You could say that the story of Jonah is an unbelievable story; some might call it, “A Whale of A Tale,” even though there’s no “whale” in the story: it’s a fish! Maybe the difference is not important.

That’s what most people remember about Jonah - the big fish which swallows him. It’s one of the stories I learned in Sunday School, complete with a vivid painting! In the story of Pinocchio, the tale of a puppet who becomes a real boy, both Pinocchio and his creator Gepetto, end up in the belly of a whale named Monstro.

The tale of Jonah is quite the story, and even it you leave out the impossible part about the fish, it’s still quite unbelievable. When we hear the story we are left scratching our heads and wondering “what is that about, really?”

If you look at it closely, the first thing you see is that his sermon was 8 words long. EIGHT WORDS, preached without any enthusiasm whatsoever. I’m already over 300! And the result: whole city repented - well really, the king ordered the whole city to exhibit signs of repentance, and even ordered it for the animals. No food, no drink, for anyone or anything and all of them had to dress in sackcloth, all signs of repentance! I’ve seen race horses outside with blankets on, especially in cold weather. I’ve seen small dogs wearing coats and even boots. But sheep? Cattle? I’ve seen those odd looking “belted cattle” in the Mt Denson area, but they just “look” like they have wide belts around their middle. I wouldn’t want to put any kind of clothing on a bovine. And, just try and get my cat in an itchy coat!

It sounds a bit like a crazy camp song!

When we read this story there several things we need to know; things the original readers would know without being told or reminded. One is that the city of Nineveh (representing all of Assyria) and Israel were bitter enemies. The other thing is that this story is like one of Jesus’ parables. Everyone would have known it was “made up” but also that it had a much deeper, more universal meaning!

The story of Jonah is one of repentance and forgiveness. It is also a story of call and response. It is a story of God’s willingness to embrace the “other” and of God’s call for us to do the same. It is a story about the power of God to change hearts and minds and to transform lives. It is about God’s willingness to stick with a people who, more often than not, ignore God’s call and run in the other direction. It is, in the fullest sense of the word, “gospel”.

In Canada we take our war history seriously. In fact, in the last few years, there seems to be a resurgence in the importance of Remembrance Day. As a country that continues to receive immigrants from just about every country in the world, we need to walk the sometimes fine line of remembering past sacrifices and forgetting past divisions. While we remember the sacrifices of our veterans we must not transfer those animosities to our present generation. The Germans and the Japanese are no longer enemies. 104 years ago Russia was on our side!

The Rev Martin Niemöller, awarded the Iron Cross for his service in WWI, went to Adolph Hitler before WWII to protest his anti-Semitic policies. He was imprisoned for 8 years for his opposition to state control of the German churches. He once confessed,

“It took me a long time to learn that God is not the enemy of my enemies. He is not even the enemy of his enemies.” 

Let’s look at the Jonah story a little more closely. First: some background. Before the time in which this story is set, the people of Israel were defeated by the powerful Assyrian empire. The best and the brightest were carried off into exile in Babylon. After Assyria was defeated by Persia about 70 years later, Cyrus, the king of Persia, allowed the captives to return home, or at least to their parents’ home. At this time there was a very strong movement to become “pure” and to rid their community of “foreign influence.” It was the ultimate in “stranger danger”. They viewed all things foreign as ‘the enemy’, and as the large part of the reason for their defeat. They were told to purge the country of all things foreign.

This story, and the story of Ruth, both challenged their assumptions about God and about foreigners.

Second: a quick recap. Here’s the gist of the story. Jonah was called by God to preach doom to the city of Nineveh, but he did not want to! Now, you would think that Jonah would LOVE to preach destruction to Israel’s enemy but Jonah also knew Israel’s God and the power of God’s word! He knew that if he preached, “God will get you” and they repented, God would forgive them, which is exactly what happened!

So, since he wanted to see them destroyed he bought a ticket on the first boat going in the other direction. A storm came up and he confessed that the storm had come about because he was fleeing from his God and he is thrown overboard. BUT, God isn’t finished with Jonah yet. Instead of letting him drown, God sends a really big fish to swallow Jonah and save him. He remains inside the fish for three days! Then the fish spits Jonah out on shore and he goes and reluctantly preaches to Nineveh.

