"YOU ARE AS SICK AS YOUR SICKEST SECRET." TRINITY EAST HAMPTON-2008.

 WHEN OUR DAUGHTER WAS BORN IN PARADISE, WHICH IS CALIFORNIA, GOD HAD GIVEN US ANOTHER TREAT, BLESSING), WHILE OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY WAS BACK
EAST,(CONN.), A FAMILY FROM OUR CHURCH ADOPTED US, FOR MANY OF THE HOLIDAYS. THE BEST ONE WAS THE THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION. THE WONDERFUL SMELLS OF THE TURKEY, IN THE OVEN AND THE BAKED GOODS THAT MY WIFE LOVED TO MAKE. AFTER THE DINNER, WE ALL WENT IN TO THE T.V.PLUMPED DOWN, UNLOOSSED OUR BELTS, BELCHED A FEW TIMES AND SETTLED IN TO WATCH FOOTBALL

THE PSALMIST HAD IT RIGHT WHEN HE WROTE:
         HOW GOOD AND PLEASENT IT IS
         WHEN BROTHERS LIVE TOGETHER IN UNITY!
         IT IS LIKE PRECIOUS oil POURED ON THE HEAD,
         RUNNING DOWN ON THE BEARD,
         DOWN UPON THE COLLAR OF HIS ROBES.
         RUNNING DOWN ON Aaron's BEARD,
         IT IS AS IF THE DEW OF HERMON
         WERE FALLING ON MOUNT ZION
         FOR THERE THE LORD BESTOWS HIS BLESSING,
          EVEN LIFE EVERMORE ( PSALM 133: 1-3).
THE IMAGERY OF THIS TEXT IS PROFOUND. IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, PEOPLE CELEBRATED GUESTS OF HONOR BY ANOINTING THEM WITH OIL. THE MORE HIGHLY HONORED THE GUEST, THE MORE EXPENSIVE THE OIL. EXPENSIVE OILS WERE FILLED WITH EXOTIC AROMATIC HERBS, AND THESE ANOINTING'S WERE NOT SPARSE CEREMONIAL SPRINKLINGS. THE RICHLY FRAGRANT OILS WOULD BE GENEROUSLY POURED ON THE HEAD OF THE GUEST, RUNNING DOWN INTO HIS ROBES. FOR DAYS AND EVEN WEEKS LATER THE ROBES OF THE ANOINTED ONE WOULD CARRY THE FRAGRANCE OF THE HONOR, THEREBY BLESSING THE OTHERS WHO FOUND THEMSELVES IN THEIR COMPANY.
PSALMIST REFERS TO THE ANOINTING OF' Aaron', WHICH WAS AN OLD TESTAMENT SYMBOL OF THE HIGEST LEVEL OF THE PRIESTHOOD. IT WAS THE CLEAREST STATEMENT YET OF GOD'S PRESENCE AMONG HIS PEOPLE IN TERMS OF HUMAN MEDIATOR.  WE HAVE UNFORTUNATELY COME TO BELIEVE THAT A WATCHING WORLD WILL KNOW THAT WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY THE WORDLY THINGS WE AVOID OR BY THE CHURCH THINGS WE DO.NOT ONLY IS OUR UNITY IMPORTANT TO GOD AS A WITNESS TO A WATCHING WORLD, BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES TANGIBLE EVIDENCE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS INDEED ONE SENT BY HIM (JOHN 17-21). IN ADDITION, PAUL ARGUES THAT UNITY ACROSS NORMALLY IMPENETRABLE LINES IS ONE FUNDAMENTAL OUTCOMES OF BEING IN CHRIST.
HE WRITES THAT HAVING " CLOTHED OURSELVES  WITH CHRIST, THEIR IS NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK, SLAVE OR  FREE, MALE OR FEMALE, FOR WE ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS" (GAL.3-27-28). LATER IN THE BOOK PAUL ADDS, " FOR IN CHRIST JESUS NEITHER CIRCUMCISION HAS ANY VALUE. THE ONLY THING THAT COUNTS IS FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH LOVE (GAL 2;6). AS LUTHER SAYS: BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, FOR LOVE TO DO WORKS. PAUL CONCLUDES BY SAYING THAT THESE THREE ULTIMATE PRINCIPLES; FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE. BUT, HE SAYS THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE. TO BE HEALTHY TODAY IN ONE'S SOUL, THERE CAN BE NO MORE IMPORTANT PRESCRIPTION THAN THAT GIVEN BY THE GOSPELS AND BY WHAT IS STILL THE HIGHEST WITHIN OUR CONSCIENCE. IF WE ARE HONEST, EVENTUALLY, TRUTH AND LOVE WILL FIND US.
