Celebrating Women's Equality Day; Tobit 1:1-8

 

Rev. George Miller

August 21, 2022

Tobit 1:1-8

 

Time is an interesting concept- things that seem like yesterday occurred a lot further back than we realize.

 

For example, 51 years ago “All In the Family” debuted while Ike & Tina Turner sang about “Proud Mary.”

 

Then, there are historical events that are closer than they seem.

 

Edith and Archie Bunker appeared on TV just 51 years after women won the right to vote.

 

We are just as far from “Proud Mary” as “Proud Mary” was from women winning the right to vote.

 

102 years; sounds long ago.  It’s not.  Jack Spenser is 99.  Today, there are 92,000 people over 100.  Chances are we all knew a woman who was born at a time before they could legally vote.

 

Think of just how young our nation is.  1776 was just 246 years ago.  In terms of nations, we’re just babies barely out of diapers.  No wonder we can be so messy at times- we’re still learning.

 

The book I just read, “Founding Mothers,” was a great way to hear how that learning process took place.   

 

It features the words of women who lived during our nation’s birth, all of them trying to make sense out of nonsense, surviving, doing all they can to maneuver in a world that didn’t want to grant them equality.

 

One way the women maneuvered was in the marketplace.  Tired of severe taxation, the women expressed their power through their purchases.

 

Way before men tossed tea into the sea, women used their pocketbook to shun British goods.

 

They refused to buy ribbons and fabric.  Had Boston merchants sign an oath to not import British goods. 

 

They stopped wearing fancy foreign gowns to public events.  Churches held “spinning clubs” in which the women would discuss politics, while creating skeins of wool to be woven into clothe.

 

They sipped “Liberty Tea”- their own concoction of herbs and flowers.

 

Their protests became visible in unique ways.  In 1775 there was a funeral in Charleston.  Since all proper mourning clothes came from oversees, the women made do with what they had.

 

Instead of wearing black, as expected, all the city’s women showed up in brightly colored technicolor dresses.

 

This was considered the 1^st visible act of public defiance against the British.

 

Abagail Adams wrote to her husband John, telling of a merchant who was hoarding all the coffee.  About 100 women assembled, marched down to the warehouse, demanded his keys.

 

He refused until one of the women grabbed him by the neck, tossed him in a cart, tipped him over.  They got the keys, opened the warehouse, hoisted every sack of coffee into their carts, drove off, as the menfolk just watched.

 

Abagail and the women learned how to make cornstalks into molasses, which they then used to make rum, making the soldiers very happy.

 

Women fought on the front line, acted as spies, started industries, raised money for the troops, ran plantations, yet their men still thought theydidn’t know enough, were educated enough, to vote or have a role in politics. 

 

Seems like the world has always been messy, and that no matter how much women do, endure, or have gone through, there are always Archie Bunkers to get in the way of Edith.

 

Case in point is Tobit, today’s scripture,

a story full of messy situations, messy folk, and women who try their best to overcome great odds.

 

Like Judith, which we studied last year, Tobit is one of the Books of the Apocrypha.  It is part of the Catholic Bible, but not part of Hebrew Cannon or the Protestant Bible.

 

Tobit is a newer writing, composed about 200 years before Jesus, which is one reason it wasn’t included in the Hebrew Cannon. 

 

Another reason is that Tobit was always seen as fiction, a faith-based novella featuring a giant fish, a faithful dog, deadly demon, lying angel, and pooping pigeons.  Talk about messy.

 

Tobit offers a glimpse into a difficult, deadly time for God’s people, featuring numerous scenes of people praying and discussions about ethical living.  

 

Tobit features Sarah, the daughter of Raguel.  She’s been married 7 times, and all 7 times her husbands died on their wedding night due to a demon.  She takes her anger out on her servants, who in turn make fun of her.

 

They ridicule her for being a husband killer, literally telling her to drop dead.  She thinks of suicide but changes her mind after prayering to God.

 

There’s her mother, Edna, who wisely questions visitors, keeps track of the extended family, bakes like no one’s business while also offering words of courage and comfort to her daughter.

 

There is Tobia, the son of their cousins Anna and Tobit. 

 

Anna is a hardworking woman, who gets a job when the family encounters challenging times.  She takes in laundry, doing such a good job, she gets a bonus.

 

There’s Tobit- a faithful Jew who was kidnapped as a child and taken to Nineveh.  There he deals with the hardships of being a stranger in a strange land, but through faith, luck, and a mind for business, he amasses a large wealth of money.

 

Tobit is presented as the perfect, purest person who ever lived.  He tithes, he gives to the needy, he keeps kosher, he buries the dead, he prays.

 

But as discovered on Tuesday, how you see Tobit can depend on who you are and how far you’re willing to let your imagination go.

