Transformed

(Scriptures:       Exodus 1:8-2:10;  Romans  12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20)

Many of you know I traveled to Cuba three times, in 2008, 2009, and 2012, all with church groups.  It’s ironic, considering that Cuba is supposedly a country run by godless communists, that church groups are one of the few categories of tourists allowed to travel to Cuba.  After our plane landed at Jose Marti airport – named after the Cuban poet who is considered the father of Cuban independence – and after I got through their customs check,  a van from the Cuban churches picked us up.  As we exited the airport, our group saw that surrounding the airport were signs – government propaganda signs.  “!Socialismo si!” – Socialism yes!”  “50 years of revolutions and victories!”  on and on.  Pictures of Fidel Castro, of Che Guevara and other leaders in the revolution that led to the downfall of the widely-hated Batista regime and the installation of Fidel Castro as Cuba’s leader.  All a reminder that, as Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, on landing in the Emerald City - “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”  The propaganda is everywhere – even in relatively unpopulated areas, I saw occasional billboards proclaiming, “50 years of revolutions and victories” – that seemed to be a popular slogan, at least to those putting up the billboards.  To me, as an American, of course it seemed overbearing, over the top, obvious blatant government propaganda.  But then, as I pondered, I wondered how it seemed to those who live in Cuba – especially the younger generations, those born since the 1959 revolution, for whom the government billboards have always been there, as much part of their surroundings as sunshine and air and water.   And then I had a really dangerous thought……when folks from other  countries come to the United States, are there parts of our culture that seemed just as contrived, just as much over-the-top obvious blatant government or corporate propaganda, only this time emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes instead of the Cuban flag.  Of course, we as Americans, since it’s the only environment we know, can’t generally see it.  It often takes an outsider, one who has not been immersed since childhood with our culture, to point out our culture’s oddities and foibles.

A few years ago, I also visited Rome.  And as I looked at the ancient archeological sites and ruins, I saw that ancient Rome likewise had its own propaganda.  On most of the public works projects I could find the letters “SPQR”.  These letters stand for “Senatus Populus, que Romanus” –  “the Senate and People of Rome”.    Every monument or public work so stamped was essentially dedicated to the glory of the Senate and People of Rome, that is to say, to the  Roman republic.  Even after the Republic transitioned to an Empire, these letters were used, to preserve the tradition that Rome was a republic, even if in fact that was no longer true.  Again, if,  like me, you’re not from Rome, it seems a bit odd.  But those living in ancient Rome likely never questioned why these letters appeared on government projects.  Outsiders can often see things about our culture than insiders never question.

It is from this “outsider perspective” that Paul writes in our reading today.  In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes:  “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern the will of God.”  “Do not be conformed to this world” – the phrase “be conformed to” gives us the picture of jello being poured into a mold, or a cookie cutter coming down on a sheet of dough, or widgets going through an assembly line – one size fits all, all the same.  Paul is saying, “When in Rome, don’t do as the Romans do.”  Paul is, in effect, urging us to dare to be different, but in a specific way – by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God – in effect, offering our lives – our time, our talents, our treasure – to God’s service.

“Do not be conformed…but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.”  What does it look like not to conform, but to be transformed.  We may think of the Amish, with their plain clothes and broad-brimmed straw hats and horses and buggies and their dedication to rural life.  And that is one example.  The Amish know perfectly well that the wider society thinks them odd, and basically irrelevant – except when we go to the Reading Terminal market to get fresh vegetables; then we like having them around.  But they have consciously chosen a way of life different from their neighbors – less dependent on technology, more committed to strong families and to a sense of community, certainly much more environmentally sustainable – they were on the cutting edge of environmentalism long before Greenpeace and the Sierra Club came around - and utterly pacifist, utterly opposed to weapons of war.  The wider world saw their strong ethic of forgiveness in 2006 when a gunman shot and killed a number of children at an Amish one-room school, and after the gunman’s suicide, the Amish community reached out with forgiveness  for the gunman and reconciliation to the family.

But we live in Bridesburg, and I don’t think any of us are ready to sign up to move to Lancaster County and live down on the farm with the Amish.  But we can make a conscious decision not to just go with the flow, not to be conformed, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

When we think of being transformed, we tend to think on an individual level – quitting bad habits, going on a diet, getting into better shape physically, seeing a therapist, reading self-help books and such.  Churches have traditionally encouraged such personal transformation along some of these lines, for example, in years past, telling young people “don’t drink, smoke, or chew, or date guys or gals who do”.   And indeed, the transformation of which Paul writes is an inside job, beginning on a personal level.  As we spend time reading and meditating on Scripture and spend time in prayer and meditation, as we seek God’s help in ending addictions, as we spend less time on the couch in front of the TV and more time out in God’s fresh air and sunshine, in God’s creation, we not only become more physically and mentally fit, we become more fit for service to God, just able to do more, to last longer, to endure more in God’s service. 

