"Hearing Voices"

Luke 1:5-23; 55-67

A sermon Preached by The Rev. Douglas M. Donley

December 16, 2001

University Baptist Church

Minneapolis, MN

In the course of my ministry I have visited people in their homes and hospitals who were ravaged by madness. One of the ways this madness displayed itself was by voices people heard in their heads. The voices would tell them to do things, believe things, who to trust and who not to trust. Reality became illusive to these people. About the only thing I could do for them was to be present with them, remind them that God loved them, regardless of what the voices said and to try, often in vain, to grant them a sense of hope.

But not all of us who hear voices have a chemical imbalance. For many of us, this Advent season has given voice to long-silenced stories and experiences. Hidden behind the warm fuzzies of Christmas carols and wreaths and hopes of peace on earth good will to all are the voices of those violated who refuse to be ignored.

"A voice was heard in Ramah, Rachel weeping for her children, because they were no more," says Matthew’s Gospel at the slaughter of the innocents a few days after Christmas. We are hearing voices this Advent season.

We have heard the voice of Tamar declaring that she is a person of worth. She was not to be denied what was truly hers. By her actions, she uncovered her own family’s injustice.

We have heard the voice of Rahab the one who sheltered an enemy and made safe space for God’s people.

We have heard the voice of Ruth, a devoted sister of Naomi and a cunning assurer of power in the midst of patriarchy. She set scripture and tradition on its end by marrying into the Hebrew line and exposing its racism.

We have heard the voice of Bathsheba, scorned widow Queen who bore the brunt of her rude second husband David and who ensured that her son Solomon was rewarded with royalty even though he was not the first born of David.

All four of these women took big risks and stood up to the powers of patriarchy and showed how important it is to hear their voices. It is no accident Matthew included them in his genealogy. Those voices prepare the way for the Messiah.

Next week we will hear the voice of Mary and hear of her unique if not troubling story.

And today we have heard from the wise imparter of wisdom: Elizabeth.

These women’s voices:

They are the voices of our sisters, mothers, aunts and grandmothers, the women who remind us of our stories.

The women who remind us who God is, who remind us who we really are.

Back before Mary, the mother of Jesus, received word from God that she was to bare the savior of the world, an amazing thing happened to her cousin, Elizabeth.

Luke tells us that somehow Elizabeth became pregnant with the child who was to prepare the way for Christ Jesus.

The difference between this story and the one regarding Mary is the participation or should I say non-participation of the father, Zechariah. Joseph, Mary's betrothed husband is in the background of Luke’s nativity story, as if he were simply not important. Luke and Matthew spin the story differently, don’t they?

Needless to say, Zechariah was dumbfounded and like Sarah of old, he laughed at the prospect of his child becoming the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah and the savior of the world.

But what happens to him? He is shut up and shut down. Mute Zechariah and the voices of angels and women are what prepares the way for the advent of the Messiah.

For the next nine months, Zechariah was unable to get a word in edgewise. He could only speak through signs and writing.

And perhaps for the first time, he had to listen.

There are times when it is important for men to take a back seat--times for men to be quiet, especially when we have been talking for too long about things that are none of our concern or making judgements about things about which we have no experience.

We don’t always listen, even if we do let someone else speak. Very often we’re thinking about our response and formulating the next phase of the conversation before the other person is done talking. We all do this.

It is important to not think so much about your response, but to really listen!

We owe it to our friends and our families to be present with them in their struggles and pain and let go of our own egos for a moment to just be present with them.

The book of Revelation says seven times in its first three chapters, "whoever has ears to hear, listen to what the spirit is saying to the churches."

How wonderful it has been that in these past few weeks we have heard the long silenced voices of the women of Afghanistan who are now breaking the supposedly scripturally based rules and making their voices known and heard. We are hearing their voices in this season and they are saying among other things, "why did it take you so long to secure our freedom?"

The old ways of looking at the world changed for old Zechariah. And it can change for us too if we are willing to hear the voices out there in the wilderness, in the cities, in our own families.

This scripture talks all about Zechariah and his fumbling response. But I hear the voice of Elizabeth and the Elizabeths of this world call out:

"We don’t need men to define our roles.

We have insight and truth based upon our experiences.

I am a person of worth.

I am a person of power.

I am the source of all humanity.

Creative power flows through my womb.

I am a person of insight and compassion.

I have integrity.

Hear my story.

Hear my voice.

You don’t have to play by the same old rules.

Pay me the same as you would pay a man in a similar position.

I will not be defined by my body."

Jesus, the kin of Elizabeth and the son of powerful Mary said, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."

Claribel McLeish was my great grandmother. She was the great grand niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe, so she came from a long line of women who were willing to speak out when a word of truth needed to be said. One day she pulled my mother aside at one of those large family gatherings at the farm. "Donley men," she said shaking her head. "They are a stubborn lot. You need to not let them have the best of you. You need to hold your own for you and for your children." It was like this old weathered woman was saying to a younger one, "You need to remember who you are."

She was married to my great grandfather for 74 years and taught me and especially the younger women in my family that honor did not have to do so much with keeping the peace as it did with holding true to yourself and being present for one another. I am glad that my grandfather, my uncle, my cousin, my Godson and I all have McLeish as our middle name. We are honoring an Elizabeth in our family and I along with Kim and our daughters hear her voice, "Be true to yourself and watch out for those stubborn Donley men."

If we are attentive enough, we will hear voices out there.

Some may think we’re mad. We may just be.

The world might see us as crazy.

For who knows what creative power might be gestating within us.

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