Sermon “Listening, learning and living.”
Many years ago, the Danish Entertainer and singer Eddie Skoller had a big hit with his version of the song: “What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine….” It was originally a song by the American singer Pete Seeger from 1963. In the original protest song by Pete Seger, he was questioning what the children were taught in school about government, warfare and citizenship.
The more satirical Danish Version by Eddie Skoller was illustrating how different cultures, languages, and customs are.
“I learned that Denmark is a little land
And in Denmark we do not understand
What the big world outside wants from us and then we did not learn no more….”
What did you learn in school today, dear little child of mine?
These Covid19 days we as parents are also asking our sons and daughters, and grandchildren, what they have learned in school today: sitting at the computer, attending Zoom meetings, trying to be motivated and desperately missing the real person to person interaction and contact.
The Last year has certainly not been easy for children, teenagers and college students, as they had to navigate in a Virtual World of distance, zoom, lack of physical presence. And this past year certainly has not been easy for teacher, professors and speakers as they had to navigate the same.
And this past year certainly has been different and challenging for the Confirmation Classes and their pastors too.
Virtual Services, Virtual Zoom classes, email assignments and long talks by their pastor who is desperately trying to make Zoom classes more personal, interactive and conversational.
So, what have we learned in school, in classes, in church and in life this past year? We have certainly learned that even if Denmark is a little land, we are all part of the same international global world. Covid19 has taught us how connected we are, depended on we are and how fragile a little virus can make us all.
Navigating through Covid19, restrictions, distance, cancelations, grief, anger, and anxiety. We have all had a common experience of a challenging year with restrictions, health anxiety, political division and a battered economy.
Even if we desperately miss our normalcy of togetherness, closeness, events, concerts, church services, filled pews, movie theaters, no mask, and endless good long hugs – we have also been taught lessons, that we will carry with us.
Even if we as a congregation and community truly love:
being together, love worshipping together, singing together, praying together, eating together, hugging each other’s and laughing, smiling, mourning and comforting together,
we have also stepped into what once seemed like a distant future of Virtual Services. Surprisingly, these Virtual Services Sunday after Sunday since March have blessed us with a presence and a connectedness that surprised and comforted us.
These virtual services have been a blessing. We have been able to worship together even if we are apart. We have been able to worship together in spirit and faith, - as spirit and faith are not confined by space or time. We have been able to sustain our fellowship and even expand our outreach, which has been a truly rewarding experience.
For us here – and for all of you! So, thank you for worshipping with us!
Thus, we have been taught and have been reminded, that change is not always bad. That challenges might lead us to new ideas. That challenges create creativity.
That the deep human need to connect, worship and be together truly can overcome the physical obstacle and restrictions in a virtual Covid19 time and age….
Challenges and changes have been our reality and we have embraced it. And we have learned from it. Not that we do not long to be together again, here in this beautiful church – but we are also grateful that we have indeed been together virtually and spiritually through it all. And we will continue to offer these virtual services in the future.
Today gospel from Mark is still from the tender beginning of Jesus ministry and mission.
These past Sundays in January, we have heard about Jesus being baptized and stepping into ministry: calling his disciples to follow him, preaching to them – and finally today we hear about Jesus breaking down barriers, traditions, customs and unclean spirits, as he came into the synagogue and taught…. In a different way than usual. With a different kind of authority than usual. With a commanding voice and a commanding presence.
Having called and preached his way into the call of his first followers, Jesus now teaches his way into the public space – speaking truth to people and against unclean spirits.
The crowds were amazed and astonished. He was speaking with a kind of authority that was profound and powerful.
What does it mean to speak with authority? What does it mean to teach with authority?
To be confident? To speak loudly.
To be prepared. To be the best speaker. What is authority?
When the British author G. K. Chesterton was dining with a literary friend in London one day, their conversation turned to the subject of power and authority. At one point, Chesterton remarked, “If a rhinoceros were to enter this restaurant now, there is no denying he would have great power here. But I should be the first to rise and assure him that he had no authority whatsoever.”
I fondly remember one of the earliest memories about power and importance. I remember the feeling of power and authority when I was made a safety patrol at elementary school.
The feeling of being the protector of the small children in traffic, was the sense of authority and power. We were the only saving reality between a child and a fast-moving car. With outstretched arms and an orange reflective belt buckled to our bodies, and a laud whistle, we were able to command a big truck to halt or stop a couple of unruly seven-year-olds tussling at the curb.
Although it made us feel powerful and important, we had no authority whatsoever. There is a very subtle distinction before the authority of power and the power of authority.
You can do what I ask of you, because you must do what I have the power to make you do. That is the power of power.
Or you can do what I ask of you because you want to do it out of respect for who I am and faith in what I say. That is the power of authority.
Jesus commanded a certain kind of authority when he spoke. Jesus commended the room when he entered and lifted his voice. Because his voice was lifted by vision, righteousness, mercy, grace, truth, light and love.
Maya Angelou said:
“ I have learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I have learned that people will forget what you did, and what you said,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Jesus made the crowds feel awed and amazed. Jesus made the crowds feel seen and blessed. Jesus made the crowds feel close to God.
Jesus made them feel….. awed, blessed, amazed, seen, blessed, connected, special ….. and loved. Which was his true authority.
In the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly exercises his own special power of authority through forgiveness, presence and love.
With no political clout, no military at his command, no particular social prestige, and no wealth to his name, he reserves the authority of power with his presence and words. He does not positions himself as the center of power, instead he positions God at the center of power. And from there his authority comes.
When Jesus removes an unclean spirit from a convulsing man inside a synagogue, his exorcising power is on full display. What they saw in Jesus was more than raw power; they witnessed the power of love. And in that love is the secret of the Lord’s authority.
Like our congregation, I suspect, that the crowd gathered in the synagogue in Capernaum, was full of people who had heard it all before, yet gathered faithfully to hear it again.
Just like us, we gather again and again as a church, to listen to the same words, the same stories, the same teachings – and yet, hopefully occasionally we hear these words anew.
Even if we gather in distance and virtually, the words still posess authority and truth and power. When we worship together, we are sharing the living word, engaging once again with faith, curiosity and spirit, and hopefully we might catch some of the divine authority that speaks to us despite various pastors’ different voices and talents. Because the authority is in the teachings of Christ and the way these words make us feel.
What we have been taught by the words of God should still astonish us and awe us.
The simple commandments of love and compassion.
The simple commandments of faith.
The simple promise of forgiveness and mercy.
The simple truth that we are not alone, but eternally connected and eternally blessed.
What did you learn in church today, dear little child of mine?
Hopefully, we heard the voice of Jesus speaking with authority and love, urging us to learn how to live, how to forgive, how to believe and how to have hope. Hopefully we have learned that we still have a lot to learn in this life.
Amen.