Sermon: She is Not Dead, 6/28/09

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Sermon: Peace, Be Still – Preached 6/21/09

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Preaching this weekend

Here’s the gospel Text:

Mark 5:21-43

 ²¹When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea.

Jesus and his disciples had made a trip to gentile territory where he cast many demons out of a guy and into some pigs.  The pigs ran into the lake an drowned.   Jesus was asked to leave.  So he has now returned. 

²²Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet ²³and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”

This is a very moving picture.  Jarius is a leader of the synagogue.  Synagogue leaders on the whole aren’t fans of Jesus.  And yet this man is willing to humble himself and beg Jesus.  In a culture that treats honor in the same way we treat money, this is  a very, very big deal.  Also keep in mind that this was a time when something like 60% of children die before reaching their teenage years.   Children weren’t idealized like they are in our culture.  They were property, and girls were much valuable than boys. 

²⁴So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. ²⁵Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” ²⁹Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

Here’s another very moving picture.  This unnamed woman has been bleeding for 12 years.  This means she has been ritually unclean for 12 years.  For 12 years it was taboo for anybody to touch her.  She spent all she had on physicians.  Everything was tried.  Nothing worked.  Although there was no physical evidence that Jesus could cure her, she saw something in him.  She knew.

³⁰Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³²He looked all around to see who had done it. ³³But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Lots of people were touching Jesus.  That’s why the disciples were confused by his question.  But Jesus wasn’t talking about normal touching.  There’s touching and then there’s touching.  He was touched with holy intent and holy expectation.   Everybody wanted a piece of Jesus and they touched him with worldly intent.  But this touch was different.

The woman, being ritually unclean, broke taboo in touching Jesus.  But I don’t think that was the source of her fear.  I think it was more awe in the presence of the holy.

Imagine you are Jarius in this moment.  His daughter is dying.  Jesus was on his way.  And now, not only has he stopped his progress toward the daughter, Jesus has been touched by an unclean woman.  If he were to follow the rules of the Synagogue, he could not allow Jesus into his home.

 ³⁵While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” ³⁶But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.”

Jesus sees a deeper reality.  Despite eyewitness accounts of death, Jesus sees, and calls forth life.  In a Bible study this week, Canon Lynell Walker suggested that this is what we need to do if we are going to “be Jesus” in the world.   Where the world sees death, we need to see, and call forth, life.

⁴⁰And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” ⁴²And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. ⁴³He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

I love the last line.  I wish Mark would have given us one more sentence.  Something like, “and they made her a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.”

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Sacramento Safe Ground

I went to a kickoff event for the Sacramento Safe Ground campaign. This initiative grew out of the turmoil created when the City shut down “tent city” and is being led in large part by people who are homeless as well as formerly homeless partnering with Loaves & Fishes and Francis House. Here are some of the facts:

1. It is literally illegal to be homeless. It is illegal to use or store camping gear (including sleeping bags or rolls) on public property and it is illegal to ues such gear on private property for more than one night. Add to that the lack of available restroom facilities in the city as well as accessible sources for water. One woman last night said the hardest part of being homeless was the fact that whenever she got settled in someplace to sleep, she would be constantly anxious that a police officer would tell her she had to get up and go away.

2. County shelter space is being shut down.

3. There is available public land. By partnering with non-profit organizations, it is possible to provide water, dumpsters, restrooms and simple shelters for about $2 per day per person. It costs the county about $50 per day to house somebody in a shelter.

Safe Ground is working to change the camping laws as well as acquire land and the funds to provide a safe, legal place for homeless people to live. This is seen as a first, very important step in a three step strategy. The next two steps are for Safe Haven (shelter) and Safe Housing.

There is a rally and march on Wednesday, July 1 at 10am at Loaves and Fishes.

You can see more at http://safegroundsac.org/index.php

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Sacramento Gay Pride 2009

Andrea and I marched in the Gay Pride Parade last weekend.  It was a beautiful day and the parade and festival were lovely.  I have two observations, and some photos.

1.  The “faith group” was the largest group in the parade.   And among the people of faith, the Christians were predominant.  This has been true for at least the last two parades (the only ones I’ve seen in Sacramento.)  I am hoping that this witness helps LGBT folks realize they have lots of allies in churches.

2.  There were very, very few protesters.  That struck me as very significant.  Yes, the anti-gay folks won the recent marriage battle, but it strikes as very hopeful that marriage seems to be the only real battle left.  I don’t want to minimize the importance of marriage equality, but the fact that people aren’t arguing with any real traction against domestic partnerships or even same-sex relationships in general (”homosexuality is sin”) is, in my mind, huge.

