Knowing Where to Look
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
Jan. 22, 2012 (Sunshine Cathedral)

The Deuteronomy reading this morning tells us that the divine word is in our hearts.

St. Paul says today that the divine wisdom we call Christ offers water, or flowing spirit to all people; and that Paul interprets the water filled rock of the wandering in the wilderness story to be divine reality also shows that the divine can be found in the common, the ordinary, in daily life…in the arts, on the radio, in nature, in the kindness and warmth of loving people…in fact, there’s not a spot where God is not.

The Gospel of Thomas tells us to seek and find; and when one reads the rest of Thomas, one discovers that the search and what the search leads to are within.

And then John’s gospel says in chapter 1, verse 3, “Through the Word all things were made…” Then, 40 some verses later the question is asked if anything good can come from Nazareth, from “those people.” But what are “those people”? After all, the writer begins by telling us that everything that exists is an expression of divine wisdom, a manifestation of the divine word. Those people are God’s people. Can anything good come from Nazareth, from Iran, from red states or blue states, from the Mormons, the Methodists, the Muslims, the Mennonites, or from MCC…can anything good come from “them”? Come and see, the writer says! Come and see the divine word made flesh in and as all people.

Some folks may doubt, some folks may scorn
All can desert & leave me alone
But as for me, I’ll take God’s part
For God is real and I can feel God in my heart
Yes, God is real, real in my soul
Yes, God is real for God has blessed and made me whole.
God’s love for me is like pure gold.
Yes God is real for I can feel God in my soul.

Now you:
Yes, God is real, real in my soul/Yes, God is real for God has blessed and made me whole.
God’s love for me is like pure gold./Yes God is real for I can feel God in my soul.

That’s what we are committed to sharing with people here at the Sunshine Cathedral. No message of sin, guilt, fear, or shame here. Of course, we are challenged to live into our true nobility, to express more fully our innate dignity and sacred value. And, along the way, we make mistakes, obviously; but who we are, what we really are, is good.

At our core, the light of God is always shining, but outwardly, we may sometimes temporarily draw the shades. But we learn and we improve and we find that as Jesus said, we are the light of the world! (Matt 5.14)

Someone will sometimes point out that in the name of religion people will post hateful things on our YouTube channel and send scathing emails. They call us names and warn that an angry God is plotting against us. How can those people who seem so hateful be good we might wonder?

Obviously, their attacks aren’t good, nor are the fear or ignorance that inspires those attacks. But if they believed they were good enough, they wouldn’t need to demonize others to feel better about themselves. The problem isn’t that they aren’t innately good; the problem is that they haven’t yet learned to believe in their true goodness so they resort to bullying, threatening, vilifying, whatever to make themselves feel better. They may feel inadequate, but if they can paint us to be super vile, then they can feel better by comparison. If they had been taught that they are as much a part of God as a wave is one with the ocean, they wouldn’t need enemies to feel good about themselves.

Bette Midler once said, “The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you.” Well guess what, you have been very successful in letting this community know there is a place where their sacred value will be affirmed.
You have been very successful in building a spiritual home that values thinking as well as feeling and that will not give up when times are hard and will not give in to the threats or insults or attacks of our detractors.

You have built up a place that is fun and joyous and optimistic. We aren’t building up a church, we are building up people and the people who have found hope and healing are building up a church. You are succeeding marvelously in sharing the power of hope and goodwill.

Maria Callas said, “When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I am slipping.” Well, from the viciousness sometimes directed toward us, we aren’t slipping yet! If they aren’t trying to stone you, shackle you, or throw you to the lions, you’re probably not doing prophetic work. But we are a prophetic movement and we are changing lives. The hate mail and harsh criticisms are just proof that what we are doing is too important to be ignored; and we will not stop.

We will not stop! In the name of God and for the cause of Christ, that is, for the cause of hope and healing, justice and equality, we will not stop!

And you know what? Even some of those who think they hate us are really just puzzled because we don’t hate ourselves, because we embrace heterosexuals and homosexuals and bisexuals and transgender people and people who play with the fluidity of gender. They don’t understand how we can value human potential more than ancient dogmas or how love is more important to us than canon law. They haven’t yet imagined a spirituality that is joyous, that celebrates secular and sacred music, Christian and non-Christian texts, women and men, science and art. They didn’t realize that hope and healing, challenge and comfort, justice and jubilation, critical thinking and generous hearts can all blend together into a life-changing, world changing faith experience. They don’t really hate us; they are simply projecting their pain, their fear, and their self-doubt onto us, but we need not accept it. Because we dare to live out loud, to celebrate all of who we are without shame, to show the world that we are people of courage and compassion, we are troubling the waters; but it is the troubled waters at the pool of Bethesda that offered healing.

We are stirring up settled nests, but in Deuteronomy we read, “Like a Mother Eagle stirring up her nest and hovering over her young, God spread Her wings and carried the people on divine feathers” (32.11). When the waters are moved and the nest is stirred, those are the times when divine power is released and lives begin to change. The critics aren’t our enemies; they are confirmation that through and as us God is moving and making miracles in our midst! And some of those critics will decide they want in on the fun and they will be amazed and delighted to learn there is a place for them right here with us.

We won’t change the world today; but we can change ourselves. Not our true selves, which have always been good, but our attitudes or our fears or our regrets or our bitterness or whatever has kept us from connecting with and expressing that goodness which is our truth. We can make that change and let that divine light shine a bit brighter today.

And we can stay the course, using every tool at our disposal to share this good news with more and more people so that they might begin to love themselves, believe in themselves, and allow their inner divinity to shine more brightly than ever before.

The Deuteronomy passage reminding us that divine wisdom is already in our hearts and in our mouths just ready to be expressed brings to mind an ancient story from the Hindu tradition. The story goes: In the beginning, the gods were afraid that humans might discover the divine reality. They debated about where they might hide the spark of divinity. On a mountain top? No, they decided, clever humans would just climb and find it. In the ocean? No, they decided, clever humans would just dive and find it. Finally, they thought of the perfect hiding place. They decided to hide the divine presence within the human heart where humans would never think to look for it.

Well, at Sunshine Cathedral, we’ve thought to look and we are finding the divine presence powerfully within and among us. And we are going to keep teaching and celebrating the goodness of all creation and more and more and more people are going to find hope, empowerment, healing, joy, peace, and fulfillment. We’re on a mission. We have a purpose. It is divinely ordained and we will remain faithful to it!

There is a song from the Broadway musical version of The Color Purple where the character Shug says to Celie,
“God is inside you and everyone else that was or ever will be. We come into this world with God but only them that look inside find It…and when you feel the truth so real and when you love the way you feel, you’ve found It.”

Will you worship with us throughout 2012? Will you invite someone to join you? Will you volunteer your energies to help us do and be more than we’ve ever been? Will you make a generous pledge of support this month and honor that pledge all year long? Will you collectively be the voice telling the world, “God is inside you and everyone else…and when you feel the truth so real and when you love the way you feel, you’ve found It.” I hope you will make that commitment today, because I believe this message with my whole heart and I believe in you. And this is the good news! Amen.
© Durrell Watkins 2012

Affirmations:
God is in me.
I feel it.
I know it.
I’m thankful for it.
Alleluia!
Amen.

Final Word
“We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us…it’s in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we…give other people permission to do the same.” Marianne Williamson

The Baptismal Dream
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
Jan. 15, 2012

Wade in the water; wade in the water children. Wade in the water; God’s gonna trouble the water.

This is baptism of Jesus Sunday (it’s also Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday – and we’ll see how they relate to each other, but first, let’s look at the baptism narratives). Notice that in Acts, Luke allows for a new perspective. Baptism isn’t something locked into a single, once and for all understanding.

John offered a baptism of repentance. Repentance means change. To repent is to have a change of attitude, a change of heart, a change of mind, a change of behavior. Repentance is change. It isn’t self-hatred or groveling for pardon; it is daring to change; it is doing what must be done to facilitate healing and growth, personal and communal. John’s water ritual wasn’t an invitation to embrace self-condemnation, it was an invitation to embrace healing change, to release the past and dare to create a different and better kind of future.

Luke focuses on empowerment rather than repentance.
He tells of a baptism of the spirit. What is spirit? The Hebrew and Greek words for spirit both suggest power, wind, breath, life-force, energy. So a baptism of the spirit is a baptism of power.
In fact, Luke doesn’t just say spirit, he says holy spirit, or the whole spirit of God…all of the power and presence of God is what we are immersed in as we grow spiritually and broaden our understanding.

Repentance is change…empowering change.
Spirit is power.
Whether we are talking about the baptism of John or the baptism of the spirit in the book of Acts, we are actually talking about newness, positive change, moving forward, embracing new attitudes and new possibilities. Both baptism stories are stories of new ideas, new beginnings, new possibilities, new experiences of empowerment.

It is at Jesus’ baptism, in Mark’s imagination, that Jesus is affirmed as a child of God. The spirit descended on him and affirmed his sacred value. Of course, Mark thought the world was flat and that God lived separately from us above the sky somewhere. But even though Mark’s cosmology is different from ours in the 21st century, we can still take his point that being immersed in the spirit of wholeness is what helps us live into our full humanity.

