The Power of Light

I will be at Lake Mahopac United Methodist Church this Sunday but I will only be assisting with the service.  I discovered that I have transposed the number in the church’s address and the location that I had posted before was across the intersection from the church.  This link should be correct and I hope that if you have the opportunity to visit this church, you will take it.

Betty Edwards, from Trinity-Boscobel UMC will be leading the service and I hope to publish her sermon later next week.

Here are my thoughts for the Epiphany of the Lord Sunday (4 January 2008).  The Scriptures for this Sunday were Isaiah 60: 1 – 6, Ephesians 3: 1 – 12, and Matthew 2: 1- 12. 

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This is the Sunday called the Epiphany of the Lord. To me, the word “epiphany” has connotations of a great light, illuminating one’s imagination to new solutions and new opportunities. But to have such an illumination, one must have access to power and I am reminded of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s thoughts on the day of Trinity.

The day of “Trinity” was July 16, 1945, and it was on that date, at a location southeast of Socorro, New Mexico that the United States tested the first nuclear weapon. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Manhattan Project and the person who came to be known as the “father of the atomic bomb” is said to have quoted the Bhagavad-Gita (“Song of God” in Hindu scripture), “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one.” He would later add “Now I became Death, the destroyer of worlds” as he contemplated the power of this new invention.

The Magi are said to have followed a light, a light that would illuminate and change the world. It is not for us to presuppose what that light was even though, over the ages, many have tried to do just that.

Matthew tells us in his Gospel that the Magi understood that this light represented a new beginning. Matthew also tells us that Herod understood that this new beginning was a threat to his present.

That is the power of light. It brings with it the opportunity for a new beginning; it illuminates new pathways. But also shows the flaws and dangers that come with change. Many of those involved with the Manhattan project understood the power that atomic weapons possessed and what such weapons could do in the future. They were prepared to use the weapon in 1945 only because the terror and destruction of continued warfare was possibly greater.

But, at the same time, these same scientists also understood what could (and would) happen if these weapons were not somehow controlled. Through the lens of history, we know that these fears were correct and while no atomic or nuclear weapon has been used in anger since 1945, the threat of such usage still exists today. All we have to do is watch the saber-rattling that is going on between Pakistan and India and the distinct possibility that a war between these two Asian powers can involve the arsenal of nuclear weapons that each company possesses.

There is also the distinct possibility of nuclear weapons, stolen from the arsenals of the former Soviet Union or even made in a hidden laboratory. And before we begin upgrading our fear of international terrorists, there have been a number of studies that have shown that enough information is present “out there” for anyone to build a small, portable weapon. I would only hope that the reason that such weapons haven’t been discovered or used is that because those who have the knowledge to do so also have the knowledge of what such weapons can do. During the height of the Cold War, the only thing that prevented the exchange of atomic and nuclear weapons was the knowledge that such usage would lead to Mutually Assured Destruction or MAD for short. No better acronym has ever been created.

But the discussion of such possibilities exists because we, the inhabitant’s of this planet, still insist on living in a darkness created by ignorance. We continue to live in state of mind that says that one can only respond to violence with violence. And we willingly allow people whom we call allies to respond with extraordinary violence because it is what we would do.

We do not seek understanding in this world; we do not want to move beyond the boundaries of our limited existence. We seek a comfort zone in our lives and we are unprepared and unwilling to move out of the zone, for any reason.

Paul, in writing to the Ephesians, pointed out that the many who first heard Jesus’ message did not understand it. It isn’t that the message is all that much of a secret but that people were more open to hearing the message (see “It is no secret”).Actually, I think they did understand it and it bothered them, for like Herod, they saw His message as a threat to their position, status, and power.

We live in a time and age when power, in whatever forms it takes is all we seek. We are not interested in what we can do with it but how much we can have. We will read the words of Isaiah that are the Old Testament reading for today and we eagerly wait for the gold and wealth that Isaiah speaks of which comes with the new light. But we will miss the point that the new light that Isaiah speaks of will illuminate the whole world and the wealth that comes with the light will be for all nations, not just a few. I don’t think there are many today who will accept that idea.

The Magi saw a new light and they were determined to find out what it meant and what it signified, even if that meant traveling across a vast distant away from their homes and their lives. But Herod saw the light as the precursor to a threat to his power and his response to the light was to try and hide it.

An epiphany is a moment of enlightenment, a moment when it becomes clear that the old ways don’t work. We see the light but nothing will come about if we do not change the way we see the world. If we continue to see the world as we have, where power and status are the defining limits of society, the light will do no good. The power of the light is in its ability to change the way we see things, to make sure that nothing is hidden from sight and that the power that comes from the light is used for all mankind and not just a select few. The power of the light is not the nuclear processes which power the stars but rather that of the power of the Holy Spirit that comes into our lives and lights up our soul.

Shall we accept the power of this light?

What Will It Take?

Just some thoughts to begin the year

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What will it take for change to occur in this country in the next year? What will it take for this country to understand that the methods and the thoughts of the past have no place in the future and that those who cling to the past will find no future?

There is a gap in this country, a gap between the people. It is a gap between those who have and seek power and those who have no power or voice in this country. It is a gap brought about by economic and social differences. This gap grows larger every day, especially in terms of power; those who have power and seek power are so far removed from reality as to make any power they actually gain meaningless. They are removed from the reality in which the average American lives and cannot possibly comprehend the problems the average American encounters on a day-to-day basis.

