First Congregational Church of Redwood City
United Church of Christ
Rev. Carol Barriger
Sunday, January 7, 2007
2nd after Epiphany, Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday observance
Isaiah 62:1-5; Luke 4:14-21
Captive to the Truth
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent… (Isa 62:1)
I think all of us care about children and youth. Whether we are parents, grandparents, other relatives, teachers, neighbors or friends, we understand the importance of mentoring and role models for young people growing up. We try to share, to the best of our own abilities, values we believe will create a better world, politically, socially, and spiritually. A kind of wisdom paired with discipline. We know kids have to have fun, and also make mistakes, some of them terrible. But we hope the mentoring and modeling take hold, even though we ourselves are far from perfect. What are some of those things that are true to us, that we try to teach? Truth-telling, patience, kindness, responsibility, respect for others, even if they are very different, trust, hard work, standing up for what you believe in.
That last thing requires some particular gifts. First, you have to be able to discern what is that truth for which you are willing to put everything you are on the line. What is the truth to which you are willing to be bound, held captive? Second, you have to find the courage to make yourself vulnerable, possibly step into harm’s way, to live for that truth. Today is a logical time to ask what that captivating truth was for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and where he found the courage to live the life that he did. I’ll do that, but these are also questions to ask of ourselves, of our church, and of our nation. What is the truth we are willing to have “own” us?
King’s truth was his profound conviction in the integrity and equality of every human being, and in the efficacy of love, not brute power, as the strategic way to make that a social reality. He was willing to be held to that truth, to speak out for it, to be heckled, harassed, threatened, go to jail, and even die for it because he drew courage from his faith in God, and in who he believed that God to be. Of course, King had to be politically savvy, but his courage did not come from knowing that he had political power or connections.
King, and Jesus, were inspired by the prophet Isaiah. And when we read, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake, I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. (Isa 62:1)..” When we read those words we are hearing a voice of prophetic courage. I will not keep silent. Even though there might be deadly costs to speaking out, I will not keep silent. In the gospel reading, Jesus returns to his familiar home territory, his notoriety spreading rapidly. He is a galvinizer, a mobilizer, which spells danger to those in power. And Jesus walks right back into a familiar, visible, vulnerable venue, his synagogue, and proceeds to read aloud from that very same prophet Isaiah, just the chapter before. “… [God] has anointed me to preach good news to the poor … proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free…” (Lk 4:18, Isa 61:1) He claims the truth that God works through human beings, to create radical change for liberation, and he makes himself personally captive to the consequences, which he understands full well. Where does his courage come from? From the Holy Spirit which he has just received from John at his baptism.
Let me share some other stories of people, their truth, and the source of their courage. Tina Strobos was barely 20, a young medical student, when the Nazis invaded her home country of Holland. Over the next 5 years she, her parents and grandparents risked arrest and death over and over in order to shelter and hide Jews from the Gestapo. Tina stole passports to create false, non-Jewish IDs. Her truth? These were her friends; persecution on account of their Judaism was inhumane and intolerable. Her courage and inspiration came from the example of her Belgian grandmother who had sheltered refugees from the 1st World War.
Agnes Bojaxhiu left her home forever at age 18, to become a Catholic nun and a teacher. Then she petitioned her superiors for permission to work with suffering and dying rejects she saw around her convent on the slum streets of Calcutta, India. She had to work within and around governments, church institutions, and those who felt her ideals were impossible. The faith and determination of this tiny woman stood up to those who doubted, even ridiculed her as naive. This was Mother Teresa who founded the order of the Missionaries of Charity, who now number over 4,000. Her truth? God’s love for humanity is unbounded, especially for the poorest of the poor. Her courage and inspiration came from her total dedication to Jesus as the heart of God’s compassion lived out in humanity.