Baptism, then, isn’t a washing away of original sin; it is, instead, an affirmation of original blessing! It is an affirmation of our sacred value. At baptism we are reminded that we are God’s children. This, compatible with the text in Acts, suggests that baptism can be a symbol of empowerment (an immersion in divine power/spirit).

The texts (especially the Acts pericope) show that baptism isn’t primarily an individual experience. Baptism is a communal celebration reminding us every time someone is baptized that we are meant to work together to promote justice and healing in the world.

Mark says Jesus will baptize with spirit. Luke says than an immersion in spirit is a new (and perhaps better) way to understand baptism. It’s not about how much water we use, it’s about being immersed into a life of spiritual purpose. A sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace; it isn’t an external imposition of power; it’s a reminder of the divine light that is always within us.

Luke says they were “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” To call Jesus “Lord” is a seditious act (in the Empire only Caesar is dominus/Lord). So, baptism in the name of a Lord other than the Emperor is to affirm loyalty to something greater than Empire – divine justice and healing for all people.

To be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus isn’t about water or about the formula (“magic words”) used ; it’s about being immersed into a life of purpose, a life of promoting hope and healing, joy and justice, peace and empowerment (power with instead of power over).

The baptism of the spirit in Jesus’ name is a commitment to working toward building God’s kin-dom here and now. We can, if we choose, embrace a water ritual, but the ritual isn’t the point…the ritual points toward purpose, and the purpose is the point.

As we are affirmed as God’s children we are then commissioned to build God’s all-inclusive kin-dom, that is, to share the positive message that all people have innate dignity and sacred value. This is the baptism of the spirit in Jesus’ name.

Wade in the water; wade in the water children. Wade in the water; God’s gonna trouble the water.

Dr. King’s activism is an example of the baptism of the Spirit in Jesus’ name.
By affirming the sacred value of all people and dedicating his life to promoting justice and healing, he was immersed in the power of divine purpose.

That’s what our ministry is about, isn’t it?
It isn’t about preserving what was; it’s about imagining what can yet be.

It isn’t about clinging to the past; it’s about exploring the infinite possibilities of the future.

It isn’t about revering history; it’s about making it!

We are being called to a life of purpose. We are being challenged to be immersed in purpose.
We affirm that purpose every Sunday when we say, “Sunshine Cathedral is a different kind of church where the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities.”

Wade in the water; wade in the water children. Wade in the water; God’s gonna trouble the water.

In the past, women were told they could not be ordained. We remember that only to learn from it and to do better; we are committed not to preserving the sexism of the past but to challenging it and creating a religious experience where sexism cannot thrive.

In the past, same-gender loving people were told that they were somehow beyond the reach of divine love. We remember that only to learn from it and to do better; we are committed not to preserving the homophobia of the past but to challenging it and creating a religious experience where homophobia cannot thrive.

In the past the church failed to address the evils of racism and racial exploitation. We remember that only to learn from it and to do better; we are committed not to preserving the racism of the past but to challenging it and creating a religious experience where racism cannot thrive.

In the past, religion was used against us to promote fear, division, self-loathing, self-doubt, or suspicion of others. We remember that only to learn from it and to do better; we are committed not to preserving the religion of fear and prejudice but to challenging it and creating a religious experience where fear and hatred cannot thrive.

In his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said:
…we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism…Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

That’s the dream, Dr. King’s, Jesus’, ours.
That’s the baptismal calling…the calling to a life of purpose and growth and evolution and inclusion.
We are called to change and to be agents of change in our world.

The early church changed the world by confronting poverty, disease, and imperialism.
Dr. King changed U.S. society by confronting poverty, racism, and unjust war.

Our spiritual ancestors did not merely revere their history, they built upon it. They remembered the past but they did not try to resurrect it. They learned from history so as NOT to repeat it, but rather to change the present and make the world a bit more like the kin-dom of God, the Blessed Community where all people are affirmed, valued, uplifted, and cherished. That is the divine dream for humanity.

Will we, today, allow ourselves to be immersed in the power of purpose and continue to move forward to celebrate our sacred value and to tell more and more and more people that they too, just as they are, are part of the creation that is very good? Will we work for justice? Will we offer hope? Will we embrace joy? We will commit to being the embodied presence of God on earth? Will we wade in the waters of positive change? If so, we will be living the baptismal dream and THIS is the good news. Amen.
© Durrell Watkins 2012

AffirmationsI am immersed in divine grace.
I am immersed in abundant hope.
I am immersed in the power of purpose.
I am drenched with God’s love.
And so it is!

Final Word“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s Time for an Epiphany
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
Jan. 8, 2012 – Sunshine Cathedral

In seminary three of us were chatting over coffee about what we’d like people to say about us our own funeral. My friend Elsa said, “I want someone to say that I was a very good preacher.” My friend Christa said, “I hope someone says that I was a very kind person.” I of course, had a much more practical desire. I said, “I would like to someone to say, ‘Look, he’s moving!’”

Sometimes, we try to make religion be more other-worldly than it needs to be. We all know people who are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good; but I believe religion should be more practical than that. Religion should engage our minds as well as our emotions, and it should offer us skills for navigating this life as well as hope that there may be something beyond this life. Today’s gospel story is one that is often presented as an other-worldly tale, but I believe it may be more practical than that.

The story of magi traveling to discover the Christ Child appears only in Matthew’s gospel. It isn’t one of the stories that is told over and over in scripture nor is it a story that is referenced throughout scripture. Matthew alone mentions it one time only. Within the biblical canon itself, it receives very little attention. But once each year, we give it attention. And so, today we are challenged to look at it with a fresh perspective, to mine it more deeply for new treasures, and to let it be something awe-inspiring again for us.

Matthew doesn’t tell us how many magi he’s imagining in his story. We know they bring three kinds of gifts…money, incense, and herbs. Magi is plural, Matthew is imagining at least two, but as few as two could carry these gifts, or as many a dozen could carry the gifts. The number of magi isn’t important, at least not important enough for Matthew to specify.

We know what the gifts are, but we don’t often ponder what they mean. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh seem like odd gifts. I mean, gold is pretty nice, but smoky incense and bags of herbs don’t seem all that special. Gold, diamonds, and pearls…now those are some gifts. But incense and myrrh seem odd companions for gold. That is, until we look at them allegorically.

Gold, representing abundance, myrrh, an herb used medicinally, representing health and healing, and frankincense representing ritual and prayer: the gifts the magi bring are gold (a portion of their income), myrrh (their health and vitality), and incense (their prayers). Money, action, and prayer, or time, talent, and treasure. Time (the journey took a commitment of time), talent (they are using their astrological skills), and treasure (the gifts they bring) are together the model for faithful worship. They are worshiping with all they have and all they are; in fact, that’s what worship really is.

Now, what about this slow moving navigational star. If a star moved slowly through the sky for months or years, someone other than “Mathew” would have noticed and mentioned it. And P.S. – Matthew isn’t present for Jesus’ early years. Matthew is writing about 90 years AFTER Jesus’ birth. Not only did he not witness it, he probably wasn’t even alive when it happened. Remember, this is a story Matthew is imagining…this is a work of literary genius, not literal recollection.

In Greek and Roman pagan mythologies, deities and demigods and super-heroes were announced with cosmic portents at their births. The notion of astrologists finding signs in the heavens announcing the birth of a hero seems much more pagan than Jewish, and that may be Matthew’s point.

Vanderbilt University’s New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine says that Matthew’s story could be a parody of the very similar pagan myths about divine-human children being miraculously conceived and their births announced with cosmic portents. Matthew might be saying, “We don’t need that.” And Levine suggests the original hearers of the story would have gotten Matthew’s intent.

What is important isn’t that astronomical oddities happen following Jesus’ birth, but that this baby will grow up to make a huge difference in the world. He is so real he doesn’t need to be shrouded in myth. He will be so fully human that his divinity will be experienced in that fully embraced humanity. He doesn’t need the trappings of the pagan myths; his significance will be in how he courageously and generously lives his life among real people.

Matthew isn’t creating one more unbelievable story…he’s making fun of such stories and inviting us to embrace a real life faith where untouchables are touched, and the sick are made to feel whole, and the oppressed discover glimpses of liberation in the midst of their circumstances. Ours isn’t one more other worldly tradition of myth and magic; ours is Good News that empowers us to live real lives of hope and service and empowerment and radical change.

One final point I want to make about the story of the magi. The Magi are from a different culture than Matthew’s and a different religion, and yet these “Other” people, these Persian Zoroastrians are the ones who find what Christ symbolizes. They have the Christ experience in their own context and return to their culture and religion. They are not converted; just as they are, they are able to find what they need in their spiritual lives. The incarnation, the experience of divine love in our human earthly lives is what the Christ-event symbolizes for Christians; but the experience is not limited to Christians. Our stories and our vocabularies are Christian, but the experience of longing for and encountering the divine in one’s own context is universal. Jewish people, Muslims, Buddhists, Humanists, Hindus, and as Matthew points out, Zoroastrians, all people can experience the Sacred whenever and however they are open to it.

Gays and lesbians, Americans and non-Americans, men and women…all people can experience, and ultimately must experience the perfect wholeness that many of us call God.