The problems of this society, this country, and this world are the results of thinking in the past and believing that what once worked will work again. This is maybe the worst winter this world has every faced and if there are expectations that a new year will bring change by itself, there will be many disappointed people.

In the winter of 1776, Thomas Paine wrote of the times that “try men’s souls.” He wrote of the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot, of people who were for the Revolution when things were good but turned against and away from the movement when things were going badly.

And in this winter of 2008, when the economic fortunes of this country and the world are sliding downward quickly and prospects for the future are bleak, we hear the same cries. There are those who are quick to blame others for these misfortunes, quick to say that one political philosophy or another is at fault.

There are many today who are the 21^st century equivalent of the sunshine patriot and the sunshine soldier that Thomas Paine so despised. They are the ones who are only interested in a solution that allows them to maintain what they have, be it in politics, economics, or social status. They are only interested in other people’s problems if such interest will further their own interest.

The people of this country will let others tell them how to think and what to say because what they are told fits within their own selfish interests. To let others think and speak doesn’t require much effort on an individual’s part.

Look at the nature of commercials on television today. Many of the commercials (and I am not speaking of the 30 – 60 minute infomercials that many stations use to fill up air time) that fill up the spaces on the cable television promise wealth, health, and success in ways that verge on illegal, dishonest, or unethical means.

We cannot see the contradictions in our rhetoric. The media is proclaimed to be liberal in nature but all you hear and much of what you read is conservative. The people cry out against illegal immigration and blame those who seek to enter this country in search of better opportunities. Little is said about the companies who hire the illegal immigrants and go unpunished and nothing is said about the fact that those who cry out the loudest are often the children and grandchildren of immigrants themselves.

Many of our parents and grandparents came to this country in search of better opportunities; the fight for freedom some two-hundred thirty-two years ago was about such opportunities. Yet, those who are the beneficiary of those opportunities want to say no to those individuals who seek the same opportunities and seem to forget the racism, bigotry, and oppression that their own ancestors meet.

Our politics have become the politics of fear, not hope. Our politics are more about who has the power in the present time rather than leadership into the new century. Each year political campaigns get longer and dirtier. While a new administration still has some three weeks to go before taking office, there are some who are already proclaiming its efforts a failure. And though the next never-ending set of political primaries and accompanying Presidential election is not until 2012, we are already speaking about the candidates who will be involved in that race. It is almost as if the 2008 election either didn’t take place or didn’t count.

Change is hard to accomplish when no one is willing to work for change or when one must give up something for the good of the people. We speak of this being the land where people can find opportunity but that is only true if you have the resources to seek opportunity. We speak of this land being the place where all can be successful but success depends upon your economic and social status. If you have no resources of your own, then you will not be allowed to seek your own opportunity. If you are not among the social, political, or economic elite, then you have no chance to be successful.

What will it take to effect change in the coming year and years to follow?

Change will not occur if individuals see others as a threat to their personal way of life. If we are intent on keeping what we have and getting more at the expense of others, if we are intent on seeking salaries that are unrealistic when compared to the salaries and wages of others, then change will not occur.

Change will occur when we no longer use war as the means for arbitrating disputes, when violence is not the answer to violence. Change will occur when we decide to do something about hunger, poverty, homelessness, and lack of medical insurance. Change will occur when we decide that housing and healthcare should be affordable and wages and salaries should allow a family to earn a reasonable living. Every human being living on this planet has a right to a decent place to live and access to medical care without bankrupting their lives.

To do all of this will require funds and that probably means higher taxes. And most people don’t want higher taxes. You can hear the critics how this will cost a lot of money and most of the money will be wasted. You can hear them howling that it would be better to let each individual decide what to do with their money. If the problems were new and limited in scope, that would be the most appropriate solution. But the problems have been left to fester and grow and now are beyond the realm of individuals acting independently.

When your thinking is on the short-term, it is hard to see the solution is a long-term one. The solutions will not come immediately and that is troubling to a society that is used to immediate gratification. It will call upon the many who have much to sacrifice and that will cause grumbling about those who feel that what they have is theirs and they do not want to share.

Change will occur when we stop thinking in terms of traditional labels. To be a conservative or a liberal is to wear an outdated label. Such labels are two sides of the same lens and we need to see the world in an entirely different manner.

Change will only occur when we realize that every life on this planet is precious and labels such as American, Iraqi, Iranian, Palestinian, Israeli, Indian, Afghan, or Pakistani no longer apply.

Change will only occur when we understand that we are altogether on this planet and that we must share in the resources equally. If we decide that because we are somehow better than others and thus entitled to more than others, we will die. Change will only occur when we understand that how we treat this world affects everyone living on Earth. We need to understand that the resources of this world are not limitless and that pollution does not immediately go away any more.

Change can only begin when we begin to focus on the future as much or more than we focus on the past. It will take a new mind set, a new way of thinking to solve the problems and make into the future. If we desire to maintain our present way of thinking with our present delineations in society because of race, creed, and status, then there will be no future. What it takes is for us to see that we cannot continue as we have in the past and that we need to be thinking about everyone together, not apart.

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Cross-posted to RedBlueChristian