Homily – Seventh Sunday of Easter – May 8, 2016 – The Rev. Trudi Shaw
Manifesto
I am tired
I am tired of living
I am tired of living in a world like this one:
In this world
the Name of God no longer evokes the Holy
the awesome mystery of the One who gave birth to the Cosmos
and all the wonders of Creation
the Source of Love…the Source of Life.
at best it has become a casual punctuation
to the most inane of comments
O my God!
at worst a blasphemy
on the lips of those who would evoke it
to justify their heinous acts of death:
terrorism… extortion… subjugation… destruction
This is the world we humans have conceived:
In this world
Millions gather
behind the barricades of refugee camps
fleeing the mayhem that has erupted in their homelands
they exist in limbo
the vulnerable among them preyed upon again
by the ever present vultures
seeking an opportunity to profit from their misery
they are willing to face more danger
even death
in the hope of finding a home land and a future;
In this world
Children are indoctrinated into the ways of war
playing in the streets that have become a battleground
or isolated from their families
they are fed drugs and hatred
their childish dreams becoming waking nightmare
as they trade the playground
for the killing fields
their toys become the weapons tearing into tender flesh;
In this world
A family waits
for the return of a loved one
their hope stretched thin
between the hands of a ticking clock
they get their wish
he comes home to them in a body bag
they have failed to meet the impossible demands of strangers
who have seen no value in this human life
beyond the dollar signs;
In this world
A whole generation
stands on a precipice
their past stolen by the mindset of colonialism
that sought to annihilate them
their present a turmoil of broken promises and despair
the future of our nation
lured by the siren song of suicide
for far too many
it has become their only option;
In this world
A politician
can ride a tidal wave of adoration
by appealing to the basest of human instincts
he constructs his own version of the truth
he fans the flames of their fear
and anger
and racism
hoping they won’t notice his platform
is built on the folly of ego.
In this world
So many of the rest of us
are also deeply wounded
but we don’t want to know it
so we go about our business
trying to block out the truth
that threatens our peace of mind
that eats away at our souls
we circle our wagons to keep the good guys in
and the bad guys out
but it’s a futile gesture…
trying to “get back to the garden”
we go through the motions of living “the good life”
wanting to believe in the fantasy
created by a million hidden messages
that tell us what is real
that tell us what is needed
can be found in the temples of commerce
in the pool of acquisition
if we can only plumb its murky depths
we can try to drown our fear and alienation
in a frenzy of buying and using and discarding
for far too long
we have languished on mats of complacency
beside these turbid waters
while we wait for God to act
to solve all our problems
to heal all our ills
Have we really forgotten
that God has already acted
that God is waiting for us
to accept the invitation
“Do you want to be healed?”
I am so sick and tired of living in this world.
But if you think I am ready to check out
you might be surprised by the answer
because I plan to stay
I plan to make a difference
I plan to make a stand
and no sorrow
or pain or catastrophe
can shake my conviction
that God is still at work
in this world
laying claim to everything within Creation
that God in Christ
is redeeming and healing and restoring to wholeness
all that we have rendered unholy and unclean
I plan to make a stand
and I invite you to stand with me
Because I believe
I believe with all my heart
That the world God has created
and is recreating
is here
and now
in the very midst of us
like a great work of art painted by the hand of the Master
its beauty and meaning have been covered over by years of neglect
by the dust of sorrow and the filth of sin
that have distorted its figures and hidden its meaning
for far too long
but with patience
and love
and working together with its Creator
we can help to bring it again into the fullness of its being
and then
we will walk together
with friends and loved ones
and even those that we have deemed unworthy
into that City of God
where there is no need for barriers
because all who practice righteousness will be made welcome
where God’s presence will push beyond the walls of our sanctuaries
and be known to all
where there will be no need for sun or moon or stars
because the light of Christ
will illuminate every corner and drive all shadow away
and all who enter will reflect the Glory of God
where Ezekiel’s life-giving stream will become a mighty river
flowing directly from God
filled with the waters of life
it will sweep through the streets
and out into the desert places
bringing healing and wholeness and fullness of life
and once again the Name of God
will invoke in the hearts of all people
the beauty of Holiness
I believe that
God has already acted
and God is waiting for us to act
to join in the work of co-creating
now
But it won’t be easy
and it won’t happen overnight
I remind you that it will take love
and patience
and a willingness to make room for others
and it won’t happen within the walls of our churches either
but out there in the world where we are exposed
to the darkness and pain
in the places that Chris is already at work
God is waiting for us
to become what we eat
Bread for the World
God is waiting for us
to embrace what we sing
Healing and New Life
God is waiting for us
to live what we pray
Justice and Peace
I am standing.
Alleluia!
Texts: Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10,22-22:5; John 5:1-9
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