This Universalist message is consistent with other times Matthew affirms the “Other” throughout his gospel. It is also consistent with the message from Sirach this morning that suggests divine Wisdom is everywhere, all throughout the earth and the cosmos.

Now, how is this story relevant for our lives today?

The word epiphany suggests an appearance. In common usage, it refers to a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the essential meaning of something. The epiphany isn’t the appearance of an impossibly low positioned star. The epiphany isn’t that strangers from Persia found a baby. The epiphany that Matthew wants his readers to have is the discovery of their own sacred value.

A poor family is affirmed in the story- Jesus’ family.

Strangers from a distant land, Persians who in the past had oppressed Matthew’s own people – these foreigners are affirmed in the story. Former enemies are seen as God’s friends in Matthew’s imagination.

They aren’t just Persian, they are practitioners of astrology, reading the stars and making meaning from their observations…they are occultists, and they are affirmed.

They aren’t just astrology buffs from Persia, they are magi, the root of the word of magician…they are priests in another religion entirely, but they are affirmed.

Poor people, foreigners, people of other religions…in Matthew’s imagination, everyone can have an epiphany of God’s universal and unconditional love. The epiphany is that God is among us, with us, expressing through us, WHOEVER we might be. Everyone is part of the divine, ultimate reality. That is the epiphany that Matthew offers, and that is the epiphany for too many centuries too many people have missed.

YOU – whoever you are – you are a child of God, loved unconditionally and eternally by God – that is the epiphany Matthew wants us to have. Are you starting to see the light? Not a far away star, but the light of divinity shining right in your life right now.

This is a new year, and the new year offers us opportunities to reflect, to start over, and to have our own epiphanies.

1. Will you dare to be believe, or at least be willing to believe that in essence, regardless of whatever mistakes you may have made, but that in the truest sense, you are good, you are nothing less than an expression of God? Can you let yourself have that epiphany this year?

2. Will you let yourself see the amazing gift this spiritual community is? We are a different kind of church…an intellectually honest church, a church that affirms the sacred value of all people, a church that is unapologetic in its commitment to hope and in its expression of joy, a church where the comforted are challenged and the challenged are comforted, a church determined to be relevant in the 21st century, a church that is available to people where and how they actually live, a church that stands for justice and equality and liberation. Can you let yourself have an epiphany of what a special community this is that we are forming?

3. Will you let yourself see the growth that is happening and commit to continuing that growth? If everyone here brought one more person to this church in 2012 just think of the hope and joy that would be shared in our community. In 2010 our attendance in worship grew by almost 1000 people, and in 2011 our attendance grew by another 1200 people, and that doesn’t count the 6000 people each month who watch us online. Can you see and celebrate the amazing growth and then do what you can to help us grow even more? Can you see that people need what we have to offer?

4. And will you begin to see how your prayers, your generosity, your service, your positive attitude, your loving speech, your goodwill, your light can a make a difference?

It’s time for an epiphany. It’s time for each of us to believe in ourselves and it’s time for us to believe in and fully support our mission of sharing healing love with a wounded world. It’s time to know that the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities. Will you know that today? Will you be open to that kind of epiphany? If you will, then together in 2012 WE will be the good news. Amen.
© Durrell Watkins 2012

Affirmations
In my life, I see God today.
In my world, I see God today.
And with all that I am…
I worship God today.
Alleluia!
Amen.

Final Word
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” William James

No Day But Today
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
New Year’s Day 2012

It’s a new day and a new year and we have an amazing opportunity to seize the newness at hand and to do incredible things with it!

Take a minute right now and remember something wonderful from the past. Remember some of those good old days. Remember when you were the star athlete in high school, or when you made straight A’s your freshman year in college, or your first kiss, or the day you learned to swim. Wow…what great days they were. And we can recall them like we’ve just done and smile. We can enjoy our memories if we allow them to be memories. When we confuse the way things were with how we wish things were now, then we aren’t enjoying our memories we are using them as an excuse to not be present in this moment.

Remember your first Pride Parade. Remember how good it felt when they took that cast off your leg. Remember the thrill of getting your cosmetology license or your driver’s license or your voter registration card. Remember and smile and let that memory fill you with warmth and joy and then come back to this moment and let’s start making new memories! The past is past. It can be remembered, but it cannot be relived, and time wasted trying to recreate the past only sabotages our opportunities in the present. Remember. Smile. And get back to living right now.

Of course not all memories are pleasant.
There was that first break up, or that last one.
There was that job that you just didn’t do your best at and opportunities for promotion or raises passed you by.
There was that beloved pet that died.
There was a friend who proved not to be a very good friend after all.

We can remember those difficult moments too, but to learn lessons, not to get stuck in bitterness.
We look back on those hard times either to learn how we can do better next time or at least to say, “At least I survived all that and I’m still here!” But if we look back on the difficult times to fuel the feelings of victimization and regret, then again, we are just sabotaging the present by not leaving the past in the past. The past can be remembered, but it can’t be relived, and trying to only keeps us from living fully in the present.

2011 is now behind us. I hope it was a year of success and joy and miracles for you. If it was, be glad. And now let’s get to work on making 2012 even better.

If on the other hand 2011 was a year of challenge and disappointment, then I hope you will realize that even in the midst of the hardship there were moments of opportunity, healing and joy and in spite of the difficulties you’re still here and the future is yours to create starting right now. Be glad you got over all those hurdles in 2011 and now let’s get to work on making 2012 much better.

Whether your memories are good or bad, whether they are from childhood, last year, or last night…let them be what they are…MEMORIES. Not blue prints for how things ought to be, not fantasies that the past will somehow rise again in your life, but just remembrances of what was. Some good times, some challenging times, some cherished moments, some learning and healing opportunities. We can visit those memories now and again, but then we leave them to re-enter life which is always happening now. There are new memories to make; let’s not make idols of the old ones.

Now, listen carefully. Sometimes when we talk about releasing the past to the past, someone will try to twist the meaning and use it against us. They will say that their abusive behavior should be overlooked since it is in the past and we should be open to letting them ambush us again. That is not what I’m saying and I hope you don’t fall for that. Yes, I may forgive those who have harmed me, but I’m no fool. I’m not willing to drink the poison again! No, if someone apologizes, tries to make amends, of course second chances can be given. But without such goodwill gestures, trust may also be a thing of the past regarding someone who has abused that trust before. Just because I don’t hate you for being mean to me does not mean that I’m willing to allow you to be mean to me over and over again. Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice and be served with a restraining order. Yes, the deed is past, and so is my willingness for it to be repeated. As Jesus said, we must be wise as serpents as well as gentle as doves.

The story in Luke is a story of change and how the past gives way to new beginnings.

First of all, Luke is writing sometime between the end of the first century and the early part of the second century. That means he is writing sometime between 50 and a hundred years AFTER Jesus’ execution, and a couple of decades or more after the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. The Jesus movement is growing and changing. It is less and less the fringe movement within Judaism that it started as. And the Jerusalem Temple as a pilgrimage spot no longer exists. The world just keeps changing.

Luke remembers when there was a Temple, as he imagines this story taking place in the Temple. But that begins a longer narrative that goes on to tell of Jesus’ life and then the life of the church beyond Jesus’ life.
Luke remembers the past only to show how this moment is a continuation of what was begun. We aren’t to venerate the past, but to be the living embodiment of our highest ideals just as our ancestors in the past were.

We aren’t limited to their situations, understandings, habits, or preferences, but as they embodied their ideals in ways that were relevant for their time, we are to continue doing the same. Not mimicking how they did, but in our own way continuing what they did, which is to be relevant in this time and to reach out to new people in new ways so that more lives can be enriched, empowered, and healed.

We use pop culture, varieties of music, science, and technology to communicate good news. It’s not the way we did things 50 or 20 years ago, but the eternal verities must be communicated in ways that will reach new generations of people. Religion should be a movement moving forward, not an historical museum cherishing the memory of a world long since faded from view. Religion can no longer be the excuse to cling to ignorance in the face of scientific discovery, nor can religion with any integrity be used to promote hatred and prejudice toward any group of people. Religion, using the language and media of the day, must facilitate life-giving spirituality that affirms human dignity, calls for peace, and offers hope even when circumstances seem hopeless. Surely only that kind of religion will endure in the 21st century; I hope that is the only kind that will endure.

Look what Luke’s story tells us this morning. He dares us to think in new ways about some things so that we can create a new experience of life going forward:

First we see a poor family. How do we know they are poor? Because they are offering doves instead of lambs or goats. They are offering the least expensive sacrifice; not because they are cheap, but because the small birds are the best they can give. But that is a new way of understanding economics, isn’t it? We aren’t expected to give what someone else gives; we are expected to give our best gift. Our tithe may not look like someone else’s tithe, but it is our gift from the heart, giving as much as we can to something we believe in expecting nothing back other than the joy that giving offers. My gift doesn’t have to look like your best; for it to be holy, it only needs to be my best. We all have to something to share, and as we lovingly share what we can, we are making a huge difference in the lives of others.

Secondly, we see that even the most vulnerable can have a huge impact. It’s a baby that is causing Simeon to be so happy. Just a baby, but even in what seems small or weak or insignificant by common standards might in fact contain divine potential that will bring hope and joy to someone’s life.