 

Tobit could be played as Andy Griffith, or like the dads from “Modern Family.”  Or he could be a real Archie Bunker.

 

Tobit is just a tad chauvinistic.  He attributes all he knows about faithful living and God his Mom, Deborah, but since his Dad is dead, he calls himself an orphan, as if Mom didn’t matter.

 

His wife Anna creates huge feasts for him, but he has no problem leaving the table to tend to some need.

 

Then there’s the issue of Anna getting a job to support the family.  See, due to some unfortunate pigeon poop in his eyes, Tobit has gone blind and broke.

 

So Anna does what needs to be done- she gets a job.  She excels at it.  Not only does she bring home the bacon, she brings home a goat that she got as a bonus.

 

This sets Tobit off.  He assumes she stole it.  He refuses to believe her.  He demands she return it.  He is enraged, flushed with chauvinistic anger.

 

Do you know what Anna, the wife, says to her bratty husband?  “Where are all your self-righteous acts of charity now?  Where are all the people you just had to help. Ha!  You’ve just shown your true self now!”

 

And this, this thing sets Tobit off into a series of tears, moaning and groaning.  Tobit prays to God because his life has become so miserable. 

 

Yes, he endured being kidnapped, losing his eyesight, but having his wife support the family, be dang good at it, and not apologize about it- that is too much for poor, poor Tobit to bare.

 

“Oh God,” he cries, “release me from the face of the earth, for it is better to die than to live.”

 

Oh, boo-hoo, Archi Bunker.  Your wife got a job and a bonus, get over it!

 

…So here is where we stop today’s reading.  What’s been fascinating to me is that I had no idea how Tobit could tie into Women’s Equality.

 

Then Bible Study came along, and Diane, and Lisa, two bold women, put a whole different spin on Tobit than I imagined.

 

That’s the beauty of studying scripture together- hearing other voices from other lived experiences “see” what’s in the text and watching their response.

 

Just like studying history, how nations came to be, you think it’s all about the men, but you discover that there are women there as well, doing just as much, and they’ve always been there.

 

-Adam was a no body until Eve.

-Abraham needed Sarah.

-Moses could not survive without his mother, sister, or Pharoah’s daughter.

 

Tobit would’ve been destitute without his mom, Deborah and his wife, Anna.

 

America would’ve been lost without wives like Abigial, daughters like Eliza Lucas, not to mention all the enslaved women who have gone unnamed.

 

All the women who refused to buy tea.

 

All the women who talked politics and spun wool to make their own clothes.

 

All the women who hoisted sacks of coffee out of warehouses and wore brightly colored clothes of defiance.

 

All the suffragettes in their purple, white and yellow who

-wrote letters, used song

-marched, faced arrest,

-starved themselves

-Did everything and anything they could to secure the right to vote.

 

Though history has always been messy, and filled with far too many Archies,

 

we are thankful for every woman who has done whatever was needed

 

to keep the dream alive,

to fight for freedom, and

to place their faith,

and their actions,

in a better tomorrow.

 

In God’s name we say “Amen.”

Christian Fascism; Matthew 27:3-5

 

Rev. George Miller

Aug 14, 2022

Matthew 27:3-5

 

Don’t know about you, but I think the 3 most uncomfortable words to hear in a public event are “I’m a Christian.”

 

Rarely does that phrase bring forth the delicious fruit of Heaven.  Often these words bring about a bitter taste of hell.

 

When’s the last time you heard someone start off by saying “I’m a Christian” and it’s followed by acts of clothing and caring?

 

Often, we hear “I’m a Christian,” and you can feel the morality measuring stick being taken out to size up others.

 

Case in point is the August 2 city council meeting.  Our officials did a good job keeping business down to 15 minutes, then came public comment.

 

One Christian called homosexuals vile and repugnant criminals.  Another rallied against burlesque, insinuating that sex is bad and the body shameful.

 

These comments follow a long list of public statements made locally and nationally, from pulpits to government buildings, with folk invoking Christ as their reason to ban books, limit learning, remove rights, and lining up men to shoot them in the head.

 

This is not Christianity, it’s fascism.  It is co-opting Christ to create martial law in which only the 1^st get to be 1^st, and the last shall be punished in a series of dehumanizing, humiliating ways.

 

Christian Fascism is perhaps the biggest threat we face right now, as a state, a country, and as Christians.

 

One troublesome thing is that Christian Fascists would most likely be the 1^st to crucify Christ again.  This is my opinion.  I can’t help but sense that just like Judas, they are selling Jesus out again and again.   

 

One has to wonder- public Christians who use their faith to cage and control everyone else- would they even recognize Jesus if they saw him?

 

Could they recognize a 1^st Century Jewish man of Judean descent, about 5’5”, sun-kissed skin, and curly dark hair cropped close to his head?

