge sink in to inform us.

Like Yom Kippur, we need to do this on the world’s behalf. Somebody needs to bear witness.   But just as we are part of the world’s darkness and sin–and it’s helpful to have others alongside us when we acknowledge this–so also it’s helpful to have others alongside us to remind us that it’s not up to just us, as individuals, to fix it.  Certainly, we each need to decide what our part in the healing of the world will be, but we also need to know that we are not alone in this.  We are part of a local community, a whole worldwide community, even a community that transcends time and space, that bears witness to the light.  "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."  Otherwise, it’s too easy to get overwhelmed by the darkness and simply give up in despair.

This Lent, for example, we are exploring ways that we can be better stewards and advocates for the earth.  Faced with the enormity and complexity of climate change, it doesn’t take long to throw up our hands in despair and simply give up...which is why we need each other, and not only the people at Second Congregational Church, but people all over, everywhere, in fact, who are so concerned and committed to leaving a beautiful, habitable planet to their children and grandchildren and all the generations to come that we will change our ways, advocate for policies that will stop or at least slow the warming, and be willing to sacrifice to make this happen.

That’s just one example of the darkness that we bear witness to tonight.  It’s also the darkness in our own hearts that we may be painfully aware of, that we think only we carry–a failing, an addiction, a flaw–but perhaps especially with those "private" sins, it’s important to know that we are not alone.  We are not the only ones.

And finally, when we bear witness to the darkness in us and in our world, it’s important to know not only are we surrounded by companions on the journey to the light, but we are given food and drink for the journey, the very body and blood of the One who entered into our darkness and bore witness to the Light.  He was, in fact, the Light himself.

So, I’m glad to be here with you.  I give thanks for your presence on this most honest of days, as we witness together and as we draw sustenance for the journey ahead.  Amen, and amen.

Rev. Mary H. Lee-Clark
"A Vision for the Journey"-- Exodus 24:12-18, Matthew 17:1-9 -- March 2, 2014

"A Vision for the Journey"-- Exodus 24:12-18, Matthew 17:1-9 -- March 2, 2014

 

If you’ve been keeping your eyes and ears and heart open to Epiphany moments this season, you may have noticed that they stay with you, at least for a while.  Maybe that early morning bird call echoes in your mind later in the day, when you’re taking the garbage to the curb.  Maybe the image of that faint green pushing up through the concrete where the snow had pulled away inspires you to keep going when you’re tempted to quit a task or project.  Maybe the memory of that encounter with an old friend just when you were thinking of him keeps playing itself in your mind as you fold the laundry.  Startling beauty, inspiring courage, connections and "God-incidences" all around us, just waiting for the doors of our perception to open.  Epiphany moments can last for hours, or days, or longer.

The Epiphany moment Peter, James, and John experienced up on that mountaintop would last a lifetime.  Maybe beyond.  The images of the Transfiguration of Jesus’ face and clothing up there on the mountaintop, and then the appearance of Moses and Elijah talking with him, seared themselves into the disciples’ brains.  But it was the Voice from the cloud–"This is my beloved Son; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!"–that’s what blew the disciples off their feet and onto their knees, shaking them to their core.   TME.  Too Much Epiphany. Too much Glory.

It was the same Glory that enveloped Moses up on that other mountaintop.  It looked like a "devouring fire," the people said.  Like a devouring fire.  It didn’t devour Moses, but there really were no words to describe it exactly.  That kind of glory is way beyond words.  Walter Brueggemann says that the glory of God is "the luminous, inscrutable, inaccessible power and presence of God." [Odyssey Network, Scripture] It is way beyond our words or understanding, lest we think we can get too cozy with God.  Like Aslan, the Lion-Christ in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Tales, the Holy One is good but definitely not safe.

This is not power as we usually encounter it.  "Power corrupts," we say, "and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  The kind of power that we too often experience or read about is coercive and threatening.  Do this or else... The power of God, though it may knock our socks off, is relational, it connects to us and with us at an essential level.  It makes us reflect on how we live our lives.  It heals us, illuminates us.  It is "loving energy that gives birth to"  [Bruce Epperly, Adventurous Lectionary, 3/2/14] our best, true selves.  "If you’ve been looking for some way to trade in your old certainties for new movement in your life, look no further," writes Barbara Brown Taylor of the power and glory of God [DayOne, 2014].

"Get up and don’t be afraid," Jesus said to Peter, James, and John when they had buried their faces in the dirt up there on the mountaintop.  "Get up."  It’s the same word used for "Be raised, resurrected."  The Transfiguration story is a displaced resurrection story, some commentators say.  In fact, Matthew uses a lot of the same language in his resurrection story–Describing the angel at the empty tomb, Matthew writes, "His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow."(Mt. 28:3)  And elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus describes resurrection life saying, "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Mt. 13:43)

"Get up and don’t be afraid," Jesus says to the disciples.  They were to be resurrected too, and they would need courage and assurance, even though they would be afraid.   This Epiphany moment would need to stay with them and last them through all kinds of persecution and scary moments.  They would need to keep this vision of Jesus "not as a victim, but as a victor, not the one despised but the one beloved of God" in the days ahead–as they continued their journey toward Jerusalem.