The transformation of which Paul writes begins on an individual level, but it doesn’t end there – because ultimately while it’s about us, it’s not all about us, but about God and God’s reign, God’s kingdom.  And as we spend time in God’s word and time in prayer, we may find that we can’t go along with some of what our society asks of us.  Remember our reading from Exodus, with those chilling words about the new Pharaoh, the new king, the new boss, who didn’t know Joseph the Israelite and didn’t appreciate all Joseph the Israelite had done for Egypt – and feared the large and growing population of Israelites who had settled in Egypt.  This Pharaoh planned what we today would call a genocide, the extinction of a people, by ordering the midwives among the Hebrews to kill all the baby boys.  And here’s where I’d ask us to listen up:  we’re told, “But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.”  The Hebrew midwives knew where their loyalties lay – with God and with the Israelites, and not with the political power of the day, the king of Egypt.  This was a personal decision, but with very real political consequences – they acted to save their people, not to go along with what the people in charge wanted.  Today we would call this an act of civil disobedience, disobedience to an unjust man-made law in order to follow a higher obedience to God’s law.  And, of course, the Pharaoh called them on the carpet for disobeying him, and in response the women tell him this lame story about the Hebrew women – it’s really funny in reading it – “We’re sorry, Mr. Pharaoh, but the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; the Hebrew women are vigorous and the babies just pop out of them so fast we can’t keep up!”  Of course we know they’re fibbing to the Pharaoh – but in so doing, they’re being faithful and true to their own people and to their God.

“Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern the will of God.”  To discern the will of God may mean questioning long-held opinions.  It may mean, in the words of a phrase popular some years back, “Question Authority”.  “Question authority!”   Push back!  When the government – under Republican or Democratic leadership – tells us that we just had to drop bombs on this country or send arms that country, we had no choice – don’t just accept it blindly, but ask questions.   When, here in Pennsylvania, our state government tells us, “sorry, no more money for schools, you’ll just have to do with less”  - and our schools are once again opening in September with yet fewer teachers, and with communities having to hold special fundraisers for basic school supplies - but then somehow finds the money to build a spanking new $400 million dollar prison – for heavens sake, ask questions! Literally, for God’s sake, push back!  These are our children we’re talking about!  Especially since the United States by far leads the world in our rate of incarcerating young people – and according to an article by the Annie E. Casey foundation, Pennsylvania is one of just five states in the country to see an increase in the number of youth incarcerated between 1997 and 2010[1] – and in 2009, two judges in Luzerne County were convicted of accepting cash payoffs in exchange for jailing kids for relatively minor offenses – in one case, stealing pocket change in order to buy soda and chips.[2]  In Egypt, Pharaoh wanted baby boys tossed in the river; in Pennsylvania, we wait a little longer and then lock ‘em up.  So question governmental authority! 

Question the corporate propaganda – Is bigger better?  Does he who dies with the most toys win?  Do we really need all the stuff our society is selling us?  For example, we all know about the weed killer Roundup, made by Monsanto.  Roundup is very effective – you want a weed gone, Roundup will make it gone, and right quick -  but it’s nasty stuff when it gets into the water supply.  The active ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, infertility, and cancer.  A while ago on Facebook, someone posted a question asking for a recipe for a home-made, non-toxic weed killer.  Here’s what I found online:  1 gallon apple cider vinegar, a cup of salt, and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap – one recipe specified Dawn liquid dish soap.  Mix thoroughly so that the salt dissolves, and spray – supposedly it works especially well if you spray it on a hot day.  One website said that after the weeds die, cover the area with corn meal to prevent new weeds from sprouting – though likely the salt alone will accomplish that, so be careful using anyplace you think you may want to plant something later.  (A homework assignment for those willing:  If someone wants to try it, let me know if it actually works….)  But, anyway, so we don’t necessarily need to buy Roundup and risk the human side effects – and that’s just tiny example of resisting corporate propaganda. 

