Sermon 11-20-22
Luke 1:68-79
Spoken by the father of John the Baptist after his birth:
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
At Dawn of the New World
3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
This scripture from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which was popularized in a song from 1965 by the Byrds, along with the prophecy from John the Baptist’s father, brings to us a question:
Is this now the time of peace we have been waiting for?
In today’s reading from Luke, we hear a speech from the father of John the Baptist, at the occasion of John’s birth. John’s parents were Elizabeth and Zechariah, and you may remember the story of when both Elizabeth and Mary, Jesus’s mother, were pregnant, and the unborn children moving wildly in the womb when the two women visited each other. This speech is an extraordinary event, because of the circumstances surrounding the father, Zechariah. He could not speak. Those who were there for the naming asked for the baby’s name. Elizabeth said John, but those in attendance would not accept that, thinking that he should be named Zechariah after his father. So they handed Zechariah a tablet and pen, asking for the child’s name. He wrote that his name will be John.
And then, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke, amazing everyone there. Our reading from today is what he said. He foretold that John would prepare the way for Jesus. And that together, they would teach the world a new way of being, a way of living without fear from their enemies, a way of living in righteousness and holiness, a way of peace.
He speaks of a new day, a dawn from above breaking over the horizon, teaching the world how to walk the way of peace.
Let’s look at the makeup of the world back then. When John was born, the wealthy ruled the Roman Empire. The top 1% owned about 16% of all the wealth. They lived lavish lives and owned slaves. The poor lived in squalor and disease. There appeared no chance for a better life. There was a huge gap between the poor the wealthy; we can draw similarities to our time now.
Back then, the world was dominated by the Romans. There were about 200 million people in the entire world. Of these it is estimated that the Jewish population was about 5 million, so about 2 and a half percent of the population were descendants of Abraham. Today, 2000 years later, the number of people who follow Abrahamic religions, which includes the Jewish, Christian and Muslim populations, totals 55% of the world’s total population of 8 billion people. Over half of the world. The world has changed from a small minority of people following the God of Abraham to a majority.
So when Zeccariah spoke, he gave the first glimmers of hope for a life of peace to the poor.
Where is this hope today? Are we ever going to see a dawn from on high that will break upon us? That will give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death? That will guide our feet into the way of peace?
Jesus was the hope of the day 2000 years ago. I say, Jesus is here now as well. That his love has never left. That we are the ones who have strayed off the path, but that the path is right in front of us. All we have to do is follow it.
Have you heard of the Camino? El Camino means The Way. It is a 500 mile journey from the Western edge of France to Santiago, Spain, where it is believed St. James is buried. Pilgrims from around the world walk this, usually hundreds of thousands a year. If you follow the official map, it will take you about 40 days. 40 days of quiet reflection. 40 days of transformation. 40 days to find the peace of Christ, the peace of reconciliation and forgiveness in your heart. To transform. Not to change others, but to change yourself. To find God, to feel the love of Christ within, to be at peace.
The movie “The Way” came out in 2010 and starred Martin Sheen. It was a story about a father who walked the pilgrimage after his son had died while walking it. Several others came along with him, creating a group who caught up with each other after each day’s walk. Each had reason to do this crazy long journey alone, including grief, acceptance of oneself, and moving forward after trauma. Each person was transformed by the time they reached Santiago. Each person had found peace.
A favorite song of mine says, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”. We have heard the phrase, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” These days, I watch the news to see if the world is becoming more peaceful. Do you? I am watching to see if there is an indication that more and more individual people are becoming peaceful. To see if the world is resolving its issues of war and poverty. To see if the wealthy just keep on rolling in the dough, while the poor have to exist on less and less. Our world appears recently to look an awful lot like the Roman Empire of Jesus’s day.
So here is what I have read in the news.
A city in Ukraine, Kherson, was liberated by the Russians, and families were reunited. The glimmer of peace in the Russian-Ukrainian war is shining on the horizon, like a beacon of sunlight.
The possibility of violence resulting from the results of the mid-term elections did not materialize. And most of the people who condoned the violence on our nation’s capital, or who continued to spread lies about who won the last presidential election – most lost, and then conceded graciously. Truth and peace won. The sun appears to be above the horizon; the dawn of a peaceful era.
In the United States, the majority of people want peace and truth. Perhaps everyone just wants to be shown the way.
Sure, we could concentrate on the evil, the violence and the greed in the world. Or, we can look for the Good News. The Good News that exists today.
40 days from today is the end of the year, December 30. Can each of us walk our own Camino? Can we each pledge to reach into our own hearts to find peace? Can we then spread that peace to our circles, simply by being peaceful, loving and compassionate? And then, each of those we touch might spread that peace to their circles. I daresay, within 40 days, especially when we are around so many others during the holidays, we can create a peaceful world.
Jesus is coming; no, Jesus the Christ is already here. Here in our hearts. We are at the dawn of the new world, the world from Zeccariah’s prophesy. We are the servants of Jesus. We are here because of Christ’s love. All we have to do is be the change we want to see in the world. All we have to do is follow the way of Jesus, by showing peace and love to all people in all places. Starting with ourselves.
Finally, we look to Thanksgiving, a time to be grateful for our blessings. A time to look at our nation’s historical roots and see where we came from, where we are at the moment, and where we are headed. My next reading is another prophecy. This one comes from the Hopi, the Native American tribe in Northeast Arizona:
Here now is a river running very fast.
It is so great and swift
That there are those who will be afraid
Who will try to hang onto the shore.
They are being torn apart
And will suffer greatly.
The Elders say:
Let go of the shore
Push off from the shore
Go to the middle of the river
And keep your head above water.
Know that the river has its destination.
The Elders say:
See who is there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history
We are to take nothing seriously
Least of all ourselves.
Gather yourselves
Everything we do now
Must be done in a spirit
Of celebration and gratitude
For we are the ones we have been waiting for.
Let us pray:
Dear Mother-Father God, brother Jesus and the Holy Spirit, please stay in our hearts today and everyday. Teach us how to go into the world without fear, with love and peace in our every step. We ask that you remind us to keep you in our hearts, Monday through Saturday as well on Sunday. Help us pledge to be your feet as we walk our own Camino over the next 40 days. May we walk without fear, while not knowing what lies around the next corner. Help us trust in you, every step of the Way. May we live our lives in gratitude, and may we know how to be the ones we have been waiting for. Amen.
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