Greetings and welcome to Corona Sabbath. This is one of the ways the church is endeavoring to offer spiritual support during these challenging days of COVID-19. We appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

In this summer series on the theme “Grounded” we turn the foundations of our faith. This post focuses on service and generosity.

We listen to Mathew 16:21-26 read by Earl Waters. In the traditional translation, Jesus tells his followers to take up their cross and follow me. This does not refer to a burden beyond our control like an act of nature or a random accident or contracting COVID-19. It is a reference to consciously choosing the path of service and self-giving.

Scripture video from Earl

From that time on, Jesus began to explain to the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and religious scholars, and that he must be killed, and on the third day raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Rabbi!” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get yourself behind me, you Satan! You are trying to make me stumble and fall. You’re setting your mind not on the things of God, but of mortals.”

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “If you wish to come after me, you must deny your very selves, take up the instrument of your own death and begin to follow in my footsteps.

“If you would save your life, you will lose it; but if you would lose your life for my sake, you will find it. What profit would you show if you gained the whole world but lost yourself? What can you offer in exchange for your very self?”

Reflection from Kim on video

When I started as pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in 1991, the church had a custom around baptism. When a child was baptized at the church, they were given a ‘cradle cross.’ This was a small wooden cross that was to be hung near the child’s bed as a reminder of their baptism and their connection to the church.

Then after one baptism, the parents returned the cross to the church. They said that the cross was an instrument of capital punishment. They would no sooner hang the cross in the child’s room than hang a likeness of ‘old sparky’ – the electric chair that was used in Florida for executions. After that, the church did not order anymore cradle crosses and no longer gave them out at baptisms.

Yes, the cross is an instrument of capital punishment. So why does Jesus, who loves us beyond measure, who is the incarnation of universal, unconditional Divine Love, who wants the best for us, instruct his dearest friends and followers to take up their cross? Why would he suggest that they risk death? Death at the hands of an oppressive government reserved for traitors and people who were perceived as a threat to the public? Death that was an excruciatingly painful public humiliation? Why would Jesus suggest that his followers take up their cross?

The heart of Christianity is love. Love for others, love for self, love for neighbors, love for enemies. Love that is expressed in commitment to the common good. Love expressed in acts of service, generosity, and self giving. The book of James puts it this way: “But act on this word – because if all you do is listen to it, you’re deceiving yourselves. . . . Pure, unspoiled religion, in the eyes of our Abba God, is this: coming to the aid of widows and orphans when they are in need, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by this world. . . Be assured then, that faith without works is as dead as a body without a spirit.” [James 1:22, 27, 2:26]

Jesus does not want us to be dead. He wants us to be alive. That’s why he tells us to take up our cross. True life, at its fullest and most joyful, is life spent in service to others. Our highest is good is marked by our generosity; the giving of ourselves as well as our time, talent, and treasure.

So, first we realize that each and every one of us needs to be lifted; needs to be brought to life, needs to be rescued from the numbing, life-sapping impulses of selfishness, self centeredness, and greed. Jesus saw our need as humans for meaning and purpose and belonging. And so he invites us, urges us, begs us, out of love, to take up our cross. To find our highest good by giving ourselves away. He knew that we would experience our greatest worth by helping others, investing ourselves in the wellbeing of the community. Without that, our lives would be hollow, empty, even tormented.

Karl Menninger, one of the premier psychiatrists of the 20th century, was once asked what action he would recommend if a person were to feel a nervous breakdown coming on: Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, and find someone in need and do something for him. Menninger is picking up on the teachings of Jesus and other spiritual teachers throughout human history.

The positive effects of the spiritual command to serve have also been verified by science. Studies show that helping others, practicing generosity, and volunteering have direct health benefits such as boosting the immune system, lowering blood pressure, and other positive physiological consequences. This learning has been shared by Norman Cousins and Dean Ornish. It is also documented in the book, The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others by Allan Luks and Peggy Payne.

So we see that modern healing professionals are endorsing the teaching of Jesus, take up your cross. This basically amounts to LOVE. Don’t be controlled by fear. Give your life away. Because, as Jesus teaches, to find your life, you must lose it.

The beauty of this teaching is that it applies to everyone. No matter what your circumstances in life, whatever your condition, your status, your class, your education level, your income, every single person can take up their cross. In fact, Jesus, known for taking up his cross, was poor and owned almost nothing and had no financial portfolio. And he sets the pace for taking up his cross. For giving his life away for the good of others. For generosity and service.

Some of you know that our son, Sterling, is an artist in Los Angeles. This spring he was painting the famous California poppies near an urban homeless encampment. Each day he want to his spot to paint. One day he sent us this text:

Some homeless men just gave ME some change and cigarettes because they liked my painting. The opposite of how it usually works.

Sterling received those offerings with gratitude. And in so doing, he affirmed the capacity of the homeless people to be generous and giving. Like the widow’s mite. He validated the humanity of those who are often treated as less than human in our society.