In his classic work, Man’s Search for Meaning, concentration camp survivor Victor Frankl writes that "to suffer unnecessarily is masochistic rather than heroic," [113] but unavoidable suffering is bearable if it has meaning. "Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure..[as some have said]or a quest for power [as others have said]..., but a quest for meaning.  The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life.  Frankl saw three possible sources for meaning: in work (doing something significant), in love (caring for another person), and in courage during difficult times.  Suffering in and of itself is meaningless; we give our suffering meaning by the way in which we respond to it." [Harold Kushner, in Foreward to 2006 Edition, Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, p. x]

We don’t know if this vision of Jesus’ transfiguration helped his followers through the awful events of Holy Week–Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.  It didn’t seem to have made much of a difference, if they ever actually had that vision, since they betrayed and denied and deserted him.  But looking back years later, as the gospels and letters were written, it is clear that this epiphany moment, of who Jesus really was: that he was part of God’s loving intention and promise from the very beginning, in line with the great prophets and law-givers of their past, that he was so full of God’s glory and so beloved of God that no power on earth could take that away–that vision would raise them up and help them not be afraid.

The challenge for us, of course, is to keep our eyes open to transfiguration, to seeing the light and beauty present in the faces around us.  The challenge is to allow Glory to change us, and then to have the courage to follow where it leads us, even if that means into that "great cloud of unknowing," as one mystic described it, the cloud of death, or loss, or suffering.

Jesus didn’t remain on the mountaintop.  In fact, he raised the disciples up so they could head down into the valley, where people waited to be healed, and fed, and brought to new life themselves.  There would be no building of booths or tabernacles or temples or even churches where the Glory could be contained, and if you thought you could contain it and encounter it without being utterly changed, you were settling for something less than the Real Thing.

"Get up and don’t be afraid."  Whatever comes next, whatever life presents us with, whatever Cloud of Unknowing we find ourselves in, we do know that there is One who is with us in that cloud.  His real presence is with us in this bread and in this cup.  Take and eat, take and drink, he told his followers.  I will be with you always and everywhere.  In that assurance, with that vision, let us keep the feast.  Amen, and amen.

Rev. Mary H. Lee-Clark
test Lenten

test Lenten




click for all Lenten/Easterreadings

 
The
practice of using a Lectionary to assign particular Scripture readings
to each Sunday and festival day (ie Christmas) dates back to the fourth
century, and has continued through the history of the Christian Church.



In
1992, the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) – an ecumenical
consultation of liturgical scholars and denominational representatives
from the United States and Canada, including some from the United Church
of Christ – produced the Revised Common Lectionary. In 2005, the CCT
published the Revised Common Lectionary DAILY Readings, which provides
weekday readings that relate to the Sunday Scripture lessons. Thursday
through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday
reading, and Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect
on what they heard at church.

MARCH

Lent 1

WE 5 Ash Wednesday: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 51:1-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
read texts

TH 6 Psalm 51, Jonah 3:1-10, Romans 1:1-7 read texts

FR 7 Psalm 51, Jonah 4:1-11, Romans 1:8-17read texts

SA 8 Psalm 51, Isaiah 58:1-12, Matthew 18:1-7

SU 9 First Sunday in Lent Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11

MO 10 Psalm 32, 1 Kings 19:1-8, Hebrews 2:10-18

TU 11 Psalm 32, Genesis 4:1-16, Hebrews 4:14—5:10

WE 12 Psalm 32, Exodus 34:1-9, 27-28, Matthew 18:10-14

Lent 2

TH 13

Psalm 121, Isaiah 51:1-3, 2 Timothy 1:3-7

FR 14

Psalm 121, Micah 7:18-20, Romans 3:21-31

SA 15

Psalm 121, Isaiah 51:4-8, Luke 7:1-10

SU 16

Second Sunday in Lent

Genesis 12:1-4a, Psalm 121, Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, John 3:1-17 or Matthew 17:1-9

MO 17

Psalm 128, Numbers 21:4-9, Hebrews 3:1-6

TU 18

Psalm 128, Isaiah 65:17-25, Romans 4:6-13

WE 19

Psalm 128, Ezekiel 36:22-32, John 7:53—8:11

Lent 3

TH 20

Psalm 95, Exodus 16:1-8, Colossians 1:15-23

FR 21

Psalm 95, Exodus 16:9-21, Ephesians 2:11-22

SA 22

Psalm 95, Exodus 16:27-35, John 4:1-6

SU 23

Third Sunday in Lent

Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 95, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42

MO 24

Psalm 81, Genesis 24:1-27, 2 John 1-13

TU 25

Psalm 81, Genesis 29:1-14, 1 Corinthians 10:1-4

WE 26

Psalm 81, Jeremiah 2:4-13, John 7:14-31, 37-39

Lent 4

TH 27

Psalm 23, 1 Samuel 15:10-21, Ephesians 4:25-32

FR 28

Psalm 23, 1 Samuel 15:22-31, Ephesians 5:1-9

SA 29

Psalm 23, 1 Samuel 15:32-34, John 1:1-9

SU 30

Fourth Sunday in Lent

1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 23, Ephesians 5:8-14, , John 9:1-41

MO 31

Psalm 146, Isaiah 59:9-19, Acts 9:1-20

April

TU 1

Psalm 146, Isaiah 42:14-21, Colossians 1:9-14

WE 2

Psalm 146, Isaiah 60:17-22, Matthew 9:27-34

Lent 5

TH 3

Psalm 130, Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2:8—3:3, Revelation 10:1-11