 

Could so-called Public-Comment Christians recognize a Christ who was dressed as someone very poor, with brown eyes, and muscular frame that came from doing physical work?

 

As we learned a few months when studying Joshua, Jesus came from a lineage that included foreigners, non-jews and people of ruddy complexions.

 

Matthew testifies to that, as we hear in chapter 1 that Rahab, Ruth, and David as part of Christ’s family tree.

 

Would today’s Christian Fascists recognize Jesus by how he looked? 

 

Would they recognize Jesus by what he did?  For our anti-burlesque, anti-Pride Christians, probably not.

 

Some like to think the only place Jesus would vacation is Branson, MO, but scripture hints that Jesus may have opted for Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

Jesus was known for having a good time, surrounding himself with an eclectic group of folk, so much so that he is called a drunken and a glutton in Matthew 11. 

 

People despised Jesus for being friends with folk who didn’t have “proper” jobs or live “proper” lives.

 

Jesus says to the people “What are you looking to see?  Someone in soft robes like those worn in the palace?  You judged John for what he didn’t eat or drink, you judge me for what I do.”

 

Would today’s Christian Fascists recognize Jesus by the compassion he showed?

 

Would they rejoice to see him heal a foreign soldier’s servant?  An immigrant’s daughter?  Would they grant Jesus a permit to feed 5,000 in their backyard? 

 

Would they be Ok with how he offered random healing to folk on the corner of Walmart asking for money?

 

Would today’s Christian Fascists recognize Jesus by how he looked? 

 

Would they recognize Jesus by what he did? Would they recognize Jesus by what he said in public settings?

 

Imagine if a 5’5” olive skinned curly haired Jesus came to the Circle saying, “Blessed are the meek, the merciful, and blessed are the peacemakers.”

 

Imagine if a brown eyed day laborer came to city hall saying, “Stop all public displays of faith and superfluous prayers!”

 

Imagine if Jesus came back right now and said “Stop hogging up all the wealth and taking advantage of your vulnerable renters and employees.”

 

Would today’s Christian Fascists recognize Jesus by how he looked?  What he did?  What he said in public settings?

 

Would we?

 

This question is asked because it is so easy to give a finger-pointing sermon judging people who finger-point.

 

But the same questions I ask about those who spoke at City Council are the same questions I must ask myself.

 

These are the same questions we ask about ourselves if we are honest about our own tendency to judge, morality measure, gossip and hold grudges.

 

Would any one of us recognize Jesus if he were to appear today?

 

Would we recognize Jesus for the 1^st Century brown-skinned man he was?

 

Would we recognize Jesus for what he did in terms of healing, feeding, welcoming?

 

Would we recognize Jesus by what he said regarding public prayer, the meek and the ones who study war no more?

 

Probably not.  Not I, not you, not the ones writing letters to the editor. 

 

That’s why we are thankful for the one tried and true way, that Jesus taught us when it comes to recognizing him.

 

In Matthew 25:31 Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes in glory, the nations shall be gathered, and they shall be judged.

 

We will hear the words “I was hungry, and you gave me food.  I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink.”

 

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.  I was naked and you gave me clothing.  I was sick and you took care of me.  I was in prison and you visited.”

 

“Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

 

Two thousand years later, and Jesus is still blowing our mind. 

 

We find out that Jesus has been with us all this time and he has been there in the least of these.

 

Two thousand years later and the questions we ask ourselves is not would we recognize Jesus by how he looks, what he does, what he says.

 

Nor is it that we recognize Christ in the 1^st or most righteous or the self-proclaimed “Saved.” 

 

But that we see the Christ in the least of these and most vulnerable.

 

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that we won’t recognize him in the morality police, book banners or self appointed Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

Matthew 25 is Jesus, telling us, and everyone that comes long after us, that we will recognize Christ in:

 

the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, in the naked, the sick, and incarcerated.

 

Therefore, the question is not “Did we recognize Jesus?” but “What did we do when we realized it was the Living Lord before us?”

 

Did our actions resemble a tape measure meant to judge someone’s moral worth or did our actions reflect the compassion and care of the Christ that dwells within us?

 

Amen.

Have There Every Truly Been "Good Ol' Days"; Malachi 3:1-12

 

Rev. George Miller

Aug 7, 2022

Malachi 3:1-12

 

In preparation for this month’s Women’s Equality Day worship, Millie loaned me a book called Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts.

 

It felt like learning about American history for the 1^st time. 

 

I had no idea how hard things were for our American ancestors, what it was like leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.

 

No idea that women worked from sun up to sundown no matter if you were a slave or slave owner, if you were a peasant or the elite; that women were expected to have a child every 2 years.

 

No idea just how severe taxation was or the lengths women went to figuratively give a finger to the British.

