St. Margaret s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark

Transcription

1 St. Margaret s Uniting Church, Mooroolbark Sunday 21 st December, Advent 4 THE GOSPEL Luke 1:26-38 The Birth of Jesus Foretold This final week of Advent we consider what it is for love to come into our world. Like last week though I want to distinguish between things light, fluffy, and superficial, and draw deeply where strong and enduring love is found. We may wonder about the story of Mary and Joseph. There is potential to tell it with a light, fluffy, happy ending, Hollywood style. In this story Mary gets into trouble, Joseph doesn t know what to do, then he wows the audience by saying love is worth it after all, as he rescues Mary from her predicament. Sure we can make those moves in this amazing story. But I want to go far deeper in the telling of love come into the world. We will return to Joseph and his part in this, but we deviate for a time to ponder some deep love witnessed this year There has been a quiet movement of protest for the sake of children. It has come in a variety of forms. In September, on the steps of St. Paul s Cathedral a quiet but determined group of grandmothers assembled under the banner: "Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children". This report is from the Sydney Morning Herald: Dr Gwenda Davey told the story of sitting around a kitchen table six months ago with some other women and deciding enough was enough. They were appalled "with what was happening to asylum-seeker children in Australian-run detention centres". They decided that "if we could get a few grandmothers together we could lobby for change". As she spoke of the Human Rights Commission findings of despair, the stories from whistleblowers themselves made mentally ill from working in detention centres, and the lack of hope among the more than 900 children locked up for hundreds of days at a time, Dr Davey began to cry, imagining her own grandchildren in such circumstances

2 P a g e 2 But really, there wasn't a lot to say. The protest didn't require a lot of words. The message was a simple one. "It just isn't right," said Jan Govett, who had travelled down by train with two other grandmothers who are involved in raising awareness about refugees in their community. One of those grandmothers simply said: "It makes me ashamed." There has also been quiet movement protesting the same issue in the offices of politicians all around the country. In those offices, local clergy and religious leaders have staged a sit in, waiting until they gain the ear of political leaders, or more commonly evicted and sometimes arrested. They have been ministers of the Uniting Church, ministers of other churches, and leaders of other faiths. They have quietly protested for the sake of vulnerable children, locked up through no fault of their own. In Western Australia, clergy attended a sit in for 9 hours and for their crime were strip searched. Love makes a way, in the most unlikely places, with the most unlikely faces. There has been some movement in asylum seeker policy where some children have been released. There is more to do, and so the strong protest for the sake of the least of these continues, with grandmothers, Imams, priests and pastors joining together for a love that runs deep. This has been a shocking week with disturbing events in Sydney, Pakistan and Cairns. The siege in Martin Plaza in Sydney ended in widespread trauma and ultimately the death of gunman and two hostages. Even when we are not directly involved, it creates fear. It is perhaps natural to wonder how Muslims can bear such terror on the world. Except that love calls us to work a bit harder than that. First, a response from Iran, the home country of the gunman. Tehran has condemned the deadly hostage-taking by Iranian-born gunman Man Haron Monis, branding it an act foreign to Islam.

3 P a g e 3 "Undertaking such inhuman acts and provoking fear and panic in the name of merciful Islam is not in any way justifiable," foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said. It is said the gunman was mentally ill and should not be considered a terrorist. But even while the siege was live, its impact was telling. Rachael Jacobs was riding on a train and noticed a Muslim woman quietly take off her head covering. Rachael writes: "I ran after her at the train station. I said 'put it back on. I'll walk with u." Thus began a movement #illridewithyou. Another woman wrote: "If you reg take the bus b/w Coogee/Martin PL, wear religious attire, &don't feel safe alone: I'll ride for schedule." Father Bob has commented that this may well be our finest communitarian hour. And Arif says, This is my Australia. Being a Muslim this hashtag is the best thing happened today. I Love You Australia. Love finds a way. From the depths of tragedy that creates fear and anxiety comes protest against death and destruction. From the grassroots of our community a strong love has risen above terror. Love finds a way. Which almost brings us back to the story of Joseph and a deeper story of love than our first telling. But before we hear that and then imagine our role in love s telling, some wise words from Frederick Buechner. Life batters and shapes us in all sorts of ways but those original selves still echo with the holiness of their origin. I believe that this original self, with the print of God's thumb still upon it, is the most essential part of who we are and is buried deep in all of us as a source of wisdom and strength and healing which we can draw upon or, with our terrible freedom, not draw upon as we choose. I think that among other things all

4 P a g e 4 real art comes from that deepest self painting, writing music, dance, all of it that in some way nourishes the spirit and enriches the understanding. I think that our truest prayers come from there too, the often unspoken, unbidden prayers that can rise out of the lives of unbelievers as well as believers whether they recognize them as prayers or not. And I think that from there also come our best dreams and our times of gladdest playing and taking it easy and all those moments when we find ourselves being better or stronger or braver or wiser than we are. - Originally published in Telling Secrets Our original self, with the print of God s thumb still upon it. And our terrible freedom, to draw upon or not as we choose. I think Buechner is right, and that those choices are choices for a deep and strong love, or to act in ways contrary like acts of terror. And this leads us to our deeper telling of love and the story of Joseph. He chooses. He chooses to listen to the voice of God through a dream, gift of an angel. He chooses to listen and respond. He chooses a strong but difficult way. He chooses to join Mary in being part of God s plan, despite the easier path of slipping away quietly. His choice is not about happily ever after, it is about belonging to God s story, it is about recognising that the thumb print of God is upon him. He does like Mary has done and discover that even in shame or discomfort, the word of God comes. Even in places of dark or despair, the hand of God may be seen. And he chooses life rather than death. He chooses love over every other option. Which then brings us home to wonder about God and us and love that makes a way. Buechner suggests that in those moments of listening and responding to God we find ourselves being better or stronger or braver or wiser than we are. I suspect this is what happens for both Mary and Joseph in this story. I can see this is what has happened in the #lovemakesaway movement. I can see this is what #illridewithyou is about. A small act that grows into something far greater, because deep love is strong and glorious and full of the abundance of all God gifts to us. And this kind of love is as unexpected as virgin birth, and God taking on our form to become one of us. It is as unexpected as crucifixion, and then as amazing as resurrection. Love makes a way.

5 P a g e 5 So here we are. We join the story of God and Mary and Joseph. We join the story of love. We see that story in action in our world. And Buechner provokes us to think about that print upon us. What choices will we make when it comes to love? Dare we see God in the radical like Joseph and Mary? Do we have the courage to step boldly into love s story? This message is from the Gosford Anglican Church. We can choose to allow terror to win the day, or we can choose to join with God in a protest against it. If any Christmas it were time to join the Christ child to light the way, this is it. Mary and Joseph had to choose the way of light. And we need to remind ourselves sometimes that the world IS a better place for it. They chose to follow the light, and found life in what God was doing with them. What might love and light look like for us this Christmas? A simple act of love and protest on public transport - does actually change the world. A reminder that light shines despite Sydney, Pakistan, Cairns and many other places, does change the world. Hope, peace, joy, love. Profound, deep, beautiful, gifts with the prints of God all over them. As the way is prepared, we make way for God s way to be the story of our lives. Let us join in this big story of hope, peace, joy and love. And a final word of reminder from a local prophet: 'Love is born, with a dark and troubled face, Love is born, and in the most unlikely place Love is born, Love is always born ' - (Leunig)