You know how it is when you contemplate a task that you don’t want to do, like shovel snow or mow a lawn. Every step feels like three and every shovel feels like it weighs three times what it really does. It takes him days to preach his 8 word sermon!

His message has no hope, no “unless”. It may well be the worst sermon ever preached, “three days more and Nineveh will be overthrown”. 8 words. That’s it. BUT the king and the people and the animals repent and God does not destroy them.

However, instead of rejoicing, Jonah goes off sulking. God doesn’t get it; how can Jonah be upset; his preaching saved thousands!

What is the good news of Jonah in 2018 in our little corner of Nova Scotia?

We live in a world of division and mistrust very similar to Jonah’s world. Ironically, Nineveh is very close to the modern city of Mosul which has been in the news more times than we can count in the last few years. While Jonah lived in the shadow of the Exile, we live in the shadow of 9/11. Much of the increasing complexities of our lives, from opening a bank account to flying on an airplane are a reaction to those events.

We live in a country that is trying to come to terms with its colonial history and its treatment of indigenous peoples. The commission on Missing and Murdered Aboriginal women and the Truth and Reconciliation process in relation to residential schools are part of the process of truth telling and repentance we must go through to come to a more healthy relationship with our first peoples.

We are being called to deal with global warming in a county that depends on fossil fuels and economic forces that are generated by them

Those who work for minimum wage are advocating for a living wage while “business” asserts that it is not economically sustainable and are fighting it tooth and nail.

We buy goods which are manufactured by North American companies in sweatshops and in very unsafe conditions in the developing world and we buy agricultural products whose growers work in conditions we would not tolerate here in Canada.

We as individuals, and as a church community, fit into each of these “debates” or “dilemmas” at different points of intersection and fear or welcome any anticipated change in different ways. We face a complex and complicated set of problems.

We may forget that it is also a time of great hope and possibility. The call of Jonah was to call an entire people to repent and embrace the ways of life. We are called, as Jonah was called, to realize that our God is a God of all people and all lands. This is the God who called all of creation “GOOD” - and not just the human part. This is a God who wills life in all abundance for all peoples - no matter who we are or where we live.

We are called to live lives of faithfulness where love of God, self and neighbour are held in a delicate balance

Maybe the fist steps for us, as we seek to answer this call, are to a) BELIEVE that it’s not just about us, and b) begin a meaningful and life changing conversation with all of the interested parties.

We have no other place to go. At this time we have no other planets to settle, no other worlds to go to and do it right. Let’s embrace our faith in the God of all the nations and proclaim the love of this God to everyone we meet.

Amen.

January 28, 2018

Deuteronomy 18: 15-20
Psalm 111
Mark 1: 21-28

Where Have All the Prophets Gone?

As I was doing background reading for this sermon early last week, I came across a suggested sermon title, which I decided to use: “Where Have All The Prophets Gone?” Of course, it immediately made me think of the song by Pete Seger: “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”. Incidentally a camp counsellor tJoe Hickerson, took Seger’s initial draft and revised it (and Seger gave him 20% of the royalties.) I assume that his connection was intended.

Written during the McCarthy era, and in the dark shadow of the Vietnam War, much of the folk music tradition of that era is a plea for a better world: an end to war, exploitation and environmental degradation. I guess that just proves the saying, “the more things change, the more they remain the same.”

The names of all of the world players, and even some of the countries, have changed since that war which ended over 40 years ago, but those are probably still three of the biggest worries in the world today.

In many respects, the biblical world was very different than our own, but there are more similarities that we like to admit sometimes. While there are big differences we cannot ignore what the biblical story and it’s characters have to tell us.

The first passage promises the people that there will be prophets after him and their word is from God. Inn addition to the obvious healing, the gospel passage has a deeper meaning of the power of God working through Jesus.