And third, we see a very aged Simeon. And yet, even in the winter of his life, Simeon isn’t too old to learn. He isn’t too old to experience and express hope and joy. He isn’t too old to experience something new. As long as Simeon is alive, he has life to experience and express. Simeon chooses to live for as long as he is alive. He isn’t limited to just his memories, there is still life right now for him to enjoy.

The lessons of the gospel reading today are perfect for the first day of a new year. Let’s today renew our determination to overcome fear with hope, to in the moment of challenge go to peace instead of to pieces.
Let’s today renew our commitment to believe in ourselves and to love ourselves and to affirm our sacred value.
Let’s today renew our gratitude for and support of this amazing spiritual community that gives us so much, which has drawn us all together so that we might bless one another with the light we each carry within us.
Let’s today commit to learning more, giving more, praying more, and being more present to the moment at hand.
Each day is new and brings new opportunities.

Today, bless your memories and leave them as memories, and be present to the newness that this new day offers. This moment is the only moment we have. The past is over and the future isn’t here yet; now is all there ever really is. New Year’s Day reminds us to be present to this day, this moment, the miracle that is now at hand. There is no day but today, and with each today there is newness and as we are present and open to the newness, we too become new and renewed.

This is the day our God has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Release the fear. Release regrets. Release despair. Release the past to the past and remember the future has infinite possibilities. Those possibilities begin to become visible as we fully embrace today. And this is the good news.
© Durrell Watkins 2012

Affirmations
This is a new year.
This is a new day.
There are new opportunities for me.
I am renewed today.
Miracles are possible for me.
And so it is.

Christmas is About Change
December 25, 2011
Rev. Dr. Robert Griffin
Sunshine Cathedral MCC

As we gather this Christmas day, my guess is that we are all probably somewhat familiar with this portion of our gospel reading found in Luke. We may have studied it, read it or heard various version of this story plucked from different places, but nevertheless I’m guessing it is somewhat familiar to us; certainly the experience of Christmas is not new to us.

Each year at this time we remember the story about simple shepherds in the field watching over their flocks by night and when suddenly, with a sky full of stars, there comes an angel with a heavenly host proclaiming good news for all of humanity. The shepherds go and follow the directions of the angel and they find Mary and Joseph and a baby, to be named Jesus, lying on some straw in a feeding trough, surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells that one would normally find in a barn. Jesus is swaddled in what were probably feeding bags left over after the animals were fed. Still, the story is about a unique family who are occupying a barn.

We have seen this story often; we see it designed this time of the year on our greeting cards, in pictures that we see on television. A resemblance of the Nativity is setup in front of various houses of worship, homes, and just about everywhere. Each Xmas, we see what is portrayed as this wonderful, warm, loving image, of a family, homeless, occupying a barn.

And yet, Christmas is a reminder of warm and wonderful family traditions and memories of images that we treasure and hold dear, that we wrap around ourselves every Christmas. It keeps us warm in the winter. (Or maybe here in South Florida, it keeps us cool.) It makes us feel comforted and hopeful. It brings us back to childhood and days gone by, every Christmas, year after year after year. Good or bad and yet we see a reminder of a family, that is homeless, a not yet wed woman, occupying a barn.

But even though when we look at it carefully we see a family in difficult circumstances, what we usually bring to mind is memories from our own Christmases that have brought us joy. Christmas, for even the hardest skeptic, often becomes an occasion for sentiment.

We don’t want to ever stop hearing the Xmas narrative this time of the year, there is something familiar to the story even though it is a long, past distant story that has been handed down from generation to generation. We never want to stop seeing that image of a baby in the manger. We want to feel that Christmas feeling again and again and again and again. We become so nostalgic for it. It is so comforting to us. We never ever, ever, want our image of Christmas to change. And yet, we are faced with the reality that this scene offers us each and every year a poor family taking shelter in a stable to deliver a baby out of wedlock. We want the sanitized version from the Hallmark cards, but we also know that in reality, Jesus began life under very difficult circumstances.

And, then, somewhere along the way we hear a familiar sound, maybe a choir singing, maybe the tune to one of our favorite holiday songs. And that tune reminds us of the irony of our faith that on this day of celebration, we so much want nothing to change. We want It’s A Wonderful Life, Hallmark cards, family dinners, carols that offer a world view we can no longer hold, and a story that is gentle and pretty, without reminders of the harsh realities. We don’t want that to change, but as thinking people, as we continue to grow, the old images can’t always have the same meaning for us. The truth is, when we stop and think about it, we are honoring the greatest moment of change in human history. We are, in fact, celebrating a moment in time when the Presence of God, Divine Light and Energy, yet again combines, enters into history and nothing is ever the same again.
The event that took place in this story represents the ultimate Incarnation which means change. When the Allness that we call God molds Itself into finite form, change has taken place. The nativity is a story of change. It represents the presence of God coming into our time and into our space and into our lives and into our comfort zones and shaking things up and making them be recreated in a new way and challenging us to embrace change and to be active in doing something even to the point of being co-creators with God in our community and agents of change to the world around us.

Upon close examination of this story we discover that even the shepherds are changed. OF course they are changed, they saw angels for heaven sake, I know I would either be changed or in need of changing. The angels are changed, the message of good news is changed, the inn keeper changed by allowing someone to rest in his barn, the animals are dislocated, Mary is changed as her body brings forth another body into the world. Joseph is changed, the whole barnyard experience is changed and we are forever changed as we contemplate this story of changes.

In recent months we have all seen various “occupy” movements around the country. In this story of change, we see hope and courage occupying Rome. Rome is an occupying force in the Jewish homeland, and in this story, a Jewish family occupies Rome by allowing divine hope to be born in the midst of oppression.

Occupy movements today are calling for social justice, economic justice, inclusion, fairness…they are standing up for people who need medical coverage, employment, opportunity, equality. That is, surely what God wants for all of God’s people. In a system of haves and have nots, Jesus’ family is among the have nots, and in that family God is made known. the story of Jesus’ birth shows us that God is concerned for those who struggle, who have been denied equality and dignity, who do not yet have an equal share in the abundance of our world. the nativity says that God is aware of and concerned for the least of these, and therefore, we should also be aware of and concerned for them.

Christmas is a celebration year after year after year that no year is ever the same and that our lives are never the same and that every year we are, in fact, older and, hopefully, wiser but in any case we are changing Change is the one constant in the universe. Even our understanding of and relationship with God is, hopefully, changing, growing, and open to newness.

Change is not something that we as Christians should fear. Change is the nature of life. It is the nature of the church. It is the nature of Christmas.

We must not take our sentimentality for a Christmas season and extend it over the other 364 days of a year to try and build walls of supposed tradition to hold back the change of our creative God. We should not be fearful when the things that we do in the church and the things that the church does in the world around it suddenly seem to be different.

We must not fear the new but be active agents of bringing the new as God brings the new into the world every day, every week, every month, every year, and, yes, every Christmas. When we allow Christmas to occupy us, we are forever changed.

So what do I suggest that you do on this Christmas Day? What do I suggest that you do to celebrate this wonderful moment of change in your life? I suggest that you wrap up in Christmas and allow the good news of this day to occupy you. That you once again enjoy those visions of angels and shepherds and the manger and the baby in the straw and the animals and Mary and Joseph and let those familiar images take you to new places and new spiritual experiences.

Let the Christmas story of God’s incarnation in Jesus help us trust that God is also incarnating in us.
God, through us, can create more change in our world. As we embrace change, change that creates justice and peace and healing and hope, God is glorified and our world is blessed.

Listen carefully.

Do you hear the angel choirs announcing miraculous changes? Are you ready to be the change that God wants to accomplish in the world?

May the Spirit of Xmas occupy us and renew our passion.

Affirmations
Christmas Love is mine today.
Christmas Peace is mine today.
Christmas Joy is mine today.
I am God’s best gift.
And I am blessed.
Amen.

Final Word
“ The only real blind person at Christmas-time is the one who has not Christmas in their heart.”
Hellen Keller

The Least, the Lowly, & the Love of God
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
Advent 4, 2011

Of course, as we get closer and closer to Christmas, we tend to focus more and more on love. Now, we all have affection for our pets, our friends, some of us are even very fond of our possessions. But love, the kind of love we feel drawn to during the holiday season, is something more. The love that that fills the air, and hopefully our hearts, isn’t just fondness or affection or appreciation; the love that saturates the carols of the season, the stories, the rituals and traditions is a genuine caring about others, a real sense that all people have sacred value, an honest desire to give more than to receive, to move beyond selfish desires and manipulating tactics to a real experience of sharing goodwill and wishing peace and prosperity for all people. The Christmas kind of love calls us to replace greed with caring deeds. Christmas love makes us especially mindful of those who aren’t powerful, popular, or often given much respect. In fact, there is a song of the season that puts me very much in mind of caring about those whom others might not care much about:

I want a hippopotamus for xmas, Only a hippopotamus will do
Don’t want a doll, no dinky tinker to, I want a hippopotamus to play with enjoy
I want a hippopotamus for xmas, I don’t think santa claus will mind do you?
He won’t have to use the dirty chimney flue, Just bring him through the front door that’s the easy thing to do
I can see me now on xmas morning creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes and see a hippo hero standing there
I want a hippopotamus for Xmas, Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroses, I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too
Mother says a hippo would eat me up but then Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian
There’s lots of room for him in our two car garage
I’ll feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage
I can see me now on Xmas morning creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes and see a hippo hero standing there
I want a hippopotamus for xmas, Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses, I only like hippopotamuseses
And hippopotamuses like me too!