FR 4

Psalm 130, Ezekiel 33:10-16, Revelation 11:15-19

SA 5

Psalm 130, Ezekiel 36:8-15, Luke 24:44-53

SU 6

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11, John 11:1-45

MO 7

Psalm 143, 1 Kings 17:17-24, Acts 20:7-12

TU 8

Psalm 143, 2 Kings 4:18-37, Ephesians 2:1-10

WE 9

Psalm 143, Jeremiah 32:1-9, 36-41, Matthew 22:23-33

Lent 6

TH 10

Psalm 31:9-16, 1 Samuel 16:11-13, Philippians 1:1-11

FR 11

Psalm 31:9-16, Job 13:13-19, Philippians 1:21-30

SA 12

Psalm 31:9-16, Lamentations 3:55-66, Mark 10:32-34

SU 13

Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday

Palms Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Matthew 21:1-11, Passion Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew

26:14—27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54

MO 14

Monday of Holy Week

Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 36:5-11, Hebrews 9:11-15, John 12:1-11

TU 15

Tuesday of Holy Week

Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 71:1-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, John 12:20-36

WE 16

Wednesday of Holy Week

Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 70, Hebrews 12:1-3, John 13:21-32

Three Days—Easter

TH 17

Holy Thursday

Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14, Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35

FR 18

Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13—53:12, Psalm 22, Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1—19:42

SA 19

Holy Saturday (other than the Vigil):

Job 14:1-14 or Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24, Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16, 1 Peter 4:1-8, Matthew 27:57-66 or John 19:38-42

Resurrection of the Lord—Easter Vigil:

Genesis 1:1—2:4a, Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26

Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13, Psalm 46

Genesis 22:1-18, Psalm 16

Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 , Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18

Isaiah 55:1-11, Isaiah 12:2-6

Baruch 3:9-15, 32—4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 , Psalm 19

Ezekiel 36:24-28, Psalm 42 and 43

Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 143

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Psalm 98, Romans 6:3-11, Psalm 114, Matthew 28:1-10

SU 20

Resurrection of the Lord—Easter Day:

Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43

John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10

Resurrection of Our Lord—Easter Evening

Isaiah 25:6-9

Psalm 114

1 Corinthians 5:6b-8

Luke 24:13-49
Daily Lenten Meditations

Daily Lenten Meditations

The practice of using a Lectionary to assign particular Scripture readings to each Sunday and festival day (ie Christmas) dates back to the fourth century, and has continued through the history of the Christian Church.


In 1992, the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) – an ecumenical consultation of liturgical scholars and denominational representatives from the United States and Canada, including some from the United Church of Christ – produced the Revised Common Lectionary. In 2005, the CCT published the Revised Common Lectionary DAILY Readings, which provides weekday readings that relate to the Sunday Scripture lessons. Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday reading, and Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect on what they heard at church.

Following text links are to NRSV New Revised Standard Version

MARCH
Lent 1

WE 5 Ash Wednesday: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12, Psalm 51:1-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 read texts

TH 6 Psalm 51, Jonah 3:1-10, Romans 1:1-7 read texts

FR 7 Psalm 51, Jonah 4:1-11, Romans 1:8-17 read texts

SA 8
Psalm 51, Isaiah 58:1-12, Matthew 18:1-7 read texts

SU 9
First Sunday in Lent
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11 read texts

MO 10
Psalm 32, 1 Kings 19:1-8, Hebrews 2:10-18 read texts

TU 11
Psalm 32, Genesis 4:1-16, Hebrews 4:14—5:10 read texts

WE 12
Psalm 32, Exodus 34:1-9, 27-28, Matthew 18:10-14 read texts

Lent 2

TH 13
Psalm 121, Isaiah 51:1-3, 2 Timothy 1:3-7 read texts

FR 14
Psalm 121, Micah 7:18-20, Romans 3:21-31 read texts

SA 15
Psalm 121, Isaiah 51:4-8, Luke 7:1-10 read texts

SU 16
Second Sunday in Lent
Genesis 12:1-4a, Psalm 121, Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, John 3:1-17 or Matthew 17:1-9 read texts

MO 17
Psalm 128, Numbers 21:4-9, Hebrews 3:1-6 read texts

TU 18
Psalm 128, Isaiah 65:17-25, Romans 4:6-13 read texts

WE 19
Psalm 128, Ezekiel 36:22-32, John 7:53—8:11 read texts

Lent 3

TH 20
Psalm 95, Exodus 16:1-8, Colossians 1:15-23 read texts

FR 21
Psalm 95, Exodus 16:9-21, Ephesians 2:11-22 read texts

SA 22
Psalm 95, Exodus 16:27-35, John 4:1-6 read texts

SU 23
Third Sunday in Lent
Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 95, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42 read texts

MO 24
Psalm 81, Genesis 24:1-27, 2 John 1-13 read texts

TU 25
Psalm 81, Genesis 29:1-14, 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 read texts

WE 26
Psalm 81, Jeremiah 2:4-13, John 7:14-31, 37-39 read texts

Lent 4

TH 27
Psalm 23, 1 Samuel 15:10-21, Ephesians 4:25-32 read texts

FR 28
Psalm 23, 1 Samuel 15:22-31, Ephesians 5:1-9 read texts

SA 29
Psalm 23, 1 Samuel 15:32-34, John 1:1-9 read texts

SU 30
Fourth Sunday in Lent
1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 23, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41 read texts