While global warming and nuclear annihilation were was not even on the radar, in “Bible times,” the destruction of land, and of the ability of conquered peoples to grow their own food, was a common tactic of the Roman Empire! I am told they would salt the fields so that nothing would grow for a very long time. When the British expelled the Acadians, in the mid 1700s, they burned homes, barns and fields as part of “Le Grand Dérangement.” When European colonists took over First Nations territories they were deliberately deprived of their way of life as a means of making way for the “settlers.”

Israel’s destruction of olive trees owned by Palestinian farmers shows that such practices are still used.

Jesus and his contemporaries lived under the brutal taxation and oppressive occupation of Rome. It seemed to many that the religious leaders had worked out a truce that ensured the the survival of the their religious traditions but in the process “lost their souls.” Common people derived little benefit from this.

For some time now there have been an increasing number of people who are expressing great fears about the disappearance of the middle class and the increasing gulf between rich and poor. With the loss of several industries in this area, you know, probably better than I do, “how things used to be.” At the food bank we see an ever increasing need.

In the midst of this people’s day to day lives continue, as they always have, with joy and sorrow, hopes and dreams fulfilled and dashed, in health and in illness. People of faith seek a word from God to sustain life and to give them purpose and to give some guidance about making a difference in the world and in the life of the wider community.

Many years ago I read that a clergyperson, in congregational ministry, must balance three, sometimes incompatible roles: those of priest, pastor and prophet.

The roles of priest and pastor in the United Church involve presiding at communion, baptism, at weddings and funerals, visiting in hospital and at home, interpreting the scriptures, inspiring people to care for one another and holding the congregation in prayer - to name some of the most obvious! Communities of faith call clergy to dedicate their lives to those particular functions in the community of faith.

Someone once said that the minister’s role is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” This is where the roles clash. Sometimes a leader, like Moses, like Jesus, like all leaders, has to “tell it like it is.” This role, this thankless task, is the task of the prophet.

When I was young, I thought that most people saw prophets much like fortune tellers. Prophets predicted the future without any basis in fact or science. God told them! There are supposedly sound reasons to predict the outcomes of elections, and for a meteorologist to study the radar and other data to tell me that it will rain in two days. I don’t see though how anyone can tell me that it will be raining on Tuesday the 12th of June, with any degree of accuracy but that’s not prophecy. by the way, I picked that day and date out of my head, then checked. The 12th of Jubne 2018 is a Tuesday! When I was in university I was taught that prophets are not “fore-ellers”, they are “forth-tellers.” They proclaim, or “forth-tell” the word of God. Mostly, I believe, they speak in such a way as to bring the current situation and God’s vision, as they understand it, into a dialogue.

You can almost guarantee the sermon that says, “you’re doing great; don’t change a thing” is NOT a prophetic sermon. The problem is that when I am looking at my role as “pastor” that’s more often than not what someone needs to hear. For example, someone is stressed out over their own health, the health of a far away parent or child, and pressures at work and they feel they should be doing better, or more, and they do what some call, “should-ing” on themselves. “I should.....” “I should ......”

Yet, as a minister I am ALSO called to say that the church and church people need to have a role and a voice in addressing the problems of the community and the world.

Israel, according to the biblical record had a habit of forgetting the part of their covenant with God that focussed on their responsibilities. They were quick to embrace the blessings aspect but not so quick to ensure they dud what God demaned of them, which, in the words of Micah could be summed up as justice, kindness and humility before God. They often treated prophets harshly.

When the media reports on religion and churches they tend to focus on the ones who emphasize moral issues such as abortion, the Lord’s Prayer in schools, the ten commandments in the law courts, and traditional views of creation. marriage and family.

The more “liberal” denominations, tend to place more emphasis on the call to justice. It’s not that morality is not important to us but we must not stop there. Our church tends to embrace more modern and scientific views of certain matters. Based in the biblical tradition, our church tends to call people beyond “morality” to a broader view of faithfulness. Jesus referred to the religious leaders who would “strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Theyn followed picky rules but ignored justice! Some churches take great pride and satisfaction in saving souls but instead of saving people from “an eternity in hell,” In think we need to focus on what our relationship with Jesus saves and equips us for! We all probably know some people who are “so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.”

