the first and lastness of it all
It would be easy to preach the hymn When in our Music God is Glorified, to which we processed and entered this sacred space and sit down. To preach the first and lastness of it all. the beauty and grace and reverence reflected in this setting as we seek God in our music.
For “in our music we have found a new dimension in the world of sound as worship moved us to a more profound” Indeed we search for a deeper understanding when struck by mysterious one-liners like the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Moreover this search becomes deeply personal when we remember that this hymn which calls us to search for God’s revelation becomes deeply personal and significant when we remember that the hymn which opens our worship today is the very hymn which closed our time with the cantatas last season. a very intentional first and lastness which signals a rhythm and cycle of spiritual enrichment and liturgical balance.
Today I am concerned that we give some thought to what all this beauty, magnificence and sublimity invite us toward. I am concerned with how liturgy stimulates our imaginations and like Jesus’ parables causes the Kingdom to draw near.
While I was an associate at St David’s in Wayne PA it was my profound pleasure to witness each year an offering of a violin solo by the first violinist of the Philadelphia Orchestra David Kim. I was of course transported to some sublime and liminal space by his virtuosity.
That was not the best part, nor the most memorable! Rather at the end of his playing when all leaned in as if to stand and applaud, he raised his bow first to silence then to stand reverently and point it to the overhanging cross.
Awe came upon them all…and we were drawn toward a new dimension of God’s love and beauty.
I am often reminded of this sacred moment and no more so than today when the cantata season begins and I am also called to remember another gesture of faith and humility: Bach’s signature often on religious pieces: SDG soli Deo gloria to the glory of God alone
In both memories is a recognition of a holy humility which allows for the pointing toward that which is greater than self, the source of all life…the source from which virtuosity abounds
performance and presence pointed toward the Source of all light love and light, all beauty and imagination, all which is sublime allows for the ground of all being to become apparent..and level and accessible
by now some of you may be wondering what does any of this have to do with the Gospel today. Well, Matthew’s parable of the landowner and the workers of varying time cards but identical wages, begins with “the kingdom of God is like…”
at least we might keep this in mind when trying to make sense of a passage which screams to many of us with UNFAIR
Bach and Kim and all liturgy of reverence is pointing toward and amplifying the Kingdom of God, pointing to a time and space and heart and soul which are simply not of this world.
Rather this realm of God where all are One in a Holy Wholeness and mountains made low and valleys raised up is what Jesus is constantly leading us toward, it is within us, it is here and yet to come, and….it is antithetical to so much we have constructed and to which we cling desperately.
if we use our imaginations and adjust our lenses employing the optic of God’s time and space, not ours, we might be surprised to learn that this parable is one of ultimate radical grace.
We have a difficult time with parsing and selecting and ranking. We live in a world of hierarchical power, order and value. It messes with our true sense of worth and is most certainly not the worth which the God who loves every single aspect of creation completely intends.
And we might pause to realize that this economy of merit and reward is nothing like the economy of God’s grace and gift. We cannot cross over when we try to intellectualize this.
We can only glimpse and experience the kingdom of which Jesus speaks if our hearts change.
imagine a response to the landowner’s payment strategy which instead of invoking envy and competitive cries of fairness, invoked gratitude and compassion.
When we ground ourselves and our hearts in the faith that God provides abundantly and indiscriminately, when we move outside selfish desires and engagement with the order of hegemonic power, we might realize a compassion which is at the heart of all Jesus teaches.
It doesn’t matter what you have done, you are, you are, beloved. period.
It doesn’t matter how much you own, you are enough.
And so is your neighbor, coworker, and stranger…
Worth in God’s eyes is not based on merit, accomplishment or status; worth is based on birth and creation.
This is the economy of grace, merit does not compute. The only thing which computes is love. of God, of self, of neighbor.
When we truly lean into this economy of grace and life of gratitude and compassion, our hearts are transformed. Moreover, we begin to realize not some unattainable state of things which awaits us in the afterlife, we begin to realize the realm of God come on earth.
We have a beautiful and frightening opportunity. Beautiful in its promise; frightening in the utterly radical changes we must make
When we hear: The Kingdom of God is like…what follows is always going to be challenging and is always going to be of a different social order of things.
The realm of God is an utterly different social order from any we have or do know! the realm of God is known for kindness and generosity, compassion and mercy.
Emmanuel on this day not only marks the beginning of the cantata season and all which that represents but has the opportunity to point toward this realm of love and grace.
As David Kim, as Bach, as you when you sing and pray and break and are blessed, all we do is not only for the glory of God but is also to invite this realm into our hearts…to be transported and transformed.
Transformed by compassion not competition into a new social order on earth does not mean merely writing a check or giving up a few hours of time. Transformed by gift and grace means moving from here out into the world with compassion for those injured by power abuses.
This sacred social order becomes the lens through which we process and perceive the complex issues which face us: politics, violence, financial insecurity, racism, the fragility of the institution of the church…I could go on and on.
Specifically, here at Emmanuel as we enter Stewardship season in a formal way and are called to remember and renew our commitment to the Church in time talent and treasure we do so holding our Rector in our hearts as she and we frack the difficult territory of reparations. If ever a new social order were needed it is now. I pray we not miss the opportunity to let go of preconceptions and engage in sacramental gestures of compassion which repair our hearts and the hearts of others.
The irony today is that in this realm of grace and compassion there is no first or last; there is only one…one body one baptism one Love
may today mark the beginning of a renewing search for the Living God in our midst
“When in our music God is glorified and adoration leaves no room for pride it is as though the whole creation cried ALLELUIA”
In that Alleluia may we realize the manna from heaven available to all at dawn and may we receive and give thanks for our daily bread given in undifferentiated fashion by grace to every, every, creature.
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