Wadhams United Church of Christ
2569 County Route 10, Wadhams, NY 12993
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Sermon by Steve Smith Order of Service
January 6 , 2008
Epiphany's Vision Isaiah 60:10-22
Once again, it’s time for my annual review of the latest and greatest predictions for the upcoming year. Last year’s predictions have been kept in a tamper-proof computer file that couldn’t be opened until after the first of the year, thus preventing any zealous psychics from hacking into my computer to change their errant predictions. I’m afraid that the news this time around is uniformly bad for the foreseers, which makes me wonder why they keep trying, but I for one am thankful that they haven’t stopped, because it gives me fresh material for the first sermon of the new year.
Unfortunately for the people who stockpiled Nehru jackets last year, the fashion industry still thinks they’re a bad idea. While people may have been sickened by the price of their groceries this year, there wasn’t a single person who died from a poisoned potato. Teachers in traditional classrooms are still holding their own after their congressional lobbyists were able to prevent evil-doers from dismantling our educational institutions and replacing them with internet teachers. It’s very possible that NASA would have lost someone during a spacewalk this year, but apparently Donald Trump turned down the invitation to join them in space and thus become the first astronaut to have his tether mysteriously sliced clean off its anchor.
There were no nuclear accidents in the Middle East, and the UFO’s that were supposed to usher in the end of the world this summer got held up in the air traffic delays that no one foresaw. Assassins forgot to show up for their appointments with President Bush and Secretary of State Rice, and we might never know whether or not President Bush committed suicide over a scandal, because the cover-up could be working even as we speak. I was totally wrong about our elected leaders wasting their mandate for change by holding endless investigations, but not far off on the “wasting their mandate” part. I just failed to realize how much of their time and energy would be invested in entrenching themselves in politics as usual.
Before I unveil the predictions for 2008, I’m bound by my conscience to tell you that these are for entertainment purposes only, and if you listen to any of this and do anything incredibly foolish as a result, you have no one to blame but yourself. That said, let’s get started. Pat Robertson admitted to being puzzled by why we weren’t attacked by terrorists armed with a nuclear weapon in 2007, but believes that 2008 will see worldwide violence and a recession in the US. A California psychic is predicting a Democratic presidential victory and lots of natural disasters. They didn’t comment on whether the natural disasters were related in any way to Republican reprisals.
According to Psychic Nikki, a category 5 hurricane will destroy Miami; a giant crocodile will devour scores of people in southern Florida; a terrorist attack will disrupt the Beijing Olympics; and a transvestite will compete in the Miss USA contest. It’s up to us to figure out which one is the transvestite. One extremely optimistic psycho/psychic in California sees Osama Bin Laden calling for an end to the jihad and devoting the rest of his life to uniting the world’s religions. I’m guessing that his devoted followers would thence be referred to as “Bin Ladenists,” but that’s a guess, not a prediction. One truly inspired psychic has predicted that President Bush’s approval ratings will drop even lower in the coming months, while industry analysts are practically guaranteeing that gasoline will cost nearly $4 a gallon within a month or two.
Dr. Michael Rathford is a genius who has devoted the last 32 years of his life to deciphering the encrypted messages of Nostradamus, and he has some fascinating messages to share with us in his recent best seller, The Nostradamus Code: World War III. During a period of continued unrest, a crazed leader is going to launch nuclear bombs on Europe and the Mediterranean. That’s a crazed Middle Eastern leader, not the one you’re probably thinking of. And if that’s not enough to keep you awake at night, wait until you hear this. During a time of civil and social unrest that hasn’t been seen since the good ol’ days of the Viet Nam war, the Electoral College will be evenly split over the election of the new president.
The process will become a complete stalemate, and because of the extremely volatile and explosive social unrest that follows, putting either candidate in office instead of the other could start a civil war or a revolution. Instead of South versus North, this time it would be red states against blue states. After a long time of impassioned speeches, our stalwart leaders will finally come together and unanimously vote themselves a pay raise. All right, I’m making up the part about the pay raise, but you don’t have to be a psychic to figure out that that’s what they would do. To spare you unnecessary anxiety and worry, I’m not even going to tell you about the part where numerous natural disasters here in the United States are going to flatten our great nation from coast to coast, causing enormous conflict, despair and misery, and sending all of our institutions into a tailspin of anarchy and power-mongering. That’s just too depressing to even think about it.
But then, the psychics seem to gravitate toward the terrible and traumatic events that test us. There was a time when people accused the prophets of old of the same thing. Poor Jeremiah, for instance, never seemed to have anything good to say. It was always doom and gloom, death and destruction. His detractors thought it might help his disposition if they put him in stocks or locked him up in chains. While there are sections in the book of Isaiah where the same charges could be leveled, you can also find glimpses of a wonderful future which shines with the light of divine love and compassion.
Today’s reading is one of those passages. The news of the day was filled with all kinds of gloom and doom, death and destruction. The great and holy nation of Israel had fallen prey to its enemies, its people had been uprooted from their homes and either slaughtered outright or forcibly relocated to foreign soil. Those who survived were suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and a crisis of faith that shook them to the core of their being. They had been forced to watch as their homes were plundered and then burned to the ground. The precious food they had hoarded in order to survive had been commandeered by hostile officers to feed the brutes who were carrying out the orders for complete and total destruction.
They didn’t need any dire predictions of natural disasters; their lives were a living disaster, a nightmare that wouldn’t go away. Most of them had abandoned hope along with the plots of land that they used to call home. In their crisis of faith, they couldn’t reconcile the notion of a God of love allowing such tragedy to befall them. They had been told all their lives that they were God’s special people, and that this land would be their sacred heritage until the end of time. For them, the darkness was as complete and total as the devastation they had experienced.