MO 31
Psalm 146, Isaiah 59:9-19, Acts 9:1-20 read texts

April

TU 1
Psalm 146, Isaiah 42:14-21, Colossians 1:9-14 read texts

WE 2
Psalm 146, Isaiah 60:17-22, Matthew 9:27-34 read texts

Lent 5

TH 3
Psalm 130, Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2:8—3:3, Revelation 10:1-11 read texts

FR 4
Psalm 130, Ezekiel 33:10-16, Revelation 11:15-19 read texts

SA 5
Psalm 130, Ezekiel 36:8-15, Luke 24:44-53 read texts

SU 6
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11, John 11:1-45 read texts

MO 7
Psalm 143, 1 Kings 17:17-24, Acts 20:7-12 read texts

TU 8
Psalm 143, 2 Kings 4:18-37, Ephesians 2:1-10 read texts

WE 9
Psalm 143, Jeremiah 32:1-9, 36-41, Matthew 22:23-33 read texts

Lent 6

TH 10
Psalm 31:9-16, 1 Samuel 16:11-13, Philippians 1:1-11 read texts

FR 11
Psalm 31:9-16, Job 13:13-19, Philippians 1:21-30 read texts

SA 12
Psalm 31:9-16, Lamentations 3:55-66, Mark 10:32-34 read texts

SU 13
Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday
Palms Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Matthew 21:1-11, Passion Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:14—27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54 read texts

MO 14
Monday of Holy Week
Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 36:5-11, Hebrews 9:11-15, John 12:1-11 read texts

TU 15
Tuesday of Holy Week
Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 71:1-14, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, John 12:20-36 read texts

WE 16
Wednesday of Holy Week
Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 70, Hebrews 12:1-3, John 13:21-32 read texts

Three Days—Easter

TH 17
Holy Thursday
Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14, Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 read texts

FR 18
Good Friday
Isaiah 52:13—53:12, Psalm 22, Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1—19:42 read texts

SA 19
Holy Saturday (other than the Vigil):
Job 14:1-14 or Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24, Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16, 1 Peter 4:1-8, Matthew 27:57-66 or John 19:38-42 read texts

Resurrection of the Lord—Easter Vigil:
Genesis 1:1—2:4a, Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26, Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13, Psalm 46, Genesis 22:1-18, Psalm 16, Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 , Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18, Isaiah 55:1-11, Isaiah 12:2-6, Baruch 3:9-15, 32—4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 , Psalm 19, Ezekiel 36:24-28, Psalm 42 and 43, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 143,
Zephaniah 3:14-20, Psalm 98, Romans 6:3-11, Psalm 114, Matthew 28:1-10 read texts

SU 20
Resurrection of the Lord—Easter Day:
Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 , Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10 read texts

Resurrection of Our Lord—Easter Evening
Isaiah 25:6-9 Psalm 114 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Luke 24:13-49 read texts
"It doesn’t get any easier..." -- Leviticus 19:1-2, 8-18, Matthew 5:38-48--Feb. 23, 2014

"It doesn’t get any easier..." -- Leviticus 19:1-2, 8-18, Matthew 5:38-48--Feb. 23, 2014

 

For the past several weeks we’ve been reading along in what has come to be known as "the Sermon on the Mount," that collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus that Matthew arranges together and sets it in the context of Jesus’ teaching his disciples "on the top of the mountain."  Luke, as I mentioned last week, gathers up these teachings with his own twist, and sets Jesus’ teaching on a plain; thus, the "sermon on the plain."   Matthew, writing to a mostly Jewish audience, puts Jesus on "the mountain" to remind his community of that other great prophet and lawgiver, Moses, who went up "the mountain" to receive the law from God.

We talk about "the sermon on the mount" rather casually, referring to it as the core of Jesus’ teachings and maybe even claiming to try to live according to it, but as we’ve discovered, one might not be so casual about it if one had actually read it.  Who was it that said that "it’s not that Christianity has been tried and failed, but rather that Christianity has never been tried"?

Indeed, the more we read this "sermon," the more impossible it seems for anyone but Jesus to live that way–not only must we not murder, but we mustn’t get angry...not only must we not commit adultery, we must not experience lust... we must never divorce or swear anything more than yes, yes, or no, no; and here today, we read that we must turn the other cheek when someone strikes us, give even our undergarment to someone who sues us for our coat, walk a second mile with someone who forces us to walk a mile with them, and we are to love and pray for our enemies. Oh yes, and we are to be perfect, as God is perfect. It all sounds perfectly lovely and I’m sure the world would be a better place if we all lived this way, but get real, Jesus!  Who can really live that way?  Are these just the rules for the kingdom of heaven which we’ll experience "in the sweet by and by" because in our world, it would seem that living this way will get you beat up or killed, which, by the way, Jesus, happened to you.

On the left and on the right, the sermon on the mount is dismissed as an impossible, naive way to live. Ayn Rand, the philosopher and author and darling of the Tea Party, writes, "If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject."  (Cited by David Lose, WorkingPreacher.org, 2/18/14) Karl Marx, the father of socialism, wrote, "The social principles of Christianity preach cowardice, self-contempt, abasement, submissiveness, and humbleness." (Lose, op cit.)  So it would seem, and so according to the rules of "the world," Jesus’ Way of living is foolishness.  Which is why we need to take these teachings seriously enough to wrestle with them, dig deep into them, argue with them and, yes, even try them out, if we are to discover any treasure they might hold for us mere mortals.

