God Tearing Open the Heavens
The texts for Sunday, November 30, 2014 (Advent 1B): Isaiah 64:1–9; Psalm 80:1–7, 17–19; 1 Corinthians 1:3–9; and Mark 13:24–37
Audio of sermon: Sermon Advent 1B
… In the demonstrations and riots and commentaries
in the articles about systemic racism and the militarization of the police
Even in the heart-touching stories of those who do care and rise up to make real connections in the community,
We’ve been reminded that we are not so unlike the Israelites returning to Jerusalem
that we have established systems that cause the wealthy to benefit at the expense of the poor and vulnerable
that we are condemned by the very same words of confession that the prophet recites:
We have all become like one who is unclean
and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth
We all fade like a leaf
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
We all are bound up in the systems of violence and racism.
We are all dehumanized by the ways that our society determines that some lives are more valuable than others
Our communities are torn apart by the violence that we perpetuate thinking that somehow this is redemptive or restorative.
We should be crying out with the prophet
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down! …
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