1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a, Psalm 42 -43, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39
Sometimes we can’t go back.
It’s becoming clear that there is no going back to who we were before the avatar of racism and greed found his way into the White House. There has been so much cruelty, lawlessness and arrogance, in people and places that shocked us, broke our hearts and other things which we took for granted. It wasn’t just one thing. It was many. They were Legion.
So here we are. Brokenhearted, yes. Worried, yes. But on the way to getting here, we have also seen things that inspire us and give rise to joy. We’ve found courage, creativity, humor, commitment and compassion, in ourselves and in others. Strangers have become friends and friends are helping us make new connections.
The ills we face are not new: they have been lurking in the fabric of our culture for a long time. Hoping they would just go away is a failure for which we all share some responsibility. It’s worth acknowledging that. Not to wallow, but to free ourselves to do things differently going forward. Religious people know this drill: Repentance. Forgiveness. Amendment of life. It’s what creates the space in which there is freedom and hope for the future.
In Sunday’s first reading, Elijah was on the mountain.1 After the wind, earthquake and fire, there was silence. When we are on the mountain and the silence comes – and it always will – we need to listen. The question we will hear is the one we are ready to answer.
Elijah heard “why are you here?” Jesus heard the same question. It’s what the man possessed by demons asked right after Jesus had tried and failed to cast out his demons.2 Perhaps in that moment, Jesus remembered why he was there: not to prove anything. Just to set a tormented man free. He let the demons say what they wanted, granted their request and they left the man, destroying themselves in the process.
None of us can go back to who we were. Our lives are new and unfolding daily as we do what we can, learn from our experiences and one another, reach out for God and listen in the silence. The question we will hear is the one we are ready to answer and to live.
Peace.
After lots of rain, my back yard is calling for attention. A couple of books are speaking up too, so I will attend to all of that next week. Sermon Starts will be back on July 4, the Friday before the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 9C.) As always, I am grateful for your attention and support. Thank you for reading!
Elijah was on Mt Horeb/Mt Sinai which was where Moses spoke with God face to face. Exodus 33:11. I heard a beautiful sermon last week which concluded with Robert Siegel’s poem, “Looking for Mt Monadnock.” The last lines help us know where to look for the mountain. And God.
He shouted, “What have you to do with me, Jesus? . . .”
We’ve been here before, we know how to do this…. Listen and then act. Such a helpful reminder for these scary, crazy times that feel like quite the repeat of the last time Facism darkened our door.