This page is in honour of the 'pesky, perpetual, predictable and persistent return of the Sabbath'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Week's Sermon !

April 14 Easter Season B

Fear Not!

There was a church which always began the service with the so-called, “apostolic greeting,” which begins with, God be with you. Actually, there are many churches who do that! We do! In this church the people’s response was always, “and also with you.” It never changed. One Sunday the minister stepped into the pulpit and having been warned by the choir that something was amiss with the sound system, tapped the microphone, and said, ‘I’m told there is something wrong with this microphone!” And the people dutifully responded, “and also with you.”

I reminded myself of that story every time I delivered the English homily at the bilingual and ecumenical Remembrance Day service in the French Catholic church in a nearby community when I lived in New Brunswick for almost all of the 90's. When I said, “la grâce de notre seigneur Jésus-Christ soint avec vous tous,” they responded with something in French and in unison, even before I had finished. But, after a bit of thought, I wondered, was that just their habit, or did I do a good job enough job of pronouncing the French words of the greeting that they truly responded.

Even though I took French in school like most people my age, the liturgical level was a bit beyond me so I basically memorized those words for a wedding that took place just after I had arrived in the community and then kept using them when the need arose. The bride was related to a well-known Acadian author and the ceremony took place at a cultural site related to her books. The groom was of Scottish heritage and he and the best man wore traditional Scottish dress and were led down the hill to the stage, by a piper. I don’t think anyone had ever heard the skirl of bagpipes at that location before and when I pronounced the couple husband and wife there was great applause from the balcony of the restaurant at the top of the hill. I had not noticed, but I believe many of the patrons left their meals to see what was taking place.

I was watching a tv show where a group of doctors from all over the world was working in a refugee camp, trying to keep ahead of diseases that come from overcrowding, poor sanitation and poverty, as well as injuries from guns, and land mines. They used what I believe is a standard greeting, "as-salaam 'alaykum”, and the response, wa 'alaykum as-salaam,” which is, I think, meant to place their medical practice in the context of their faith that they are doing God’s work. It is essentially the same meaning as the apostolic greeting with which we begin worship.

On Wednesday night, I saw a rebroadcast of the “Land and Sea” episode that covered the 40th anniversary of the 1982 sinking of the Ocean Ranger, a semi-submersible oil rig, which sank wile drilling for oil on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. All 84 on board were lost. I was in university at that time and one of the other young women in the same residence lost her brother, who was an engineer working on that rig. I can recall coal mining disasters that have occurred in my lifetime and there are many other mass casualty events we could all name. There are several mass shootings that have happened in Canada; it’s not just an American phenomenon!

In bygone days, the people in power often accepted such loss of life as an unavoidable part of that kind of enterprise. The people in power were often accused of disregarding the value of the lives of those most at risk.

When John A Macdonald was Prime Minister and the railway was being build through the mountains it is estimated that four Chinese men died for every mile of track. Just think of that for a moment; 4 men per mile! These men were what we now might call Temporary Foreign Workers! It seems clear that the lives of these men were of less value than the Caucasians who also worked on railway construction. Family lore tells me that my great uncles made their fortune building the railroad to Phoenix. I don’t think they were asked to blast rock with very unstable explosives.

In modern times, after such a disaster, safety regulations are often strengthened in the hopes that something can be done to make such work safer. I am told that fishing and trapping remain the most dangerous occupations in the world. Also in this category are farming and construction. I don’t think ministry is even on the list!

I recall the ways in which disasters have captured the soul and heart of fishing communities who seem to have developed a kind of acceptance of the risk but without becoming complacent especially when there is a a choice between staying in port or venturing out and chasing the big catch.

The recent loss of a small submarine, and its passengers, near the decaying remains of the HMS Titanic, has revived interest in the sinking of that great ship. Almost every day, Facebook presents me with a post about one of the people who was a passenger on that fated ship. The richest people in the world had booked tickets on the supposedly unsinkable ship. Since the last survivor of that famous sinking died in 2009 there is no more living memory of that tragedy, just reams of documentation, poor quality news reels, copies of newspapers and various memorabilia. It lives in history and the sinking continues to foster a macabre fascination among a small group of people.

Whether it be at sea, underground, or on a mountain top, each disaster is a testament to human pride and an unwillingness to respect human limitations. As Jesus began his ministry you may remember that he was tempted to throw himself on God’s mercy and live in stupid, wild and reckless ways. He did not take the bait on that one!