 WE ARE REMINDED THAT IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE IN LIFE, WE ARE TO GATHER IN PRAYER. JESUS PROMISED THAT WHEN EVER A GROUP OF PEOPLE GATHERED IN PRAYER, HE WILL BE THERE. EARLY CHURCH TOOK THE PROMISE LITERALLY. THE FIRST DISCIPLES  HAD BEEN USE TO HAVING JESUS PHYISCALLY AMONG THEM. THEN AFTER HIS ASCENSION, THEY OFTEN STRUGGLED TO KNOW WHAT JESUS WANTED THEM TO DO. THEY WOULD GATHER AROUND THE WORD AND THE BREAKING OF BREAD AND, THERE, LET JESUS MAKE HIS PRESENCE FELT. CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT SUSTAINED ONLY BY PRIVATE ACTS OF PRAYER, JUSTICE, AND VIRTUE. BUT AT JESUS INVITATION WITHIN COMMUNITY WORSHIP, TO LET JESUS DO THROUGH TRANSFORMATIVE POWER, THAT HAS SUSTAIN CHRISTANITY FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS. HOW WAS IT ACCOMPLISHED? WE UNCOVER A SECRET WORTH KNOWING. FAITH SUSTAINS ITSELF THROUGH RITUAL GATHERING AROUND THE WORD OF GOD AND THE BREAKING OF BREAD. WITHOUT RITUAL GATHERING WE WILL, LIKE ANY FAMILY, SOON FALL APART. IN AN AGE WHEN IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN FAITH AND COMMUNITY, THERE CAN BE NO BETTER ADVICE TO US THAN THAT OF JESUS HIMSELF: GATHER AROUND THE WORD OF GOD, AND BREAKING OF BREAD. WHAT DOES GOD LOOK LIKE. WHAT KIND OF GOD DID JESUS REVEAL? 
 ONE OF THE GREAT CHRISTIAN MYSTICS, JULIAN NORWICH ONCE DESCRIBED GOD THIS WAY: COMPLETELY RELAXED AND COURTEOUS, HE WAS HIMSELF THE HAPPINESS AND PEACE OF HIS DEAR FRIENDS, HIS BEAUTIFUL FACE, RADIATING MEASURELESS LOVE, LIKE A MARVELOUS SYMPHONY. IN THE PAST PICTURE OF GOD WAS A PROJECTION OF OUR OWN ANGER, WE TENDED TO PAINT GOD AS A PUNISHING GOD, A GOD WITH A RECORDING BOOK WITH A STRICT WAY FOR SALVATION. HELL FIRE WAITED FOR THOSE WHO LIVED IN FEAR OF THAT GOD.
TODAY THAT GOD HAS  FALLEN ON HARD TIMES, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE  OF OUR CHURCHES. WHEN WE READ THE FIRST PAGES OF THE BIBLE, WE SEE THAT,IMMEDIATELY UPON CREATING EACH ITEM WITHIN CREATION, GOD LOOKS AT IT AND SAYS: "IT IS VERY GOOD! THAT ORIGINAL BLESSING, HAS NEVER CHANGED, DESPITE THE EXISTANCE OF EVIL AND SIN. THERE IS A CONTEMPORARY BUDDHIST PARABLE THAT CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SAID HERE.
 ONE DAY THE BUDDHA, BADLY OVERWEIGHT, WAS SITTING UNDER  TREE. A YOUNG SOLDIER, TRIM AND HANDSOME, CAME ALONG, LOOKED AT THE BUDDHA, AND SAID: " YOU LOOK LIKE A PIG!"  THE BUDDA REPLIED: " WELL YOU LOOK LIKE GOD!"  " WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?" ASKED THE SUPRISED YOUNG SOLDIER,, WELL, REPLIED THE BUDDHA, WE SEE WHAT'S INSIDE US. I THINK ABOUT GOD ALL DAY AND WHEN I LOOK OUT THAT IS WHAT I SEE. YOU, OBVIOUSLY, MUST THINK ABOUT OTHER THINGS. WHAT WE SEE OUTSIDE OURSELVES IS VERY MUCH COLORED BY WHAT IS, FIRST OF ALL, INSIDE US. JESUS HAD WITHIN HIM A CONCEPT
THAT LET HIM SEE OF CREATION, THAT WAS WORTH BLESSING.
A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE HE DIED, HENRI NOUWEN, PERHAPS THE BEST SPIRITUAL WRITER OF OUR GENERATION, WROTE A BOOK  THAT MANY CONSIDER TO BE A SPIRITUL MASTERPIECE. IT IS ENTITLED " THE RETURN OF THE PRODICAL SON, NOUWEN POINTS OUT THAT THE PAINTING BY REMBRANDT OF THE FATHER OF THE PRODICAL SON, HAS MANY INTERESTING FEATURES: 1).HE IS DEPICTED AS BLIND. HIS EYES ARE SHUT AND HE SEES THE PRODICAL SON NOT WITH EYES BUT WITH HIS HEART. ( TO WHICH HE IS TENDERLY HOLDING HIS SON'S HEAD.). THE IMPLICATION IS OBVIOUS, GOD SEES WITH THE HEART. MOREOVER, THE FIGURE
REPESENTING GOD HAS ONE MALE HAND( WHICH IS PULLING THE WAYWARD SON TO HIMSELF) AND ONE FEMALE HAND ( WHICH IS CARESSING THE SON'S BACK). THUS GOD IS PRESENTED HERE AS BOTH FATHER AND MOTHER). WE KNOW LIKE THE YOUNGER SON, WE ARE OFTEN AWAY FROM GOD'S HOUSE.
THUS, GIVEN THAT WE LIVE UNDER A SMILING, RELAXED, ALL FORGIVING, AND ALL POWERFUL GOD, WE, TOO SHOULD RELAX AND SMILE.