Take up your cross.
Jesus ennobles everyone because everyone can serve in some way. Everyone can listen. Everyone can smile. Everyone can pray. Everyone has something to give to help another.

Take up your cross.
Realize all that you have been given and all that you are. Experience abundance.

Take up your cross.
Free yourself from the the bondage of selfishness and the tyranny of the self. Free yourself from the false construct of scarcity that is perpetuated by the society around us.

Take up your cross.
Experience your commonality with each and every human being because we all suffer and are all in need of comfort and solace from one another. Be enlivened by the connections borne of solidarity and compassion.

Take up your cross.
Be rescued from a small, constricted, paltry existence and experience the expansive life of love, joy, and freedom from fear.

If you hear of a church that does not ask the members to give, to serve, to contribute, to help others, the community, the world, then head the other way. This is not the life giving way of Jesus. This is not the way of joy and abundant life.

And I can say as a pastor for all the many times I have been involved with getting people to volunteer for some kind of ministry, to help the homeless, to advocate for more just policies, to cook a meal for someone in the church, to teach church school, to help with Operation Attack, whatever it is, people always say to me that they got far more out of it than they put into it. It was far more meaningful to them to have participated than the effort that was expended. I have heard that over and over and over again throughout 35 years of ministry. Thirty five years of inviting people to contribute their money to the church and other initiatives to transform society and the lives of those in need. And never have I heard, I’m sorry I gave away that money. No, what I’ve heard again and again is, I am so glad to give. I feel I am making a difference. Let me know what else I can do.

We know that when we reach out to others and engage in service or generosity of some kind, we are the ones who are blessed by the giving.

This is why Jesus tells us to take up our cross. He wants us to have a full life; brimming with joy and meaning and purpose and well-being and significant relationships with people. All the fruits of service and generosity that come from offering ourselves in service to others in whatever shape or form that may take. Amen.

As you listen to the music video featuring Zach Blair-Andrews, you are invited to notice the thoughts and feelings and that arise for you.

(Click HERE if you wish to see the post containing the video of this text.)

Greetings and welcome to Corona Sabbath. This is one of the ways the church is endeavoring to offer spiritual support during these challenging days of COVID-19. We appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

In this summer series on the theme “Grounded” we turn the foundations of our faith. This post focuses on peace.

We listen to the story of the Hebrew midwives found in Exodus 1:8-21 read by Sue Sherwood. This story takes place in Egypt. The new Pharaoh is distressed at how the Hebrew population is growing. He thinks that with increased numbers could come increased threat. So he makes the Hebrews slaves. Then he demands that the midwives kill the male Hebrew babies that are born. We hear about how 2 courageous women respond to this perilous situation.

Scripture video

A new Pharaoh – one who did not know Joseph – came to power in Egypt. Pharaoh said to the Egyptians, “Look at how powerful the Israelites have become, and how they outnumber us! We need to deal shrewdly with their increase, against a time of war when they might turn against us and join our enemy, and so escape out of the country.”

So they oppressed the Israelites with overseers who put them to forced labor; and with them they built the storage cities of Pitom and Ra-amses. Yet the more the Israelites were oppressed, the more they multiplied and burst forth, until the Egyptians dreaded the Israelites. So they made the Israelites utterly subservient with hard labor, brick-and-mortar work, and every kind of field work. The Egyptians were merciless in subjugating them with crushing labor.

Pharaoh spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews – one was Shiphrah, and the other Puah – and said, “When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, examine them on the birthing-stool. If the baby is a boy, kill it. If it is a girl, let it live.”

But the midwives were God-fearing women, and they ignored the Pharaoh’s instructions, and let the male babies live. So Pharaoh summoned the midwives and asked why they let the male babies live. The midwives responded, “These Hebrew women are different from Egyptian women; they are more robust, and deliver even before the midwife arrives.” God rewarded the midwives, and the people increased in numbers and in power. And since the midwives were God-fearing, God gave them families of their own.

Reflection from Kim

After hearing the reading from Exodus, you might be wondering why the story of the midwives was chosen for a reflection on the theme of peace. There are many other passages in the Bible that imaginatively offer visions of peace – peace for the individual, for the community, for Creation. But, of course, peace is peace, and it is everywhere, including within us. Awaiting our discovery. Awaiting our notice and attention. Awaiting our devotion. So, we’ll see that there is peace in the story of the midwives.

To me the story of the midwives is a reminder to take off our blinders, our blindfolds that hide our apathy and self-justification, and seize the peace that is available to us.

As the story of the midwives begins, a new administration has come into power in Egypt and things change. The Hebrews, immigrants who have been living peaceably within Egypt and contributing to the economy, are suddenly perceived as threatening enemies. We know how this works. Our current president said of Mexicans coming to the US: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” So, the new regime in Egypt has it in for the Hebrews and oppresses them by forcing them into slavery to serve the Empire.

