FEAR !!!

We look up to people like Jesus and Jeremiah, because of their examples. They show us how to best act during our times of despair. Left to our own, we don’t always choose the most noble of ways to deal with difficult times. We can see some of those less than perfect prayers in the psalms. The psalms are the prayers of the people. The psalms are not God’s directives. They are not considered authoritative doctrines on God. They are poetic images of how people feel, and how they pray. And not all the prayers are very noble. Psalm 79 includes the line “Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you.” It goes on to say “Avenge sevenfold the taunts they gave you God.” (Psalm 79) And who can forget the blood curdling lines from Psalm 137 which states “O Daughter of Babel, doomed to destruction, a blessing on anyone who treats you as you treated us, a blessing on anyone who seizes your babies and shatters them against a rock!” (New Jerusalem Bible, Ps 147:9)

 

How is that for venomous anger? A little bit of xenophobic rage? Not a very Godly prayer, is it? Such passages are a statement of human weakness and passion.

They are a cry of people who have been hurt very deeply, who want things set right. Thankfully, it is up to God to the judging, and it is God who is the ultimate standard of justice. And our God doesn’t go in for bashing babies’ heads against the rocks. And our God doesn’t go in for us bashing one another’s heads against the rocks either.

 

So what message can we offer to our community in a climate of fearful uncertainty? I think the answer lies in how we respond to our Bible Story this morning. Is the story of Lazarus a word of warning to someone else, or does it challenge you. Do you see yourself as Lazarus, or as the rich man? There are no innocent bystanders in that story.  If we open our eyes, we see can see Lazarus today in the face of the overlooked, the forgotten, the silent ones, the underprivileged. Our wealth and status should not blind us to the people who make up our world. Remember at the end of the story, it is the rich man who is truly lost and in need of salvation. For our mutual well being and salvation, both the rich man and Lazarus must share in a compassionate embrace. The story must not end in a fearful act of turning away.

 

If we see ourselves as Lazarus, we realize the labels others use to exclude us don’t have the final word on who we are. Because Lazarus’ skin isn’t just black or white, Lazarus’s skin is dozens of different beautiful tones which are all loved by God. Lazarus today wears a kirpan, a hijab, a yarmulke, a cross. Lazarus today is an immigrant, a refugee, a Nortel worker who has lost his job. And no matter what label is put on Lazarus, he is still loved by God.

 

Thankfully, we know the story of Jeremiah. We know how his prophetic act gave hope to a generation of people who had to wait 80 long years in exile before they could return to their home. Thankfully, we know the story of Lazarus and the rich person, and the importance of healing all our relationships. We need the wisdom which such an ancient tradition can offer the complex world we are living in today. And we can celebrate because our Christian faith does have something positive to say.

 

 

A couple of years ago the Province of Quebec held a Public Commission on the reasonable accommodation of minorities in the Quebec culture. That commission was set up when there were a lot culture clashes which caused some to question what norms should define Quebec society. I helped to write the United Church’s position paper to the Bouchard-Taylor commission. I’d like to close this sermon by sharing with you my closing paragraph of our submission.

 

We can confidently say our Christian faith is not diminished when our Sikh and Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters practice their faith. When we all live out of our best religious values, our society is enriched. We can say our cultural identity is not diminished because someone else is practising their culture. When we all share the best of our cultural values, our lives can become enriched by the creation of this diversity and by the possibility of these different ideas coming together to create something new which can be even more wonderful. When all of God’s children come together in a spirit of co-operation, respect and peace, our world will be a better place.  This is our dream, and this is our gift to our community.

Amen.