UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST in SIMI VALLEY
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany - February 2, 2003
Anne G. Cohen
Mark 1:21-28
For Our Reflection:
The inner voice - the human compulsion when distressed to seek healing
counsel within ourselves, and the capacity within ourselves both to
create this counsel and to receive it.
- Alice Walker, You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down (1981)
Healing depends on listening with the inner ear - stopping the incessant
blather, and listening.
- Marion Woodman, The Pregnant Virgin: A Process of Psychological
Transformation (1985)
Silenced
An Interim Minister, serving a church in new England, noticed an
interesting behavior her first Sunday in the pulpit. As people arrived
for worship, they all sat on the east side of the sanctuary - in front
of the lectern. Halfway through the service, just before the sermon,
everyone got up and moved over to the west side of the sanctuary - in
front of the pulpit. The Interim took note of this and waited until the
next Sunday to see if this was a one-time thing - a way of honoring the
new minister - or if it would continue.
The following Sunday, sure enough, everyone came in and sat on the east
side - and before the sermon, moved to the west side. During fellowship
hour, the Interim asked around to see if anyone had an explanation for
this unusual liturgical choreography. No one knew. In fact, they
hadn't even thought about it. They had just always done it this way.
An older woman, visiting her mother at the nursing home that week, asked
her mother if she knew the origin of this ritual. Her mother remembered
her own grandmother talking about coming to church on cold winter
mornings. Stomping snow off of their boots, everyone would gather near
the wood burning stove - on the east side of the sanctuary. Halfway
through the service, it would be too hot near the stove - so they would
move away to the (now warm) west side of the sanctuary.
The wood stove had been replaced by central, gas heating many years
ago. But the ritual behavior continued - although no one could remember
why.
Page Two
About fifty years ago, a rather large church in Southern California
hired a dynamic preacher, excellent administrator and charismatic pastor
- with a family - to lead them. That minister proceeded to have an
affair with a member of the church. A small group of people who were
"in the know" took it upon themselves to ask for his resignation and
proceeded to keep the information to themselves. They didn't want to
tarnish his reputation or bring shame and unwanted publicity to their
church.
That church spent nearly fifty years cycling through ministers and
gaining the reputation for "chewing up" clergy. The experience
of many
ministers has been that the congregation does not trust them and, after
a brief honeymoon, turns on them - as if to reject the minister before
the minister has a chance to reject or abandon the congregation.
Several of those ministers had also dated or had affairs with church
members.
There has been a deep mistrust of the lay leadership and most Church
Council decisions are questioned. They have brought many seemingly
trivial issues to congregational vote and the typical communication
pattern has been parking lot conversation in conspiratorial tones.
No one seemed to be aware that this cycle of behavior, short pastorates
and difficulty with lay leadership, was at all out of the ordinary. No
one seemed to know how or why this had all come about.... except one
elderly gentleman who had served on the committee to oust the minister
50 years earlier.
In a community meeting with an Interim Consultant, he told the
congregation - 85% of whom were not even members of that church 50 years
ago - what the minister had done and how they had kept the secret for
the sake of the church. There was a general "aha" moment and,
to a
certain extent, the dynamics within the church became more visible,
easier to talk about.
A secret had held them hostage to a cycle of behavior for half a
century. Revealing the secret opened up an opportunity for
understanding their history, exorcising their "demons," healing their
community. Naming the secret gave this church a chance to hire a
minister less likely to engage in sexual misconduct, someone worthy of
their trust. And they have a chance to learn better communication
patterns, to build trust with one another and their lay leadership.
Page Three
Back in the year 70 c.e., in the Greco Roman world, the context in which
the Gospel of Mark was written, there was a common understanding about
the the construction of the universe. There was a pyramid of powers -
pictured in your bulletin:
God or the gods were at the top of the pinnacle
Next were the Sons of God or archangels
Next were the spirits, both good and evil
Human beings were fourth in the hierarchy
and Other Creatures were at the bottom
In our text for today, Jesus is confronted by a human being possessed by
evil spirits - number three on the totem pole of powers. If we were to
explain this event by describing the man as mentally ill - perhaps
schizophrenic - and claim that Jesus healed him - we would be imposing
2,000 years of rational and psychological development onto an ancient
cosmology.
