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LAKEWOOD/TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South  St. Petersburg, FL  33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961
lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: September 8, 2024
Scripture Lesson:  Song of Solomon 2:8-14
Sermon: Migration
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

“Flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle[dove] is heard in our land.”  [Song of Solomon 2:12]

Isabella Tree begins her book about the re-wilding of her family’s estate in England with this verse from Song of Solomon.  Wilding: The return of nature to a British farm, is a detailed account of restoring the land of the estate to a thriving state of nature filled with a profusion of life. 

The book Song of Songs or Song of Solomon is a celebration of the profusion of life as well.  It is love poetry, voiced by a woman and a man, and it is infused with imagery from nature that celebrates the passion of life and love.  The images hearken back to the garden of Eden. 

While Song of Solomon is just a few short pages, the imagery from nature includes references to:   pomegranates, grapes, vines, orchards, honey, flowers, fruit, grape blossoms, saffron, cinnamon, myrrh, aloes, henna, nard, calamus, nectar of lilies, the gazelle, raisins, nuts, blossoms, grass, wine, spices, fields, vineyards, hills, mountains, mandrakes, apples, palm trees, birds, bees, milk, turtle doves, does, stags, rocks, water flowing like a fountain and the season of springtime.  It reads like nature encyclopedia.  These references pour forth the exuberant life celebrated in this unusual book.  Unusual because it is included in the Bible even though there is no mention of God.  It has this in common with the book of Esther.  It is also a love poem, erotic and intimate, voiced by a man and a woman.  Thirty-six of the verses are in the voice of the man and 56 verses are in the voice of the woman.  Again, extremely unusual for an ancient writing.  So we have this passionate poetry about dizzying love between a dark-skinned woman and a shepherd. 

And lest we minimize or allegorize or ‘metaphoricalize’ the nature of the love extolled in Song of Solomon, it is hard to ignore that there is mention of many body parts in the poetry.  This book is about embodied love.  We are told of: lips a ribbon of scarlet, breath, arms, ear lobes, thighs, legs, belly, neck, head, feet, tongue, hair, eyes, navel, cheeks, breasts, left hand, right hand, face, voice, skin, teeth, and smell.  This is passionate love between two human beings.  Longingly in love. 

The original writer or writers do not seem to be interested in addressing the nature of God or religious doctrine in this book.

We are presented with an outpouring of passion, a vision of a world bursting with life and love.  We are shown the glories of nature erupting in beauty and abundance.  We are told of the passion and confusion and intimacy of desire between people in love.   We see a beautiful expression of the wonderful world of abundance and beauty and joy that has been provided for us.  We have been given this amazing life and this garden as our home. 

While there is no direct mention of God, there is likely the insinuation that this is the intention for Creation, for life, for human love, for nature.  There is a giver.  There is a passionate force of life and love behind it all. 

To return for a moment to the turtledove.  This is a bird that spends part of the year in the environs of Africa and then migrates to a more northern clime.  In the book Wilding, Isabella Tree describes the migrations:  “. . .their tiny flight muscles pumping 3,000 miles from deep in West Africa, from Mali, Niger and Senegal, across the epic landscapes of the Sahara Desert, the Atlas Mountains and the Gulf of Cadiz; over the Mediterranean, up the Iberian Peninsula, through France and across the English Channel.  They mostly fly under the cover of darkness, covering between 300 and 450 miles every night at a maximum speed of 40 miles an hour, usually making landfall in England around May or early June.   . .  they have come to breed, to raise their young far from the predators and competitors of Africa and to take advantage of the long daylight feeding hours of the European summer.”  [pp. 1-2]

This migration sounds astounding.  The effort, the risk, the danger, the exertion.  Amazing.  All for the cause of life!  To thrive and flourish and reproduce. 

We see this passion for life, conveyed in the references to nature and to erotic love in the verses of Song of Solomon.  This reveals to us the power and passion of the creator, of God, of Love, of the life force that is at the heart of reality.  These images hearken to a force, the force of love, making whatever effort is needed, whatever it takes to see that life, that we, thrive and flourish. 

From these references to nature, we can imagine Divine Love, a creative force, God, seeking to migrate to us to show us how loved we are.  A love that will go to any length to provide us with abundance, joy, and happiness as well as everything that we need not just to survive but to flourish and thrive with passion.