(written by John Rox and originally performed by Gayla Peevey)

In 1953, 10 year old Gayla Peevey recorded John Rox’s novelty song, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas and by year’s end, that song was number 24 on the Billboard charts.

But more than a fun song from almost 60 years ago, the Hippo song shows how love is supposed to work. The child wants to share love with something that most people would find unlovable. The child wants to wash and feed and massage and care for and play with the misunderstood and mostly unappreciated hippopotamus. Seeing good where others have overlooked it and sharing love with those who have too often been unloved is a perfect message for this special time of year.

Loving the unloved, reaching out to the disenfranchised, affirming the marginalized is the Good News, or gospel of Jesus Christ. That good news is offered to us today in the reading we heard from the first chapter of Luke.

Before we examine Luke’s imaginative telling of Mary’s discovery of her pregnancy, I think it’s important to recall an older story.

Remember, the scriptures that we hold dear were written by Jewish authors for Jewish communities. To not link our so-called New Testament to Judaic history and literature is to grossly misunderstand the texts themselves.

There is an ancient deutero-canonical text about a woman named Judith. Most Protestants, with the possible exception of Anglicans, are probably not familiar with Judith; but Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians will find the story of Judith in their bibles. Judith would have also been in the Septuagint, the bible Jesus and his earliest followers would have known.

The book of Judith may be the very first historical novel. The bible is full of dramas, poetry, songs, mythologies, parables, speeches, and other creative, imaginative artistic expression. It is the artistic imagination that gives us talking snakes and donkeys, flaming tongues floating in the air, water being magically changed into wine, Jonah taking up residence for half a week inside a fish, and other stories that if taken literally become ridiculous, but if taken allegorically become rich and empowering and life-giving. And Judith, as a fictional novel based on history while not being limited to the facts of history, is part of that wonderful creative tradition of our scriptures.

In the story, Judith is a widow. As a woman and widow, she would have had very little status in her patriarchal world. And yet, this husbandless woman is the hero of the tale. Judith believes that trusting the God of her ancestors and serving that God with courage and sacrifice is the best way to help her people. And her faith gives her great courage and she risks her own life to help save the lives of her people.

Eventually, Judith confronts an enemy general and even beheads him! But before she enters into an undercover operation that ends with her holding her enemy’s detached head in her hands, Judith prays this prayer:

Let a woman’s strength break their pride. Your power does not depend on the size and strength of an army. You are a God who cares for the humble and helps the oppressed…You minister to those who have lost hope…

When Luke is writing his story about Mary’s encounter with an angel, I wonder if he had Judith in mind. He would have known the story, and I honestly believe that his story about Mary was shaped in part by the story of Judith.

Luke now casts Mary as the voiceless person who finds her voice.
Luke now casts Mary as the oppressed person who finds divine strength.
Luke now casts Mary as the powerless person who finds empowerment within her own spiritual experience.
Luke now casts Mary as the one who stands up to injustice against all odds.
Mary is Luke’s new Judith, the example of God showing favor to the forgotten, and offering empowerment to the powerless.

And so Luke imagines Jesus’ conception. He is one of only two New Testament writers to do so. As writers in antiquity frequently did, Luke imagines the hero’s conception being miraculous. Augustus Caesar, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Alexander the Great, Hercules, and others all were said to have miraculous, even divine conceptions. That bit of the story isn’t unique…it would be stranger if Luke hadn’t attributed some kind of cosmic significance to his hero’s conception.

No, what is surprising and earth-shattering about the way Luke imagines Jesus’ beginnings is that it all happens in the most unlikely, ignominious of circumstances. An illiterate, peasant girl is visited by an angel of God. God comes to her! God seeks her out!

Not the powerful, the wealthy, the priestly, or even a man, but an unmarried, pregnant peasant girl is the one who has the profound experience of the divine. She is visited by God’s angel and told that she will have a child who will be much greater than his circumstances would suggest possible. Mary, of all people is called “favored one”.

Mary…not a man…Mary…not a scholar…Mary…not someone who was rich or powerful…Mary…living in an occupied country, not a citizen of the occupying power…Mary, a girl who is pregnant and whose child’s paternity is in question…MARY, of all people, is favored and her child, of all children, will be called God’s child. Caesar is called a divine son…that’s not surprising. But Mary’s son, a nobody, can also be called a divine child. Now that is shocking, subversive, and possibly unprecedented.

Oh those who are unkind about transgender people, those who are mean-spirited in their dealings with gay and lesbian people, those who fight so bitterly to keep women away from pulpit and altar, or sometimes from any leadership position in church or society, those who don’t care about health care for all people, who are unconcerned about poverty or peace, who forget that spirituality at its best is about justice and not just-us, those who pretend greed, and xenophobia, and sexism, and hatred are actually religious values, those who cling to their own privilege rather than standing up against oppression…those who forget to recognize the dignity of the so-called least of these have not paid careful enough attention to the story of Mary, lowly, nobody, unmarried, knocked up Mary, who was approached by God’s own angel and who raised a child who would be called God’s own.

The dispossessed, the so-called down-trodden, the poor, the sick, those who are denied marriage equality, those who are trivialized or diminished or insulted or ignored because they are women or because they are same-gender loving…those are the people that the Gospel calls “favored”…those are the people who are called children of God in our scriptures.

Mary is the favored one. All Marys remain the favored ones.

Do you feel like a Mary? Do you feel like a hippopotamus? Do you feel unworthy of love? Well today’s gospels is for you, because Divine love leaves no one out.

And this is the good news! Amen.

© Durrell Watkins 2011

Affirmations
I am blessed and highly favored.
Just as I am, I am loved.
Divine Love leaves no one out!
Alleluia!
Amen.

Final Word
“See what kind of love God has given us, that we should be called children of God…” 1 John 3.1

Whatever Happened to Joy?
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
Advent 3, 2011

Dr. Seuss’s Grinch, as we all know, was bitter, mean, selfish, and utterly antagonistic to everyone who sought joy in their lives. But as the people of Whooville clung tenaciously to the power of joy, even in the midst of loss and disappointment, they actually helped the Grinch discover that he was capable of experiencing joy himself, and indeed, even he deserved the experience of joy. Their joy changed his life and the joy was multiplied.

We begin worship each week at Sunshine Cathedral by affirming, “Sunshine Cathedral is a different kind of church where the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities.” By releasing the past to the past and being open to new possibilities, we are making room for the experience of joy in our lives.

We are committed to the possibility of joy here in much greater measure than in most churches. We laugh a lot. We sing a lot. We applaud a lot. We even dance now and then. We hug a lot. We use a lot of visual stimulation. We share food together. We have lots of concerts and drag shows and film showings and cocktail parties. We seem to have in our DNA a need to affirm the possibility of joy and a longing to make joy available to more and more people. And more and more, joy is much needed in our world.

In a world where education and health care are considered privileges rather than rights, where hatred is disguised as religion, and where bullying leaves our youth so despondent and hopeless that they actually harm themselves, a celebration of life is needed.
An affirmation of the sacred value of all people is needed.
A place where joy is not merely allowed but earnestly and endlessly sought after is needed!
And here we are, declaring week after week that the past is past and the future has INFINITE possibilities, and that includes the possibility of outrageous joy!

Religion for many of us was many things, but not often joyful.
It was boring. It was scary. It was shaming.
It filled us with fear or hatred or self-loathing or prejudice or a legalism that led us to believe that religion was little more than a list of dos and don’ts (mostly don’ts).
But joy…that isn’t what we traditionally associated with religion, and that’s too bad.

You see, joy is named specifically dozens of times in scripture.
Life isn’t always fun, it isn’t always easy, but it can be joyful…that is at least the affirmation of our sacred texts. For example:

The psalmist prayed over and over for a deep and shared experience of joy, saying:
“Let all who take refuge in God be glad; let them always sing for joy!” (Ps. 5.11);
“God makes known to us the path of life and fills us with joy…” (Ps. 16.11);
“…weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning!” (Ps. 30.5);
and “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Ps. 126.5).

The prophets proclaimed the spiritual power of joy in their writings:
“Divine joy is our strength!” (Nehemiah 8.10);
“Burst into songs of joy together, even in if you lie in ruins…for God is comforting the people.” (Isaiah 52.9);
“…God will turn sorrow into gladness and give comfort and joy instead of misery.” (Jeremiah 31.13);

A famous sermon attributed to Jesus begins with a list of beatitudes, or blessings, that is, promises of joy. Jesus says that joy is available to the poor, the bereaved, the lowly, the marginalized, and not only to those who find themselves in difficult situations, but to those who work to improve the human condition, those who work for justice and peace. (Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5).