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Episcopal News Service Reports on Prop8 Decision

I had a good conversation with Pat MaCaughan as she was preparing this article.    It includes a broad range of perspectives (including mine!)  You can also read it here.

 Reactions to the California Supreme Court’s 6-1 ruling to ban same-gender marriage but uphold the existing unions of 18,000 gay couples ran the gamut May 26, from anger and sadness to “profound disappointment” and support across the state’s Episcopal community.

The court’s decision reportedly sparked protest rallies across the nation as well as some parts of Canada from marriage equality supporters. They vowed to overturn the contentious Proposition 8, an amendment to the state constitution that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” It was approved by 52 percent of those voting last November.

“We are far from the end of this struggle,” said Bishop Marc Andrus of the Diocese of California (which only covers part of the state), where an interfaith gathering of 300 on May 25 held a prayer vigil at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. “The Episcopal Church stands in solidarity with the disenfranchised,” Andrus said in a prepared statement.

Read more »

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Slideshow of Marriage Equality Rallies in Sacramento

Supporting marriage equality after the CA Supreme Court upheld Prop8.  We started at the Gay/Lesbian Center then marched to the Capitol steps.

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Faith Whitmore’s Invocation at the Rally

The Rev.  Faith Whitmore, from St. Mark’s Methodist Church, gave the invocation at yesterday’s rally protesting the Supreme Court’s decision upholding Prop 8.  Here’s what she said:

God of us all, known by many names and experienced through many faith traditions, we are here together, confident that we are all created in your image which is expansive and imaginative enough to include gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and straight with all hues of skin colors and body shapes and sizes.  You have a wonderful sense of humor and tender heart O God, and here we are, diverse and wonderful reflections of You. 

 We also know you to be a God of justice and so we can’t help but believe that your heart broke with ours this morning as the decision of the Court was read.  We pray for strength along this journey as it is tiring and discouraging ~ but we know that justice shall prevail one day, albeit not this day.  We pray for the spirit of strength, justice, wisdom and  perseverance that infused so many  – people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.; Mary Tsukamoto, Harvey Milk – people who would not give up and people who would not let others take their joy, dignity, and faith away in the struggle for equality. 

I pray your grace and blessing be upon each of us and all of us together as we move forward, for there is much left to do – many conversations that still need to take place, wounds that need to be healed, hearts that need to be touched and marriages waiting to be celebrated, which have once again been put on hold.     

It seems so simple – your commandment that we should love one another…  help us, O God, to do ~ and allow ~ just that.  Amen.

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Statement on Prop 8 being upheld by the California Supreme Court

I was at a gathering of people who are lesbian and gay and their supporters on May 26 at 10 a.m. when the Supreme Court of California announced its decision to uphold Proposition 8. While many of us were anticipating this outcome, the disappointment and sadness was profound. I felt it in my own heart. I am heartbroken that lesbian and gay couples have once again been relegated to second-class status. I’m sad that a great deal of effort that could be expended to fight other societal problems will be spent reclaiming the right for all people to be legally married. And I am deeply concerned by the precedent that a simple majority of voters can, through a ballot initiative, change California’s constitution to take away civil rights.

I am committed to work toward marriage equality for all people who are gay or lesbian. I am convinced that legal marriage between people of the same gender strengthens the institution of marriage and our society. I’m also convinced that it is the right and just thing. This justice delayed will not be justice denied forever. Marriage equality will happen in California. Unfortunately it will now take more time, energy and money.

I realize that not all people share my views. I think it is important to create space in our society for people to freely express different views and live with different values. I believe it is important that no religious body be penalized for limiting their marriage rites to opposite-sex couples. But at the same time, it is important that those who believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman not be able to limit the rights of others to marry whomever they choose.

My heart breaks for those who feel less welcome and less safe in our society because of today’s ruling. I look forward to the day when all God’s children are free to marry the person of their choosing and fully live into their God-given sexuality.

Brian Baker
Dean, Trinity Cathedral
Sacramento, California

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Prop 8 Upheld

I was at a gathering of LGBT folks and their supporters in Sacramento when the decision was announced. It was what many of us anticipated/feared. But to get the news was very, very sad. Heartbreaking. And it is shocking that the Supreme Court would allow such a significant change to the Constitution to stand with just a simple majority on a ballot initiative. That’s scary!

There’s a rally at the Gay & Lesbian Center at 5:30, then a march to the Capitol at 6:30 followed by a rally on the Capitol steps.

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