And in our Christian tradition, in which we celebrate that the word became flesh [John 1:14] we can think of Divine Love migrating into our very form, in Jesus the Christ, to express passionate love for us.  To convey the intimacy, the beauty, and the power, of the love that courses through us and claims us.  We see a God, however we may envision God, sparing no effort to convey to us that we are  beloved.  And our life journey can be seen as a migration toward accepting that love.

When I think of yet another horrific shooting in Georgia this week, I feel devastation and heartbreak for the families and the school and the community and our. nation.   But I find myself wondering about those who are responsible for these kinds of heinous acts.   What happened to them?  What circumstances led to their actions?  How have they been damaged?  I feel that they cannot know of this love that we see in the Bible, in Song of Solomon, in Jesus.  Maybe they have not experienced the unconditional acceptance and love we are talking about.  They must not know that they are loved beyond measure.  That there is a force in the world seeking to make sure that they are cared for and that they thrive and embrace life with passion and joy.   It seems they do not know that they are beautiful and beloved. 

Song of Solomon, with its portrayal of intimate, ecstatic love between two people gives us a glimpse of so much more.  The profligacy of nature.  The passion and beauty that surrounds us and infuses us.  The reality that is giving to us more than we could ever imagine or desire.  And in our faith tradition, we celebrate this all made manifest in the life, teachings, and ministry of Jesus.  For us, he is the embodiment of all of this love and he shows us how to live that love for ourselves, for others in our relationships, and for this precious world.

Our faith teaches that God, Divine Love, is always seeking us out, migrating to us, so that we may have all that we need to embrace life with joy and desire. 

In Song of Solomon, one of the lovers declares:  “Your beauty is perfect.”  [4:7]   With all the messages of hate and degrading, demeaning criticism that swirl around us.  With the ugliness and violence that begets only more pain and suffering.  With the racist and biased words and actions that desecrate our world, here, at church, we are reminded of true reality.  Of the intentions of Divine Love.  Thriving passionate life for not only humans but for all of Creation.  “Your beauty is perfect.”  This is God’s message to every single person, created in the Divine Image. 

We end with a blessing from 12th century mystic, Hildegard of Bingen:

Good people,

Most royal greening verdancy,

rooted in the sun,

you shine with radiant light.

In this circle of earthly existence

you shine

so finely,

it surpasses understanding.

God hugs you.

You are encircled

by the arms

of the mystery of God.

Amen.

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.

LAKEWOOD/TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2601 54th Avenue South  St. Petersburg, FL  33712
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga
727-867-7961

lakewooducc.org
lakewooducc@gmail.com

Date: September 1, 2024
Scripture Lessons: Luke 24:1-12, Mark 16:9-11, John 20:11-18
Sermon:  Seeking Jesus
Pastor: Rev. Kim P. Wells

Mary Magdalene is mentioned 12 times in the gospels and there are an additional 2 implicit references to her.  She is named along with blood relatives of Jesus.  She is the first when there is a list of named women.  This is all literary evidence of her importance.  [See Six New Gospels:  New Testament Women Tell Their Stories by Margaret Hebblethwaite.]

Just as a contrast, Bartholomew, one of the named 12 disciples, is referred to 3 times in the gospels.  Once in Matthew, Mark, and Luke in a list of named disciples.  The disciple Matthew is referred to 4 times.  And Thaddeus, twice. 

So then the 14 references to Mary are significant when seen in their context.  The references in the New Testament, particularly the story of Mary as the first witness to the resurrection, make it clear that she was very important among the followers of Jesus.  It even appears that she was considered number two next to Jesus.  This is reinforced by writings that refer to Peter’s jealousy of Mary.  We know that Mary was a very influential, important follower of Jesus.  A leader in the Jesus movement. 

It is also interesting to note that Mary is always referred to as Mary of Magdala, or Mary Magdalene.   Typically women were referred to in terms of their relationship to men:  Nancy, wife of Mark.   Adelaide, sister of Frank.  Sabrina, daughter of Steve.  But Mary is always referred to in association with her home city,  Magdala.  Magdala was a significant city of some 40,000 people on the shore of the sea of Galilee.  The main industry was fishing.  It had a fleet of some 230 boats.  [Hebblethwaite]  So, Mary was a significant person from a significant city. 

