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Preachers: Deirdre
R. Hinz, Bill Allen, Diane Ehr, Denise Roy
Sermon: “Living
Among the Redeemed: A Group Sermon”
Date:
Scripture: Revelation
14:1-5
Good morning
everyone! I'm so happy that each of you has agreed to participate in this
"group sermon." Throughout our season of justice sermon series, we
have asked the question, "Whose empire is it anyway?" This question,
at least in my own mind, raises at least two or three other, equally important
questions: "What does empire look like today? How do we, both individually
and as a church community, model alternatives to the 'empires' that define our
lives? How is it that we—alongside 'the 144,000 who have been redeemed from the
earth'—live redemptively?"
Yesterday someone—was it Doug?—defined empire as the
"consolidation of power." If this is so, one way to model an
alternative to empire is to share the power to interpret scriptures! So
let's consider this passage from Revelation together and see what, if any,
insight this bizarre, ancient book--which was written during the
So here's a story to begin our conversation...
During college, I attended a non-denominational,
Pentecostal church for a little over a year. The worship style was attractive
to me... I was spiritually inquisitive and the openness of community members
with regard to their faith was refreshing to me. Their theology was very
conservative and their biblical interpretations very literal. On Wednesday
nights, Pastor Gary, a charismatic and persuasive leader with a heart for the
end-times, would lead "Wednesday Nite Bible Study" on the college
campus. Usually he spoke for over an hour, flipping from book to book and verse
to verse, showing in seemingly indisputable ways how the bible predicted our
very own political and economic structures. I remember Pastor Gary talking
about this chapter of Revelation; he told us that the "mark of the
beast" (which comes a little later in the chapter) is a bar code that
every non-believer will eventually have emblazoned on their bodies. I no longer
agree with the literalism of his interpretation, but his comment still interests
me. I have to wonder: Are there ways that empire does, indeed, become
emblazoned on our bodies, in our very flesh?
Thanks for inviting me and introducing me to blogging.
Yes, I admit I was a bit hesitant at first. However, if I had to name the one
most important lesson I learned at United Seminary it would be to "trust
the process." So here I am!
Will you laugh if I confess that the picture of
"empire" which jumps first and most clearly to my mind comes from the
creative imaginings of George Lucas, as in "The Empire Strikes Back"
Lucas? Imaginings stirred up no doubt by his encounter with Joseph Campbell.
When the first of the original "Star Wars" trilogy was released back
in 1977 our son was too young and we were too busy parenting to pay much
attention. But move forward a few more years and our household was knee deep in
Millennium Falcons and Tie Fighters and action figures. There was even a
remote-controlled R2D2, which, I believe, is still in our basement. Say
"empire" to me and I visualize the Death Star and the red-cloaked emperor
and his obedient and powerful servant, Lord Vader. It's a classic tale of good
vs. evil, the forces of light (embodied by the Rebellion) against the forces of
darkness (represented by the Empire). There are sides in this epic
confrontation...not unlike the sides described in the 14th chapter of
Revelation, the Lamb and the 144,000 "redeemed from the earth" on one
side and Lucifer and "the Fallen" on the other. You said Pastor Gary
separated them into "believers" and "unbelievers." I find
Biblical literalism as problematic as you do. Yet I agree that the difference
between "belief" and "unbelief" is a huge issue for the
author of Revelation. Ultimately our choices and allegiances do make a
difference. Do we invest ourselves in "empire" or join "the
rebellion?" And what does that look like?
Do you suppose we can work with any of that in our
sermon?
Hmmm, while I
wholeheartedly agree that "ultimately our choices and allegiances do make
a difference," I wonder whether it's possible for those of us with
privilege in our particular empire—the
In a democracy in particular, perhaps what's needed for redemption, to enjoy
heaven on earth, is not just the change in personnel that is suggested by a
story pitting the Rebellion against the Empire—a triumph of believers over
unbelievers—but a shift in paradigm, including a recognition that we are all
both believers and unbelievers. That kind of shift threatens the benefits of
privilege that we hold dear, like a sense of personal security, a certain
standard of living, hope for the well-being of our children.... Abraham Lincoln
said, "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This
expresses my idea of democracy." If we believe there is, or should be,
neither slave nor free, what does the rebellion look like?
In the movie The Great Debaters, which is based on a true story from the 1930s,
the lynching of a black man is juxtaposed against the defeat of Harvard
debaters—all white men—by the co-ed, black debate team from
First of all,
thanks for allowing me to join this conversation. I hope that we and our church
family benefit from exploring the great questions that you have posed, Deirdre.
Although I don't disagree with Doug's definition of
"empire", I agree with Denise's premise that we in this church, in
this nation, and at this particular time see "empire" from a
particular perspective. Much like those in past empires, I suspect that we see
ourselves as enlightened and benevolent, responsible for the good our empire
does, and blameless for the harm. Partly for this reason, I have a couple
problems with the question "Whose empire is it anyway?"
1) It assumes that the "empire" is something
anyone would want. Given the problems that empire building and maintenance have
caused over the centuries, I am not sure that if we really thought about it,
empires would be what we aspire to. 2) It assumes that the empire must belong
to someone (us, them, or God). I mean really, does God really need an empire?
Or is this more an anthropomorphic projection of our own need for control.
Unlike fancy diamonds or a new baseball stadium, I wonder if empires are more
like hurricanes or a flu pandemic, periodic events that nobody really owns or
controls.
Which brings me to problem #3 and the link to chapter
14 of Revelations. All this talk about Lambs and 140,000 men with monogrammed
foreheads and rumbling voices and celestial harpists and secret songs. As Diane
points out, it seems that John (the Divine?) was struggling with the same need
to differentiate himself and his faith community from others as current day
televangelists do. And yet it is this obsessive need to clarify what separates
"Us" from "Them" that confounds our attempts to move beyond
empire(s) and toward a human family. I believe that redemption happens when we
move toward each other as fellow travelers in this time and space, as opposed
to into our separate denominations, neighborhoods or nations. As Doug says on
Communion Sundays, it is when we embrace our common vulnerabilities and
celebrate our shared potential. Who knows, perhaps that might even constitute a
new kind of "empire"...?
What do others think? (and Happy Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day)
At seminary we spend a lot of time thinking about our
"social location," that is, what social factors inform who we are and
what we bring to the interpretation of texts. I was thinking that, perhaps, a
factor that sets my generation apart is the emphasis our colleges and
universities place on providing a “global” education. This was certainly the
case at my alma mater, Saint Olaf, and no doubt it is true for many of us at
It
is a painful knowledge to carry, a difficult way of life, as we return to our
lifestyles in the
So,
yes, to all of you, the dualism, the either/or model of salvation, is certainly
one that seems irrelevant to our modern situation… But I am reminded of a story
told by the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He writes that our just and
peaceful ideals are like the North Star... By walking toward the North Pole we
may come closer to it, but we will never arrive… but this does not mean that we
should not make the effort—inch by inch and step by step… This, maybe, is
another way of saying what Bill has already said: that “redemption happens when
we move toward each other as fellow travelers in this time and space,” and
that, as we move ever closer to that reality, that relational state of being,
that we call “God,” we embody more fully these divine attributes. Perhaps the
shape of the mark on our foreheads depends upon the direction we are heading…
My mind keeps going back to the Biblical text. You
asked, Bill, what others are thinking. I'm thinking that the more I understand
about the Book of Revelation the less I like it! From my "social
location" it's nearly impossible to hear it as a word of hope (as it would
have been from John's beloved and persecuted and suffering community); its
condemnation of "empire" and empire builders and those who perpetuate
empires and benefit from them (as surely we do) is certain and seemingly
without mercy. There's no mistaking God's wrath.
I'm remembering an experience from my earliest days at
It seems to me John's vision holds out little hope for "empire"
dwellers...unless, of course, there is within God's wrath and judgment an even
greater compassion which will not tolerate and will not allow evil and
suffering to go unchallenged. Tough love in today's jargon. It helps when I
hear John as prophet, in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets and of
Jesus himself...railing against injustice and inequities and calling for
repentance...and whose vision for humanity was not "empire" as we
have been defining it, but "kingdom" as we pray for every Sunday when
as a church community we say together the words of the Lord's prayer. Might our
hope of a redemptive journey lie in our willingness to repent?
That works for me,
Diane! Hope and redemption in repentance, rather than in some weird kind of
victory over whomever we judge to be unworthy. Repentance as rebellion.
Arrogance, ignorance, unconcern as empire. (Sorry if I'm twisting your idea
beyond recognition; I don't have as much time to think and be careful as I'd
like.) This relates to a question I have whether the vision of Revelation might
work better today understood as a metaphor for (or, less linearly, a dream
about) the kind of internal struggle suggested by Diane's insight about hope in
repentance and by Bill's insight about fellow travelers moving toward each
other, toward the common ground, and by Deirdre's insight about moving toward
God inch-by-inch. Otherwise, what are we to make of "No one could learn
the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth? These are
those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves
pure?" (Except of course that gay men shall inherit the earth!) Note: this
JOKE doesn't follow beautifully from the more serious point, but I'm dying to
take on that otherwise offensive definition of purity and don't have time to do
much with it.
I'm also really intrigued by Deirdre's questions about whether empire, or
experience with it, somehow becomes emblazoned in our flesh (enfleshed), so
that we carry it with us in a physical way, but I don't know what to do at this
point other than say I wish we had time to talk more about it.
This is really fun and I wish we could take more time with it! Thanks, Deirdre.
Benediction:
Go
forth, continuing the conversation, on blogs and in the streets, in your
offices and in your homes, exploring creative alternatives to empire and new
ways to “live among the redeemed.” For
inch by inch and step by step we move toward God in “rebellious repentance” and
embody more fully God’s justice in our world.
Go
in peace.