Yesterday morning I had a 9 AM meeting in Syracuse for the new Annual Conference, and so I set off at 7 AM. For the first 30 minutes of the drive, the sky was still colored from sunrise, and the lavender sky displayed over dark mountains and through shimmering tree limbs was more beautiful than I could take in. It was astounding. I turned due west in Columbus and the sun was a weird red/orange coloring everything in this strange light. The snow and the houses, even the trees were red for a few minutes. Then, even after the sky turned blue, and the sun was up, the deep deep cold had frosted every single bit of the trees and they kept on surprising me with their glistening beauty.
I found myself wondering how I can possibly spend so much of my time NOT attending to God's goodness. There I was driving to yet another meeting, and out of no where the INCREDIBLE beauty was everywhere. I think God is constantly trying to bless us with beauty in the world and in others, and we forget to notice most of the time. What a waste! Why worry when we can pay attention to blessing? Why fight when we can be awestruck by beauty?
Well, the meeting wasn't so great, and the worship was awful, but luckily I'd already been fed by beauty too intense for me to ignore it. And by the time I came home the sun was setting and the beauty was all around me once again. Based on Psalm 19, I think its been like this forever: creation sings God's glory, and when we're lucky, we notice and hear the song. The sky proclaims God's goodness. The sun and moon and stars shout with glory! Life with God is better than being rich. God's guidance is sweeter than honey – or sugarcane – or licorice or anything. God's laws are pure goodness. They're meant to limit us or make us guilty or lead us to judge others – they're meant to show us what good living is, how to be in relationship with each other, how to show our affection and gratitude toward God. Following God's laws creates a better life for everyone, it is very very good.
The Nehemiah passage this morning is one of the stories of the Bible when people really seem to NOTICE and ATTEND to the goodness of God's laws. Really, they seem as startled and delighted by the laws as I was by the sunrise yesterday, and having read them, I've been there too.
Nehemiah is a great story! Nehemiah was the cup-bearer to the king of Persia, and if you remember, Persia was the land that captured Babylon. And that's important because Babylon was the land that captured Israel! The destroyed the walls of Jerusalem, tore down the temple (and put salt on it to keep life from ever springing forth with hope), and took all the leaders across the desert to captivity. The people remaining were poor, illiterate, and unprotected. Eventually, though, Persia captured Babylon and the leaders were able to return (or, at least, their grandchildren were). But not everyone went. Which is why Nehemiah was still in Persia when he heard that not all was well in Jerusalem.
So Nehemiah got permission from the King and went to Jerusalem with some supplies and convinced the people (not without some grumbling first) that if they each rebuilt the part of the wall outside their own home that they'd all be safe. OF COURSE! And it worked. This passage comes after that. They've rebuilt the wall and they are safe, and now they are gathering to hear the priest, Ezra, read what was probably an early version of the book of Deuteronomy.
This passage is great because NOT ONLY do the people suddenly take note of the goodness of the Law – not only do they listen to it and pay attention and get moved by it, but then they're told that the most appropriate response is not sadness that they haven't been fulfilled or guilt or worry – but JOY! The people are told to have a big feat and enjoy the good news that God gives GOOD laws. Seriously – they're told to drink the good wine and eat the good the food and have a party – and the only caveat (and this is why I love God so much) is that they're supposed to make sure everyone gets some! The poor, or the old, or the young, or anyone who for whatever reason can't make their own feast, is supposed to get invited to someone else's. Everyone gets to party – but EVERYONE is supposed to be included. God's law is perfect, and sweet!
We read, two weeks ago, the part of Isaiah that Jesus is reading in the Luke passage today. We hear it, in some form, in every communion liturgy we do. It is, in Isaiah, the role claimed by the prophet, and in the gospels, the purpose statement of Jesus' ministry.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
The words are so good, that you can almost miss the ending. “The year of the Lord's favor” is the Jubilee year. In the Torah, it is expected that every 7 years all debts are forgiven and people who sold themselves into slavery are released. Every 49 years, in addition to debts being forgiven, land sold is given back to the original owner. You can imagine then, since interest was also illegal by Torah – that if a person or family got in financial trouble, it didn't spiral on them. They might have to borrow money or sell their land – BUT they wouldn't lose the land forever, and if they couldn't pay the money back it would just be forgiven. (Yes, giving a loan would take on very different meaning.) And it all gets called “The year of the Lord's favor.” Isn't that interesting! The Lord is equalizing between rich and poor, the favor of God it towards everyone having what they need! The year when all is set back to the beginning state, when everyone has again, is the the year of the Lord's favor.
And then, we note, that JESUS says that's part of his ministry! We often miss that part! But, it does fit pretty well – sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed, release to the captives, and release from debt for the poor. It fits in with the rest. God isn't interested in a permanent lower class. Time and time again, from the start of Israel through the ministry of Jesus, through the ministry of the living Body of Christ, we've seen that people living by God's law – working together in community to care for everyone's need is living with God's favor – and it pulls people out of unsustainable life into thriving wholeness. Sometimes that means freedom from addiction, sometimes freedom from bad monetary policies, sometimes freedom from trying too hard to be loved. People in community where they know God's love, and their needs are met, are then able to keep other's needs met, and no one falls down. John Wesley's early Methodists were mostly the very very poor, but once they started working together they stopped being the poorest of the poor. God's favor has BIG impact. Release, freedom, sight, its GOOD NEWS.
It is way too easy to be pulled toward bad news. There is a lot of it. There is a lot even if we just talk about the needs in Haiti. And our hearts ARE to be broken for the pain and suffering of the world, so that we are moved to make a difference – to keep praying and giving and making health kits. But the darkness is never supposed to overcome us. We need to focus on the light, so that others are drawn with us toward God's goodness. The suffering will always be, and our hearts will always ache, but they will ALSO always be filled with God if we just let God in.
God's goodness is SO easy to see in creation, and in scripture, and in people. Its easy to notice it with our children, but I see it in each and every one of you, and in all the people I meet. If you pay attention, you find that God's goodness and gifts are uniquely displayed in every person. With many its so easy to see that it startles you how abundantly God gives gifts. With some its harder to find – perhaps in people who haven't been able to nurture their goodness, but it is findable. And its worth the search. When you are overwhelmed with the bad of the world, LOOK for God. I promise, God is right there, closer than you can imagine and better than you can explain. Let the sunrises and sunsets and giggles bring your attention to our God who is SOOOOOOOO good, and let your soul be full.
Amen.
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