Some of the references to Mary tell us that she, along with other women, were part of the inner circle of Jesus followers that travelled with him around Palestine; going from town to town, city to city, sharing the gospel, healing people, feeding people.   This group of women including Mary was part of this ministry day in and day out with Jesus.  We might not see that this, in itself, was absolutely scandalous.  Unheard of.  A woman did not leave home, family, her obligations in the household, to follow an itinerant preacher.  Men, ok.  But women, absolutely not.  First, they would not be allowed to leave by the men in their lives who controlled their existence.  And secondly, there would be no need for them.  They were not permitted to have a role in public life.   And thirdly, they would not have been allowed to mix with a group of men that were not their relatives.  And yet we are told again and again, that the women, including Mary Magdalene were with Jesus. 

And we are told that Mary Magdalene and other women not only were present but they supported the ministry of Jesus with their service and with their resources.  They were helping to fund this ministry.  Their participation was core to the mission.  They were likely ministering especially to the women who came to hear the teachings of Jesus.  Talking with them.  Offering them food.  Healing them?  In these tiny details, we see the great importance of women to the ministry of Jesus.  And we see his radical break with the patriarchy of his time. 

Yes, Mary Magdalene and other women were important in the ministry of Jesus.  He clearly called them and was training them to continue his mission.  We also see that the presence of Mary and other women was significant in the stories of the crucifixion and resurrection. 

We are told that Mary and the women were present at the crucifixion.  They watched their beloved teacher suffer and die.  This is mentioned in all four gospels.  And where were the 11 named disciples and the other men who followed Jesus?  They fled.  They were hiding.  They betrayed and denied Jesus.  But the women remained faithful through Jesus’ death, regardless of the danger it may have posed for them.  They stayed constant. 

Then after the crucifixion, they continued to serve Jesus, to minister to him, to his body.  They went to the grave.  And in all 4 gospels, we are told that it is women, including Mary of Magdala, who are the first to find the empty tomb.  They are the first to find out that Jesus is not dead and buried.  The tomb is empty. 

In Jewish law, women were forbidden to be legal witnesses.  The male disciples discredit the witness of the women as an “idle tale” in the gospel of Luke.  [Luke 24:11]  In Mark they simply don’t believe the women.   So, they go and see for themselves that the tomb is empty.

Then the women, Mary included, tell the men that they are to meet the risen Christ, as he told them.  So the women become the bridge, they create the path for the disciples who have betrayed and deserted Jesus, to return to him and be reconciled with their teacher.  Mary is not just a listener to Jesus, she embodies his message.  It is incarnate in her.  It is not just a theological statement or an article of belief.  She lives out the power of Love that she has experienced in the ministry of Jesus. 

And so Mary Magdalene is designated ‘the apostle to the apostles.’  And there is a gospel attributed to her.  The Gospel of Mary of Magdala.  It was written in the early second century CE.  In the late 19th century, fragments of a copy of this gospel were discovered, a Coptic translation.  Since then, two additional fragments in Greek have been discovered.  The fragments remain incomplete.  Fewer than 9 pages.  What there is offers an interesting perspective on the teachings of Jesus.  The character of the Gospel of Mary of Magdala is described this way by Professor Karen King of Harvard Divinity School:  “Salvation is achieved by discovering within oneself the true spiritual nature of humanity and overcoming the deceptive entrapments of the bodily passions and the world.  The Savior concludes this teaching with a warning against those who would delude the disciples into following some heroic leader or a set of rules and laws.  Instead they are to seek the child of true Humanity within themselves and gain inward peace.” [The Gospel of Mary of Magdala:  Jesus and the First Woman Apostle, Karen L. King, p.4.]  This is an interesting  way of looking at the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The focus is not on heaven but on finding the realm of God within yourself here in this life.  But this voice, this version of the Gospel, was not deemed worthy of inclusion in the New Testament.  Those who selected the canon of the New Testament had political interests, economic interests, and power interests to consider.  This message associated with Mary Magdalene did not further their goals.  And yes, they were men.