I tend to do that anyway. But I remind all of us, especially myself,
that when this story was first told and heard, the story was about Jesus
performing an exorcism of evil spirits - silencing and banishing them by
divine power - proving that the was no mere human - fourth on the list
of powers. he was a Son of God, one step higher than a demon. This
was
proof of his divinity.
When the Western, ever so modern world threw out the cosmology pyramid,
we threw out the language of angels and demons. And when we did that,
we silenced a whole segment of human dialogue about the unseen dynamics,
powers and principalities that have influence - even control over our
behavior.
Walter Wink, in his Powers Trilogy, reintroduces the language of angels
and demons in order to explain rituals, communication patterns, social
choreography, group dynamics. He talks about "unmasking" the
powers by
naming them, describing not one person as demonic - but the aftermath of
events and behaviors has demonic. A church experiencing clergy sexual
misconduct is not "possessed" and the minister is not a
"demon." But
the effects of incest, secrecy and betrayal - leading to feelings of
abandonment, anger and mistrust - leading to years of unhealthy behavior
and miscommunication - THAT is demonic. THAT is what calls for
exorcism.
In trying to understand 9/11/2001 and subsequent events, I have tried to
keep Walter Wink's theories in mind. Osama bin Laden is not a demon.
He is possessed by ideas - perhaps emotional responses to events in the
world
Page Four
involving the behavior of the United States and our relationship to the
rest of the world - the Islamic world in particular. He is possessed by
ideas and beliefs that come from fundamentalism. He is possessed by his
access to power and a violent imagination. And he unleashed his network
of demonic powers - not for the first time - but successfully impacting
the body and psyche of the United States on September 11th, 2001.
George W. Bush is not a demon. His cabinet and counselors are not
demons. But I do believe that he and they are possessed by the myth
that a violent response to violence is an excellent way to solve
problems. I believe that they are possessed by the idea that the
United States is the most powerful nation in the world and needs to
assert that power in military and political actions that keep lesser
nations in check. In that power pyramid, it is likely that the United
States holds second place to God and often steps up to be partners with
God in exacting justice and retribution. One's theology does inform
one's actions - one's cosmology does shape one's worldview. The past
experiences of one's ancestors, one's communal history, one's own life -
speak through our behavior. President Bush and his cabinet are no
exception.
The antidote is the unmasking of those powers, naming them, giving them
voice so that they feel heard and can let go of the subconscious -
freeing all of us for the work of repairing human divisions - wherever
we find them.
I do want to add that, in the same way as NEGATIVE events, POSITIVE
events and behaviors set in motion dynamics that are positive. Walter
Wink describes the "Angel" of a church as the personality or
characteristics of a church that have a creative, healing, unifying
influence on its members and on the community. A church is RARELY aware
of WHY its angelic qualities are there. We are often too humble to talk
about them. But to name the Angel of a church can often raise awareness
of healthy patterns and assist a church in repeating them.
This church - the East Ventura County Regional United Church of Christ -
may have been born in 1995. Many of you may have arrived here in the
last few years. But the many angels and several demons of previous
churches - places ALL of you have been before - those dynamics are still
at work here. We may believe that they have been silenced by mutual
agreement, new charter and moving on. But they still speak within us -
shaping our behavior, our rituals, our personality as a congregation.
Page Five
I'm fascinated by this.
I long to understand the dynamics of the angel of this church so that I
can apply those principles to the nation and the world - heading off the
demons of violence and retribution.
I hope that this fascinates you too - and will stay for the Interim
Interludes every Sunday this month.
Removing your voice from the conversation may silence the angel of the
church.
Your story may be the one that allows the angel to sing.
******************************************************************************
Sunday Bulletin
February 2, 2003 10:00 a.m.
Music for Gathering
Welcome and Perspective on the Day
Musical Preparation for Worship - A Time for Centering
+ Call to Worship #826 NCH
+ Hymn of Creation God of this Great Creation
+ Invocation (unison) John Paton
O Holy and Haunting Presence
whose spirit moves quietly but surely
in the sound and fury of the world and of my life,
you know me as rushing water knows the rock
and releases its beauty to reflect new light.
Open me to the insistent abrasiveness of your grace,
for I often trivialize love by abandoning the struggles
which accompany its joys
and rejecting the changes which lead to its fulfillments.
