{"id":561,"date":"2019-01-23T15:12:55","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T15:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/?p=561"},"modified":"2019-01-23T15:46:33","modified_gmt":"2019-01-23T15:46:33","slug":"opening-our-lives-to-god-at-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2019\/01\/23\/opening-our-lives-to-god-at-play\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cOpening Our Lives to God at Play\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Based on Luke 1:39-55<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I attempt to put myself into Mary’s shoes, I find them quite scary. Mary was a young Jewish woman in Galilee in the last years of the rule of Herod the Great. Can we think about what that meant for a moment?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You’ve likely heard of the Jewish exile, which started with the Babylonian defeat and capture of Jerusalem in 587\/586 BCE. The exile refers to the subsequent removal of the political, religious, and intellectual leadership to captivity in Babylon. After the Bablyonian empire was defeated by the Persian empire in 539, the Jewish captives were permitted to return, thus ending the exile. That is known as the \u201creturn\u201d or \u201crestoration.\u201d It was a time of rebuilding and creation \u2013 the walls and gates of Jerusalem were restored, the 2<\/span>nd<\/sup><\/span> Temple was built, and Jewish identity solidified.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, from before time of the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem through the life of Jesus, the Jews and their nation of Judah remained a vassal state to some empire or another. The only exception to this is 167 to 160 BCE during the Maccabean revolt from which comes the history of Hanukkah. By the time of Mary, then, the Jews had been living under the dominance of Empires for nearly 600 years straight.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, Mary was from GALILEE…. Galilee had been part of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel, which had been captured and defeated in 722 BCE by the Assyrian Empire. During the time of the Maccabees, Jews from Judea resettled the land and claimed it for traditional Jewish living again \u2013 at least in the small villages. So, even within Judaism of the 1<\/span>st<\/sup><\/span> century before the common era, Galilee was second class, almost a colony within an Empire.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Then there was the Galilee’s Galilee-ness. Galilee, which had been part of the Northern Empire, was known for being distrustful of centralized power. (It should shock no one that Jesus was formed there.) When Herod the Great died in 4 BCE, revolts broke out, starting in Sepphoras \u2013 the largest city in Galilee. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Marcus Borg describes it like this:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When Herod died in 4BCE, revolts broke out in all parts of the Jewish homeland, indicating how repressive and unpopular his reign had been. Rome responded by sending legions of troops from Syria. In Galilee, the legions reconquered its largest city, Sepphoris, and sold many of the survivors into slavery. Nazareth was nearby, only 4 miles away. Then the Roman legion continued south, reconquering Jerusalem, and crucified two thousand of its defenders as a public demonstration of the consequences of the rebellion. Jesus was an infant or toddler during this time.1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This wasn’t EXCEPTIONAL, this was life under foreign occupation and the attempts to reconstitute self-rule.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These are the facts of any Galilean’s life. Mary had some additional factors. First of all, she was a young woman, likely pubescent. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are NOT inventions of the 21<\/span>st<\/sup><\/span> century, and I imagine it was terrifying to be a young woman then as it often is now. Also, puberty is a very hard time for anyone, and I imagine that hasn’t changed. Bodies change, hormones rage, and life is confusing. Let’s add one more piece to the first two: Mary was pregnant. Talk about hormones, bodies changing, and confusion!! Furthermore, in those days it wasn’t uncommon for women to die in childbirth, and being a parent is scary!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So far we have dealt with fact and likely conjecture. I don’t have historical evidence to prove that Mary was young, but it is very likely. There are two more pieces of the story that are unclear \u2013 they aren’t likely nor unlikely. The story says that Mary is engaged \u2013 that may or may not be so. If she was engaged, that might have been scary since her fiance was likely much older than she was and not someone she picked. Furthermore, if he was not the father of her child, she lived in fear of being found out and ruined. Similarly, if Mary was pregnant and engaged (but not married) then her fiance was not the father \u2013 as the marriage WAS the consummation. Then it seems possible that she was pregnant by assault and \u2026 sexual assault is terrifying.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, Mary’s experience sounds to me to be similar to how it might feel to be 12 years old, pregnant, and in a Central American caravan trying to seek asylum in the US. The whole thing sounds terrifying.