And the Apostle Paul even preached a message of joy, praying “May the God of hope fill you with all joy” (Romans 15.13) and assuring the Galatian Church that joy was nothing less than a spiritual fruit (Galatians 5.22).

If joy is a spiritual fruit, one wonders why the orchards of religion seem to experience a perpetual famine.

Instead of lifting up the human family with the hope of joy, religion too often tells us that we are innately depraved.
Instead of offering joy freely, religion too often offers the heavy burden of guilt and shame.
Instead of saying joy is a gift abundantly available to every soul, religion too often hinders joy by codifying, institutionalizing, and defending sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, colonization, economic inequity, and blood-shed.
For joy to be such an oft repeated topic in scripture, isn’t it odd that those of us who claim to revere those scriptures have so little joy in our own lives and contribute so little joy to the world?

But don’t get depressed. You know there has to be good news, and there is!
We are here doing something new at Sunshine Cathedral; or least we are doing something new for religion.

We have really good worship here at Sunshine Cathedral, but what makes it so good is that it isn’t a tribute to ancient history. We blend a variety of traditions and insert contemporary elements as well. Videos, secular and sacred music, theatre lighting, and multiple instruments all work together to create an experience of great joy.

We offer challenging, enriching religious education courses and more and more people are discovering there is joy in learning and in moving beyond the assumptions of the past.

And some of our greatest points of entry for people into the life of Sunshine Cathedral are events that are offered for the pure fun they provide. Whenever we gather together to laugh at a comic, to enjoy a concert, to cheer our favorite gender-norm defying drag performers, to watch a movie, to share a meal, to play at a picnic, or to transform the campus into a casino…we are inviting the spirit of joy to fill our hearts, to uplift our souls, and to remind us that just as we are we are all people of sacred value. Whenever we come together to share joy, we are honoring the spirit of life and we are releasing healing energy into the life-stream of humanity.

Without offering even a hint of an apology I will wear Easter bonnets and boas, leather and feathers, I will break out into the Charleston, sing show tunes, show videos, and even channel the personalities of my favorite dead divas all to show this community and the world that there is nothing more spiritual than the experience of joy and we are our best selves when we are summoning and sharing the power of joy. And joy is ours when we dare to love ourselves, when we dare to care for others, when we celebrate life with enthusiasm, when we are generous, when we engage in work that helps and heals and even saves lives, and when we say in all our wonderful diversity we are, just as we are, the children of God, filled with the spirit of God, and we are part of God’s good creation.

Let Sunshine Cathedral be an orchard of joy and let this orchard bear MUCH fruit!

Winston Churchill said, “If you are going through hell, keep going!” I love the 12 Step maxim that religion is for people who are afraid of hell, but spirituality is for people who have already been there. At Sunshine Cathedral we aren’t selling fire insurance for the next life, we are offering the power of joy in this life…and I believe that once we embrace and embody joy, we will never in all of eternity give it up. We’re a little religious, and a lot spiritual, but mostly, we are a progressive, positive, and practical community that dares to share the power of joy.

We are here to replace fear with cheer, hate with hope, self-doubt with self-esteem, condemnation with celebration. We are here to experience and share the power of joy. The poet Louise Bogan said it so brilliantly: “I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe turns on an axis of suffering; surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy!”

And Mother Teresa made the case powerfully and simply by stating, “Joy is prayer!” Joy is prayer. If you don’t think you can pray, let me assure you can. Every time you summon hope, you are praying. Every time you offer kindness, you are praying. Every time you speak out and stand up for equality and justice, you are praying. Every time you express gratitude, you are praying. And every time you allow yourself to experience unfettered joy, you are praying. Joy isn’t a luxury or a petty indulgence, it is the world changing, life altering power of prayer!

In our Isaiah reading this morning, Isaiah says that he has been immersed in the spirit of life to help others experience the best of life…to experience joy. St. Paul said in the second reading, Rejoice, that is, find and express joy always! And in the gospel reading, John the Baptizer joyously affirmed that he was part of something larger…he wasn’t the longed for messiah or the prophet Elijah returned, but he was part of the messianic mission and the prophetic purpose to immerse people in lives of hope that could lead to an experience of joy – joy that circumstances could never take away.

Physician Sir Wilfred Grenfell said, “Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of others, but from doing something worthwhile.” That’s what we’re doing at Sunshine Cathedral. We’re doing something worthwhile, and by doing so, we are experiencing and sharing joy each and every day. Be part of the joy. Invite others to join you. Joy is our divine inheritance and we’ve got plenty to share. This is the good news. Amen.
© Durrell Watkins 2011

Affirmations
Joy is my inheritance.
Joy is my prayer.
Joy is the power of my life.
I affirm, embrace, and share joy today.
Alleluia!
Amen.

Offering: “There are those who give with joy, and joy is their reward.” Kahlil Gibran

Final Word:
“Too much of a good thing is wonderful!” Mae West

The Path to Peace
Rev. Elder Dr. Nancy Wilson, Presiding Elder/Moderator, MCC
Preached at Sunshine Cathedral
2nd Sunday of Advent: December 4, 2011

Good morning! Wonderful to be at Sunshine Cathedral MCC – thank you, Pastor Durrell, for your kind invitation, and for this tradition of inviting me to be with you in Advent! Thank you for being the amazing MCC congregation you are! Thank you for your support for MCC, and our ministry worldwide. I am so grateful for your contributions, Durrell, and leadership in the weekly lectionary study that nurtures so many MCC pastors; and Robert – for our leadership on our Governing Board, and in our global justice work

Let us pray.

Today is the Second Sunday in Advent, and we focus on peace. “Peace” is a word like “love” that covers an impossible territory for one word. It is the word we use for an inner sense of harmony or well-being, a negotiated settlement between warring parties, and everything in-between. Peace is something that seems totally elusive, an impossible dream to those like children in Somalia; and peace is something I can feel simply by taking four really deep breaths.

In one of our readings today, Isaiah, Israel’s amazing poet/prophet, preaches comfort and hope, and offers an image of the way to peace for the people of God – people who have struggled and suffered. . .Isaiah’s people have been through it all, oppression and despair and longing for liberation! They have known success and failure – a sense of God’s presence, and a feeling of being abandoned by God. . .

In our 43 years as a movement and denomination, we know about struggle, about tragedy and triumph, about twists and turns in the journey. We know about defeat and victory. Sunshine Cathedral. . .this may be your 40th Advent together, and you know about the ups and downs of being a community of faith here in South Florida. . .

Today, Mark’s gospel begins with John the Baptists’ call for spiritual renovation. As we prepare for the coming Nativity, for God’s incarnation among us, as one of us, in Jesus Christ, we are called to plunge into the waters of baptism. We are invited to a cleansing, healing surrender to the mystery of connection to God and God’s people. . .

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to offer baptism to a group of mostly MCC folks in the Jordan River – and they are not kidding when they said it is chilly and cold!! It was the coldest water I ever felt – we were at this very touristy place, all a little corny, with music blaring. . . church groups gathering by the edge . . . .the river was rushing so hard we had to hold on to railings – so cold, I not only thought my legs would freeze off, but my eyeballs too. . . but, as soon as people started coming in, one by one, to be baptized, we transcended that cold, with tears, and trembling, and surrender . . . John the Baptist knew that sometime we need to be shocked into surrender, into allowing God to be God for us, and for our people! I can’t read the story of John the Baptist without feeling the shock of that cold, rushing water, and the memory of people surrendering to God then and there. . .

Back to the prophet. . . .I love Isaiah’s describes the challenges of a pathway to peace, that is a metaphor for our lives our spiritual journey:

“Every valley shall be lifted . . .” The spiritual writer Iyanla Vanzant talks about “value in the valley” – all of us experience valleys, some deeper than others, in our journeys, as individuals and as community. Her point is that our low point can be our turning point. . . Today, globally, we are in an economic valley, a time of terrible uncertainty, when the poor and middle class are feeling pain and despair. Where economic disparity and injustice is causing upheaval all over the world. . . It is time for us to prepare, and to watch the ways in which God will use us to lift that valley of despair! Now is the time for us to remember we are not defined by our income, or our bank account, or our assets. . . we are defined by our embodiment of God’s purpose of love and redemption. . .

MCC born in a valley of despair — a 28 year old man who thought that being gay was the end of his world – But, God, spoke to him in his valley, and lifted him – and gave him a peace he never imagined!! And, because he surrendered, and allowed his valley to be lifted, the lives of millions have been changed forever! ($3.12)

God’s love in Jesus Christ transformed that valley! If you ever think that that message of peace is old. . .In June I visited the LGBT Center in Beijing, and was invited to speak. They have a small room, smaller than your social hall – the only dedicated space in all of mainland China for lgbt people! Christians are a small minority in China, and very, very conservative. About 50 people gathered to hear me speak, the week before they had had a film festival that had been raided by the police. . . but they are so hungry to connect to lgbt people around the world. A young man, Christian, but alienated from God and his church and parents, so full of anger, talked about how he could no longer believe in God. . .

Sailed down the Yangtse River, with 250 lesbians. . .rainbow flag. . .All over China, people, who were hungry for hope, wanting to come out of the closet, amazed to meet us.

