"That We May All Be One", Lent 2B Sermon

Rev. Jenny Shultz

March 1, 2015 Lent 2B

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-17

Mark 8: 31-38

“That We May All Be One”

On February 10, 2015 this world was robbed of the blessings of three beautiful lives and the love and community that they represented for so many family, friends and those of us who were impacted by their  amazing spirits of hope and generosity. 

Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, her husband, Deah Barakat, 23, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19 were brutally taken from their loved ones, murdered in cold blood, in an act of extreme violence and defilement… a man who acted against himself, against all of humanity and against God chose not only to play God, himself, by ending three innocent human lives, but in so doing broke the most sacred and ancient of covenants between the Creator and the created. A covenant which began in the garden with the breath of life that would sustain our very flesh and bones, a covenant that was later “cut” with Abraham, with the blood of animals, with the promise that his faithfulness would lead to numerous descendants and that God would always BE that—Israel’s God, then later with Noah the covenant of the colors in the sky that God would never extinguish the earth with water again, and then God extended the Abrahamic covenant to Israel once again, through Moses, in the Mosaic covenant promising that in their obedience, God would lead them into the promised land and that God would always be with them and keep them wherever they went. Finally, we experience this covenant, you and I, each and every day through the spirit of Jesus whose very essence was the covenant itself, come to replace that which was formerly “inscribed” by that which is incarnate, the holy presence of God that dwells within us. 

In this season of Lent when we are encouraged to examine our own lives, and as a community to look to the promise of God held in the light for us as we walk this journey from Lent into Eastertide, from temptation to freedom, I cannot escape the thought that the three lives of those beautiful young people, taken from us much too early, are to be reminders to us of the covenantal relationship of which we are all part, a relationship that must be nurtured and actively acknowledged if we are to move forward in society as “one"-void of the violence that extinguishes our hope and corrupts the innocent, void of the oppressive forces that seek to take life rather than to sustain it, void of the very hatred, greed, lust and insatiable desire for power and wealth that has long exploited our differences rather than uniting us under a common covenant; one of love of God and neighbor. 

”Growing up in America has been such a blessing," said Yusor Abu-Salha in a conversation with a former teacher that was recorded by the StoryCorps project last year. She said, “Although in some ways I do stand out, such as the hijab I wear on my head, the head covering, there are still so many ways that I feel so embedded in the fabric that is, you know, our culture. And that's the beautiful thing here, is that it doesn't matter where you come from. There's so many different people from so many different places, of different backgrounds and religions — but here we're all one, one culture. And it's beautiful to see people of different areas interacting, and being family. Being, you know, one community.”

Yusor was in touch with something that ran deep in her veins. She said she felt, “embedded” in the fabric of this culture and community. Perhaps what her spirit was really connected to was the covenant that bound us, Jews, Christians and Muslims, together long ago when God made a great promise to Abraham and then blessed him with many children. Included in Abraham’s offspring were Ishmael, his firstborn son, born of Haggar, Sara’s maidservant, and Ancestor to the prophet Muhammad, and then Isaac his second born son, born of Sarah, his wife, and father to Jacob, and ancestor to King David and then to Jesus himself.  

So Abraham was not only the father of Judaism, but it was his line that eventually gave birth to two other great religions of our time, both Islam and then Christianity…from the same covenant we share the same promises of God…and as Yusor stated, “We are all one”…children of the same God born of the same promise. 

If you’re a twitter user you can follow the #muslims4lent thread to see what thousands of Muslim young adults are tweeting about standing in solidarity with Christians during the season of Lent, this year, by abstaining from things for 40 days.  

College-aged girl, Saadia stands holding a sign that reads, “I’m Saadia A Muslim American in solidarity, next 40 days NO McDonalds," and another writes, “I’m Reem, a Muslim Syrian American In solidarity, Next 40 days… No COOKIeS! #muslims4lent.” 

Faisal a Muslim lebanese students says, “No Bread” next 40 days, in solidarity. #Muslims4lent. 

