Romans 13:11-14
Salvation is near; wake from sleep
13:11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
13:12 the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
13:13 let us walk decently as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in illicit sex and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
I confess that I did not read the first Harry Potter novel before seeing the initial film. I am generally not a reader of fiction, and had read about the growing influence of the first J.K. Rowling effort on young readers, which impressed me. “The boy who lived” had caught the attention of similarly young boys and girls who had started to drift more heavily toward video games and iPhones, than libraries and books. Jill Rowling’s first book attempted to turn that tide, and it was working. Then, the masters of Hollywood got ahold of the magic, and produced a magnificent film that allowed us non-fiction readers to get on board the Hogwarts Express. My daughter, the literature major, took us to see “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and we were hooked. How many years later, and we’ve seen all of the films more than once, and have made two “pilgrimages” to Universal Studio’s “Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” the first very early after its first chapter opened, and the latest, just a couple of years ago, in its current state. What they have done to bring the stories to life is just short of miraculous. I also have actually read a couple of Rowling’s novels in the sequence.
Why am I telling you this? Well, as the Harry Potter series unfolded, the tenor of the stories kept getting darker and darker, until Hogwarts became the scene of what could best be summed up as a “winner take all” apocalypse, pitting “He Who Must Not Be Named” against the heavily patinaed, young-adult Potter. The bright colors of the first two films were now replaced with the muted shades and the shadowy lighting of the later movies. Things got REALLY dark, which “scared” many more conservative Christians who had already pretty much written off the series as “of the devil,” or whatever. (From the beginning they discounted the concept that Rowling’s tales were modernized, highly creative versions of classical English “wizard’s tales,” most connected with the Arthurian legends. Merlin became Dumbledore and Morgan le Fay morphed into Valdemort. Ultimately, both story lines go dark before the dawn of heroism wins the day. It’s this shift toward darkness that reminded me of the lectionary text I chose for this week’s sermon.
I happen to like the darkness, especially as long as it is safe. Oh, I’m not one to wander aimlessly in dark areas of the city at night, especially alone, and especially where I know the crime rate is higher than usual. As an amateur astronomer, I enjoy taking my “smart” telescope, and occasionally my “old fashioned” straight optical telescope out into the darkness to capture God’s celestial creation in digital images. I confess that I’m now going out with a bit more fear and trepidation into my local night, now that we have had frequent visits by a neighborhood BEAR, just 20 feet from where I like to set up my telescopes! But still, I like the darkness, and what wonderful lights in the heavens one can see on clear nights. There is something soothing and peaceful about the darkness, but obviously, it may also mask more than just the colors—it may also hide danger, or even the little things we are likely to stumble over. In most narrative, AND in film, darkness often foreshadows a turn toward a less desirable event or a shift in the direction of the story, and it’s usually not good.
The Apostle Paul worried about the “darkness” that might try to overcome the fledgling Christian church. The darkness Paul wrote about wasn’t always “evil.” It might be just a shift in doctrines that caused schism, or at least sought to give power to one faction over another. It could be a political “infection” that might turn what Jesus wanted to be a benevolent faith community ruled by mutual love and compassionate mercy into a juggernaut of “we’re RIGHT” over “YOU’RE wrong” factions, with a destructive, judgmental bent. This latter darkness is what kept Paul up at nights, if not the loud singing going on in the prisons he seemed to frequent. Was he right to be concerned? Just ask the “brands” of Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists that have proliferated, as well as the “independent” churches! Paul would be turning over in his grave, and Jesus might, too, if he were still dead.
We live in a time when the darkness—and NOT just religious darkness—threatens to undo the “goods” that society has historically wrought. Our own “American experiment” is getting quite clouded, if not downright slipping into dark skies, right now. What scares me is that Donald Trump was just the “trigger” that opened the floodgates of a large share of Americans who apparently believe we SHOULD be more of a dictatorship, if the “chosen leader” agrees with their views. Otherwise, “Lock ‘em up!” Political violence and its escalation is the darkest moment our country has seen since the Civil War. We are under the darkness of the widest income inequity our nation has ever seen, too. The “haves” now have MUCH more, and the “have nots” are losing even more ground, including essential “safety net” programs like SNAP (“food stamps”) and subsidies to help them pay for healthcare. We are in a time when the Department of Education—which has advanced early, childhood education as a remedy for poverty—is now being disassembled. What was the Department of Defense is now the “War Department,” running counter to America’s insistence on the world stage that our military is for DEFENSE, only. Obviously, Russia and China have noticed this switch, and are themselves ramping up their own “war departments.” This kind of darkness could get us all killed. We are also seeing darker days for the efforts to combat human-caused climate change. Unfortunately, if this erosion of a global cause continues, especially on our part, the “dark skies” may cease to be a metaphor.
