“What Is Revealed when God speaks?”
Genesis 1.1-5; Psalm 29; Mark 1.4-11
Rev. Tiare L. Mathison, Pastor & Soul-Tender
January 6, last Wednesday, was Epiphany. A day marked in the Christian tradition, when the 3 Magi, astrologers, foreigners, arrive at Mary & Joseph’s home, point to the baby Jesus and say, “This is The One. We followed His Star.” Once again, Jesus is ‘revealed’, another way to understand the word Epiphany.
What was revealed to us this past Wednesday here in the United States? The first African-American senator in Georgia, Raphael Warnock, was elected. He is pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, known for one of its previous pastors, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Georgia, as part of the Confederacy, a state that wanted to keep African-Americans as slaves not more than 150 years ago. And Jon Ossoff , a Southern Jew, from the rich and vibrant communities which have been in the South since the 1600’s, marching to Selma with King and John Lewis, was elected too. Racial minorities and religious minorities. What was revealed? A glimmer of hope and possibility, redemption if you will, for our nation from its horror of racism.
Then there was the insurrection. Armed seditionists stormed the halls of Congress, incited by our own president, senators, and representatives, to thwart the will of the people who voted in November’s election. Certainly an act of treason. We’ve seen it in lots of other countries, we never thought we would see it here. What was revealed? The evil of white patriarchal supremacy writ large for all the world to see, Confederate flags shining, a noose and gallows on the Capital plaza. Pramila Jayapal, our own congressional representative, said that during the attack, she laid on the floor, closed her eyes and prayed with others. Members of congress and their staff feared for their very lives. This is a hard truth to face but I believe if the rioters were Black or Brown, they would have been shot and killed. Witness what happened during Black Live Matters protests this past summer.
What was revealed?
An exercise of power for self-interest gain at the expense of others, even their lives. They thought they had the right to terrorize our nation because they did not agree with the outcome of a certified election. Evil, personified. All that is not Christ, anti-Christ you could say.
Compare this to God’s actions of power:. God speaks and chaos is ordered. God shouts and thunder explodes from the Mediterranean Sea through the mountains of Lebanon to the wilderness of Kadesh. Awe and a healthy dose of fear follows this geography of glory.
God speaks in the bush, the whirlwind, the still small voice. God speaks through prophets and donkeys. God speaks through the trees, raging rivers, thunder and the verdant valley. God speaks through the flames, the desolation, the emptiness and the wilderness. This is the power behind the universe revealed.
God speaks to anoint His Son with love and power, names Him Beloved. Christ’s life, death and resurrection proclaim the goodness of this power and its focused intention: redemption. Nature’s chaos, history, our own lives, our country on the brink of disaster, all of it is within the power of God to redeem, to make whole, to offer shalom.
What is revealed?
The gracious generosity of God appears as Jesus gets in line to be baptized. This is no God that sits up high in heaven, removed from the bloody world. Rather, this is God who deigns to BECOME human, born and baptized like every one else. He speaks through John the Baptist, who first offers a baptism of repentance - and then declares his own unworthiness to even touch Jesus’ sandals! Heaven is torn open to show the world the Presence of the Living God. He names Jesus Son, a term that demons recognize and will become the fatal blow of blasphemy. The Holy Spirit is given, first to Jesus and then to all the rest of us in our baptism. It is given and it is never taken away.
This power offers us the strength to face these days, to take the long-haul view that freedom is coming. I’ve been pondering ancient Israel lately as the Pharaohs of our day are overthrown. It was 400 years they were enslaved. 400! I wonder how they held on to their hope. Slave rebellions in our country happened over and over as they fought for their freedom. These slaves read the Bible and knew they were free. 19th century Abolitionist and Unitarian Pastor Theodore Parker first spoke these words, repeated often by Martin Luther King and others: quote: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Unquote.
And you know why we know this? The magnificent sharing of power that God offers in Jesus Christ. It was real water that touched Jesus as He was dunk in the Jordan River. Others saw this act of humility, this God-Man bending down, authority laid aside. An extraordinary act that opens up the possibility of plenteous redemption.
What is revealed?
From the very beginning, God has redemption in mind. From Abraham & Sarah, through ancient Israel, the prophets, Torah, kings and queens, to John the Baptist; all folk who helped prepare the way for this amazing renewal movement Jesus inaugurates with His baptism. The world has never been the same. This is the hope we cling to - th redemption is not complete yet. Our own, as well as our country, and the whole world. “May Adonai give strength to His people! May Adonai bless His people with peace!” The Psalmist writes and we pray desperately in this bleak midwinter.
We are called to pray more fervently than we ever have for our country. We are called to act more strongly for justice than we ever have. We are called to do everything within our power to act in anti-racist ways. We need God’s peace - we know this. We know our propensity for self-righteous judgment. We are called to pray for clear vision that is able to name evil for what it is, the anti-Christ. We are called to let the Light of Christ shine in us, through us, to this broken and fear-filled world. The Power of the Universe has called you by name, Beloved and baptized you with the Holy Spirit. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Amen