God is lifting valley’s all over the world . . .Every day, someone is discovering help and friendship and grace in a valley. . .Every Sunday, someone walks into an MCC somewhere, or tunes in online, who thought they were alone in their valley! We are participating with God in lifting valleys all over this world, today. . .How many valley’s have been lifted here, in nearly 40 years at Sunshine Cathedral MCC. . .?

Not only does God lift the valley, but the Spirit declares that “the mountains shall be made low. . .” sometimes, it seems like we face one mountain after another. . Do you ever feel like that? Pastor Durrell? That we solve one problem, and there are others coming right behind. . .

A few weeks ago, my partner Paula and I decided to get our house painted. . .looked great! The young man painting our house then we discovered there was a problem with our roof, and then, with the chimney, and then, that looks great now, but it makes this look shabby – there is always something!

Sometimes it seems like there is just one mountain after another to be faced.
Just as God can lift the valleys of despair, God can level off the hills and mountains . . .
Sometimes the challenges are overwhelming, the needs overwhelming. . .
It can threaten our peace. . .
Learn to surrender!

To simply put one foot in front of the other, to breathe as we go. The work of God is never finished, but, sometimes we have to stop and see how far we have come, look back, partway up that mountain, and see the valleys below, and be amazed at how far we have come!! Have you ever done that, have you done that here, recently – really stopped, and looked at where you have come from? Talking with my mother in the trip here, “did you ever think you would live to see the kind of change and progress you have seen?” – no! and sometimes I need to remember that, and rejoice, and not just look at the looming mountains ahead. . .

And, along that mountain path, God will make “Uneven places level . . .” Inequality is that “uneven place” for me, the disturber of peace – we live in a world of injustice, where the poor are demonized by our politicians, where children with AIDS are still excluded from schools, where lgbt people struggle for basic human rights all over the world today. Creating justice is one of the ways to make peace. This weekend, in The Philippines, a very Catholic country, MCC in the Philippines is marching for lgbt and marriage equality – MCC is the only religious voice standing for equality, and calling a country to a new day of openness and freedom. Today, Jesus is with our Jamaican brothers and sisters who still suffer violence and are “hated to death,” as they stand for justice and hope.

And, there are the “rough places, that God is making plain. . .” There are still so many rough places, within us, among us, and in the world. Today, brothers and sister in Uganda meet in secret places, gather for prayer and work to defeat the “kill bill” that would authorize the death penalty for those suspected of being LGBT or even supporting LGBT people. MCC and our Global Justice Institute are there with them. I think of all the upheaval in the middle east, those who are this day risking their lives in rough places. Places where historic cultural clashes, divisions and hatred still thrive.

Imagine being an lgbt person in Syria, or Egypt , Libya or Gaza today. . .

And there are rough personal places. I meant that earlier about taking four really deep breaths – how do we make room for that in our frantically paced lives? What could change if you had compassion on yourself at least once a day, and took four really deep breaths before you reacted to something, or faced the next crisis or problem? Taking four really deep breaths does not take much time, no money, and no talent. At some level, doing that can be as shocking as the cold, cleansing waters of the Jordan. Most of us are carrying so much “stuff” that is not ours to carry . . .what if we really allowed God to smooth our rough places and stopped trying to do it all ourselves?

The world needs to be called again, to the classic meaning of repentance, which is “to turn” from the politics, practices, religious biases that cause hatred and division. John the Baptist preached a repentance that was rooted in the spiritual practice of forgiveness – Frederick Bruechner says that forgiveness entails, “the freedom again to be at peace inside our own skins and to be glad in each other’s presence.” Learning to forgive ourselves and each other, to accept God’s forgiveness, is a pathway to peace. Sometimes, churches struggle the hardest with forgiveness – such a terrible irony! It ought to be second nature for us to be able to forgive ourselves and each other in Jesus’ name. Especially for those of us who have experienced rejection. How can we let go, be at peace in our own skins and glad in each other’s presence?

Thank you, Sunshine Cathedral, for attempting to model and be that kind of place, that kind of community. Thank you for striving to be “found at peace,” even while we are waiting for God’s glory to be revealed, for valleys to be lifted, mountains brought low, uneven places leveled and the rough places made smooth. . .Peace takes practice.

Today, I bless you, Sunshine Cathedral MCC, as you offer the possibility of peace to this community, a peace that is shocking and comforting, that helps us surrender to God’s amazing grace and love. I bless you with the peace of Christ, that passes all understanding … may you be baptized into that peace this season. Amen.

It All Begins With Hope
Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
Advent 1, Year B 2011

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the first season of the Christian Year.

And here we are, once again, at a new beginning: the first Sunday of the first season of a new Christian year.

And the first Sunday of Advent not only begins the new Christian year, it also begins the period of anticipation leading to the birth of Jesus. And recalling Jesus’ birth, we also remind ourselves to let the Christ light shine more brightly in and through our own lives.

Now during the 4 week Advent season, we focus on a different positive aspect of faith each week. During the four weeks of Advent we also embrace the qualities of hope, peace, joy, and love.

But it all begins with hope.

Hope is what our gospel reading is about today. While the imagery may at first seem unpleasant, we must remember that apocalyptic literature is actually an expression of hope for better days.

Mark, written about 70 CE (the same year Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed) is responding to the world that he knows coming to an end. It’s already happened! He is expressing hope that something new and healing can rise from the wreckage. He isn’t predicting the end; he’s hoping for healing from the end that has already occurred. He’s hoping for a Christ experience that will “occupy” imperial Rome and bring healing and justice at last. Jerusalem has been destroyed; Mark hopes it has a future anyway. And to his hope he adds action; the action of writing a Gospel, a dramatic telling of Good News.

St. Clement of Alexandria said, “If you do not hope you will not find what is beyond your hopes.”

Now, let’s not confuse hope with a wish.

I may wish I was 6’5”, but I probably don’t really hope to ever be 6’5”. Hope means I really want it, I really believe it’s possible, and I’m really willing to do my part to make or allow it to happen.

I don’t really think I’ll grow 5 inches ever in this life, and frankly, I’m not willing to try any crazy scheme to see if I can add almost half a foot to my stature. So, whereas I might wish I were 6’5”, on close analysis, I don’t really hope that it will ever happen.

When we say, “I hope to make more friends” or “I hope to learn to play an instrument” or “I hope to take a vacation” or “I hope I can improve my self-esteem”…are we really hoping, or are we just wishing? Hope is rooted in a trust that it really can happen, and it is accompanied by a willingness to do what we can to aid the thing for which we hope. If we aren’t willing to change our attitudes, our behavior, or our habits, then we probably aren’t really hoping; we’re just wishing. And hope leads to fulfillment far more often than wishing does.

Sometimes people will say they are hoping for a return to the good old days.

Sometimes I remember them from the good old days; I remember that they were miserable, unhappy, and constantly complaining even back then!

The old days weren’t as good as they remember…in fact, their days, past and present, were never, are never, and never could be any brighter than their attitude; so even a return of the good old days wouldn’t bring them happiness. It would just remind them of the good old days they were longing for during those good old days.

Inventor Charles F. Kettering said, “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you’re thinking about yesterday all the time.”

You know those people who talk about their “ex” all the time…not their ex from last Spring…their ex from 1996! I don’t think that person is your ex…he or she seems to be your current something…crutch, fantasy, obsession, regret…that person is very current in your thinking. Of course, there aren’t many other romances to talk about, because strangely, spending the last 15 years talking about your “ex” didn’t feel very inviting to many new suitors! Now if your “ex” evolved into your “friend,” friends are always good to have. But let them be your current friend, rather than your “ex” that carry around like luggage.

Sometimes the “ex” isn’t a person, but church. We sometimes treat MCC like the rebound lover…not the one we really want to commit to; just the one to keep us from being lonely until the ex comes to her or his senses and realizes they can’t live without us. And so 5, 10, 15 years into MCC, we’re still talking about, with longing in our voices, the Seventh-Day Roman Wesleyan Calvinist Assembly of Latter Day Saints – Wisconsin Synod.

With pained expressions we’ll lament how our former church vilified us, rejected us, demonized us, dehumanized us because we were gay, or female, or gender non-conforming, or divorced, or because we fell in love with someone from another faith tradition or dared to question or even disagree with some ancient dogma that originated when everyone assumed the world was flat.

And yet, while we recall the reprehensible way they denied our very humanity, we will still identify as one of their own.

We aren’t hoping to recover from the pain, we are just wishing that the pain had never been inflicted. But that wish never bears much fruit.

Hope for healing from the religious abuse of the past will mean believing we can separate from systems that claimed our minds and our thoughts and sometimes our bodies; hope for healing will mean moving forward, not longing to go back. We can’t have a better tomorrow if we are thinking about yesterday all the time.

Wishing is fine, but wishes have a very hit or miss record of achievement. Hope, however, leads to positive action and positive action has a much better report card!

My grandmother hoped to have a college degree. But she married young and had children. How could she keep her hope from being a mere wish? She went to college for one year, and then went to work, returning to school every summer until she finished her Bachelor’s degree. It took her 10 years to earn a 4 year degree. But she believed she could, and she was willing to do what had to be done, even if that meant a lot of work and spending a decade of her life to make it happen. When the wish to achieve something evolved into hope, the hope led to positive action which led, over time, to a happy result.

