Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – 03 July 2005St Paul Lutheran Church ABQ NM – The Rev. Patricia L. Holman Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145:8-15; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
This is our weekend to celebrate freedom: national and personal. There are
so many images and definitions we use when we talk about freedom – freedom
from want, freedom to choose. For freedom to be real is must be experienced personally and lived out in community. A wonderful illustration of that comes from the latter part of World War II. There was a prisoner of war camp run deep in Germany where Americans were held on one side, British prisoners on the other, separated by a high barbed wire fence. The prisoners were not allowed to communicate save daily at noon when the chaplain for the Brits would meet the American chaplain at the fence. Accompanied by guards they would exchange a greeting then go back to their respective barracks. The Americans had managed to rig up a crude radio and so on occasion the American chaplain would have a terse news headline to share with the British. One day the news was amazing: the German high command had surrendered and the war was over. None of the Germans knew this as their communications system had broken down. The American chaplain brought that news to the fence and a thunderous roar of celebration rippled through the British barracks. And then an amazing thing happened: for the next three days the prisoners celebrated, waving at their unknowing guards and even smiling at the vicious guard dogs. When they awoke on the fourth day, the guards wee gone and the gate unlocked. The prisoners were free. But they had really been set free four days earlier by the news that the war was over. As the British chaplain telling this story put it, “That is the power of the Gospel – it is news, not advice.” Good news, very good very freeing news! [THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY, June 28, 2005, page 20] For a Christian, for one who lives rooted in Christ, freedom is knowing and trusting that there is nothing we can do to merit the release that comes with God's forgiveness or peace; rather, by invitation of Christ we rest calm in all our doings and days by the assurance that our present and our future are secure in God's grace. It is God who does this inviting, not us. And the invitation is extended to all – not just the pious but all of us who don’t do what we know we should, all of us who do what we know we shouldn’t. As the prophet Zechariah reminded the Jewish people who returned from exile only to face serious social, economic, political and religious problems, God has promised to intervene on our behalf. There is tremendous hope for us all in that. Those of us who live this side of the resurrection know that to be truly free means that we live, as Zechariah had foretold it, as prisoners of hope. During our three weeks in Madagascar we had opportunity to meet many "prisoners of hope." The Great Red Island is a terribly poor country whose general populace has some hope for a future now that the new president has taken over. Not that things are great -- doctors without borders has pulled out due to the dire state of water and materials corruption; the currency has dropped markedly in value over the past three years, and 70% of the population lives below international standards of poverty. But the new president is working for change. He has an enormous challenge ahead of him. He believes that state government and the churches must work together "like rice and water." That is no insignificant image in a country where if people are fortunate enough to have three meals they likely eat rice three times a day. The yoke of poverty, and the bondage to cultural traditions and pagan beliefs, are strong and tight. But the Gospel -- not just the rumor but the strong Word of God's grace -- gives hope in what would look to us like the most hopeless of circumstances. Among the many images I could lift up I offer you two: Maheta, a young man, fluent in English, who stopped by our host family’s home on an errand, and stayed to talk with us Americans and to share his vision with us. The plan he has for his future, his "project" as he called it, includes getting an education overseas -- first France until his English is perfected, then doctoral work in the USA -- and then returning to Madagascar to work for the ecological health and well-being of the island and its people. And a second image: the women of Antanamalandy Lutheran Church in Mahajanga. This is a heavily male-dominated culture where all honest people are hard-workers, working from early morn until late in the night to accomplish households tasks as well as gainful employment. Most do not enjoy modern conveniences like microwaves and washing machines, nor do they enjoy a regular supply of electricity. Women are expected to manage all the household concerns, the children, and in many cases also find a way to bring income into the home. Divorce and abandonment, as well as large families, are quite common. Yet in the church the women's groups are strong. Hospitality and care for the neighbor are key values. When we arrived at the Antanamalandy church, the women lined up to greet us with song. Dressed in matching gold-colored linen suits (all slightly different in style as they do not use preprinted patterns), they seemed the proper and somewhat reserved hosts we had experienced in other settings. But then came the program, when after politely singing a welcome song these "proper" women transformed the chancel into a stage, and donning colorful robes and even men's clothing in a couple cases, they presented a very creative wordless interpretation of some of the healing stories of Jesus. The president of the women's group played the part of Jesus -- Madame Jesosy I would later call her. The woman who played little Zaccheus sprinted onto the top of the pulpit -- the sycamore tree, you know -- to get a better view of Jesus, and we all wanted to cheer (women are refused ordination in Madagascar). Then upon invitation from Jesus "Zaccheus" scurried down and proudly escorted "Jesus" to dinner at his own home. The acting of the "man" who seduced the woman caught in adultery, as well as that of the disciples who sought to stone her, was eerily convincing. As soon as the skit was over, the women returned to their proper suits and their hosting role. But now our relationship with them was forever changed. After experiencing their "witness" we could see in their acting, and their faces, how Gospel hope comes alive for them even in the midst of their poverty: it comes from the abundant grace of Jesus, which gives hope for every future. Today Jesus comes to us -- in the healing waters of baptismal remembrance, in the words of mercy, in the meal of forgiveness, and Jesus assures us of the Spirit's presence. Jesus assures us of the powerful freedom we have in Christ. And Jesus asks us once again to take these gifts from Sunday to Monday, to bring these amazing gifts into our daily lives. We are so blessed, how can we not share the joy? For while we may in this country be free in many ways, no one will ever be truly free as long as one person is hungry, as long as even one war is being fought, as long as any people are suffering violence. This Independence Day weekend I invite you to join me in prayer, in a very specific prayer for freedom: Jesus, set us free. Set us free, dear Jesus, to share our bounty with others, to work mercy on all sides of our divided world, to see anew in those we dislike or despise a glimpse of God's good creation, to break down walls of resentment with random and intentional acts of love, to own our own guilt in the midst of fractured relationships. to seek not just to overcome our enemies but to bring them to God's love. Amen. |