Readings: Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11, Genesis 1:1-8
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, January 10, 2021
This past Wednesday unprecedented acts were witnessed unfolding in Washington, DC. A protest turned into an invasion of the Capitol building. One of the saddest images I witnessed was of one of the perpetrators carrying a Confederate flag through the halls of power. Others vandalized, took selfies, and gloated as if they were freedom fighters. At the time of speaking five people had lost their lives. One a law enforcement official, the others protestors.
Lord, Have Mercy.
It is testament to the members of government on both of sides of the House that they reconvened and carried on with the process until the small hours of the morning, seeing to it that their business reached its foregone conclusion. What should have been an administrative formality was turned into a shameful display of disorder. I understand that people can feel disenfranchised and angry and unheard. But this crossed a line and the acts we witnessed have been condemned by politicians across the board.
How does one bring a message in the light of such events? How do we move forward to a place of reconciliation and peace? How do we speak healing at a time when there is so much hurt? I wish to focus your thoughts on a verse from our Lectionary reading: Genesis 1 and verse 2.
Verse 2 is often overlooked. It comes in-between the first verse that tells us that in the beginning God created all things and the third verse where begins the story of the seven days of Creation.
Gen 1:2 as it appears in the Revised Standard Version: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” This is an image of darkness and turmoil. It was into this dark uncreated place that the Spirit of God spoke and by the Word of God new creation came into being.
By the time we reach the second chapter of Genesis we are given another creation narrative, this one about Adam and Eve and a fall from grace that is instigated through lies and deception. Again, God intervenes, and a new beginning ensues. Yet it becomes clear that the darkness of the void will linger and not totally disappear.
When we move into the New Testament our reading from Mark gives us an account of the baptism of Jesus and records John declaring (in Mark 1:8) “I have baptized you with water; but He (meaning Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." It is the Spirit that restores and brings a new opportunity to move forward in the face of darkness, emptiness, sin and failure.
Out of chaos can come new creation. From the beginning this has been the gospel message. That through the action of the Holy Spirit renewal, reclamation, restoration, and reform can happen. One of the mantras of denominations such as the Presbyterian Church (USA) is that we are both “Reformed” and always “Reforming.”
I count it a tremendous privilege to be able to stand today in the pulpit of a church that was established 350 years ago to declare the gospel message. This congregation was in existence before the Revolutionary war that led to a previous insurgence of the Capitol building. The people of this church survived through the days of the Civil War that created the Confederate flag. Your predecessors witnessed those events and witnessed the reconstruction that came after them.
This brings me some hope. The story never begins or ends with us. Through the ongoing witness of the church, we are offered an opportunity to be on the side of those who create order out of chaos and bring light to places of darkness. That is why I am not hesitant to invite people, “Come and be a part of this church.” She’s not perfect. She’s not always right. She makes mistakes. But the Spirit of God has been at work in her and through her throughout the ages.
This happens, not in a void, but by seeking to discover the initiatives of the Spirit. As it says in that Genesis verse, before creation “The Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” We read in Marks account of Jesus baptism verse 9-10 “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as He was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on Him.”
God’s Spirit is still at work in our world. Though we are passing through a time of division and turmoil. Though we are struggling to travel through a global pandemic. Though we cannot yet meet and share our stories and sing our songs and open our buildings.
Though we can face circumstances of chaos and defeat in our personal lives. Though we may sometimes become confused, despondent, and fearful, God’s Spirit is still at work in our world. Still hovering. (Or as one translation translates it ‘fluttering’) over the chaos. Still calling and equipping. Still inviting us to be embraced by the gospel message.
It would be too easy right now to make this a situation of “Us” and “Them.” The challenge the Holy Spirit places before us is so much more than that. The Spirit calls us to love. To the kind of love exemplified by Jesus. The love that calls us to love even our enemies. The kind of love that calls us not to demonize those we disagree with but to help cast out their demons. We are called to be both pro claimers of justice while reaching across the barriers to those with whom we have strong disagreement. And that is truly tough love.
Theologian Miroslav Volf, in his book “A Public Faith,” writes “Christ’s followers must love their enemies no less than they love themselves. Love does not mean agreement and approval; it means benevolence and beneficence, possible disagreement and disapproval notwithstanding.”
He adds,“ A combination of moral clarity that does not shy away from calling evil by its proper name and of deep compassion towards evildoers, that is willing to sacrifice one’s own life on their behalf, was one of the extraordinary features of early Christianity. It should also be the central characteristic of contemporary Christianity.”
The Holy Spirit recalls us to our mission. Events such as those we have witnessed remind us that the darkness and chaos has never gone way. We place our confidence in Jesus Christ. The One upon whom John witnessed the Spirit descend. Over the Christmas period we declared that He is the light shines in the darkness and that the darkness can never and will never extinguish the light of His love.
As we travel through this New Year let us continue in the hope of the gospel. We are heading towards Easter. The time when we consider how the evil and misguided plots of those who crucified Jesus were bathed in a different light by the glory of resurrection. We do so as part of a community of faith that spans the generations. The very existence of this congregation testifies to a God who is with us yesterday, today and forever.
Gen 1:2: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” It was in that place that creation was born.
Let us pray that in all the places of darkness, all those places of formless confusion, that wherever there seems a void of meaning or all places where all we can see is the deepness of the need, that we will also sense that the Spirit of God is moving over those troubled waters. And let us seek for the love that is Christ to embrace our own lives and help us to move from condemnation to constructive action, from fear to faith and from chaos to creativity.
It will be in the little things we do. The loving actions we perform. The kind word we offer. The cup of water given to the thirsty. The encouragement we give. The time we invest in seeking to understand those we differ with. The gentleness of our actions. These are so often the avenues through which the Holy Spirit works. Take a deep deep breath and let us move forward. To God’s name be all glory. Amen.
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