"Jesus is ‘at his ornery best here,’" writes one commentator [Jason Byassee, cited by Mark Suriano in Samuel, ucc.org for 2/23/14], "offering ‘advice’ that makes no sense divorced from the nature of the one giving it."  Jesus is speaking to people who, for generations, have experienced the Law as being associated with the powerful and elite, who are guardians of the precise way to follow it, so that it has become little more than a burden and an obligation.  Seen this way, the Law will not lead to any kind of transformational relationship with God, which is what Jesus is about.

I have spoken before about Walter Wink’s brilliant insights into this passage, where he discovered the Biblical roots of non-violence.  It’s a review for some of you, but worth repeating, if only because the alternative–an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth–is rapidly turning ours into an eyeless, toothless world.

Walter wondered why Jesus would have made a point of saying, "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek..."  Did it matter which cheek?  So, after having done some research about hand to hand conflict in that time, he had his students act out the scene.  The only way that you could be struck on the right cheek by someone standing opposite you would have been with the back of the right hand, since the left hand was used only for matters of hygiene and there were even penalties for using it otherwise.  So this was a slap of humiliation or domination, something Jesus’ audience would have been quite familiar with.  To turn the other cheek would have required the hitter to use his right fist, which in turn would have implied a fistfight between peers.

And it clicked [Walter wrote]: Because the action robs the oppressor of the power to humiliate.  The person who turns the other cheek is saying: ‘Try again.  Your first blow failed to achieve its intended effect.  I deny you the power to humiliate me.  I am a human being just like you.  Your status does not alter that fact.  You cannot demean me. [Walter Wink, Just Jesus, pp. 66-7]

Similarly, indebtedness was probably the singlemost social issue in first century Palestine.  So, "if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat," you were most likely a peasant, with little more than the clothes on your back.  The outer garment or coat would have been the only thing you could put up for collateral, but the law said it had to be returned by nightfall, since it was a poor person’s only protection against the cold.  "Give your cloak as well," Jesus said, which at first seems ridiculous.  The "cloak" was actually the undergarment, the only other piece of clothing a poor person had, and so following Jesus’ advice would leave them naked.

Put yourself in the debtor’s place

[Walter writes] and imagine the guffaws this saying must have evoked.  There stands the creditor, beet-red with embarrassment, your outer garment in one hand and your underwear in the other.  You have suddenly turned the tables on him.  You had no hope of winning the trial; the law was entirely in his favor.  But you have refused to be humiliated [there was no shame in nakedness, only looking upon nakedness], and at the same time you have registered a stunning protest against a system that spawns such debt.  The creditor is revealed not to be a ‘respectable’ moneylender but to be a party in the reduction of an entire social class to landlessness and destitution...This message, far from being a counsel of perfection unattainable in this life, is a practical, strategic measure for empowering the oppressed. [Wink, op cit., p. 79]

Likewise, the saying about going the second mile with the one who has forced you to walk a mile, referred to the practice of Roman soldiers enlisting a local person to carry his heavy pack for one mile.  There were actually strict rules about not going any further, to keep the locals from becoming too outraged, so by generously offering to carry the soldier’s pack another mile, you would not only catch the soldier off guard but might even force him to beg you to give his pack back, again, demonstrating your humanity and refusal to be humiliated.

This way of regarding the Law requires more of ourselves and the community supporting us.  This is not simply an eye for an eye justice, which does have its own balance and fairness.  This way of looking at the Law appeals to more than our primitive, reptilian brains, which lash out and demand revenge.  This way goes deeper, to restorative justice, appealing to the higher function of Love which includes Justice and reconciliation, bringing both offender and the one offended into a new relationship and both, ultimately, into a transformative relationship with God. The rules of the world are not interested in that, but Jesus is beginning the revolution here to call those rules into question, proclaiming that we are created not just for so-called "justice"–an eye for an eye–but also for Love and Life.  Indeed, that is our only hope.

The word Jesus uses for "perfect" here–"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" is telos – which means complete, mature, what your purpose is, what you are created for.  Your true being, your essence, he is saying, is love and life, which is served neither by simply acquiescing to humiliation and injustice or by becoming the evil and violence that has hurt you.

A.J. Jacobs, a writer for Esquire magazine, decided to take on the project of "living Biblically for one year."  He had grown up non-religiously–"I was Jewish the way Olive Garden is Italian," he said–and he was concerned about rising fundamentalism. He wanted to find out what the appeal was. So he made a list of all the rules in the Bible–more than 700, by his count–and set out to follow as many of them as he could for one year.  He found it to be both challenging and life-changing.  At the end of the year, he came up with 6 lessons he had learned–

1. Thou shalt not take the Bible literally. It’s impossible he said and talked about the ridiculous measures he had to go to observe of the rules.  He spoke with extremely intelligent creationists who had to go through the most amazing mental gymnastics to take everything literally.

2. Thou shalt give thanks.  I’ve learned this through positive psychology.  It’s amazing the number of the things that go right in a day, Jacobs said, compared to the few things that go wrong.  Giving thanks makes a difference in how you experience your life.

3. Thou shalt have reverence.  Even though he considered–and still considers–himself an agnostic, there is something beautiful about sacredness, Jacobs says, something beautiful about taking time for sabbath, whether or not there is a God.

