Text: Mark 1:1–8
I've been thinking all week about the gospel of Jesus Christ and what it might be for us in 2011 on the brink of 2012, on this second Sunday of Advent in the new church year. "The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ..." I think we need to redefine this Good News for every generation, maybe even every Sunday. We need to hear the Good News as a way of gaining courage to live in a way that is life-giving, life-affirming, loving and compassionate.
I was privileged to be part of the 3 memorial experiences this past week; the first was the memorial service for Lorna Marshall. The second was for my friend and colleague Kent Israel. The third was the World AIDS Day vigil, memorial and gathering. Each memorial sharpened for me the Good News at least for this week. I say it was a privilege to attend and participate and lead in these memorial services because I have found over the years that at such gatherings we cut to the chase; we get to the real nub of what it means to live life. We proclaim the Good News and speak of ultimate and important things.
Lorna Marshall wrote her own eulogy and shared words that she wanted to see lived in our lives; she spoke of the essence of what her life was about. And what it boiled down to was that what is important is that we live with others in loving compassion and grace-filled living. Lorna reminded us twice, once in her eulogy and once in words that Jay, Lorna's husband wanted to share as he had me read them, that it is so important to say the words "I love you" often and not just with those with whom we are in a committed relationship, but more broadly with our friends and in acts of courage and generosity shared around the globe.
This message was repeated in the funeral service for Kent Israel in Summerland. Life is too short to get caught up in petty quarrels and jealousies. We wind ourselves up in knots worrying about life, "what we shall wear and what we shall eat," to quote Jesus words in Matthew. I'm as good at this as anyone else. I worry, I see my flaws and faults and get down on myself; I judge myself and others against some perfect standard. A number of us traveled to Kent's funeral from Kootenay Presbytery and we sat together and shared a meal together. It was a sad occasion, but we all realized that we need to speak of love and life more often and cut through the stuff that isn't important. As we returned to our homes, we passed around an email and spoke of the importance of saying to each other, "I love you." On two occasions I stopped on the road home. One of those occasions was at the lookout up from Osoyoos. The sun was setting and the light was catching the mountains in such a way that was awe-inspiring. The other stop was at Nancy Greene Lake under the stars. It was my chance to say to goodbye to Kent and in my way to commend his being to God's love. But it was also an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of life and consequently made a commitment to live more fully. I have been slipping a bit back into my depression; I felt the Good News again of love resound in my heart and in the universe.
And this was again proclaimed at the World AIDS Day gathering last Thursday night. A gay man from Ecuador spoke about how difficult it was as a gay man trying to make his way in Latino and machismo culture. He experienced hate and articulated again the need to love. If we let it, he said, love changes things. Love gets into our hearts to shift us from our self-centred and self-imposed judgments of what is right and wrong. It shifts us to think about sharing life with others and not worrying so much about acquiring things and wealth. The wealth of friends and love is what is important. And this message was affirmed as we remembered people who had died of AIDS and as we celebrated the places where people are working to overcome discrimination and stigmatization from Kenya and Africa to Ecuador and Latin America to Europe and Asia to everywhere around the globe to here at home.
For first century people who longed to feel and experience the love of God, Jesus proclaimed the Good News; he lived it and spoke of what is important. Jesus has worked in people over the generations to articulate again the Good News. Jesus cut to the chase of conflicts and political intrigue, of prevarication and dissembling and power-mongering, and he has helped us do the same. "Greater than these powers," speaks the Good News of Jesus Christ anew for us today, "is the power of love to transform our lives and the life of the world so that all may live." Let us leave this place and speak the words "I love you often and with integrity."
Amen.
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