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I wouldn’t expect either young woman to to praising God with words of strength and profound adoration. I would expect either one to be begging God for help with survival. But that isn’t what our passage does today \u2013 not at all. Instead, our passage has Mary exclaiming the wonder of God, in ways that DEFY historical context, Jewish history, and even the moment she’s living in her life. Of course, the word were likely penned later by Christians a few generations afterwards, based on the song by Hannah, but that actually doesn’t make them less interesting, it makes them MORE impressive. That means at the time the words were written, the Christians were experiencing serious persecution, and still they wrote, \u201cfor the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is [God’s] name.\u201d There is something about God that is bigger than individual survival or even communal well being!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The words attributed to Mary in this passage are words of deep and abiding faith. They may not have been her words, but they are an expression of the faith of Jewish women for generations. They sound like what it would take to be the woman who could raise a man like Jesus. They express faith in a God who is trustworthy \u2013 and despite MANY reasons to be afraid, they express trust and hope that all matter of all things will be well.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They trust that God is at work, but more than that, that God is at PLAY bringing the world towards justice and wholeness. Now, we’ve reached my major point. I’d think Mary would be afraid, but instead she is delighted and filled with praise. She sees a God of play. One who loves justices and brings it into the world with joy and creativity. So, it is time for a transition \u2013 to hear what she said and what it means, but this time I’m going to use someone else’s words and rhythm, and rhyme. Will the children please join me up front?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These words come from Rev. Emmy Kegler, the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Northeast Minneapolis, in her sermon \u201cThe Heart of Justice \u2014 or, How the Grinch Learned the Magnificat\u201d from 2015.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There are hundreds of carols we sing every year,<\/span>
\n<\/span>celebrating the season when Christmas draws near.<\/span>
\n<\/span>These hymns are familiar and loved very dear,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And we sing loud and proud about midnights so clear.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nBut some songs get forgotten in the midst of the season,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Songs that have been with us long for a reason.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Songs someone carefully thought up and wrote out,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Songs that are all what the season\u2019s about.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nToday\u2019s story is that \u2014 the song of sweet Mary,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who faced some good news exciting and scary.<\/span>
\n<\/span>She was carrying Jesus, God\u2019s very own Son,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And sang today\u2019s story in a-dor-a-tion:<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>My soul is enraptured, uplifted, fulfilled,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>For God has seen me and a purpose has willed.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>Though I am quite humble, unimportant and small,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God has chosen me to bear the Savior of all.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nBut I should not be shocked that God chose a girl \u2014<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God\u2019s made unusual choices since the start of the world.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>You\u2019d think God would choose big names, the mighty, the strong,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God should rain down power to fight and right wrongs.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nBut in all the stories I\u2019ve ever been told,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God works in the outsider, the young or the old,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>Those who we think are empty-handed and poor<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>Are the very ones God comes to and loves more and more.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nGod isn\u2019t impressed by riches or appearance,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God looks at the heart and sees what is nearest.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>If your thoughts are un-good or unkind or untrue<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God will not let you hurt whoever you choose.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nGod isn\u2019t excited about rulers and kings,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God knows earthly might is a dangerous thing.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God remembers the promises and seeks out the lost,<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>God is righting the world, no matter the cost.<\/i><\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nAll the Whos down in Whoville loved the Magnificat,<\/span>
\n<\/span>but the Grinch, still learning his lesson, did NOT.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cI\u2019m confused,\u201d the Grinch said, \u201cAt first it seems sweet<\/span>
