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The Good News Written

From the wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn

“Thou in me art: Eternal joy. Eternal youth. Eternal wealth. Eternal health. Eternal love. Eternal life.”

Luke 4.23-30 (NRSV)

²³[Jesus] said to [the crowd], “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” ²⁴And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. ²⁵But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah [when there was no rain for] three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; ²⁶yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow… in Sidon. ²⁷There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

The Good News Proclaimed

Preached by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins at the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, January 31, 2010.

I have one great-aunt still living, my Aunt Lois. She’s 95 years old. She was my father’s aunt. She’s about 4′11″ and at her plumpest may have weighed 130 lbs. One day she was at the post-office and as she was leaving, a woman walking near by her noticed an inebriated man lying on the steps. The woman scolded the ne’er-do-well, saying, “Get a job!” She then turned to my great-aunt Lois and said, “I wouldn’t have told him that if you weren’t here with me.” Aunt Lois said, “Who am I, Mohammed Ali?” It’s important to know who you really are… it’s probably the most important thing for any of us to know.

Luke chapter four opens by reminding us that Jesus is a spirit-filled person. Before the dogmas and creedal formulas of later centuries, the earliest followers and admirers of Jesus knew him to be a spirit-filled, grace-filled, god-filled person. And as such, Jesus has the authority to remind us that WE are spirit-filled, grace-filled, god-filled persons. Luke reminds us of this by saying that Jesus was FULL of the spirit.

Next, in chapter 4, we see Jesus having a wilderness experience. Have you ever had a wilderness experience? Have you ever felt alone, unappreciated, unsure of what to do, utterly terrified? Jesus’ ministry is preceded by a time in the wilderness… so take heart. The wilderness moment may actually be leading to something amazing. Don’t give up hope… don’t give up period.

In the wilderness, Jesus is tempted to view scripture through a lens of fundamentalist literalism. He hears a mischievous voice quoting scripture at him to manipulate him, to control him, to reduce him to little more than a puppet. But Jesus avoids that temptation. He won’t give up his agency no matter how others try to use scripture against him. And learning that his sacred value doesn’t depend on how others use or misuse scripture, he emerges from the wilderness assured of his sacred value and ready to help others by his ministry.

Then, in chapter 4, we find ourselves where we were last week with Jesus in the synagogue, reading from prophet Isaiah. Evil had tried to use scripture against him, but Jesus chooses to use scripture to affirm himself. He reads himself into the text… the text says something good, and he decides that it must be saying something good about him. Remember? He said, “this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” When you hear it, if you claim it, then it IS for you! Evil tried to use scripture to disempower Jesus, but Jesus chose to use scripture to empower himself, and of course, others.

And that leads us to today’s reading. Jesus says, “the good news of the prophets is about me and you.” The people say, “Who do you think you are? We’ve heard you’ve done some great things in other places, but we haven’t seen any of it.” They can’t believe in their own goodness, and so they can’t really see Jesus’. And Jesus says, “you know what, that’s the way it often works.”

And then he reminds them of biblical stories where the ones to be blessed are often the “other” that have suffered prejudice and discrimination. The one we are tempted to hate because of religion, color, class, gender, or sexual orientation is the one who may be more open to grace, opportunity, and divine possibilities than we are. The people that you think are no good are willing to believe in themselves, and as a result, they get results. Maybe you could learn something from “them.”

Of course, people were enraged to think that people they looked down on might be more open to the spirit than they were… and they were furious that Jesus would dare to say so! But Jesus knows who he is. He is spirit filled. He is one who can see himself in the sacred story. When he reads the sacred story, he hears it affirming HIS sacred value, and when one really believes in oneself, one has no need to belittle, demonize, dismiss, ignore, or exclude others.

And, when one knows who one really is, the barbs and insults from others can bounce right off… or in the words of Luke, one might just walk through the angry crowd and go on one’s own self-actualized way.

If you have been eroticized or objectified because of your youth or your ethnicity or your wealth… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been excluded, ignored, or insulted because you are a woman in a mostly male community… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been shamed, vilified, or stigmatized because of your HIV status… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been disrespected because your gender experience transgressed societal gender norms… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been hurt or demonized because of your sexual orientation… this story is meant to empower you.
Know who you are, and you’ll see the good in others, and when others can’t see the good in you, you’ll know that this about their insecurity, it isn’t about your value or dignity.

Oh… that opening video and the sermon title…

In the Fall I started working out with a personal trainer. This trainer is about half my age. He’s beautiful, fit, energetic… as one might expect a trainer to be. Well, after our very first workout, I could barely walk the next day. So, rather than appreciate his fitness and athleticism, I decided those things were really weapons he was using to kill me. My protest was to call him “Barbie” …the unrealistically perfect doll we all grew up with, and that some of us played with (I’m not ashamed). As the months rolled on, I grew very fond of Barbie, learning to trust his guidance to appreciate the results I was seeing in myself… but the originally pejorative name “Barbie” stuck.

