Sermon for the Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Capitola,

given by Rev. Steve Ellis/December 24, 2007

  The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist welcomes all to worship God and to share

Christ's love in the world.  We are a parish family committed to provide liturgy, Bible study, music, counseling, and Christian education for children, youth, and adults, and to equip all our members for life and for service to other

    Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit to spread to all humankind his justice, peace and community; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

     O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may spread his love and influence in this life for the good of all humankind, and also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Isaiah 9:2-7: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness– on them light has shined.

You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy;

they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest,

   as people exult when dividing plunder.

For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders,

   the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood

   shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

   and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

   He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness

   from this time onward and forevermore.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ~ Luke

Sermon

     There were a lot of theories before Christ, and of course, there still are, about how God would come, come and knock heads together to set things right.  But none of them dreamed of the gift that was really coming in Jesus.  It is too shocking.  It is too different from our inherent desire to blame someone for our troubles and use raw power to destroy them.  For he demands his followers do as he did: engaging one another with strength, respect and forbearance so far as it is possible.  "Forgive them, Father."  Even those who speak ill of us or wish to harm us we must engage as constructively as possible. For, in Jesus, God did that with us.

     Isaiah, not alone among the Hebrew prophets, dreamed that God would send a great one who would bring justice for all -- a most shocking concept in that world, where justice was for the strong.  Where might was right.  They dreamed a counter-cultural dream -- of a king who would do right by all, by all citizens, by all sojourners, by all widows and orphans.  They dreamed of a time of peace when each could enjoy the fruits of their own labor.  They dreamed of a strong leader who could defeat the Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, their successive conquerors, and put them in charge of their own land, so that their boots could be on the neck of their former oppressors and their people could be at peace.  They even dreamed of a time when other nations would share their dream of peace.

     None of them dreamed of one who would want all humankind to live together in harmony, and each person, each community to discover the hatred in their own heart, each to discover the disorder in their own affections, each to discover the goodness of God that rights the human heart and teaches it compassion, mercy and strength.  None of them imagined a leader who would share their troubles, take their troubles on himself, take responsibility for their situation by sharing it and turning it right-side out.

     The people, says Isaiah, who sat in darkness have seen a great light.  But the darkness that troubled God was not only the oppression of the strong over the weak, but also the greed, the grudges, the angers and infidelities, the blaming others so we don’t have to look to our own faults!  How was God to make an entry into not only the way people are governed, but also the way they govern their hearts? 

     A prophet can reason.  A prophet can speak a vision of beauty and power that invites people to recognize their selfishness and obey the law given for the good of all.  A prophet can denounce leaders when they are lying and show their hypocrisy.  But a prophet can only get so far before the eyes squint in anger, before the mind turns to defending the indefensible and the heart stops listening.

     What no one had dreamed of was the love of God.  That God would empty himself of all the power and glory and give up being obeyed in an effort to win the human heart.  In an effort to restore humanity to communities, and through those communities to individuals, who would discover one another, and discover that God was among them.  This was not expected. 

     That God would accept the limitations of a mortal among mortals, take risks like any woman or man, do his best and take his chances, this wasn't what the sages, the scholars, the wise or the powerful were looking for.  Even those who prayed, lived honestly, and waited in hope and expectation for God to act – even those pious souls did not expect God's approach to be small, humble, weak, vulnerable.

     Jesus was different from other prophets: he flatly said that the day of the Lord had come, that the reign of God had begun, that those who did not take offense at him were blessed, that it was dangerous to oppose what God was up to.  He gave the people to one another.  Healed their brokenness of spirit and their broken relationships even more than he healed their bodies and minds.  But mostly he created a new community of love with a mission.

     Its mission is his mission, to be in the world adding to its number those who find in him the key to right living.  Who live for the common good, for love of God by loving those God loves -- all whom God has made.  Who work for justice in their homes and in the Millennium Development Goals alike.  Who are moral not only in their personal dealings, but in their influence in our common life, in what’s good for the world.  The eradication of poverty is within the grasp of the present generation.  Our natural environment needs our concerted attention for the sake of everyone.

     His kingdom of peace develops wherever the Church knows its job is to stand by all people.  No one is expendable.  So we are strengthened when we stand by the poor and immigrants when they are treated unjustly, when we stand by the homeless in our own community, when we work for the MDGs and when we support our gay and lesbian members and their full inclusion in the life of the Church. And we are strengthened when we discuss forthrightly with those who are not comfortable with these things, because Christ is saving us all, together.

     It was my delight a few months ago, with other members of this parish, to attend a COPA accountability session in Salinas.  COPA is a part of our outreach and justice ministry, together with other congregations, to see our faith values lived out in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties.  On that occasion, we were meeting with the Mayor of Salinas, and the former mayor, to discuss how the money from Measure V, passed one year ago, was actually being spent.  The measure was meant to re-open the libraries, which had been closed for lack of funds, and to provide safer neighborhoods.  Mayor Donahue and his staff gave a report showing that the money had opened the libraries, all of them, for 39 hours a week, allowed the city to hire ten new police officers, bought two new fire engines, speeded up code enforcement by a factor of ten, and put crossing guards and after-school programs back in every district.

     Former Mayor, now Assemblywoman, Anna Caballero told us that the measure, which had failed the year before, would not have made it on the the ballot without COPA’s work and would not have passed, despite lots of good work by others, if COPA had not made 10,000 contacts with the public by walking precincts and working phone banks to make sure the people of Salinas understood the measure.  Looking around that room at the diversity, economically, racially, gave me a sense that Jesus had indeed given us to one another, for our common good.  But the moment that was most delightful was when we arrived, and I thought there was an emergency, with police cars and fire engines everywhere right in front of the church.  As we walked into the assembly, we realized they were there as an honor guard, the officers lining the walkway to thank us, and to show us the new fire engines purchased with Measure V money.

     Yet Christ takes us everywhere.  Look at our sister church in the Southern Sudan, persecuted by its own government, its people constantly attacked because the farmland and the oil rights are desired by the people of the North.  Vilified because they are different racially and religiously from the majority in the North.  And yet the church responds with grace, protecting its people, its leaders constantly risking their lives to organize the people for their safety and interdependence.  Friends of this parish are traveling there now: James Tuor, Ajok Aruei& Thon Deng have gone home after twenty-some years to see the villages and what is

left of the families they lost when the genocide began.  They will also visit some of the Sudaneese orphans we and other congregations are helping to support and educate in nearby Kenya, where it is safer.  We hope that they will be the next generation of leadership in Sudan, because their parent’s generation is mostly gone. 

     The clergy of the Diocese of Bor are traveling to a major conference in Kenya now to decide how they can meet the present challenges, and as they do, their lives are in danger. Yet they walk in peace with all, struggling to defend their people, and to live as Christ demands, and their witness is changing their world.  When these troubles began, Christians were about 5% of the population in Southern Sudan.  Today they are over 90%, because of their godly walk and their care for one another in the midst of this genocide.  This is the work of the church.

     A little child grew up to give us to one another, and thus to make the world new.  May we, as disciples, become as fearless in our love for one another as he.  For then we will truly love God.