"VOICES OF HOPE IN JUST LIVING"
Mark Scannell
Sunday, December 14th, 2003

We have made it to the Third Sunday of Advent - the Third Sunday has traditionally been called Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. On the First Sunday of Advent, Lowell Erdahl preached on the Voices of Hope in Difficult Times and exhorted us to return to the teachings of Jesus as we seek to navigate through difficult and hard times. Last Sunday, George preached on Voices of Hope in the Unexpected and spoke about Studs Terkel’s new book - HOPES DIES LAST - and invited us to join in and participate on this journey we are on. He urged us to find balance between the outer work and the inner work that we do. This Sunday, it is the Voices of Hope in Just Living. There are two ways to look at Just Living - one is just living, while the other is living justly. What I want to talk about is the kind of just living that means living justly.

The Gospel reading presents us with a voice of hope and that voice is John the Baptist. His preaching draws a strong response from the people of his time - crowds came as did soldiers and tax collectors. I wouldn’t normally think of soldiers and tax collectors being drawn to preaching. But here they came to hear John, and they all had the same question - what should we do? I learned many years ago that when things in the Bible appear in threes, there is something important there. John’s appeal was that he was concrete and down to earth. When asked, what they should do, John didn’t waffle. He answered concretely. When the crowds asked what should we do, John answered: Share your food and clothing with others. When the tax collectors asked, John answered: Stop collecting more than is prescribed. When the soldiers asked what they should do, John answered: Do not cheat or wrongly accuse anyone and be satisfied with your wages. Very concrete responses to their questions! And we are faced with the same question today: what should we do? My answer takes John’s words as well as Paul’s words in the second reading where he speaks of thanksgiving and prayer and puts them together in what I would call 4 pillars for living justly. In suggesting this, I am reminded of an experience I had one Holy Thursday evening at the Seder Meal. We were sitting at a table with people who were involved with Joan of Arc from the very beginning. They spoke of pilings being driven into the land because the land was so swampy. For the buildings to stand, the pilings or the pillars had to be driven deep into the ground. We stand here because of those pilings. In a similar way, we need pillars or pilings as a foundation for our lives - things to stand on in the midst of all the different voices that we hear. I would suggest 4 pillars of Just Living - generosity, honesty, gratitude and prayerfulness.

Generosity is a willingness - in the words of John the Baptist - to share with others what we have - to share our food and our clothing. Traditionally, we have spoken of the three T’s - time, talent and treasure. Those still hold. I would also suggest another way to look at generosity and that comes from the old adage: walking in the shoes of another. There is a challenge in coming to understand someone else’s life from their point of view. I remember a few years ago volunteering at the men’s shelter at St. Stephen’s and being astounded how many of the men worked, but were unable to make enough money to pay rent or they were paying child support. I also was stunned to see men turned away when their number wasn’t chosen for beds that evening and seeing them walk out into the cold night. My whole view of the homeless shifted after I spent a few evenings in the shelter. I would challenge us to take the time to walk in the shoes of others that we normally don’t interact with - the young or the old, divorce folks and singles, people with terminal diseases, people who are in the minority.

Honesty is a willingness to take responsibility for what I have done and to be accountable to others. This is the opposite of blaming others for what has happened to me. An example of this for me took place at work a few weeks ago when I realized that I sent some of our product to the right company but to the wrong branch. I began to stew about what I had done and to worry about the repercussions of my mistake. I had a moment of insight that led me to call the fellow and told him what I had done. He was flabbergasted that I called and told me mistakes happen and he would take care of it. My take on it was that if I had not called and he called to report the error, he would not have been so gracious.

Gratitude is the attitude of thanksgiving and is the opposite of resentment. Carrying resentments is corrosive. Gratitude is the ability to see another perspective, no matter how difficult things are. It is like this hour glass - when all of the sand is in the bottom of the hour glass, we at times forget that we can turn the glass over and there is sand again on the top. In feeling gratitude, we can find the energy to keep going no mater what is happening to us.

Lastly, there is prayerfulness. Here I am not speaking of persuading God to do things my way; rather, it is being open and discerning about what is possible for me in this situation. What can I do here and now? A favorite prayer of mine has been helpful to me in this regard. This prayer is a part of the 12 Step and recovery movement and has been called the Serenity Prayer -

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things that I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.
I think this prayer could be more aptly called the wisdom prayer as we are praying for the wisdom to know what to do and at times, what we are called to do does not lead to serenity.

These are four pillars of living justly - generosity, honesty, gratitude and prayerfulness. When I look at these pillars and look to where I find Voices of Hope, I find myself turning to you - to this community of Joan of Arc. I am aware when I come here week after week, I hear many voices of hope, strong voices which help me through the voices of despair and frustration and rage I hear. But you are more than Voices. I need bodies and human beings to speak to me. I need to see you and for you to see me. I need you to recognize me and for me to recognize you. I need you to know my name and for me to know your name. I need to hug you and for you to hug me. You are more than voices - you are living human beings who speak strongly to me and who listen to me.

In belonging to such a community as Joan of Arc, each of us is able to do much more than anyone of us is able to do alone. Each of us is bigger and stronger than if we work or are alone. It is amazing what a community can accomplish:

And there are many, many other examples where people are doing many things in the name of justice, and we are all part of these endeavors. It is important to be aware of what is happening around here - to know what you are doing. It is important to read the Bulletin and check the website. It is important to listen to the Welcome Introductions before the liturgies each Sunday as well as the preachers. There we learn what is happening and what we can do.

In the first reading, Edwina Gately - someone who embodies living justly - says that we are not born prophetic or courageous - rather, we become prophetic and courageous. I see us as individuals and as a community becoming prophetic and courageous. Your voices and actions challenge and support me in looking at how I can be more generous, more honest, more grateful and more prayerful. That, my friends, is GOOD NEWS gives me reasons to REJOICE!

Thank you-

Mark T. Scannell
Mark@bmarep.com

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