I worry about the moral state of our society, as well. I know that sounds like a “preacher” thing, but our decline in common decency is being displayed on the highways, the airways, and on the airwaves, as well. People drive and fly with a chip on their shoulders, and name-calling and fight-picking is all the rage on our media. Only PBS has remained civil, and it is being cut from the federal budget, of course. Church attendance is way down, as people fill their schedules with personal leisure rather than community-based activities like church activities and Christian education. There was a time when religious leaders saw a “positive” in that persons were describing themselves as “spiritual,” but there are indications that this is looking more like people are defining their own, highly-personalized “religion” that serves merely their own needs. It is not translating out into any kind of community life. For the church, these are certainly not “this little light of mine” times.
Jesus, Paul, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all taught us that if there’s one thing that can conquer the darkness, it is LIGHT. Christ came to BE the light that would drive out darkness in each of us, and eventually the world. This light still shines, and is still “lighting up” souls. For now, the illumination of the world seems like something more on the apocalyptic horizon than in the near future, but Paul tells us to not be discouraged. There is an inevitability clearly shining through this text from Romans. And those of us who are believers were told by Jesus to be the “light of the world,” ourselves. He talked of how no one lights a lamp and hides it under a basket. We are to “let our light shine,” as it can drive out the darkness. Right now, the church looks like its batteries are winding down, doesn’t it?
We let our light shine by doing good works, according to both Paul and John Wesley. The nice thing about good works is that they are a positive public witness, AND they directly benefit those who are on the receiving end of them. Another way we can be further illuminated is to pick up the mantle of being a life-long learner, again. Knowledge is the fuel of the proverbial “lamp of learning.” Almost every university on the face of the planet has a “lamp of learning” in its crest, somewhere. AND right now, even the universities are being hammered by the forces of darkness right now, as they are being accused of being “woke.” What does Paul say here? “…it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep.” We are CALLED to be “woke.” First, to the call of Christ to be saved, then to work for human justice. Ending poverty and hunger, political oppression, and providing healing and wholeness through affordable healthcare and a decent public education, are the kinds of “woke” items that are currently under attack, as is one of the most important justice goals—dismantling racism. An “awakened” society is one where the various degrading “isms” have been stamped out, which is hard for us to accomplish, thanks to those who stand to benefit from people being disempowered and relegated to lesser economic levels of the society. Christians who wish to be “enlightened” beings, must necessarily be “woke,” at least according to the Apostle Paul, Jesus, and Dr. King.
As we begin the Advent journey, may we take these words of Paul in Romans to heart. May we “put on” Christ AND the “armor of light” to tackle the darkness, and may we seek illumination of our minds, not just satisfaction for our bellies. May we take up Mr. Wesley’s call to be agents of grace and advocates for the downtrodden, instead of claiming WE are the ones being persecuted! Maybe we all need to re-read Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, “Learning to Walk in the Dark,” wherein she helps us find our way in the darkness, realizing that God can be here, too, and can help us find our way back to the light. There ARE lessons in the darkness, and one of them is, WE DON’T WANT TO STAY HERE! We are better than this. Paul says we can be DECENT people again, thanks to Jesus Christ, God’s grace, and our own decision to make it happen.
If indeed Advent is a time for new beginnings and harkening back to the Christ who came to save the world AND us, then may this be a season of illumination and discovery. And may we wear the wardrobe of light, not darkness. Church, let’s get that lamp out from underneath that bushel basket and let it shine! Stop fighting over stupid rules and doctrines and “let your love flow,” as the song says. The world will gravitate toward the light of love and acceptance, and run away from the talk of dogmas and schisms. It IS the season of illumination, so let us WAKE UP and SHINE, Beloved! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment