Preacher’s Post 1.0

Aldous Huxley, author of the classic novel, Brave New World, gives his readers a “warning” of what would come to pass if the government completely controlled our everyday lives. Published in 1932, Huxley wrote the book based on his prediction of how London, his hometown, might look in the year 2540, assuming the continuance of programs to end war, conflict, suffering, and antagonistic (aka: “free”) thought. Huxley painted a picture of what the world would look like if people were unable to speak their minds, or live how they want to, free from the confines of the multiple levels of government. Many people criticized and continue to criticize Huxley for his novel. Several seeds have been planted in the U.S., which have created alarming parallels to Huxley’s novel. The socialist and communist movements have been lurking in the shadows of America for many generations, but the movements have recently come to the forefront of the political platform. Some politicians are attempting to assign the government exclusive control of too many aspects of daily life. For example, in certain areas of Los Angeles, elected officials have created restrictions on where new fast food restaurants can and cannot establish themselves. Yes, you heard me right; the “man” is telling you that you can’t get a juicy hamburger and fries in South L.A., whether you like it or not. What’s worse is that state and national politicians are trying to rob you of your right to access fast and easy payday loans. Politicians want to eliminate payday loans in an attempt to win the votes of bigger corporations like banks, so they can take office and promote their self-interests. Stand up and be heard. Fight to free yourself from the government’s Lingerie Wholesale -increasing power over your daily life.
Post Courtesy of Personal Money Store
Professional Blogging Team

Usually when all the members of a church show up at the same time it is either to welcome the new pastor or dismiss the old one. What would you be your reaction if all the members of your church showed up for worship? Someone would have to call 911. The people came together because they had a hunger to hear the word of God. This hunger was so intense they told the preacher, Ezra, to simply open the Book of the Law of Moses and read.

As I have immersed myself in the transfiguration and its spectacular light show I have been drawn to preach on awe and wonder. Clearly terrorists, ,suicide bombers and our own military understand the power of shocking, awe inducing displays of raw power. Clearly the goal is to demoralize, frighten and dominate. A recent book called The Fire explains the painstaking efforts British Bomber Command undertook to create firestorms in German cities with the goal of mass death and fear among civilian populations. Hard to see where terrorism ends and conventional warfare begins - which has been the Christian position all along really. Anyway, the good news for me is that God's shock and awe ends with the gentle figure of Jesus as the embodiment of an alternative form of power that says "Do not fear" and heads off to Jerusalem and another demonstration of alternative power on another hilltop.

Awe and wonder when focused on the embodiment of God's intimate relation with humanity in the person of Christ clearly leads to a spiritual practice that reframes our valuation of human being as sacred. Living daily with the awe and wonder of our human promise as children of God is a promising good news indeed.

At the bookstore where I work we talk often about the tension between awe and accessibility. On the one hand, confronting a collection of the world's knowledge is naturally daunting and overwhelming. On the other, we want people to access this rich storehouse of information. As I prepare to preach on the Transfiguration I keep returning to the importance of awe and wonder. The experience of the disciples was clearly one of overload and it still is today. Just read one or two commentaries and you will get four or five lists of all the different references in the story - baptism, birth narrative, resurrection, paruousia, exodus - the whole nexus is in the story. How does admitting that the experience of God is one of awesome grandeur transform us? How amazing is it that when the light show is over it is just Jesus standing there- while the wind whistles through the rocks and grass- compressing all of the preceding theophany into this flesh and this story that is not over yet. The transfiguration heightens the tension of what is to come....

Here is an excerpt from my candidacy sermon that I preached last night. I am now interim pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Chicago...

Holy is the Dark
Psalm 42

At night, when the rumble dies down, I can hear the song of my Divine Beloved. This song becomes my prayer. It is the prayer that connects me with my Beloved, with the One from whom I feel estranged all day long. So much of scripture teaches us that the dark is a scary evil time. I know that I am challenging that. I’m challenging it because I found out it’s not always true. What we hear in the dark may be the sound of our own souls singing … crying … reciting poetry.
What you hear in the dark may also be the very voice of your Divine Beloved singing to you … crying out to you …. reciting poetry to you. I think the bulk of scripture tends to make us afraid of the dark. Like little children we are afraid. But I believe that the dark is a holy time and a holy space. God is often depicted as being Light – all light all the time. That’s one metaphor, sure. But that can’t be our only metaphor. It’s one sided. What would it be like for us, as we live on this Earth, to have light all the time? I think it would be terrible. When would we sleep? How would the plants and animals rest? There is no balance to all light all the time. We need the dark. The dark is Holy.
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The psalmist says, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” She talks about how she participated in the celebrations and festivals, leading the parades and shouting. But now she feels forgotten by God. She has enemies who are harming her. Where is the Divine Beloved for whom she danced and shouted and led the parades? In the holy darkness, where the Divine Beloved danced before light was created, the psalmist hears a song of hope that becomes her prayer.
We too can hear the song of our Divine Beloved. When the world quiets around us do we hear the disquiet in our hearts? Can we tolerate the uneasiness of our own disquiet? Can we hear the song of God and let it become our prayer? The power and holiness of the dark will guide us. In it we can find joy and hope. In it we can find our Divine Beloved.

Alex, I'd say you did preach already: Zeigeist 29.0. AMEN!

I love this new weekly resource. When I have to preach, I'll definitely start here. Thanks Anne!