An assurance, something along the lines of, “peace be with you, fear not” appears frequently in the biblical record. Of course, it makes sense. No sane person could see what is said to have been seen and not fear. It was a natural reaction.

If I was in a small boat off the east coast and a whale breached near my craft, I would be in awe, but I would also be afraid of the next one breaching under the boat! I see a deer at the roadside, as I am driving, and I am in fear that another will leap in front of me.

If I saw an angel, with wings and a harp and whatnot, I would be afraid, I would be very afraid. If a deceased friend walked into the room, I would be afraid, especially if I had some inkling that this friend somehow embodied the power of God. The biblical belief was that looking upon the face of God meant instant death. To mess with the holy is supposed to be a fearful thing. To see God and live was a miracle. It is mentioned in several passages and noted that it is “very special.”

Easter is a time of great joy. For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere it is also happens in the season of spring and I have already seen all sorts of posts on social media showing pictures of crocus beds and other signs of spring popping our of the cold earth. We know that it is calving and lambing time, for those who raise those animals, and the rest of us can imagine the cuteness overload of a baby calf or the set of newborn lambs. We can smell spring in the air and we have hope for fresh vegetables, beautiful flowerbeds and full grain bins and the disappearance of the red ink in our chequebook.

The biblical Easter is always viewed within the context of Good Friday. As they say, “the only certainties in life are death and taxes.” They were certainly sure of Good Friday. It is the way of the world. What was surprising was Easter!

Of course, no one is old enough to remember the first Easter but it is preserved in the pages of scripture, in the stories and testimony of the first witnesses, and in the communities of faith who follow in the way of Jesus of Nazareth 2,000 years later .

The early church had every reason to fear and it was not just a child-like fear of the dark or monsters under the bed. Their monsters were very real. In the biblical story Saul started out as a persecutor of the church with the power of life and death over the membership of the early church. You may know that he was a witness to the execution of Stephen, regarded as the first Christian martyr. In addition, by the time the gospels were written down the conflict with the synagogue left them between two foes: imperial Rome and the leaders of the synagogue. I think I read somewhere that the 11 remaining disciples and the Apostle Paul were all executed for being part of the community which professed their allegiance to the new ways and vision of Jesus of Nazareth.

So how is all this relevant to the season of Easter. Well, I think we must make every effort to avoid magical thinking as we look at the powers that make life dangerous. We don’t jump off of cliffs or go swimming in a hurricane in the assumption that God will protect us.

The power of Easter gives us strength to stand up to a world that values power, and wealth and looking out for #1 while the love of God we have seen in Jesus asks us to embrace the values of paradox - giving and receiving, the values of love versus hate and of peace over war. When the recent troubles in Haiti broke out, I called a classmate who had spent many years there as mission personnel with her husband. Haiti was frequently in turmoil in those times and while they did not return to Canada for many years they were very careful to heed the advice of local people who told them when it was simply too dangerous to be out and about that day or week!

Not long ago three vehicles filled with volunteers from World Central Kitchen were attempting to distribute aid to the people of Gaza, It is claimed that the missile strikes which killed them were accidental but that is disputed by many. It is clear though that the workers knew it was very dangerous work and took all reasonable precautions so that hungry people might be fed. Last I heard the benefit of feeding others is not seen as worth the risk and that organization has pulled out of Gaza, at least temporarily. That is sad, really sad, because the people of Gaza, other war zones, other disaster areas, and in many other places, needs people who put their mission before themselves.

There are too many people who always ask, “What’s in it for me?” There are people who look at a disaster and say, “what will happen to me if I try to help,” while others say, “what will happen if I don’t try and do something.”

This can also apply with choices where there is minimal physical danger involved such as choosing to work with smaller companies or focus on less lucrative areas of work.

Do we believe that we are called to proclaim that we worship a God of life from death and good from evil or do we believe that God looks after those who help themselves? Are we an Easter people, a people who see empty tombs and know it is the presence of the risen one filling their lives.

Let us be among those who worship the God of love, life and the opportunity to proclaim this faith in all that we do.

Amen.

1995- 2021 The Rev. Beth W. Johnston.

For some good stuff go to:

journeywithjesus.net

A Teaching Communion Service