In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity

Scripture Reading; Isaiah 65:17-25, Luke 21:5-19

Two years ago, a civil war broke out on the internet. And it wasn't about politics, believe it or not. It was about the color of a striped dress posted online. Does anyone remember this controversy? There was this picture of a dress that was taken in such a way, with the light hitting in such a perfect fashion, that to some people the dress looked like it was Blue and Black and to other people the dress looked like it was White and Gold.

 

It became such a huge controversy that even the New York Times was writing articles about this dress. Was it blue and black, or white and gold? Everyone had their own opinion.

 

I was convinced it was white and gold. I kept trying to get my eyes to unfocus and refocus - trying to see how anyone could see the dress as blue and black. I couldn't do it. The dress was just completely white and gold to me.

 

As I was writing this sermon, I looked it up again. Just to see the picture. And sure enough, there was the dress - white and gold.

 

But in reality the dress was Blue and Black. Sources confirmed it. Scientists were found to explain, in detail, how this particular image could be seen in such diametrically opposite ways. I won't explain here, it's too complicated.

 

But for a few days the entire country, and probably half the world, got a lesson in how easy it is for us to see the world in polar opposite ways.

 

And that is where I think we are right now as Americans. Except we aren't arguing about something as trite as the colors on a striped dress. We are arguing about the world that we are living in.

 

On Wednesday morning, some of us woke up with joy in our hearts and a bounce in our steps because Donald Trump was elected President. Or maybe some of us weren't exactly bouncing but we were relieved or resigned.

 

And on that very same morning, some of us woke up with fear in our hearts and tears in our eyes and a sense of dread for the future. Some of us still feel this way as we worry about the security of our marriages, our access to health insurance, and the safety of our children.

 

We live in the same country. We share a common dream. And yet some of us are seeing Blue and Black and some of us are seeing White and Gold, and it is getting harder and harder to imagine the perspective from the other side.

 

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Our Scripture readings today reflect those two worlds.

 

Our first reading came from the book of Isaiah. It is full of hope for the bright future that is dawning for the people of Israel. This passage comes from what scholars call Trito-Isaiah, or Third Isaiah, which was written just after the people of Israel were released from exile and captivity in Babylon, and were free once again to build the city of God - Jerusalem.

 

You can hear the joy and expectation in their hearts as God promises:

"For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth...

For I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight!"

 

For so many people in our country right now, this is the dawning of a new day.

 

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And for others, today is a day that resonates much more with the gospel text.

 

In our gospel reading, Jesus and the disciples have arrived in Jerusalem and are observing the splendor of the Temple, which is the center of the nation of Israel and all of Jewish life. It's like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Sistine Chapel all rolled into one. The disciples are completely blown away by The Temple's impressive scale and beauty.

 

But rather than admire it, Jesus warns of its coming destruction:

 

"As for all these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

 

When Luke was writing this gospel, that is exactly what had happened. The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE in the war with Rome and was never rebuilt.

 

And for so many people in our country right now, this week has been the first blow to the destruction of the American temple.

 

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You will see it how you see it. The dress is blue/black or white/gold. These are either Isaiah or Luke times. This is either the beginning or the end of something.

 

But here's what I can tell you.

 

 

While we may not be able to agree on if things are going to get better or worse for America, we can agree that God is still bringing the Kingdom of God to the earth.

 

While we may not be able to agree on who is an enemy and who is a friend, we can agree that Christ told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us and to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

 

While we may not be able to agree on if Donald Trump is personally a racist or not, we can all agree that our Christian faith demands that we see the inherent worth of all God's children. Our Christian faith demands that we stand up for equality, and justice, and love, in moments when that's tested right here in our own communities.

 

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This week at United Church in Walpole, we have been tested. Not once, but twice we have been tested.

 

Last Sunday after worship, a Deacon came up to me in coffee hour and told me that there was a protester yelling insults as folks were leaving the building after church.

 

So some of the Deacons and I gathered together to greet our protester with love and hospitality.

 

The woman we found outside was angry and wearing sandwich board signs that said "Heresy Preached Here." I introduced myself as the pastor of this church and she told me that women should not speak in church, let alone lead one. Then she went on to talking about the real reason she had come - to protest our Open and Affirming status, which is our church's covenant to welcome and affirm all people no matter who they are or whom they love.

 

We let her speak some. And then I shared some of the gospel of love that we teach here. And then she wanted to argue in what I quickly realized would be an endless debate. So I invited her into coffee hour.

 

We were nothing but loving and welcoming to her and yet we stood firm in preaching the Spirit of the Gospel, despite her desire to nail us to the letter of the law. We stood firm in living up to our Open and Affirming Covenant, no matter what our political beliefs.

 

It was a beautiful moment of encounter with someone who wanted to be our enemy, and yet, just as Jesus says in the gospel reading today - this persecution gave us an "opportunity to testify." And I'm proud to say that we UNITED together and did just that.

 

Political divisions aside, we found unity in Christ and unity in covenant and testified to that with love and fellowship.

 

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Then the very next day, God gave us another opportunity to testify. Another opportunity to be tested on our unity.

 

We learned that the locally-owned Mexican restaurant in town, Jalapenos, had been the target of racist and xenophobic hate speech in person and online.

 

So we reached out to Jalapenos and expressed our love and support. Like hundreds of others here in Walpole, we made an effort to publically condemn this incident of racism and hate speech and stand up for the targets of it.

 

After our Post-Election Unity and Prayer service we brought a group of 25 people over to Jalapenos to personally support the business and the Dorronsoro family who owns it. Republicans and Democrats alike, united together as Christians to say that hate has no place in our community.

 

Now most of the time, standing up against racism feels like screaming into the void. You persist at it as an act of faith.

 

But this time, this time, the most amazing thing happened.

 

On Thursday, Richie Kadesh, who was the perpetrator of these acts, took out a full page ad in the Walpole Times, apologized for what he had done, and signed his name to it publically. He apologized for hurting the Dorronsoro family. He apologized for hurting our community. And he apologized for the countless others who were made to be afraid by his racist words and actions.

 

Friends, there is a great hope in that. Seeing a community rally together - across party lines - to take a stand against racism and hatred and to testify to love, and then seeing that love change somebody's heart - that is the fruit of the gospel. That is the mission of Christ. That is the resurrection story that we can all get behind - no matter who we voted for or what kind of world we think is just around the bend.

 

Because here's what I know: that now matter what kind of world our political beliefs have us seeing these days,

if we stand United Together in Christ's Mission,

if we stand United Together in bringing about love and justice right here in this community,

and if enough people do that in small towns and big cities, red states and blue states, across this vast country,

then none of us will have to worry. There will be no cause for fear.

 

Because when we do that, then no matter what, Christ is Lord.