4.  Thou shalt not stereotype.  He spent time with various religious groups, including Mormons, evangelicals, Quakers, all sorts of folks.  He said he discovered that evangelicalism is much wider than he had thought, including those who call themselves "red letter Christians" who point out that Jesus had absolutely nothing to say about homosexuality and a whole lot to say about caring for the outcasts.  He said he was even able to out-talk the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who after 3 or 4 hours finally said they had to go.

5. Thou shalt not disregard the irrational.  Religious rituals may be irrational, he said, but so are many of the things we do non-religiously–like blowing out candles on a birthday cake.  Don’t disregard mystery.

And finally, Jacobs concluded after a year of living biblically, Thou shalt pick and choose.  Choose the right parts, the parts about compassion and tolerance, rather than the parts about violence and intolerance, all of which are in the bible.

Perhaps most importantly, "My behavior changed my mind," Jacobs concluded.  Living this way changed the way I experienced the world.  What if we actually tried living the Sermon on the Mount for a week?  For the season of Lent?  What if we worked at being mindful of our thoughts and intentions, our anger, our desires, our grudges?  What if we engaged those who had wronged us not by "getting even" but by finding ways to appeal to their intrinsic humanity and transforming both their and our actions into a different relationship?  What if we prayed for the jihadists and terrorists, not just that they might be struck down, though perhaps thwarted in their attempts at violence, but rather to understand their deepest longings, their love and passion for God and their families?  It probably won’t change them–though it might–but it will most probably change us.

"We could pray vehemently [in worship] for the passing of the old order," one commentator suggests, "and quietly live our lives the rest of the week, or we could pray vehemently for the passing of the old order and plant the seeds of the new by the living of our lives the rest of the week as Jesus preaches in the gospel today." [Mark Suriano, op cit.] As one who put into practice these teachings of Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. concluded, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  The Sermon on the Mount is full of that kind of light and love.  We are all too familiar with the shadows and hate.  Let’s give Light and Love a try.  Amen.

 

Rev. Mary H. Lee-Clark

 
test for announcements

test for announcements

Highlighted Events and News:

  • 5pm Sunday Supper – every Sunday! This supper is open to the community

  • The office will be closed on Monday, February 17th and Tuesday, February 18th.

  • Wednesday, February 19th at 4:30-6pm Habitat Meeting in Room 6 regarding Southshire Pownal Build.

  • Meditation/contemplation and conversation meet on Thursdays in Room 2 at 10:30am.

  • All Church Fellowship would like to encourage folks to sign up to host Sunday Fellowship.

  • Per Capita envelopes went out in the Open Door this week. Please consider covering the cost the church pays for our adult members. Where else can you be a member of such a wonderful group for $12.50 a year.


School Bags for Church World Service

  • It is time to begin sewing school bags for Church World Service. We have many bags precut and ready to be put together. The precut bags will be available on Sundays in the social hall or ask Trudy Durfee or me to find you some to do. They are fairly easy to do. Thanks Pat Lafontaine.

  • CWS Baby Kits: There is plenty of yarn and patterns for you to take and try your hand at knitting a small sweater or blanket. If anyone would like help with a pattern, Fran Broomhall or Sue DeLucia will be happy to help you.


Looking Ahead:

  • Saturday, February 22nd Food Swap in Webster Hall at 6-8pm.

  • First meeting of the Administrative Council is Tuesday, February 25th at 7pm in the Clayton Room


Planning Ahead:

The following is a list of things to have on hand in case of a storm emergency:

  • Water (1 gal/person/day),

  • Food (non-perishable and easy to prepare and/eat–don’t forget a can-opener),

  • Flashlight and extra batteries, Battery-powered or hand crank radio,

  • First-aid kit that includes a pain reliever,

  • Sanitation and personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toothpaste, anti-bacterial hand-sanitizer),

  • Copies of important personal documents,

  • Family and emergency contacts (written down, not just in your cell phone),

  • Blankets. Additional items depending on your family situation: extra doses of medications, diapers/baby food, games for children, pet food/medication, etc.

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"The glory of God is the human being fully alive!"


Whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey, YOU are invited to join us on the journey at Second Congregational – a church for young and old and in-between. A progressive church, with opportunities for questioning and seeking, musical and mission-minded, we were Vermont's first “Open and Affirming” congregation and welcome - into the worship, fellowship, membership, and full life of our church - all persons of faith and those seeking faith, regardless of race, social or economic status, physical abilities or sexual orientation.
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Lent and EAARTH

Lent and EAARTH

Lent and EAARTH (1)

There are a number of ways to live Lent. One is to suffer a bit, to take on an extra burden or to give something up to emulate Christ's taking up the cross and giving up his life. Another is to spend the time feeling guilty because you have not always been the fully alive human that God would have had you be. A third is to acknowledge all the great blessings God has provided, including this wondrous planet, and actually do something, however small, to mitigate the dreadful damage being done to it; damage that has already changed it from the earth past generations knew to a new one symbolized by a change in spelling to eaarth. Doing such things is not only a mitzvah (good deed) to the environment but to another great blessing we have, the children around us now and children yet to come.

Jesus did not take up the cross because he felt he needed to suffer, but because he was called to it for a higher purpose. Acknowledging shortcomings is important but it is only healing if it leads to effort to overcome them. Each of the first two ways to live Lent mentioned above is fuller life only if it has a greater purpose than voluntary suffering. The Eaarth Advocates group will be offering a number of suggestions of different ways we can all “do something” this Lent. Suggestions will be keyed to the environmental challenge area Mary will focus on in her sermons during Lent.