\n<\/span>That God looks at the lowly and thinks that they\u2019re neat.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cBut Mary says God takes the strength from the strong,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And sends rich away empty, and \u2014 well, that seems wrong.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I thought God loved us all, exactly the same.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Choosing some over others sounds like a shame.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t a song we should sing in this season,<\/span>
\n<\/span>This song is confusing and feels without reason.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Life isn\u2019t fair, and I do wish it would be<\/span>
\n<\/span>But now\u2019s not the time to talk about should-be.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get ready for family and feast!<\/span>
\n<\/span>For singing, and joy, and cooking roast beast!\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>Cindy Lou Who, the little Who whom you may remember<\/span>
\n<\/span>Listened kindly to the Grinch\u2019s grumps through December.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cI think,\u201d Cindy said, after thinking a lot,<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThere must be a reason for the Magnificat.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Christmas began with the birth of a child,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And while it sounds cute, the scene was quite wild!<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cRich men called magi, who studied the stars,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Packed up their camels and brought gifts from afar.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Expecting a new king to be born very soon,<\/span>
\n<\/span>They checked at the palace, as one ought to do.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cBut he was born in a stable, filled with smelly old sheep!<\/span>
\n<\/span>His parents were homeless, had nowhere to sleep.<\/span>
\n<\/span>His dad was a carpenter \u2014 not very wealthy,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And I can\u2019t imagine sleeping in hay is healthy.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cBut still,\u201d the Grinch said, \u201cI thought God was fair.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I thought God viewed each of us with just the same care.<\/span>
\n<\/span>If that\u2019s so, why does God feed some and not others?<\/span>
\n<\/span>Shouldn\u2019t we split it between all sisters and brothers?\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cI think,\u201d Cindy said, after thinking a bit,<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThat God\u2019s idea isn\u2019t unfair or unfit.<\/span>
\n<\/span>The rich Whos have money. They\u2019re already eating.<\/span>
\n<\/span>But for those on the edges, there is no more seating.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cIf God is ensuring the poor get some too,<\/span>
\n<\/span>God isn\u2019t unfair \u2014 God\u2019s thinking it through.<\/span>
\n<\/span>God\u2019s evening out what is unfairly done,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Feeding the hungry and forgetting none.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThis is called justice,\u201d Cindy Lou Who reminded,<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cMaking things equal and right for all Whomankind.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Some Whos already have more than they need.<\/span>
\n<\/span>God\u2019s concern is for those who are trampled by greed.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cJustice means when something goes wrong, God will right it.<\/span>
\n<\/span>And to that hard work of change we\u2019re invited.<\/span>
\n<\/span>To fixing what\u2019s broken. To righting old wrongs.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I think that is why we sing Mary\u2019s great song.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cBut still,\u201d the Grinch said, \u201cit doesn\u2019t seem fair<\/span>
\n<\/span>To take from one person to even the share.<\/span>
\n<\/span>If I earned it, I keep it. I can give it away<\/span>
\n<\/span>If I want to, but God taking it isn\u2019t okay.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nHow can I buy gifts if God looks down on money?<\/span>
\n<\/span>Can we cook roast beast if God sends us off hungry?<\/span>
\n<\/span>Once I stole food, but brought it back to you.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Now when I make food, I buy it all new.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nIf I\u2019m not the one causing any unfairness,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Why am I being charged with justice awareness?\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cI think,\u201d Cindy said, after thinking quite quietly<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cGod worries how the mighty got so very might-i-ly.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cWe\u2019re all loved by God, but not all born the same.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Some Whos get a bonus in life\u2019s complex game.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cI think justice,\u201d said the wise little Cindy Lou Who,<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cIs recognizing you\u2019re not just a product of you.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThere are systems in place that we didn\u2019t start,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And some without the tiniest shred of a heart.<\/span>
