December 13, 2015

Helen Jacobi

Advent 3     Zephaniah 3:14-20     Philippians 4:4-7     Luke 3:7-18

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Joy is today’s advent theme. Joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Yet our gospel reading starts off with John the Baptist calling the people who came to be baptised “you brood of vipers” and various other names. Not very joyful! I wonder if I should try that at the beginning of a baptism service – call the gathered congregation a brood of vipers – and see how I get on!

The poor old crowd gathered hoping for some good news – they had heard tis was the place to be – here they would be baptized and renewed – but when they get there they are told don’t think just because you are descended from Abraham and Sarah that gives you any rights; and you are like trees that are going to be chopped down, roots and all.

Someone in the crowd bravely asks – well what then should we do? what possible hope is there? And John’s tone changes markedly – oh actually there is lots you can do – phew! If you have two coats, share one with someone who has none; share your food too. Ok – that we can do – sharing food with those in need through foodbanks and the City Mission; but also making food for friends who are ill or just because we love them – we do that – and that brings us joy.

Sharing our clothes, bringing them to the Mission or other op shops – rather than selling them on Trade me. When I was dean of Napier Cathedral we had a thriving op shop but once Trade Me started it was harder to get good quality items to sell and our very good income gradually declined below the level of the rent – and recently the shop has closed. I always figure if I can afford to buy nice clothes I can also afford to give them away.

Ok so coats and food the crowd said – what next – the tax collectors come – and you know they were seen as very wicked – they colluded with the Romans and stole money for themselves. John says – that is ok – just collect the agreed amount – cut out the extortion and you will be ok.

Today we might translate this to deal fairly with people; pay what they deserve; in employment terms pay a living wage; no zero hour contracts; don’t always try and drive the hardest bargain; if you are an employer you find joy in treating people with respect and fairness; seeing them provide for their families. This we can do.

The soldiers come next – the same instruction – don’t extort money; treat people fairly; be satisfied with what you are paid and what you have. We might translate this to dealing honestly with each other and with respect and care; do not bully and harass people. And be satisfied with what you have – do not always want what the next person has – that is also the 10th commandment “you shall not covet anything which belongs to your neighbour”. The fact that I follow a website called Kate’s Closet dedicated to what the Duchess of Cambridge wears probably belongs in this category! being satisfied with what we have brings joy. This we can do. So – share food and coats; receive and give fairly. That is what will bring us joy.

Then all of a sudden John the Baptist is back with fire and brimstone where the chaff will be tossed into that fire. These strong words of John the Baptist that surround the practical and helpful words, might be harder to hear but they are still there to challenge us. Challenging us to watch who we follow, to be careful who we listen to.

The vipers of the Baptist’s day were the religious and political leaders who eventually asked for John’s head on a platter. We hear voices like them today (although we gain nothing by calling them vipers). We can though resist voices which want to hate and voices which label and dismiss. The worst example this week was the unmentionable things Donald Trump has said about people of Islamic faith. And the many fundamentalist and so called Christian leaders who are not far behind him. But there are other examples closer to home. This week we heard about work our security services are doing to follow those who might sympathise with ISIS. Women who might be ISIS sympathizers came up. PM John Key commented and said in relation to women travelling to Syria “There's certainly a few women that have left, engaged in these weddings effectively at the very last minute, and gone to Syria, and all of those factors would point to the fact that they're going as jihadist brides’” [1]

“Jihadist brides” – Anjum Rahman, a leader of the Moslem community in Hamilton, who was a speaker for our Mandela evening recently, commented that to use such a term was fear inducing and labels women who can be easily identified in our community. John Bluck in his sermon on Advent Sunday said “the vocation of every Christian in a time of crisis is to say what’s happening … to speak the truth. … God is the one who works from inside the crisis, not outside.” [2]

Watch our language, speak the truth; do not label a whole group of women whom we know nothing about; because labelling them increases the fear and hatred of others whose only connection to them is the wearing of a headscarf.

Christmas tends to be a time of year when we gather with family who we might not see all that often; and because we don’t get to choose our family we often end up in conversations that might be more varied than our usual dinner conversations. I can think of times over the years when I have put up with racist and sexist comments and glossed over them for the sake of family. But now I am older and maybe wiser I think we have to gently but firmly stand up when people around us are talking about “jihadist brides” or other terms that label and demean.

We can tell positive stories instead. Tonight at our Advent Carols service we will hear 3 stories of refugees who have come to Aotearoa; they are stories of families being reunited after years and years of waiting. A short summary of their lives in no way honours the long years of sorrow and emptiness before coming to live here. But to hear their stories will inspire you – and give you new language and new words to replace the language of vipers in our media.

For the same reason we hear each Sunday in Advent the story of someone supported by CWS – today’s story is about women living in coastal Southern India; learning to develop their own micro businesses and standing up for their rights and those of their daughters. Good positive stories that need to be told. And we support CWS in their work and have the privilege of hearing their stories. I hope you have taken home a donation envelope and send it in.

John the Baptist said – share your coats and your food – deal fairly and honestly with people – that we can do. And we can call on our leaders to do the same.

So where is the joy again? The joy is in the every day, ordinary sharing of food, of clothes, of resources; the joy is in treating people with respect and love; the joy is in hanging on to hope and looking for joy and telling stories of joy when our media is screaming fear and hatred at us.

Tonight you will hear the stories of Yonadab, Joseph and Mohamed alongside the prophets Isaiah, Matthew and Luke. We have heard the CWS stories of Tarek and his mother; Giselle, and the fisherwomen of India. [3] What stories of joy will you tell at your Christmas table this year?

[1] http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/291673/jihadist-bride-comments-'induce-fear'

[2] http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/#!Risking-the-Truth/ctoq/ihpc80z315

[3] http://christmasappeal.org.nz/our-featured-partners/