(1) http://www.billmckibben.com/eaarth/eaarthbook.html
Our Congregation's Responses to questions about the Earth's Environmen

Our Congregation's Responses to questions about the Earth's Environmen

Our Congregation's Responses to questions about the Earth's Environment:

Questions were posed and responses invited on posters in Webster Hall. |Environmental awareness and activities will be a focus for 2CC during Lent 2014.

What are your concerns about the world's environment?

- loss of species due to global warming
- loss of habitat
- loss of wild scenic places
- changes in weather patterns
- pollution of air, water, land
- the effect of acid rain on the environment and historic man-made places
- garbage in the oceans and washing up on shore
- medication-resistant organisms






What do we need?

- sustainable farming to help avoid loss of affordable food available to all. There is enough for all if we learn to conserve and share.
- make better use of what we have
- clean drinking water for everyone

What are you doing to help care for the earth's environment?

- recycling, re-using, reducing
- composting
- growing a garden for human edibles and of flowers to attract and feed honeybees
- using a mulching lawnmower
- reusable shopping bags
- traded in truck for Prius plug-in
- opening windows instead of using air conditioning
- insulating our home properly
- avoiding bottled water (to reduce waste plastic)
- having fewer garbage cans (to reduce number of garbage bags used)
- using LED bulbs instead of incandescent or fluorescent
- sweeping instead of vacuuming
- combining errands to use less gas
"If you don't preach about climate change every 3-4 weeks,”

"If you don't preach about climate change every 3-4 weeks,”

"If you don't preach about climate change every 3-4 weeks,” I read in one of my preaching journals, “the time will come soon when you'll have to preach about grief every week.” Wow. Overly dramatic? I don't know, but it sure got my attention.

Many environmentalists say we're already past the tipping point where we're entering uncharted territory with our atmosphere and the effects it will have on climate change. Others find that too alarmist and say there are things we still can do to reverse some of the changes. The thing beyond dispute is that we as people of faith must absolutely consider our care and stewardship of the planet as a spiritual discipline to which we are called. And the vows that we as a community make to the children who are baptized in our midst must include the vow to live in such a way that they and their children might grow up in a world full of beauty and wonder, able to support and sustain life that is diverse and sufficient for the health and dignity of all its creatures.

As you can read elsewhere in this issue, there is a group of folks in our church family who feel passionate about our need to respond to the growing evidence of climate change. They have proposed that during Lent – the traditional season of taking on practices that will help us in our spiritual journey -- we focus on those practices that will also develop our spiritual disciplines of earth care. From small, individual practices to the more demanding life changes, needing the support of a community, we will explore how we might more faithfully “tend the garden'' to which God has entrusted us.

Lent begins this year on Ash Wednesday, March 5, with Easter almost as late as it can get -- April 20. 1 Invite you to give some thought ahead of time as to how you will observe this holy season, what passion or heartbreak or hope you will allow to inspire and guide your journey and what disciplines or practices will aid you along the way.

Know that you do not journey alone!

Grace and peace,
Mary
"You have heard it said..."-- Deut. 30:15-20, Matthew 5:21-37--Feb. 16, 2014

"You have heard it said..."-- Deut. 30:15-20, Matthew 5:21-37--Feb. 16, 2014

 

Jesus started off so gently–"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted..."    The writer of Matthew’s gospel arranges these teachings of Jesus into a sermon, beginning with what we call "the beatitudes," or blessings.  All those gathered around Jesus could hear him speaking directly to them–"Blessed are [you] the meek, for they shall inherit the earth...Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all sorts of evil against you falsely on my account..."  "You are the salt of the earth...you are the light of the world..."

But then he gets into the crazy talk–"You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’‘ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’  But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.’"   OK, now Jesus is talking directly to me.  Really, Jesus?  I can’t even be angry?

He’s far from finished.  "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  And if you right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell."  Really, Jesus?  If we’re so convinced we’re a "Christian nation," it seems to me there ought to be a whole lot of spare body parts piled up around here.

"It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."  Even though this is clearly directed at men, it still makes me incredibly uncomfortable.  How many marriages have come to a place where they are no longer life-giving, in fact, where Death and destruction have already essentially parted the two people?  No divorce, Jesus?

And finally–for today!–"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’  But I say to you, Do not swear at all...Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one."  Wow.  Is our language really that important?  It seems like every other conversation I overhear on the street uses the "f-word" for every part of speech imaginable.  No swearing, Jesus?

On one level, this all just seems to reinforce the stereotypical image of God as the stern judge looking down upon us, making sure that nobody’s having too much fun.  And in fact, these are not wimpy texts.  They show us, as one writer put it, that loving God is costly love [Sharron Blezard, Stewardship of Life, 2/6/11] .

Beyond that, though, what these texts tell us is that our "relationships matter to God" [David Lose, Working Preacher, 2/11/14] .  God is not some Unmoved Mover who is detached from the day to day interactions of human beings.  In fact, it would appear that God would rather we did the work of reconciling our relationships rather than come to worship – "so when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift."  Imagine if, before the offering, we were to pause so that everyone who had a complaint or grudge or misunderstanding with another member of the community could go and clear things up!