\n<\/span>The roast beast we eat \u2014 were they cared for and fed?<\/span>
\n<\/span>Who stitched the red Santa cap you wear on your head?<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cSome Whos are quite wealthy because they make choices<\/span>
\n<\/span>That hurt others, but wealthy Whos silence their voices.<\/span>
\n<\/span>When God questions wealth, it\u2019s because all too frequently<\/span>
\n<\/span>Wealth has been made from Whos who are hurt secretly.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cSo I think,\u201d Cindy said, after rubbing her chin,<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThe challenge is for us to see the systems we\u2019re in.<\/span>
\n<\/span>We have to ask questions. \u00a0We have to keep checking.<\/span>
\n<\/span>If Whos do go hungry, it\u2019s time for inspecting.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cIt\u2019s hard to keep learning,\u201d the Grinch grumpily said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThis information feels like too much for my head.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s OK,\u201d little Cindy Lou Who let him know.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to change everything by tomorrow.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThe power of community helps us keep going.<\/span>
\n<\/span>We gather together to share questions and knowing.<\/span>
\n<\/span>By hearing our stories, we change and we grow,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And become a force for justice in the world that we know.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cHmm,\u201d hmm\u2019d the Grinch, his grinchy face wrinkling.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThis idea of community has got me thinking.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>He thought of how life had been pre-Cindy Lou.<\/span>
\n<\/span>How he grumbled, and grimaced, and hated the Whos.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nHe thought of how feeling left out made him feel \u2014<\/span>
\n<\/span>Like he would never sit with a friend for a meal.<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cI hated Who Christmas because I felt ignored.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I tried to ruin it and even the score.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cWhen you sang your Who songs, I was angry and rash.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I stole all of your presents, your gifts, all your stash.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I stole all of the food and the Christmas trees too.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I was so very angry, my dear Cindy Lou.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cBut I realized the day when you all still sang songs<\/span>
\n<\/span>That Christmas is all about repairing wrongs.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I wanted to fix all I\u2019d broken and wrecked,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Even if you despised me for the thoughts in my head.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cBut you didn\u2019t!\u201d the Grinch grinned. \u00a0\u201cYou invited me in.<\/span>
\n<\/span>You gave me a seat, said I was for-giv-en.<\/span>
\n<\/span>The injustice of me being left out was repaired.<\/span>
\n<\/span>You welcomed me even though I\u2019d been unfair.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nThe Grinch smiled. \u00a0\u201cThank you, little Cindy Lou Who.<\/span>
\n<\/span>It\u2019s hard to accept, but I know what to do.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I\u2019m part of a problem that\u2019s quite hard to see,<\/span>
\n<\/span>But you know what? \u00a0I\u2019m stronger than its secrecy.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cJustice is a word I want to keep hearing.<\/span>
\n<\/span>And knowing that fairness is a hope to keep nearing.<\/span>
\n<\/span>When I have been hurt, I want to declare it.<\/span>
\n<\/span>And when I am the hurter, I want to repair it.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cI want to help others. \u00a0I want to learn lots.<\/span>
\n<\/span>And I want to sing Mary\u2019s Magnificat.<\/span>
\n<\/span>God remembers the promises and seeks out the lost,<\/span>
\n<\/span>God is righting the world, no matter the cost.\u201d<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Amen<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Preached by Rev. Sara E. Baron on December 23, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n

1<\/a>\u00a0Marcus Borg, \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span>(USA: HarperOne, 2006) page<\/span><\/span><\/span> 89.<\/div>\n
\n

2<\/a>http:\/\/emmykegler.com\/the-heart-of-justice\/?fbclid=IwAR2cNbHRV7rF6RkYSqni735oLyF_prEhizVzsl6bM2QPp-LIpGRABSRjNdk<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Based on Luke 1:39-55 When I attempt to put myself into Mary’s shoes, I find them quite scary. Mary was … Continue reading \u201cOpening Our Lives to God at Play\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[19,18,20,21,17],"class_list":["post-561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons","tag-advent-4","tag-magnificant","tag-openness-in-advent","tag-preach-suess","tag-sermon-12-23-18"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":567,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561\/revisions\/567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}