Calling All Angels
Sermon offered for Celebration Sunday October 2016
We are living in some interesting times aren’t we? I hesitate to call them dark, though there is reason for sorrow and anger and disappointment. But let’s remember that even in the darkest times, flashes and flickerings of light always come through. Now is no different. In any era, there is always greatness. There are always bunches of people living honorable lives and accomplishing feats of physical, mental and spiritual prowess that exceed all expectations. People are still inventing and exploring; still being kind and compassionate. People are still doing the difficult work of improving the lot of those who had the misfortune of being born poor. Around the globe, there are pockets of hope and honor that the mainstream media don’t often focus on. Do you know that global poverty has significantly decreased in the last 30 years? According to the World Bank, “The world attained the first Millennium Development Goal target—to cut the 1990 poverty rate in half by 2015—five years ahead of schedule, in 2010. In October 2015, the World Bank projected for the first-time, that the number of people living in extreme poverty was expected to have fallen below ten percent.” (World bank website)
Of course, the level of poverty suffered by so many remains a terrible blight on our civilization. But we should celebrate progress.
Any institution doing good in the world is worthy of notice.
Take this place, for example. We are doing such good work in our community as well as caring for and serving our own. Since the beginning of the year, 12 people have joined our merry band of justice makers and spiritual seekers.
Sunday morning attendance for both adults and children has increased, with more musicians and soloists enhancing our worship. Our well attended adult education offerings have included author nights, book discussions, reflections on the Koran, talks given on propaganda and the Global community, and an ongoing Conversation on Race.
UUSR has continued to be a strong presence in the greater Cape Ann community: We are involved with several important social justice initiatives, such as Family Promise and Action Shelter Lunches. We have collected tons of food for the Cape Ann Food Pantry and have served as cooks and servers at the Open Door. Our vigil for the terrible shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando was very well attended, and appreciated.
The steeple work is progressing well (and we’ve finalized the fundraising for it) and the painting of the building is almost finished. There is much to celebrate here.
But outside our windows, outside our building, there is much to cause worry. What has become acceptable to say and do in public—name-calling, bullying and outright lies—is completely unacceptable.
Here is where tolerance is not a virtue.
What has become common-place in the news: shootings of young children at their schools, shootings by police of unarmed black and brown men and women, shootings of police by delusional men, the targeting of brown and black people for arrests and fines –the ever increasing gap between the rich and the poor of this country—isn’t this unacceptable? Tolerance is not always a virtue.
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, architect of the Forward Together Moral Movement that gained national acclaim with its Moral Monday protests, tells us that “Some issues are not left or right or liberal versus conservative. They are right versus wrong.” Barber is a modern day prophet, telling us that “We need to embrace our deepest moral values and push for a revival of the heart of our democracy… When we develop tax and trade policies that no longer funnel our prosperity to the wealthy few, we are reviving the heart of our democracy. When we hear the legitimate discontent of Black Lives Matter and we come together to renew justice in our criminal justice system, we are embracing our deepest moral values and reviving the heart of our democracy. When we love the Jewish child and the Palestinian child, the Muslim and the Christian and the Hindu and the Buddhist and those who have no faith but they love this nation, we are reviving the heart of our democracy.” (from Barber’s speech at the Democratic National Convention)
I know that some of you have signed the Moral Declaration that Rev Barber and his group, Repairers of the Breach, created. I know that some of you are doing all that you can do to work for justice—locally and globally.
But we need to be ever loving, ever compassionate, and ever honest in the face of all of the bad behavior we see and hear around us. Let us not be part of the bullying or aggressive or mean spirited social discourse. In the face of fear and hate mongering, we need angels my beloved friends, and we need them now. I don’t mean angels in any religious sense. I mean angels in the way you would hear that word spoken colloquially: people who possess high qualities of goodness, purity, selflessness, intelligence, and beauty. I know you have met them. Angels remind us of our higher natures, our better natures. Angels remind us to do the right thing, no matter what. Angels are kind and good and true. And they can fly because they take themselves so lightly! We may not be able to fly—but modeling our behavior on angels will insure that we are on higher ground. During one of Rev Barber’s talks, he speaks about the biological reality of snakes. When we are hiking in the mountains, it is imperative that we walk above the snake line—we need to be high enough up that the snakes can’t breathe. Above a certain altitude, the snakes are asphyxiated. The message is clear: when we are living amidst snakes, we must rise to higher ground. Don’t stay in the valley where the snakes live—walk to higher ground.
Angels are always on higher ground. They don’t get stuck in the valley with the snakes. When angels encounter bullies, angels just show kindness and understanding. When angels encounter liars and cheaters, angels are honest and decent, merciful and compassionate.
When angels encounter injustice and unfairness, angels stay on the higher ground, elevating those who are near them, and listening for the truth.
In a climate of distrust and divisiveness, angels bring more honesty and more inclusiveness, more heart and more head.
In the face of fear and fright and failure, we must be viligant about standing on the higher ground.
One way to remain in the state of an angel, pure, loving, wise and true, is to keep looking out the window. Literally and figuratively. We must look out the window and be reminded of the beauty and the power of nature. We must look out the window at the stars and the moon and the leaves rustling on the trees and know we are part of that power. We are part of the interdependent web of all existence; it’s where we get our strength and our wisdom. We are connected with all people and all things.
We must also look out the window in a figurative sense too. We must look out the window towards wise men and women who never seem to leave their angel natures behind. People like the Dalai Lama, and the indigenous grandmothers, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., Bryan Stephenson, and Jesus of Nazareth. We can look through the window of their words and their behavior into their hearts and minds– and we stay on higher ground.
In the gospel of Matthew: Jesus is quoted as telling his followers that the righteous will be blessed: He says: I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” His listeners are confused. They don’t remember doing this for Jesus. They ask him, “When was this?” He tells them “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Gospel of Matthew, Ch 25)
Do we want to serve the common good? Do we want to stand on the side of love? You visit the prisoner, you care for the sick and suffering, you clothe the naked, you welcome the stranger, you offer drink and food to those who are thirsty and hungry. Every religion has at its core, a demand for service and hospitality to our brothers and sisters.
We live in interesting times—there is a lot of good that is going on—and there are some worrisome signs too. Either way, we need to rise to higher ground. We need to greet bullying with compassion and understanding, bad-mouthing and boorish behavior with our finest manners, and fear with love.
Calling all Angels
The time is now.
Rev Susan Moran