May the Cognitive Dissonance of the Season Be With You Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church On Sunday November 21st, 2021 Revelation 1:4b-8 Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. John of Patmos lived on an island in the Aegean Sea. He railed against the Roman Empire and it’s persecution of the early Christian Church, envisioning this conflict of Empire and the Body of Christ as a great cosmic battle. Scholars agree that John wrote the book of Revelation to the “seven churches in Asia.” These were early Christian churches, who were persecuted by the Roman Empire and needed a message of hope. The book of Revelation is that message told as an apocalyptic vision of the author. The excerpt we read today is from the very beginning of the book. The message shares grace and peace with the congregations, and paints a picture of the risen ascended Christ descending on clouds to reign over all creation. All the tribes on the earth will wail at this awesome scene, and God will declare that God is the alpha and omega, first and last, the one who is and who was and who is to come, the beginning, the middle and the end. Some of the imagery of John’s Revelation can be quite disturbing because John wrote from a dire situation. The Island of Patmos looks inviting now, with picture postcard bays lapped by the turquoise sea. Today’s Patmos is scattered with white Grecian homes rising up a hill toward an eleventh century monastery. In the first century, Patmos was a deserted mountainous island. John must have wandered the rocky outcrops scavenging for food and water. It’s not surprising that some of his writings are close to hallucinatory. If we can get past the imagery, though, we are reminded that John is writing to people who are experiencing cultural oppression. He writes in coded language, so as to escape the censorship of the Roman rulers. John is reminding faithful Christians, struggling to survive in their persecuted little gatherings, that God is on their side. He reminds them that the Roman rulers are temporary, and that their power is nothing compared with the power of God. He encourages them to think that Christ is returning soon to take them up, with a vision of the risen and ascended Christ descending on the clouds. Human rulers rise and fall and disappear into the dust, but God is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end of time. John’s apocalyptic vision has inspired many responses. Not all are life-giving. Some interpretations attempt to be “literal”. They ascribe direct equivalences with modern day issues, instead of reading the book for what it is and in which culture and era it was written. For example, there has been a very harmful theology spreading around some evangelical churches, that the coronavirus vaccine is what John calls the “Mark of the Beast.” Many ministers in the United States have been eager to debunk this misinterpretation. But once a rumor takes hold in a community it can be hard to shake. And, moreover, misinterpretations like these completely miss the message impact of John’s letter to the church. Instead we would do better to look at the community John is writing to, and wonder where are the places those kinds of communities exist in our world today. I must confess that I feel a little cognitive dissonance today. I am trying to pull together the threads of the American Thanksgiving holiday, on Thursday, and the last Sunday of the liturgical year, today, which is “Reign of Christ Sunday.” At its best, Thanksgiving is a lovely celebration in the United States. Ideally the holiday unites families, friends, neighbors and communities. Gratitude for what we have inspires us to generosity to those who are in need. Charitable organizations capitalize on the feelings of gratitude and generosity at Thanksgiving, even though they need to feed the hungry throughout the year. Interfaith Social Services takes full advantage, having the local churches and other places of worship do an ingathering, in order to stock the pantry shelves for the coming cold months. “Reign of Christ” is not so comfortable. A few years ago I shared one of the many Byzantine paintings of what is imagined to be the risen, ascended Christ reigning over all. Our beloved church member, Ellie Cleveland recoiled, declaring that the person in the picture who was supposed to be Christ looked evil. Ellie was not comforted by the image. I guess that is the purpose. Reign of Christ is supposed to make us quake a little. We are supposed to fear the great disruptions predicted for the coming of the end of time. The gathering together of all things under one Lord, Jesus Christ, will mean immense changes to the status quo of the world. The final realization of God’s reign means the end of human kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, anyone in authority over the world, the nation, the state or the city. While, these people sometimes make us angry, we recognize that the world might devolve into chaos, if our human structures of authority were to fall apart. And so you might well wonder “why disrupt the ‘positive vibes’ of Thanksgiving with John’s apocalyptic writings?” The reason is that Thanksgiving is lovely, at its best. But of course, our world and our culture is not “at its best” for all people in every place, and in every moment. Until heaven and earth flee away, as Revelation and the Christmas carol tells it, there will be pain and suffering, injustices and inequities, and the failure of leaders to take action. Over the past couple of weeks, inequities and injustices have been coming to light in our local public schools. A racist video – including hate speech - made by a white High School student was shared on social media. A black student confronted the creator of the video and the two got into a fight. Subsequently the black student was suspended from school. To my knowledge, the white student has not suffered any consequences. The black student told TV reporters he regrets resorting to violence. Other students joined the suspended student during a walk out from school. They are demanding a substantive response from the school administration to the racism in the schools, that is boiling to a head. [1] Approximately 60% of students in Quincy schools are non-white and 93% of educators in the public schools are white. No doubt the white administration and teachers are culturally aware, compassionate people, doing thoughtful and difficult work. But they do not have the perspective of the non-white students and their families. Students need to see themselves and their concerns reflected in the adults who are in authority. And the staff need guidance from those who have lived the life of a child who has been taunted for the color of their skin and the indignities suffered by their ancestors. The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Subcommittee of the Quincy School Committee is working to address some of these issues. [2] This example of injustice and inequity in our culture today and is very close to home. I have a feeling that these are the students who feel underrepresented in the school system and in authority in generalare the kind of people John of Patmos is writing to. I’m reminded that my Theology Professor in seminary used observe that people who are comfortable with the status quo prefer not to think about the end times. Whereas people whose lives are miserable under current human authority actively long for Christ’s coming. I count myself among people who are comfortable with the status quo, I prefer not to think about the end times and God’s judgment. Many preachers say that the gospel comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. And I’m pretty comfortable. Fortunately though, for those of us who are resistant to upheaval, the change of the liturgical season is the perfect opportunity for self-examination. One of my most respected former pastors caused a stir in the church one year when he taught the congregation that Advent is the perfect time to make New Year’s Resolutions. That’s right. Advent is the beginning of the church year and also it is a penitential season. Advent begins next week when we will switch to the liturgical color of penitence, purple, until Christmas. On Friday I talked with Mary P and Mary T during our Pastor Parish Relations Committee meeting. Without really thinking about it, I got a head start on the making resolutions for Advent. The committee has tasked me with making goals for my next year in ministry with you all. I decided to formulate my goals by revisiting the “UCC Ministerial Code” I had committed to uphold at my ordination 5 years ago. One of the part of the code jumped out at me “I covenant with all ministers to work cooperatively and collegially with intercultural awareness.” I confessed to Mary and Mary that this is a growing edge for me. As a white minister, I am still working on the practice of allowing colleagues of color to speak first in group settings. I am still trying to practice allowing their truths to be heard, without projecting on my own cultural assumptions. Working on these practices will be a good goal or resolution for me for Advent and the coming liturgical year. Of course, the liturgical tradition of penitence and resolutions flies in the face of our cultural “holiday season” of parties, feasting and shopping for gifts. None-the-less over the coming month I invite you try a little cognitive dissonance. On Thursday I pray that we will all take a deep inhale. I pray we enjoy the feast: turkey or vegan alternative, cornbread, gravy and mashed potatoes, sweet pies, crisp apple cider or a rich red wine. I pray we will also enjoy the blessings of our lives, family, friends, neighbors and community and give thanks. And then, before our Christmas lists, let’s make some New Years resolutions to prepare for the coming Reign of Christ. May all God’s people say, Amen [1] https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/quincy-high-to-hold-meeting-after-students-fight-over-racist-video/2564846/ [2] https://www.quincypublicschools.com/school_committee/agendas_and_minutes/2020-2021/10-28-2020_school_committee_meetings
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