Hope inspired positive action has led countless people into 12 Steps and recovery.

Hope inspired positive action is what resulted in women getting the right to vote in this country.

Hope inspired positive action led to the Civil Rights Act.

Hope inspired positive action led Harvey Milk to run for public office and to stand up to the forces of homophobia.

Hope inspired positive action has led to marriage equality in 6 states, one Native American tribe, and the District of Columbia.

Hope inspired positive action led to medications that have kept people with HIV alive for decades now.

Hope inspired positive action has led countless people out of the closet and into the light of joyous, self-actualized living.

Hope inspired action gave birth in 1968 to Metropolitan Community Churches.

Hope inspired action gave birth in 1972 to Sunshine Cathedral MCC.

Never under-estimate the power of genuine hope.

Hope leads to action; action leads to result. We’ll want to keep our actions positive; all action gets results, but only positive gets positive results.

If you haven’t yet been inspired to take positive action, your hope may just be a wish.

To get better results, let your wish become hope and your hope will lead to a plan of positive action which can lead to positive results.

Do you dare to really hope today?

Do you dare to hope that you can heal from the past?

Do you dare to hope that you can have a new beginning after a disappointing failure?

Do you dare to hope that your future can be better than the past, even the romanticized past of your imagination?

If you will dare to hope, then you will believe that what you hope for is possible, and you will be willing do your part in moving the dream forward to the world of lived experience.

If you dare to hope, you may just find that what is beyond your hopes is nothing less than miraculous. And this is the good news. Amen.

© Durrell Watkins 2011

Affirmations:
I dare to hope.
I hope for healing.
I hope for achievement.
I hope for peace.
I will add positive action to my hopes.
And I expect positive results.
Amen.

The Reign of Christ
Durrell Watkins
Sunshine Cathedral
Reign of Christ Sunday 2011

I remember in Hot Springs, AR in the 80s there was a fabulous entertainer known as the Grand Empress of Arkansas. But there was no Grand Empress of Arkansas pageant. The holder of this title didn’t win it, he just sort of came by it and it stuck. {By the way, the Grand Empress was NOT me…I was just a princess in those days!}

Well, just like no one ever crowned the Grand Empress of Arkansas, no king or emperor crowned Jesus as a prince, no General elevated him to a high ranking military position, no prophet anointed him as the leader of a nation.

Mary of Bethany is said to have anointed Jesus’ feet with perfumed oil, but who was she? Of course, that shows Jesus the Anointed one literally receiving his anointing at the hands of a woman, but that’s another sermon.

But some people, either toward the end of his ministry or shortly after his crucifixion started giving Jesus exalted titles. They weren’t official titles; they were tributes from the margins of society.

People started to think of Jesus as God’s anointed, as a messianic figure, as their Lord over against the dominus of the empire, Lord Caesar. The Lordship of Jesus was empowerment shared with people, not privilege lorded over people. People felt more whole in Jesus’ presence, more alive, more hopeful, more connected to divinity, and so they called him messiah, teacher, healer, and Lord.

Jesus wasn’t a prince or a Lord in any political sense; he had no throne or scepter; in fact, he even once said that he didn’t even have a place to lay his head sometimes! Even though an imaginative genealogy at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel tries to suggest that Jesus is descended from royalty of the distant past, the truth remains that the Jesus people encountered in the first century was a peasant living in the backwater of an occupied territory. 95% of his community would have been illiterate.

Jesus himself would eventually be tortured and executed as a dangerous subversive. And yet, that is the sort of person who helped marginalized people feel more alive, more truly themselves. And in defiance of the empire, some of those people, at least eventually, called him Lord. How shocking, how creative, how seditious to call one Lord whom Lord Caesar’s government had killed. That’s how the reign of Jesus was established, but his reign wasn’t about power, privilege, or wealth…his reign happened in people’s hearts, and it was given to him freely, not demanded of them at the point of a spear.

We see the tribute to Jesus’ counter-cultural lordship in our scripture readings today. The Deutero-Pauline writer of Ephesians suggests that power is available to us. The “us” to whom he was writing would have been subjects and in some cases even slaves of the empire.

Empowerment in spite of oppression, hope in the face of hopelessness, human dignity affirmed for oneself when others have denied it, freedom in exile, wholeness in spite of all attempts to leave one broken…oh how tremendous is the power available to us…ALL of us!

While some may try to lord power over others and keep “the other” in the margins of society, we are always free to believe the best about ourselves, to see the divine potential in all people, to respond positively even to the most negative circumstances, and to summon hope even when situations seem hopeless. That is what we find in the beginnings of what would evolve into Christianity. Before it was institutionalized, domesticated, and used to reinforce the status quo, before it abandoned the Judaic faith and culture that gave rise to it, The Way, as the Jesus Movement was called, was a counter-cultural movement that challenged the systems of the world and offered Good News to those who needed it most. That’s the reign of Christ.

In the Gospel reading, Matthew imagines Jesus separating sheep from goats. The sheep and the goats can represent the best and worst elements of our lives, our society, our world. The sheep are the better angels of our nature while the goats are our fears, greed, violence, etc. The goats…those attitudes and habits that are unworthy of our divine nature, they are to be separated out and cast out, over come, replaced with lambs.

In Revelation 7 the writer imagines a Lamb on a throne…not a General, not an Emperor, but a Lamb. The Reign of Christ is what bible scholar Barbara Rossing calls Lamb Power: the power of love, the power of hope, the power of seeking the best not just for oneself or one’s community but for all people…that’s lamb power; that’s the reign of Christ.

That drug companies have accumulated vast fortunes while entire countries have been decimated by diseases that could have been managed with existing drugs is the way of the world, the way of empire, the way of Caesar, but Lamb Power, the reign of Christ would say “what does it profit someone to gain a fortune but lose compassion for others?” That people have died of AIDS when they might have lived if not for our greed is the way of cotemporary economics but it is not the way of the Reign of Christ.

Matthew suggests that followers of Jesus aren’t measured by their affirmations about Jesus but by demonstrating the compassion and commitment to justice that characterized his life and ministry. Venerating Jesus is easy (and cheap); caring for the dispossessed and marginalized, forming caring communities, demanding liberty and justice for all, caring for the so-called least of these…the sex worker, the migrant worker, the undocumented worker, the blue collar worker, the single mother, the elderly person, the Queer person, the transgender person, the abused child, the bullied teen…affirming the dignity of those society has too frequently cast aside is more difficult and more costly, in fact, it is the sort of activity that cost Jesus his life, and yet it is also what made people see following him as actually being life-giving.

For the reign of Christ to be experienced it must happen where it first happened, in human hearts so that our hands become the hands of Christ and we become truly the body and presence of Christ in the world today. We lift bread every Sunday and say, “This is my body.” But it’s not about the bread! Those who share the bread are to be the body – THIS (everyone in the room) – IS MY BODY. The reign of Christ happens when we care and when we care enough to share. The Reign of Christ is deeds not creeds!

For the Christ Nature to reign in our consciousness and to express in our lives isn’t to imagine Jesus on a throne as one more dictator or potentate. The Reign of Christ doesn’t look like Jesus wearing robes and a crown; it looks like us doing what Sojourner Truth did…working for not only our own liberation but also for the liberation of others.

Notice we are speaking of the reign of Christ, not the rule of Christ. Ruling is the oppressive, imperial way of Caesar (and of all empires and colonizing powers).

Rulers will try to block marriage equality.
Rulers will call pizza a vegetable.
Rulers try to protect the most powerful few who will in turn protect them.
Kings create barons and knights; barons and knights protect kings, even in republics though the verbiage is different. Kings create and protect the elite; the elite then protect the king. The circle of privilege is small and fiercely guarded. That is what ruling looks like.

But to reign is to be a unifying symbol and presence, not a conquering ruler. To be ruled over is to be enslaved, controlled, robbed of choice or agency, and that is not good news. The reign of Christ is the indefatigable, fearless, relentless sharing of life-giving, life-enhancing, life-saving good news! Rulers are seldom just; but the reign of Christ demands justice for all!

Jesus lived so fully into his humanity that he actually expressed divinity. The divine humanity that Jesus modeled touched lepers, empowered women and children, affirmed the sacred value of his people’s traditional enemies, and broke social taboos when he shared table fellowship with tax collectors, prostitutes, the mentally ill, and others whom society shunned.

To follow Jesus then isn’t to merely recite 3rd and 4th century creeds as if they were completely relevant for today. To follow Jesus is to minister to the sick, to demand equal protection and equal opportunity for all people, to value peace more than war, and to insist that in an abundant universe every human has every basic need met!

We must use religion, government, social capital, and personal resources to see that no one is needlessly hungry or homeless, unmedicated or uneducated, oppressed or dispossessed.

To see the light of Christ in the so-called “least of these” among us and to offer them the hope, peace, and empowerment that we have found is the true Reign of Christ.

We still have work to do. And we are called to do it. Together, as we continue to share our time, talent, and treasure for the cause of Christ, we will succeed! This is the good news. Amen.

© Durrell Watkins 2011

Affirmations:
God in me is lifting me up.
God through me is lifting up others.
May the reign of Christ bless us all today.
Amen.