Episcopal priest Suzanne Guthrie writes, "Jesus brushes past the surface stuff (murder, adultery) to get to the tendrils of evil rooting within the heart.  It isn’t enough just to refrain from killing or from infidelity but to uncover the anger and lustful impulses that form into thoughts, desires, and then deeds.  Purity of heart is called for."  (Edge of the Enclosure, Epiph. 6A)   And she recalls what an impact reading the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Peace Is Every Step, made upon her.

There is a term in Buddhist psychology that gets translated as "internal formations," or "fetters," or "knots".   These formations or fetters or knots may get tied up within us when we don’t understand the cause of someone’s anger or hostility, when we allow someone or something to "get to us."   This doesn’t mean that that person shouldn’t take responsibility or even be disciplined for their actions, but when we are not tied up in knots, our response will at least be coming from a place of compassion and understanding, rather than anger and retribution.

[I find it interesting that the Aramaic word which Jesus uses in the Lord’s Prayer– "forgive us our trespasses or sins" also has the meaning of "tangles or knots."  "Untangle the knots within so that we can mend our hearts’ simple ties to each other," is the way one scholar translates that phrase from the Aramaic (Neil Douglas-Klotz, Prayers of the Cosmos).   ]

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets," Jesus said just before today’s reading. "I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."  He does not really "brush away" murder, adultery, divorce, or swearing oaths, but he does broaden the law and uses hyperbole or exaggeration to heighten the importance of our relationships, how we treat one another in community.

In a small, relatively endangered community like Israel, like Jesus’ community, the consequences of murder are devastatingly obvious.  In that same community, bound by codes of honor and shame, and where a man’s wife was considered his property, adultery was less a crime of passion and more an attempt to shame another man.  It was also disruptive to the community where the ideal mate was one’s first cousin.  Divorce customs, where a man could simply write a certificate of divorce for his wife, made women objects of property and left them without shelter or resources.  And oaths were most often given in the context of selling–I swear this is good, or where it came from, that sort of thing.  So oaths implied that one might not be honest and so needed to swear.  A small group depending on its members for survival will quickly disintegrate if honesty and truthfulness do not underlie all their dealings with one another.

So this, Jesus was saying, is the distinctive character of life in God’s new age. We don’t live in the same small, endangered community, but if we seek to live in God’s new age, the guidelines are the same.  Our thoughts and intentions matter, as they give rise to our desires and deeds.  Be mindful of them, pay attention to your anger, to your lust.  Every day you must make the decision to stay married, if you are married, for it happens all too often that one day we discover that we have lost touch with our commitment to that one we had pledged our life to.  We have let a wall of resentments, grudges, hurts, and apathy grow up between us.  Other life commitments seem more appealing.  Our relationships matter to God.  Studies show that the number one factor in determining well-being is not health or wealth or possessions but the quality of our close relationships.  They matter.  They’re worth our attention and care.

So, you might think of one relationship that is good and important to you.  Think about why it is good and why it is important.  Give thanks to God for this person and be sure to express your gratitude to that person.  Think also of a relationship that is wounded or broken.  Without blame, hold that relationship in prayer, invite God into that relationship, and see how you might untie some of those knots that have tangled you up.

"You have heard that it was said, .... but I say to you."  Jesus deepens and expands the law given to sustain and enrich the community, woven together in relationship with God.   It is not the law that earns us relationship with God; God’s Love guarantees that.  But live into more deeply and fully into that Love, Jesus says.

Sometimes the old wisdom needs to be set free.  Listen to part of this performance poem by Christopher Burkett, based on the form Jesus used.

You have heard it was said
Charity begins at home
Your care
confined by what you know.
But I say to you
love is not bound,
it stretches your will,
enlarging your soul,
confounding constraint

and making you bleed.
For if you care alone for those near,
what have you learnt
but to subsist?

You have heard it was said
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks
Your learning of life dulled by your age.
But I say to you
the tree grows until its dying day,
living is learning,
experience and the new knocking on each other,
making discipleship true.
For if you know only yesterday’s answer,
where will you meet
the risen Christ anew?
...

You have heard it was said
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Your imagination held tight by what is.
But I say to you
a better way there may be
sight isn’t vision,
what’s comfortable can be a sham,
how things are
excludes too much.
For if you let what is, be all
where do you see
the Kingdom’s changing call?

...

You have heard it was said
Blood is thicker than water
Ties of birth determine who’s kin.
But I say to you
kin is belonging
that’s given by God,
ties that bind
are as wide as
sovereign grace.
For if you make your clan sole affinity
where then is God’s plan
for inclusion that heals?
...

You have heard it was said
Children should be seen and not heard
For they have yet to earn a place in the world.
But I say to you
now is the time
to live and respect,
not tomorrow and not yet,
joy is for now
it’s not an adult’s sole inheritance.
For if you deny the children voiceshow may you know
the things that you’ve lost?

...

Here is the notion,
Here is the action
In the realm where grace is all:
Not commonplace, not easy,
Not ‘as was said.’
Nor what’s agreeable,
Just the enigma of a God
With an earthly frame
Calling us on --
Not to abolish but to fulfil
And to seek in all things
The Divine will.

["You Have Heard It Said," a performance poem by Christopher Burkett, PreacherRhetorica, 2014.]

May we live into all that God intends and is creating even now.  So may we live in God’s

kingdom on earth.    Amen, and amen.

Rev. Mary H. Lee-Clark

 

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