Release me from the dark fury of assuming I am unloved
when the day calls for sacrifice and the night for courage.
Release me from the ominous fear
of thinking some sin or failure of mine
can separate me from you
when life demands hard choices and the battle, high risks.
Release me from the dangerous illusions of independence
when the human family summons me
to the realities and promises of interdependence
among races, sexes, nations.
Release me from being possessed
by riches I do not need and grievances that weary me
when you call me to share my very self with neighbors
and to reflect for the world the light of the kindom within me.
Time for Silent Reflection
One: My soul waits in silence.
All: God is my rock and my fortress. I will be at peace.
Silent Reflection
The Assurance of Good News (unison)
When we lose faith, God comes to find us and heal our spirit.
When we are broken, God gathers up the pieces and makes us whole.
When we are frenzied, God speaks of love in a still, small voice.
God's hand is upon us and heals us in every moment.
Sung Response
Hallelujah! God be praised!
Reception of Ann Smith, Calvin Smith and Susie Bjork
into Church Membership
Invitation
Affirmation of Covenant
Right Hand of Fellowship
Response of the Congregation (unison)
We welcome you with joy into the common life of this church.
We promise you our continuing friendship and prayers
as we share the hopes and labors of the Church.
By the power of the Holy Spirit may we continue to grow together in
God's knowledge and love and truly be witnesses
to the power of God in the healing of our world.
Amen! Hallelujah! Hooray!
Conversation with Our Children
One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical
Folktale by Demi
Reading from the Christian Gospels Mark 1:21-28
Solo "Silence! Frenzied, Unclean Spirit" Hymnal #176
Billie Dierking, Vocal
Teaching and Proclamation Silenced
Intercessions, Celebrations and Encouragements
Taize Call to Prayer (sung in unison)
Ubi caritas et amor,
Ubi caritas, Deus ibi est.
(Where charity and love are found, God is there.)
Time for Silence
Our Joys and Concerns and an Offering of Prayer
Sung Response In Solitude Hymnal #521 vv. 1 & 2
We Offer Our Gifts So That Our Lives May Be Our Prayer
Offertory
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
Freely have we received of gifts that minister to our needs of body and
spirit. Gladly we bring to our church and its wide concerns a portion
of this bounty. Amen.
Celebration of Holy Communion
+ Welcome to the Table I Come With Joy Hymnal #349
Invitation
Sharing the Bread and the Cup
Prayer of Thanksgiving (in unison)
We affirm the goodness of life and the openness of the future because
our God is a God of life and love. As God comes to us in this act of
communion, so let us go out to others in acts which bring healing,
reconciliation and hope to our world. Amen.
+ Hymn of Gratitude God We Thank You for Our People Hymnal # 376
+ Commissioning (unison)
Go in peace. Live simply, gently and at home in yourselves.
Act justly. Speak justly. Remember the depth of your own compassion.
Forget not your power in the days of your powerlessness.
Do not desire to be wealthier than your peers
and stint not your hand of charity.
Practice forbearance. Speak the truth, or speak not.
Take care of yourselves as bodies, for you are a good gift.
Crave peace for all people in the world, beginning with yourselves,
and go as you go with the dream of that peace alive in your heart.
+ Sung Response Hymnal #775
And God will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of God's hand.
+ Postlude
WORSHIP NOTES:
The cross marks (+) in the order of service are an invitation for those
in the congregation who are able to stand to do so.
The New Century Hymnal or "Hymnal" has a black cover.
The Chapel Songbook is a blue, looseleaf notebook.
Invocation is by Ted Loder, Guerrillas of Grace (pp. 50-51) Innisfree
Press 1984
Response of the Congregation is adapted from the Book of Worship: United
Church of Christ c. 1986
Prayer of Dedication is by Arthur Foote II, Singing the Living Tradition
(#673) Beacon Press, Unitarian Universalist Association 1993
Commissioning is by Mark L. Belletini, Ibid. (#686)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Ubi Caritas from Songs and Prayers from Taize/, copyright © 1991, Les
Presses de Taize/ (France). Used by permission of GIA Publications,
Inc., Chicago, exclusive agent. Reprinted under license no. 10293. All
rights reserved.