Recently, someone on Facebook was encouraging me as I continue to battle the weight demons, and he praised me for my hard work with Barbie. Meanwhile, this FB friend is only three years younger than me but MUCH more fit and beautiful than I am. I, being filled with the love and grace of Christ, do not hate him for this… not much. But I said, “Well, I got too heavy and needed some help to get it under control, so Barbie came to the rescue; but you were wise enough to stay in shape all this time.” And my friend said, “actually I work very hard at it… you have to be your own Barbie.”

That’s it! Be your own Barbie. Know who you are. You aren’t OK b/c you aren’t the other… the widow from Sidon, the leper from Samaria…” those people” who you might have unkind things to say about and ugly names for, well, they may be having a richer experience of divine grace than you are! They may be kinder, more generous, more honest, and more open to miracles than you are. Maybe your prejudice isn’t serving you. So, not being them isn’t what makes you OK, because you know what, THEY’RE OK!

You’re ok because you are divine love in manifestation. You’re ok b/c god has looked at all of creation and called it all very good. That other religion, that other gender, that other race, that other person… they’re all part of the perfection of God’s creation, and so are you. You aren’t ok in comparison to someone else… you’re ok period. You aren’t on your way to becoming ok; you already are good enough. So when we lie, cheat, spread vicious rumors, do violence to others, cling to bigotry or unkindness of any kind… the reason we want to abandon such behavior is that it isn’t worthy of our sacred value. That behavior is a lie… it says we are less than we really are… it says we aren’t part of the creation that God calls very good… and that just not true. We are seekers and students of Truth, so we want to abandon whatever doesn’t support our Truth… the Truth that we are all the Temple of an all-inclusive and all-loving God.

A Course in Miracles teaches that only the self-accused condemn! If Jesus doubted his own sacred value, he would have looked for people to be worse than him so he could feel better about himself. But instead, he affirmed himself; he knew he was God’s child in whom God was well pleased. And knowing his truth, he could see the goodness of others… all others. Only the self-accused condemn… the self-affirmed see the divine spark in all people.

Barbie may be the ideal, but the secret is learning that you are your own Barbie. Barbie in you… the hope of glory. When we know who we are, we’ll love ourselves… and when we love ourselves, we can’t hate the so-called “other” …and when we love ourselves, we can walk through the angry crowd with our heads held high… because when they say horrible things about us, we simply don’t believe them. We know who we are. We are our own Barbie. We are the children of God. And this is the good news. Amen.

The Good News Affirmed

I am good enough!

I am spirit-filled!

I know who I am!

And knowing my goodness, I see the goodness of others.

Thank you, God, for making your home in me.

Amen.

Audio readings and sermon (http://sunshinecathedral.org/sermons/audio/20100131_1.mp3)

I have one great-aunt still living, my Aunt Lois. She’s 95 years old. She was my father’s aunt. She’s about 4′11″ and at her plumpest may have weighed 130 lbs. One day she was at the post-office and as she was leaving, a woman walking near by her noticed an inebriated man lying on the steps. The woman scolded the ne’er-do-well, saying, “Get a job!” She then turned to my great-aunt Lois and said, “I wouldn’t have told him that if you weren’t here with me.” Aunt Lois said, “Who am I, Mohammed Ali?” It’s important to know who you really are… it’s probably the most important thing for any of us to know.

Luke chapter four opens by reminding us that Jesus is a spirit-filled person. Before the dogmas and creedal formulas of later centuries, the earliest followers and admirers of Jesus knew him to be a spirit-filled, grace-filled, god-filled person. And as such, Jesus has the authority to remind us that WE are spirit-filled, grace-filled, god-filled persons. Luke reminds us of this by saying that Jesus was FULL of the spirit.

Next, in chapter 4, we see Jesus having a wilderness experience. Have you ever had a wilderness experience? Have you ever felt alone, unappreciated, unsure of what to do, utterly terrified? Jesus’ ministry is preceded by a time in the wilderness… so take heart. The wilderness moment may actually be leading to something amazing. Don’t give up hope… don’t give up period.

In the wilderness, Jesus is tempted to view scripture through a lens of fundamentalist literalism. He hears a mischievous voice quoting scripture at him to manipulate him, to control him, to reduce him to little more than a puppet. But Jesus avoids that temptation. He won’t give up his agency no matter how others try to use scripture against him. And learning that his sacred value doesn’t depend on how others use or misuse scripture, he emerges from the wilderness assured of his sacred value and ready to help others by his ministry.

Then, in chapter 4, we find ourselves where we were last week with Jesus in the synagogue, reading from prophet Isaiah. Evil had tried to use scripture against him, but Jesus chooses to use scripture to affirm himself. He reads himself into the text… the text says something good, and he decides that it must be saying something good about him. Remember? He said, “this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” When you hear it, if you claim it, then it IS for you! Evil tried to use scripture to disempower Jesus, but Jesus chose to use scripture to empower himself, and of course, others.