And question the news media.  According to a 2012 article in Business Insider, 90% of media in America is owned by six corporations.  In 1983, there were 50 corporations, but in the past 30 years, with mergers and consolidations, just six corporations – GE (which, among others, controls Comcast and NBC), News Corp (which controls Fox News and the Wall Street Journal), Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS - control 90% of our news sources.[3]  And now, of course, there’s an attempt at a merger between Comcast and Time- Warner.  These large corporations are in business to sell advertising, to increase shareholder value, not necessarily to keep Americans well-informed.  [If you really want to know what’s going on, to quote a phrase from the Watergate era, “Follow the money”.]  I’ve certainly noticed, and maybe you have too, that over the past 10 years, much of what is presented as news is celebrity gossip – who’s dating whom, who’s cheating on whom, who’s breaking up with whom.  Who cares!  This used to be stuff for the tabloids – National Enquirer garbage - but now it makes up a disturbingly large share of what we find in the mainstream newspapers.  Meanwhile a lot of information on what our government does and what the larger corporations do is left out – not accidentally, but very much on purpose.  For those of us online, we may need to go to alternative media or even (God forbid) to media in other countries to fill in the gaps in our domestic news coverage.  For example, I’ve often gone to the Guardian – a British news source – to pick up on international news and even sometimes American domestic news that never quite makes the Philadelphia Inquirer.   For Middle East news, the English-language version of the Israeli website ‘Haaretz’ is of course pro-Israel, but still provides some balance, including critique of Israel's actions.  And Al Jazeera, which was demonized during the run up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has an English edition, with surprisingly comprehensive coverage of world events. Of course, these media have their own slant as well….but if you know that going in, you can pick up on some interesting information about the world.  So, again, “be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may discern the will of God” – the will of God, which is very often opposed to the will of those in charge, even those in charge who present themselves as devout Christians.  Be not conformed.  Question authority.  Push back.

And why do all this?  So that we may discern the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect….so that we can be faithful disciples of Jesus, so that God’s will may be done, as we pray every Sunday, on earth as it is in heaven.  So we can live, really live, the lives God has for us.  Those of you who watched the 1999 movie “The Matrix” remember that Neo, the hero, was given a choice between taking the blue pill, which would keep him blissfully ignorant within the Matrix’s world of illusion, or the red pill, which would allow him to disconnect from the Matrix and see reality as it is. Of course, disconnecting from the Matrix bought the hero a world of trouble – enough for multiple Matrix movie sequels.   Contrary to Karl Marx, who wrote that religion is the opiate of the people – and in truth, religion often has been used that way, as a kind of “blue pill” to keep the oppressed unblissfully ignorant – to be faithful to the Gospel, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, is to take the red pill, to disconnect from the Matrix – the powers that be that would enslave us – and to live in the ultimate reality, within the reign of God.  Taking the red pill – being transformed by the renewing of our mind – will certainly complicate our lives, as we’ll have to say no to things our society readily accepts.  We may not win any popularity contests.  But, God promises that, in the end, the gates of Hell will not prevail against the faithful.  May we at Emanuel Church be among those who are faithful to the end.  Amen.

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[1] http://blog.papartnerships.org/index.cfm/2013/2/27/PA-heading-in-wrong-direction-on-youth-incarceration

[2] http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/23/pennsylvania.corrupt.judges/index.html?_s=PM:CRIME

[3] http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6

Looking and Seeing

Scriptures:       Genesis 45:1-15;  Isaiah 56:1-8

Romans  11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:10-28 

A few weeks ago, I got notice of my high school class reunion – the 35^th reunion of the Hamburg Area Jr-Sr High School class of 1979.  I always feel a bit disoriented on arriving at class reunions…in my mind, my high school classmates are still as they were in 1979, and it takes a few minutes to connect the greying, overweight, middle-aged men and women at the reunion to the pictures in my mind.  But, eventually, my mind makes the necessary adjustments for the passage of years, and I’m able to catch up with these folks with whom I grew up, but who I only see every 5 or 10 years or so.

Our Old Testament reading from Genesis tells of a reunion as well – a reunion of Joseph with his brothers, whom he had not seen in many years, along with his aged father Jacob.  Joseph’s parting with his brother, which we read about last week, had been under about as awful a set of circumstances as you could imagine – Joseph’s brothers hated Joseph and in their hate had sold him into slavery, and told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.  Their report of Joseph’s death understandably devastated their father.  In the interim, Joseph had become the Egyptian Pharoah’s chief administrator.  There was a terrible famine in the land, and Joseph’s father Jacob sent the brothers to Egypt to buy grain – and while they didn’t recognize Joseph, Joseph certainly recognized them.  Despite the terrible acts of his brothers, Joseph forgave them, saying that the terrible experience of being sold into slavery was God’s way of putting Joseph where God could best use him.  Having stored grain in anticipation of a terrible famine, Joseph was in a position both to care for his family and to store up great wealth for Pharoah.

When Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph into slavery, they in effect disowned Joseph as their brother, no longer seeing Joseph as their kin, but as an undesirable person to be gotten rid of.  Years later, Joseph’s brothers didn’t recognize Joseph, but Joseph recognized his brothers and reclaimed them as family.  Joseph’s brothers looked with their eyes, and they saw a high official in Pharoah’s service; Joseph looked both with his eyes and with his heart, and saw his family in need.

Our reading from Matthew’s gospel tells of a change in how Jesus saw a Canaanite woman who asked healing for her daughter.  In Mark’s gospel, she is described as a gentile of Syro-phoenican origin – that is to say, someone outside the circle of the Jewish faith.  Matthew’s gospel describes her as a Canaanite, the name of the ancient people whose lands the Israelites conquered after they crossed the Jordan river – and thus marks her not only as an outsider, but as a descendent of Israel’s ancient enemies.  And Jesus, in one of his least admirable moments – he must really have been having a bad hair day - treats the woman very much as an outsider.  We say that Jesus is fully divine and fully human – and as fully human, he was subject to his society’s prejudices.  So Jesus first tries to ignore her, and then tries to get her to go away, saying that to heal her daughter would be like taking food from the children and throwing it to the dogs – and indeed, up to this point he had treated her worse than a dog.  But the woman came back at him, saying in effect, ok, treat me like a dog if you must, but even the dogs eat the scraps from the master’s table.  The woman’s startling reply changed how Jesus saw the woman.  At first Jesus looked with his eyes and saw a gentile, an obnoxious outsider, but now Jesus looked with his heart and saw the woman as she was, a desperate mother trying to get help for her daughter.

When we look at others, what do we see?  Do we look with our eyes only, or with our hearts?  The disturbing stories of the past weeks – of the violence in Israel and Palestine, of the rampage of the Islamic militant group ISIS, and the upheaval in Ferguson, Missouri following the police shooting of Michael Brown and the police response to community protests – show what can happen when we look only with our eyes and not with our hearts.  When Israel looks at those in Palestine, they see crazed Muslim militants intent on driving them into the sea.   When Palestine looks at Israel, they see immigrants, mostly from Europe, who since their arrival in the 1940’s drove them and continue to drive them from their homes and lands by force, killing many and dispossessing more.  The members of ISIS who are rampaging in Iraq look on Christians and more moderate Muslims and see infidels worthy only of death.   The officer who shot Michael Brown saw a threatening African American man and opened fire, even though Michael Brown was unarmed.  Since then, there are two narratives competing to get us to see things their way.  The police released a video alleged to be of Michael Brown – who had no prior criminal record - forcibly robbing a convenience store of cigars.  The family reminds us that Michael Brown was a son, just 18, his life ahead of him.  And then there are those awful videos of police in riot gear, with armored vehicles and tear gas, dressed like an occupying army, cracking down on community demonstrations and arresting two journalists trying to do their jobs by reporting the events.  What did the police see when they looked at the community demonstrations?  What did the demonstrators see when they looked upon these officers dressed and equipped virtually as soldiers?   And what did the world see about life in America – as residents of Gaza were sending messages on Twitter offering the residents of Ferguson advice on how to deal with tear gas – run against the wind, don’t rub it into your eyes, don’t use water to wash it away, but milk or cola instead, remember the pain will pass.  Do we look at these stories with our eyes only, or with our hearts?  And does it make a difference what we see?

And how does the Risen Christ look on all this?  And can we see these events as Jesus sees? – As conflicts between human beings made in God’s image, children of God like all of us.  As Christians we believed we are saved from our sins by grace – but as Christians we also believe we are saved from our sins so that we can follow in the way of Jesus.  So when we see people killing and people being killed, we can’t just pass by on the other side, but must get involved, if only to pray – and possibly to contact our legislators or advocate in a public way for one policy or another.  In the words of the plastic bracelets from a decade ago, WWJD – What would Jesus do?  More specifically, at whom would Jesus shoot rockets, as Hamas does?  In which crowd would Jesus appear as a suicide bomber, as Palestinian militants have done in the past.  Who would Jesus bomb with flechette bombs containing metal projectiles designed to tear flesh from bone, as Israel has done in Gaza?  On whom would Jesus drop white phosphorus, which burns clothing and flesh, or dense inert metal explosives – called DIME for short – that penetrate soft tissue, causing horrific wounds almost impossible to treat – all of which have been among the munitions dropped by Israel on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.  Whom would Jesus behead, as ISIS has done in Iraq?  Closer to home, whose store would Jesus loot?  Who would Jesus taze, or spray with tear gas?  Who would Jesus gun down?  In the Middle East, where Christians are a small minority, non-Christians aren’t going to care one iota about “What would Jesus do?” – but by our nation’s policies, we can support one side or the other, arm one side or the other, or both sides, or neither side – can add fuel to the fire, or help instead to extinguish it, and so it’s a question we as Christians need to ask.  Where is Jesus in these situations? Whom would Jesus support, or oppose, and how?  What would Jesus do?