A prophet looks at the world and asks, “Are things the way they should be and can people of faith work toward bringing about a change for the better?” The prophet asks, “Are the hungry being fed? The prisoners clothed? The sick visited?” These images from the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, when translated into the 21st century call us to embrace social change which makes caring for the vulnerable, possible.

As the old expression goes, we can feed people, or we can teach people how to grow their own food. However in order for people to be able to grow their own food and catch their own fish the sea cannot be polluted and land not washing into the sea or used for cash crops for big business. In order for people to provide for themselves they need to have jobs that sustain a decent standard of life. We need to put the daily needs of people ahead of company profit.

Of course since we all benefit, in some way or other, from profit on invested money we see quite quickly the conundrum the call to justice places on us with something as simple as the “minimum wage.” Then we can get into reducing fossil fuel use and we open another can of economic worms.

Yet the call to prophecy is at the very least to have the conversation about how we can sustain life on this planet in both the short term and in the long term. The prophetic call is about how everyone can benefit from science and technology, and not just the elites!

Hoping the problems will be solved on their own, or hoping God will save us from our collective stupidity are not options.

The prophetic role was, and is, to call people to sit up and take notice - we need to change - we need to take God’s promise of abundant life for ALL creation seriously. It is a call to look for anwers and to be apart of the solution.

Let us open our hearts, open our eyes, and step forward in faith and courage.

Amen.

February 4, 2018

NO SERMON - Family Funeral

February 11, 2018 - Transfiguration

2 Kings 2: 1-12
Psalm 50
Mark 9: 2-9

I Can See Clearly Now!

My niece Katherine (who, incidentally, is feeling “old” because she turned “half of fifty” this past week! ) is studying for her BEd. Wednesday night she was practising a “Vision Lab” she was preparing for her classmates. She put her mom and me through a bunch of “tests” - reading a regular “eye chart”, an activity involving dropping a coin in a cup, one involving trying to put a pencil through a hole in a piece of paper - both of those with one eye covered. Another involved staring at a star or a circle on the same piece of paper, and moving the paper, again with one eye covered. That was to determine my “blind spot”. I suppose it’s the kind of thing she might eventually teach in a Jr High classroom!

I’ve seen other “eye tests” numerous times, usually as facebook posts involving coloured circles. You are supposed to be able to see a number in the middle of the circle. Show examples

Of course, if you have some degree of colour blindness, you wont be able to see a number in one or more of the circles. One is taking more work than the other. I may see it if I work hard enough; or maybe stop working and let “it just appear”.

There are other graphics I have come across that test depth perception. Since I have never had binocular vision, I fail these miserably. Some graphics are designed as optical illusions. Show two Once you see both images it’s hard to go back to “not being able to see both of them.”

I recall a telephone conversation I had with that same niece, when she was learning how to tell time. (Her parents had insisted they use watches with “hands.”) She was confused when I told her that the “time” was a “quarter to eight;” - in her child’s mind, quarters were money!

Of course, young children think in very concrete terms and cannot grasp concepts in the same way that adults can. The fact that a word could have two meanings was hard for her to grasp! When I studied “Christian Education” I learned that both cognitive development and faith development has various, often age-related stages.

Today is “transfiguration” Sunday and the traditional passages have been read. The season of Epiphany, which is just ending, is often seen as a time of “revelation” during which Jesus’ true identity is revealed to the disciples so that they can go out and tell the “world”. Often though, it took awhile for the disciples to “get it.” It seems that the disciples are not, for the most part, the sharpest knives in the drawer!

When I was in grade 12 I studied trigonometry and for most of the semester I was on the verge of failing. Unlike normal algebra and geometry, with trig, there was something I just didn’t “get”. Finally, in mid- January something clicked and I made 96% on the final exam. (Unfortunately I have retained none of the knowledge!) That’s sometimes the way with learning, or with learning from our experiences; something clicks and suddenly we see clearly. We shake our heads and wonder what took us so long to “see”, to “understand”, to “know”.