In the northern hemisphere, we are experiencing the darkness of winter. Days are short and gray in the North Country, while nights are long. But there are other forms of darkness which affect us just as they did the people of biblical times. There are people living today who have survived a crisis or trauma, who have been forced to watch as their homes are looted and then bulldozed, exploded, or burned to the ground. There are people who have been humiliated or abused by invading armies or corrupt police or brutal militias. There are people all around our globe struggling with a crisis of faith, whose painful and tragic circumstances prompt the agonizing questions about a God of love allowing such tragedies to befall good people.
And just as God refused to abandon the people of Israel to their hopelessness, God is still at work to find a way to bring light to the darkest episodes of life and into the darkest places in our world. In all the readings for today, the message is a hopeful one of good news. In these passages, light breaks through the darkness: a prophet calls us to arise and see the light of liberation and peace, reconciliation and joy; a psalmist prays for a ruler who will light the way of his people with righteousness, compassion, and an end to oppression and injustice; a New Testament author pleads with us to personalize the message of light by living like enlightened people.
The prophet Isaiah goes into particular detail to offer an antidote to the infectious and toxic darkness which plagues our world. Those who had worked so hard to dismantle the protective walls will now be hard at work to provide a safe dwelling. Where that which is valuable had been taken away to be enjoyed by others, the outflow will be reversed to restore the fortunes of good people. People who had once cowered, who had been despised and looked down upon will be able to stand upright with joy and delight, to gaze upon the glory of the Lord they feared had abandoned them. The news programs that made their living off of tragedy or trauma will have to go out of business, because there won’t be any more bad news to report. The God who had once seemed so distant and invisible will be as apparent as the sun by day and the moon by night.
People whose lives had been disrupted by flashbacks to scenes of horror and unspeakable cruelty will be able to let go of the pain of the past so they can enjoy the fullness of the grace and mercy that is theirs. There will be an abundance of food, and people will never again have to worry about going hungry or scavenging through a dumpster or garbage heap just to find a scrap of food. Greedy politicians will have to resign their posts, because the pork barrels will be replaced with all the wheelbarrows necessary to deliver the means of survival to those who need them most.
Invading armies will be a thing of the past, and those who served the aggressive whims of power-mongering leaders will now be conscripted to help rebuild the lives of people who have suffered too many losses. Corrupt police will be shamed and transformed by redeeming love, and they will spend the balance of their days acting as the true guardians they were always meant to be. The brutal militias that roam war-torn countries will be dismantled by the greater authority of Peace and Righteousness, and they will be free to pursue the greater cause of true compassion.
So while our politicians try to position themselves in the most favorable light, I hope you’ll understand if I don’t get too excited about the promises they mouth and the words their spin-masters have given them to tell us what they think we want to hear. I’d rather turn my gaze away from their haloed limelight of self-importance to see what God is up to in the darker places of our globe. I hope you’ll understand if I take the predictions of futurists and seers with a grain of salt, because the only future we have is the one we’re living right now. I hope you’ll understand if the only bandwagon I want to be on is the one that takes us toward God’s vision of a world made right. More than that, I hope to have your company and the company of others as we journey toward the enlightenment of walking with God toward the future that God foresees.
Order of Service January 6, 2008 Sermon
Welcome, Announcements & Prayer Requests
A Prayer for Peace
Call to Worship
Leader: Ever loving God, we come to this new year with hopes and dreams, fears and doubts.
People: As we step across the threshold of this new year, may we have confidence in your abiding presence.
Leader: Help us to remember that no matter what happens - in times of joy and sadness, life and death, silence and speech, dancing and mourning, war and peace- we cannot be separated from your love.
People: In this time of worship, open us to all the possibilities and promises that a new year can bring.
Leader: May we always live in such a way that we reflect the glory to your name. As we are mindful of the past, let us face the new year with hope and joy.
ALL: We pray this in the name of the God of all our days and ways.
Hymn
Leader: Eternal God, foundation of heaven and earth, bless us as we come to a new year, Breathe upon us with the breath of your Spirit.
People: We are conscious of our mistakes and failures in the year that is gone. Forgive us and help us forgive ourselves for our past failures.
Leader: Dwell among your people, O God, and wipe away the tears from our eyes. Fill our hearts with your love and ignite our souls with the fire of your Spirit.
People: Embrace us as your children that we may embrace this new year as your faithful disciples, servants of love and grace.
Leader: Grant that this may be a year of spiritual growth for all of us. Help us to walk in humility of spirit and to seek your guidance at every step of the way.
People: Teach us to pray and to listen, and to wait upon your Spirit. Let every day become a time for enjoying our relationship with you.
Leader: Bless us as a church, Lord, that in the days that lie before us we may experience a deeper sense of your presence. Show us how we may serve you as a church that will make our community more loving and more spiritual.
People: May our life as a church reflect the wonder of your Spirit within us, that others may lift their eyes and behold your glory. We offer our lives to you now, that they may be a blessing to others.
Pastoral Prayer, Lord’s Prayer
Hymn
Psalm 72, Isaiah 60:10-22, 1 John 1:5-10
Epiphany’s Vision
Offering, Doxology, Dedication
Hymn
Leader: May the grace of God lead us forth.
People: May the light of Christ shine on our paths.
Leader: May the presence of the Holy Spirit fill our days.
People: May we walk in love this new year.
Leader: Go forth into the new year, trusting in God’s promises, And may God, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, bless you and your families each and ever
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