It’s also a question we need to ask right here in Bridesburg.  Those of you on Facebook may have read a message – posted by me at the last minute, as I only learned at the last minute myself via a random Facebook post – of a meeting to discuss the engagement of private police here in Bridesburg, to supplement the efforts of the 15^th police district.  This is in response to the ongoing petty theft and vandalism that’s a part of life in the ‘Burg – a part of life that we at Emanuel deal with every week as well.  Scrappers stole part of a drainpipe from the church last year, and we had to pay for replacement.   Over the past year or two, several small kitchen and other items have disappeared from the church – not devastating, but annoying, unsettling.  We have ongoing and increasing problems with kids trespassing on church property, as Chuck, who patrols the grounds, can attest – to the point where our side gate is locked all the time and over the past week or two Chuck has started locking our front gate each night at 9 p.m., when the kids gather, and unlocking the gate in the morning.  Myself, when I look at our cemetery I don’t see a party hangout, but apparently some of the kids in our neighborhood do, as the beer cans they leave behind for Chuck and me to pick up attest.  When I look at our cemetery, I also don’t a place that inspires me to great feats of romantic passion, but apparently some of our neighbors do – and they occasionally leave their own used remnants behind for me to pick up.  And, of course, despite the defaced sign on our fence to the contrary, our nearby neighbors see our Almond Street sidewalk and grass as a dog park, leaving their own presents for Margie and me to pick up.  Dealing with this stuff week after week after week wears me down, as it does Margie and Chuck.  So, with reference to the desire to reduce the incidents of petty theft and vandalism, believe me, I’m entirely sympathetic.

As part of the 15^th police district, Bridesburg is lumped in with other neighborhoods with much higher rates of violent crimes – and so when the 15^th district deploys officers, given competing calls about violent crimes in other neighborhoods and petty theft in Bridesburg, they understandably put a priority on violent crime, responding less rapidly to petty theft.  It’s understandable, but frustrating to our neighbors.  Last summer, at a rather emotional community meeting held here at the church – which ended up on the local news! – neighbors expressed their frustration at what they see as the 15^th district’s neglect of Bridesburg.  And this frustration is driving the consideration of hiring private police to patrol Bridesburg.

I have to say, there are things to say for and against the proposal.   Downtown, the Center city district has hired additional uniformed personnel – but they are deployed mostly to keep the sidewalks clean, not to act as police – they’re armed only with dustpans and brushes, if that.   Clearly, we want the petty theft and vandalism and trespassing to stop, but we also don’t want a situation like in Ferguson, Missouri to explode here either.  For myself, I have questions about the proposal.  How many officers will there be?  How will these officers be trained - Will they receive the same level of training as the current police?  How will they interact with the existing 15^th district police?  Will they be armed, and if so, how heavily?  How will they see the neighborhood, and how will the neighborhood see them – as police officers due the same respect as any police officer – or as security agency rent-a-cops – or as vigilantes looking to bust heads open.  On what basis will they decide who to leave alone and who to approach?  Will residents who invite friends into the neighborhood have to worry about those friends being harassed as “not from here” or “not belonging here?”   Conversely, will the private police themselves be seen as part of the neighborhood, or as outside interlopers. Who will hold the private police accountable if complaints are filed against them? – as they inevitably will, legitimate or not, as Bridesburg residents,  I have to say, are not shy about complaining.  And, of course, how do they get paid – who will pay them - and will the basis of payment lead them to favor some residents of the neighborhood over others.  I don’t see any of these questions as show-stoppers, but rather to help define the terms of engagement.  I’m sure many of these questions were answered at the meeting or will be at future meetings.  You may have questions of your own – and so as future meetings come up, I’d encourage all of us to come with our questions.  But in all this, as our community struggles with what sort of law enforcement we want here in the ‘Burg, comes the question once again – what would Jesus want?  How would Jesus deal with our neighborhood problems with theft and vandalism?  What would Jesus do?

Joseph, seeing his long-estranged brothers after many years, saw them not with an eye for vengeance, but with a heart for reconciliation.   May we look on our neighbors, and on each other, with the eyes of faith and hearts filled with love.  Amen.