But it turns out that forced labor is not enough to subdue the Hebrews. They are still increasing in numbers. They are still strong. Still powerful. So the Pharaoh, a dictator, not benevolent, comes up with a strategy to definitively disempower the Hebrew people: Kill all of the male babies at birth. Period. So, the midwives are instructed to carry out the decree of the tyrannical leader. What will they do?

We are told that the midwives are God-fearing. Some commentators think they are Egyptian. Some think they are Hebrew. What we know from the story is that their commitment to life is what guides their behavior, whether they are Hebrew or Egyptian, or something else. Their calling is to bring forth life, to nurture life, to welcome life into the world. They are not death dealers. And even a threat to their own lives does not undermine their commitment to their fundamental humanity. Isn’t this what peace is really all about? Having a fundamental commitment, an inviolable commitment, to life? Isn’t peace about fostering and nurturing life, respecting life in ALL of its forms, including nature? Being one with the universe.

When we live fully and freely from this commitment to life, we know peace. In ourselves, in our communities, in the world, and with Creation.

The midwives were living in perilous times. And they were being coopted into the tyranny of the Empire. They did not accept the “banality of evil,” Hannah Arendt’s description of the way many of the German people acquiesced to Hitler and the Nazis. The midwives, in their own way, true to their humanity, defied the ultimate earthly authority that had power over them. A dictator who had called for the killing of all Hebrew babies will have no compunction about calling for the killing of two midwives.

These unlikely, marginal characters subvert the seemingly all powerful dictator, the administration, the regime, the Empire. It is a foreshadowing of the way of God throughout history.

Today, millions of people are degraded and enslaved in systems that strangle life. Millions of people who have lived off of the land have been driven from their land and lifestyle by multinational corporations, globalization, Neo liberalism, and empires like the US. The Black Lives Matter movement makes us see and remember how life for people of color in this country is subverted by governmental and economic systems and institutions. The COVID virus is exposing all of the biases and injustices in our society. Millions of victims of economic injustice and rampant legalized greed cry out for self determination and life. Mother Earth is under attack and cries out through all life forms, land forms, and water ways, to be liberated from the shackles of greed, apathy, and abuse.

How can we find peace? Where is there peace? Amidst so much overwhelming turmoil? Here we come back to the midwives. They did what they could do in their circumstance to stay true to their own humanity. And I think that points us to how we can know peace in our tumultuous times. Each of us, where ever we are in the current drama of power abuse and people abuse, can find peace by being true to our fullest, deepest humanity. We do this by respecting the sacredness of the humanity of other people, all life, and all that supports life.

Each and every day presents us with decisions and opportunities. Each and every day we take actions. We work. We shop. We watch. We buy. We consume. We play. We engage. We read. We talk. We eat. We write. We sleep. We drive. We listen. We live our days and nights. And constantly it is before us: Are we being true to our humanity? Are we living out our commitment to the life and well-being of all of Creation? Are we doing what we can do in our context to support life? What we find is that the more we are true to life, to Divine Love, the more we experience peace. When we do what we can do in our given context, when we are the loving people we are created to be, when we foster life, when we are true to our sacred selves, we find peace. Regardless of the circumstances around us.
The midwives did what they could do. They didn’t directly bring down Pharaoh. They didn’t dismantle the whole system of oppression. But they did what they could do. They played their part. They provided inspiration. And eventually, we are told that the purposes of God were fulfilled: the Hebrews escaped from slavery in Egypt and made their way to a new land where they could establish a society of compassion and justice.

Like the midwives, Jesus, too, shows us the way of peace. He, too, lived in an age of oppression and tyranny. His people were under the thumb not of the Egyptians but of the Romans. But the dynamic was similar. His people were treated like commodities, inputs, to be used to further the ends of the Roman Empire. There was no respect for the sacredness of life. Jesus, like Moses, comes to free people from tyranny. The tyranny of Caesar, the tyranny of Empire. The tyranny of oppression and greed for power and wealth. Jesus, like the midwives, is committed to life, in its fullness, for everyone and all of Creation.

Peace comes from seeking to live in harmony with all of life. It does not come from subduing others. Or from abusing power. Or from indulging greed and gluttony for wealth or power. Peace does not come from promoting the interests of some at the expense of others. It does not come from self indulgence. We experience peace when we are liberated not only from the tyranny of outside authorities but from the internal tyranny of a self-centered reality. We experience peace when we do what we can do to live from a commitment to Life. When we, like the midwives, do what we can to bring forth life, to nurture life, to welcome life into the world.

We are told in Exodus that the Hebrew women were “more robust,” they had their babies before the midwives could get to them. May we be more robust in our commitment to life and so that we may find greater peace. Amen.

(Click HERE if you wish to see the post containing the video of this text.)