Feminist, Carole Etzler, wrote this song:

“Sometimes I wish my eyes hadn't been opened
Sometimes I wish I could no longer see
All of the pain and the hurt and the longing of my sisters and me as we try to be free. 

The Rev Martin Luther King Jr, the civil rights activist spoke of his “dream” and used the image of the mountaintop as a place from which he could see the land of promise where African Americans had the same rights and the same freedoms as other Americans.

Part of the role of the prophet is to tell the truth about God vision for creation and the consequences of not following in God’s way. The other part is to “pass on the mantle”; to make sure there is someone to continue to proclaim the message when the prophet’s work is done. In some ways both of our passages tell of this happening.

There are fewer passages in scripture that are more dramatic than Elijah being carried off in a whirlwind and accompanied by a fiery chariot. We may remember the movie “Chariots of Fire” (from the early 1980s) that told the story of Eric Lidell the Olympic runner. The title of the movie comes from a poem by William Blake that refers to some of the problems caused by the industrial revolution that caused so much hardship for the poor and to the chariot of fire that would bring God’s word and power to bear on the situation. It is a hymn of hope and active trust in God’s promises.

When we look at what we often call the “old testament,” we see two intertwined traditions - that of the law and that of the prophets.

We all know the story of Moses receiving the “Ten Commandments” on Mt Sinai, while the people of Israel were in the wilderness after they had left Egypt and before they entered the promised land. These ten laws were basically a code for community life. Additional laws were developed that covered just about every aspect of the personal and corporate life in and among the people of Israel.

The prophets spoke for God, mostly in times of distress; or when they were at a crossroad. Prophets spoke when the people had stopped following or when they had gotten “skewed” to one side or the other.

You could say, “that without the prophets, the law would only given the small picture.” The prophets reminded them of their call to be a “light to the nations.” The prophets reminded them that the life of faith involved more than avoiding sin, but also being a people who were a light to the nations, a people of justice and hospitality. They had a promise but it was not a promise of exclusivity but of shared blessing.

Along comes Jesus - in Mark’s gospel he is given a private message at his baptism, “YOU are my beloved son”. We read that passage back in January. There is no indication that anyone else heard it, or was meant to hear it, at that time. Now, as we prepare to begin Lent, we are on a mountaintop, (which was a quiet and out of the way place where God was harder to avoid) and the people present, both the disciples and Moses and Elijah, could all hear the proclamation. THIS is my beloved son”. Though they were not given permission to tell the story, at that time, it is clear that it was an important message. It is this message that we carry into Lent to struggle with for 40 days - what does this mean? How does it change my life? What promise does it hold for me? What mission does it give.

Many people look at this passage in terms of Jesus ministry bringing together the best of the traditions of law and prophecy.

The vision on the mountain was so powerful and gave the disciples such certainty that they wanted to stay there and just bask in it - or at least that’s what I take from the offer to build “dwellings” to use the language of the NRSV.

Yet, most of us are not called to be mountaintop hermits. We are called to wrestle with the promises and obligations of our faith where we live from day to day. As we live our lives and do our work what does it mean that we are promised the love of the one who most perfectly embodies God’s love? How are we to respond to the one who most perfectly combines the long traditions of the law AND the prophets?

One of the things that comes to my mind is that the promise is a tough one; tough in that it is not easily destroyed. It is a promise that withstood wilderness and persecution. In the case of Jesus, the promise withstood death itself. Yet is is a promise that goes with a responsibility - to proclaim the love that knows no boundaries and a justice that does not take no for an answer.

On Tuesday we are serving pancakes - serving pancakes on the day before the start of Lent is a Christian tradition, but we are taking it one small step further. On Tuesday our profit is going to the breakfast programs at the LE Shaw and Hantsport schools. For various reasons, there are children at those schools who need or want breakfast before they start their school day. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference. But we can do it.

I’ve been rolling another idea around in my head which is to encourage you to bring cereal (NO SUGARED CEREALS and NO CEREAL WITH NUTS) and we will build it into a huge school here at the front of the church - lets see if we can get enough to last them the rest of the year!

God has showed us the way to faithfulness in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Let us open our eyes, open our hearts and follow in love.

Amen.