 

No idea that teenage girls were left at home to run entire households, or Martha Washington traveled beside her husband in a constant line of fire.

 

Nor do I recall learning about the constant threat of rape, communicable diseases, and smallpox, or the amounts of homeless women and children who traveled with the soldiers.

 

Founding Mothers has become a harrowing read, making me wonder-

 

How?  How did these women do this?

     Why?  Why don’t we know more?

 

Would anyone today do the things that were done 300 years ago in the name of freedom?

 

Was there ever a time in which things were easy and danger free?  We hear people talk about the “good old days” but did the “good old days” actually ever really exist?

 

In the 80’s we had AIDS.  70’s Vietnam.  60’s protests, assassinations, and segregation.  50’s was the Cold War, polio, and kids hiding under desks.

The 40’s saw an attempt to entirely annihilate gypsys, Jews and gays.  Not to mention Jim Crow, lynchings, prohibition, internment camps.

 

Exactly when were the Good Old Days?  How long did those Days actually last?  Who actually benefitted from them?

 

Because as Founding Mothers make clear, the pursuit for freedom and justice is non-stop, persistent, made of much bravery and bold people.

 

There is another question- where?  Where was God during all of this?

 

Amid all these world events, where has God been?  When atomic bombs fell, people from Africa forced into chains, and women set fire to family farms so the enemy could not take it? 

 

Where was God?  It’s a question as old as time, one that permeates today’s reading.

 

Malachi takes place about 75 years after Haggai had the Temple rebuilt.

 

The Exile’s been over for 200 years.  Judah is up and running again as a legitimate country.  They have their Kings, their Commandments, Laws, and Sabbath rituals back in place.  But…

 

Things just don’t feel right; they don’t feel the same.  The people of Judah are felling abandoned by God; unloved.

 

Judah’s priests have resumed corrupt ways, acting like they’re doing nothing wrong.  They and the people aren’t offering God their best.  They give God less than God has asked, the leftovers and trash they do not want.

 

This makes God feel weary; tired of holding onto God’s end of the covenant when the Temple leaders don’t even try to do their part.

 

The same people who are cruel to their spouses, who do unjust things, who engage in acts of violence come to the altar with crocodile tears because they think God is failing them.

 

The nation is polluted with people refusing to pay their employees a fair wage, who oppress children, who ignore the immigrants. (see Chapter 3)

 

The nation of Judah takes God to trial.  The people who long for the “good old days” and want to “make Judah great again” try to put all the blame on God, saying “Where were you?”  “Where are you?”  “Why don’t you love us?”

 

God responds “Ever since I’ve known you, you always did what you wanted.  Return to me, and you will see that I am right there.”

 

“Return to me,” God says, “And things really will be great.  Return to me and let me love you as you as I have always wanted to love.”

 

This intrigues the people; they ask “How shall we return.”  The answer God gives is much different than what God says in Micah. 

 

God’s answer to them is spoken in a language they understand- capitalism.

 

God says “Stop holding back your offering.  Give to me what you know you should.  Stop giving me only your 3rd, or 4^th best.”

 

To a nation that has spent so much time trying to do things their way, for their own benefit, God gives them a challenge- “Give what you know should be given.  And…” says God-

 

“Watch how I will give back to you, how I will open the treasures of Heaven and rain down upon you blessing upon blessing.”

 

Weeks ago, Carole shared research stating that the best form of medicine and long life is doing acts of kindness.

 

The Venerable Rev. David Astor taught us that the Buddhists believe that generosity is the 1^st step to everything.

 

Malachi, which is the closing book of the Old Testament, has God saying, “bring to me your full offering and see how happy you will be.”

 

The people of 5^th Century Judah can’t figure out where the Good Old Days have gone, so God’s response is “The Good Old Days are yet to be.”

 

The people wonder where God is, and God says, “I’ve been here the whole time, waiting for you.”

 

They wonder why God doesn’t love them; God says, “I have always loved you, even when your actions show that you take that love for granted.”

 

The God of Malachi is a God who is present, who hears, who loves, and a God who wants to love in return.

 

The God in Malachi is one who endures the harshest of words and accusations, takes note, God listens.

 

God tells them that there will be healing in their wings, they shall leap like horses freed from their stalls.

 

God says “If you want to live in the Good Old Days, the choices are yours.”

 

“The Good Old Days are not what you thought was in the past- they are the days that await for you in the future.”

 

The message of Malachi is a challenge, and it is a promise.  

 

The message of Malachi is deeply meaningful while oh so simple.

 

The message of Malachi is a measure of what we are willing to do if we wish to experience true happiness.

 

The message of Malachi is that God has not forsaken us, nor deserted us.

 

God is right here, ready to bless us yet again.      

 

For that, we can say “Amen.”