Muslim American entrepreneur Bassel Riche who started the campaign says, “The goal is to thank the many Christians that have always shown love and respect towards Islam by showing them we in turn have the utmost respect for their beliefs”…and he hopes the “campaign will show the true face of Islam and take the spotlight away from extremists.”  

For decades, the three monotheistic religions have been conversing in interfaith dialogue, working across the boundaries, in hopes that their efforts would help to create a shared understanding towards the call to justice for the poor, the disenfranchised, the widow and the orphan, a common sense of the sacred, of mutual respect and agency towards the common good. Rather than remaining in isolation from one another, outside of communion, they have and continue to work hard to find a common narrative that will thread our spirits together. 

From the gospel of Mark, we hear Jesus claiming something similar in his call to discipleship. He said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”

This same universal call to a common identity rooted in shared belief of God, and love of neighbor proclaimed by Jesus, and made manifest in the lives of young people such as Yusor, should inspire us this Lenten season, to look at ourselves, examining the very core of our beings, our allegiances, asking ourselves the question… What does it mean to deny myself, to lose my life for the sake of the gospel, that I might save it?

Associate Professor of Preaching at Luther Seminary, Karoline Lewis, like me, was baffled at the first reading of the Genesis and Mark lectionary pairings for today, but decided to sit with it awhile before abandoning her efforts to make sense of what the biblical narrative was trying to tell her. 

She said, “But I stuck with it for a while, and here’s what I started seeing. Abraham and Sarah? To what extent they ‘deny themselves’ just as Jesus asks. But it’s not a denial of the self. It’s a denial of remaining by themselves. That is, they deny a life that is autonomous, secured, enclosed, safe, and just the two of them, for a life that propels them into relationship -- with God and with a future realized by abounding relationship.”

I wonder if this is exactly what Jesus means.

If we ask ourselves the question, “What does it mean to deny myself, to lose my life for Jesus’ sake, and for the sake of the gospel” with the backdrop of covenantal relationship propping us up we might just find that the way forward includes a denial of selfhood “when it rescinds relationship, a denial of autonomy when it refuses community, a denial of individualism when it rejects intimacy.” 

About the Muslims4Lent campaign Riche said, “Despite what our extremists have done to hijack our religion, we believe in peace, love, tolerance & harmony with other faiths. We don’t want to be seen as some distant, mysterious faith, we want to be accessible for people to open up to us…” 

Would it not have been easier for Abraham and Sarah to remain as Lewis says, by themselves, free to live without the pressure of an abounding legacy, without the impending thought of childbirth… I know that I am nearly 60 years their younger and i’m telling you having a baby is no easy task… chasing a toddler around is not for the weary, physically or emotionally. Theirs was a denial of the life they’d always known, the security of home, the assurance of what lie ahead, aging together until the they were no more, just the two of them side by side sitting in their rocking chairs, staring up at the night sky. Theirs was a denial of self which unveiled the expanse of community, opened up their world to family, to laughter and crying, to brokenness and burdens, to celebrations and thanksgivings, to relationships…bound-up in the promises of God. 

Like Yusor, who opened her life up to the other, made her life accessible, which in turn has shown the world the true identity of a faithful Muslim, and her goal…that we may all be one… we may need to ask ourselves some hard questions. 

What is it in your life threatens the birth of new relationships, of “whole” and satisfying relationships with those you encounter every day… your family, your parents, your siblings, your children? What serves as a barrier for you in reaching out to the other, in finding unity among differences, and harmony rather than fear or judgement? 

What is it that holds you back from living in community, of opening yourself up to a life of intimacy? 

As children of God, and adoptees into a shared covenant we will all find ourselves in the place of Abraham and Sara at different times in our lives. Will we decide to look gracefully and faithfully towards the Easter promise of life and abundance, holding the promise of oneness to our chests, or will our fears of the unknown, and worship of our individualism keep us from denying that which could set us free, make us whole?  

Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.  

May it be so…Amen.