It is also interesting that in the Gospel of Mary, Jesus is not referred to as the Son of Man, or with other typical male titles used in the gospels.  He is called the child of true Humanity, Savior,  and the term Lord is used.  And in reference to God, there is no mention of Father.  Instead, God is repeatedly referred to as the Good.  Here is an example:  “For this reason, the Good came among you, pursuing the good which belongs to every nature.”  [King, p. 13.]  And in this gospel there is this teaching associated with Jesus:  “‘Peace be with you!’ he said.  ‘Acquire my peace within yourselves!’

“Be on your guard so that no one deceives you by saying, ‘Look over here!’ or ‘Look over there!’  For the child of true Humanity exists within you.  Follow it!  Those who search for it will find it.’” [King, p. 14.]

Of course, those who established the early church wanted a message that they could control and dominate and enforce.   Something they could impose with external authority.  The Gospel of Mary of Magdala did not make the cut. 

But still the power of the witness of Mary Magdalene was such a threat to established male power in the church that the church resorted to turning her into a prostitute to discredit her and disempower her as a faith leader.  There is no mention of Mary of Magdala as a prostitute in the New Testament.  She is referred to as the one from whom Jesus cast out 7 demons.  There is no mention of prostitution.  Now the church had Mary, the mother of Jesus, a virgin.  And Mary of Magdala, a prostitute.  This reinforced the characterizing of women chiefly by their sexuality, by the excesses of hyper sexuality, and defined them primarily as sexual creatures. 

The battle about control of the role of women and defining women continues today.  Sadly.  The perceived threat of female power to toxic masculinity is being played out day after day in the current presidential campaign.  And it is not pretty.  It is a disgusting, demeaning, and degrading display. 

At the beginning of the gospel of John, Jesus asks, “Whom are you looking for?”  Then, in the encounter between Jesus and Mary in the garden at the end of the gospel, the one she perceives as the gardener asks, “Whom are you looking for?”  In the gospel of John, Jesus teaches, “You call me teacher and Sovereign, and you are right, for that is what I am….” [John 13:13]  And in the garden encounter, Mary of Magdala refers to Jesus as Rabbouni, an intimate form of the word for teacher, and then she refers to him as Sovereign.  [See The Women’s Bible Commentary, Carol A. Newsome and Sharon Ringe, eds. p. 301.]  So she sees him for who he is.  Teacher and Savior.  She accepts the fullness of his witness.  She embraces his vision of egalitarian community and the mission to help people discover the Divine within themselves.  Everyone is free from stereotypes and from cultural and religious confines.  Everyone can be an agent of healing, peace, and reconciliation. 

This is the question we must continue to ask ourselves today.  Who is Jesus for us?  Who are we looking for?  Whom are we seeking?   Is Jesus our authoritative teacher and Sovereign?  Do we accept his vision of full egalitarian, free community?  Are we looking for the Divine within ourselves and others?

Denying the full humanity of women is not just about harming women.  It’s about harming humanity and Creation.  It is about denying the fullness of humanity for all people.  And allowing toxic masculinity to thrive creates suffering for everyone and the planet.  What we see in the legacy of Mary Magdalene is that the gospel is about the fullness of humanity for everyone for the good of everyone. 

This past week, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the IMA, a clergy group of which I am a member, sponsored a retreat with Gary Mason.  He is an international peace practitioner from Ireland.  He is a Methodist minister and the Executive Director of Rethinking Conflict, a conflict transformation organization in Belfast.  He played an integral role in the Northern Ireland peace process.  He’s a smart, well read, likable person with a winsome spirit and a delightful sense of humor.  The group that met with him here in St. Pete was small so the conversation was lively and honest.  Revealing, even.  At one point, he mentioned that in the peace process in Ireland, there were women at the table.  Then he noted that in the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, there are no women present. The implication was that the peace process would be furthered in that conflict if women were at the table.  

Denying the full humanity of women hurts everyone. 

In the Gospel of Mary, Jesus’ parting words to the disciples are:  “Go then, preach the good news about the Realm.  Do not lay down any rule beyond what I determined for you, nor promulgate law like the lawgiver, or else you might be dominated by it.” [King, p. 14.]     Amen.

In addition to the sources cited, the following resources were used in the preparation of this sermon:

In God’s Image:  Archetypes of Women in Scripture, by Craig Ballard Millett.

Praying with Women of the Bible, by Bridget Mary Meehan.

And the New Interpreter’s Bible, sections about the resurrection and Mary in all 4 gospels. 

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.