And that leads us to today’s reading. Jesus says, “the good news of the prophets is about me and you.” The people say, “Who do you think you are? We’ve heard you’ve done some great things in other places, but we haven’t seen any of it.” They can’t believe in their own goodness, and so they can’t really see Jesus’. And Jesus says, “you know what, that’s the way it often works.”

And then he reminds them of biblical stories where the ones to be blessed are often the “other” that have suffered prejudice and discrimination. The one we are tempted to hate because of religion, color, class, gender, or sexual orientation is the one who may be more open to grace, opportunity, and divine possibilities than we are. The people that you think are no good are willing to believe in themselves, and as a result, they get results. Maybe you could learn something from “them.”

Of course, people were enraged to think that people they looked down on might be more open to the spirit than they were… and they were furious that Jesus would dare to say so! But Jesus knows who he is. He is spirit filled. He is one who can see himself in the sacred story. When he reads the sacred story, he hears it affirming HIS sacred value, and when one really believes in oneself, one has no need to belittle, demonize, dismiss, ignore, or exclude others.

And, when one knows who one really is, the barbs and insults from others can bounce right off… or in the words of Luke, one might just walk through the angry crowd and go on one’s own self-actualized way.

If you have been eroticized or objectified because of your youth or your ethnicity or your wealth… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been excluded, ignored, or insulted because you are a woman in a mostly male community… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been shamed, vilified, or stigmatized because of your HIV status… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been disrespected because your gender experience transgressed societal gender norms… this story is meant to empower you.
If you have been hurt or demonized because of your sexual orientation… this story is meant to empower you.
Know who you are, and you’ll see the good in others, and when others can’t see the good in you, you’ll know that this about their insecurity, it isn’t about your value or dignity.

Oh… that opening video and the sermon title…

In the Fall I started working out with a personal trainer. This trainer is about half my age. He’s beautiful, fit, energetic… as one might expect a trainer to be. Well, after our very first workout, I could barely walk the next day. So, rather than appreciate his fitness and athleticism, I decided those things were really weapons he was using to kill me. My protest was to call him “Barbie” …the unrealistically perfect doll we all grew up with, and that some of us played with (I’m not ashamed). As the months rolled on, I grew very fond of Barbie, learning to trust his guidance to appreciate the results I was seeing in myself… but the originally pejorative name “Barbie” stuck.

Recently, someone on Facebook was encouraging me as I continue to battle the weight demons, and he praised me for my hard work with Barbie. Meanwhile, this FB friend is only three years younger than me but MUCH more fit and beautiful than I am. I, being filled with the love and grace of Christ, do not hate him for this… not much. But I said, “Well, I got too heavy and needed some help to get it under control, so Barbie came to the rescue; but you were wise enough to stay in shape all this time.” And my friend said, “actually I work very hard at it… you have to be your own Barbie.”

That’s it! Be your own Barbie. Know who you are. You aren’t OK b/c you aren’t the other… the widow from Sidon, the leper from Samaria…” those people” who you might have unkind things to say about and ugly names for, well, they may be having a richer experience of divine grace than you are! They may be kinder, more generous, more honest, and more open to miracles than you are. Maybe your prejudice isn’t serving you. So, not being them isn’t what makes you OK, because you know what, THEY’RE OK!

You’re ok because you are divine love in manifestation. You’re ok b/c god has looked at all of creation and called it all very good. That other religion, that other gender, that other race, that other person… they’re all part of the perfection of God’s creation, and so are you. You aren’t ok in comparison to someone else… you’re ok period. You aren’t on your way to becoming ok; you already are good enough. So when we lie, cheat, spread vicious rumors, do violence to others, cling to bigotry or unkindness of any kind… the reason we want to abandon such behavior is that it isn’t worthy of our sacred value. That behavior is a lie… it says we are less than we really are… it says we aren’t part of the creation that God calls very good… and that just not true. We are seekers and students of Truth, so we want to abandon whatever doesn’t support our Truth… the Truth that we are all the Temple of an all-inclusive and all-loving God.

A Course in Miracles teaches that only the self-accused condemn! If Jesus doubted his own sacred value, he would have looked for people to be worse than him so he could feel better about himself. But instead, he affirmed himself; he knew he was God’s child in whom God was well pleased. And knowing his truth, he could see the goodness of others… all others. Only the self-accused condemn… the self-affirmed see the divine spark in all people.

Barbie may be the ideal, but the secret is learning that you are your own Barbie. Barbie in you… the hope of glory. When we know who we are, we’ll love ourselves… and when we love ourselves, we can’t hate the so-called “other” …and when we love ourselves, we can walk through the angry crowd with our heads held high… because when they say horrible things about us, we simply don’t believe them. We know who we are. We are our own Barbie. We are the children of God. And this is the good news. Amen.