In 1971, a boy was born in Kokomo, Indiana with hemophilia, meaning that his blood did not clot properly. In the years that followed he had many blood transfusions and health emergencies. In 1984, at age 13, when little was known about the disease, he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. He and his family faced terrible discrimination, insults, and vandalism. When his school tried to keep him from attending, he fought in the courts and won the right to continue his education. He moved to a supportive community where he educated his friends and their parents about AIDS. He became an outspoken advocate and fundraiser for AIDS research. He also attended school functions and got a learner’s permit. He had the life he wanted. Ryan White died in 1990 at age 18. After his death, Congress passed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which now provides approximately $1.5 billion per year to care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Ryan’s truth? I am not my disease; I am a boy, a person of dignity and promise, as is every human being. His courage came from his mom and Dad, Wayne and Jeanne, sister Andrea, and from the knowledge that how he lived would help others.
A baby named by his parents Lhamo Dhondrub was born in a remote Tibetan village in 1935. After years devoted to education and practice in Buddhist philosophy, he became the political and spiritual leader of his country, the 14th Dalai Lama. He has persistently sought a solution to the ongoing Chinese oppression of Tibet, always advocating non-violence. He had to flee his own country to save his life and has worked tirelessly to preserve the Tibetan people and culture in exile. Though threatened numerous times, he has spoken for peace internationally and in interfaith settings. He is an image of quiet courage. The truth that holds him captive? His country’s struggle for freedom through totally peaceful means, and free of hatred. His courage comes from his deep Buddhist faith. He was also inspired by the student uprisings in China in 1989. He said, "In China the popular movement for democracy was crushed by brutal force … But … the spirit of freedom was rekindled among the Chinese people and China cannot escape the impact of this spirit of freedom sweeping many parts of the world. The brave students and their supporters showed the Chinese leadership and the world the human face of that great nation."[1]
To live a life of purpose, we seek that thing we would die for, even if we don’t articulate it in those terms. For if you can name what you would die for, then you have named what you will live for. I would like to ask you to reflect in silence for a moment on the question: What is the truth that holds me captive? The truth that brings my heart most alive. The truth that defines me. The truth I want to pass on to children. The truth for which I would give my all. Is it beauty? Is it learning? Is it justice? Is freedom? Is it peace? What is my truth?
Now ask how you will live for it, whether it’s verbal, or in writing, in physical action, or in your life’s work, whatever Ask if the idea of standing up for your truth scares you, even a little, because it should. At the same time it energizes and inspires you with its possibility, at the same time you feel a sense of oneness that this is really “you,” your purpose in being on this earth. It should also scare you enough to be asking, “Oh my God. How will I ever find the courage to do this?” (or the money, or the support) How will I live through the obstacles and opposition? It should be big enough to lead you to ask the “Oh my God,” question. Eddie Rickenbacker, the World War I flying ace said “Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”[2]
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus were courageous captives to truths that they would die for. They both knew that could happen, and both drew courage from an understanding that God was at work in their lives. They were open to that. They would not squelch or impede it. Whatever they did would be in communion with God, the Holy One, Divine Mystery
Remember our children, and that wisdom we hope that they find; those values we hope they grow into. How do we teach them to live passionately and hopefully captive to a great truth? By finding our own truth. How do we teach courage? By taking ourselves into the unknown with conviction and integrity. In closing, these are words from the Maya Angelou in her poem “Just Like Job.”
You said to lean on Your arm
And I'm leaning
You said to trust in Your love
And I'm trusting
You said to call on Your name
And I'm calling
I'm stepping out on Your word.
You said that You would take me to glory
To sit down at the welcome table
Rejoice with my mother in heaven
And I'm stepping out on Your word.
Into the alleys
Into the byways
Into the streets
And the roads
And the highways
Past rumor mongers
And midnight ramblers
Past the liars and the cheaters and the gamblers
On Your word
On Your word.
On the wonderful word of the Son of God.
I'm stepping out on Your word.[3]
Amen.
1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of our God will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty… and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for God delights in you, and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.
15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,
17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."