Message for February 4, 2007

Rev. James Pennington

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw God sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, whose train filled the temple. Above God stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:

"Holy, holy, is the God of hosts; the whole earth is full of God's glory.

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I a person of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the Ruler the of hosts!"

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in its hand a burning coal which it has taken with tongs from the altar. And the seraph touched my mouth and said: "This has touched your lips; your GUILT is taken away, 'I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said "Here am I! Send me." And God said, "Go, and say to this people:

'Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not Perceive.' Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and Understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." (Isaiah 6:1-10)

"And I say, "O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yea, I would wander afar, I would lodge in the wilderness, Selah". (Psalm 55:6-7)

INTRODUCTION – Black History Month

February, gives us the opportunity to reflect on the rich and powerful heritage of African Americans. February is Black History Month. It is a reflection that calls us not just on a journey into the past, but on one into the present and future. It is a reflection that not only pulls us into the pain contained within our history, but also the power to pursue our destiny.

February, invites us not just to reflect on past legacy, but also on future possibility. Dr. Maya Angelou suggests that we find ways of nurturing our roots in such a way that it enables us to acquire WINGS to fly into the future – reaching new heights and insights. In her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Dr. Angelou suggests that there are many experience, systems, habits, and schemes in the past and present that will try to cage us in from the future. According to her, these experiences and practices will always attempt to arrest our development – physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially and culturally.

These words guided me to the conclusion that the best gifts we can give any generation are: roots! And wings! History and future FLIGHT! Our reflection on the past must never be to repeat it! Because our destiny is beyond our legacy, we must employ history as a teacher that will provide us opportunities to examine our roots, and exhibit our wings.

Rosa Parks Birthday – February 4

And today, February 4, is also the birthday of Rosa Parks....a woman who clearly examined her roots and exhibited her wings!

According to the old saying, "some people are born to greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." Greatness was certainly thrust upon Rosa Parks, but the modest former seamstress has found herself equal to the challenge. Rosa Parks was one of those persons who knew her ROOTS and EXHIBITED her WINGS!

Known today as "the mother of the Civil Rights Movement," Parks almost single-handedly set in motion a veritable revolution in the southern United States, a revolution that would eventually secure equal treatment under the law for all black Americans.

Richett L. Haywood wrote in Jet Magazine these words about Rosa Parks: "For those who lived through the unsettling 1950s and 1960s and joined the civil rights struggle, the soft-spoken Rosa Parks was more, much more than the woman who refused to give up her bus seat to a White man in Montgomery, Alabama," Hers was an act that forever changed White America's view of Black people, and forever changed America itself."

Rosa exhibited her wings throughout her life..... As a wife and mother, in her spare time, Rosa became active in the NAACP and the Montgomery Voters League, a group that helped blacks to pass a special test so they could register to vote. By the time she reached mid-life, Rosa Parks was no stranger to white intimidation. Like many other Southern blacks, she often boycotted the public facilities marked "Colored," walking up stairs rather than taking elevators, for instance. She had a special distaste for the city's public transportation, as did many of her fellow black citizens.

And the rest is history.....Rosa....a woman who exhibited her wings and challenging the system of oppression and bigotry in Alabama....

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE READING

This morning we are going to challenge ourselves – not just to remember, lament and celebrate our ROOTS – the Past – our History – but to EXHIBIT OUR WINGS AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD – we find Isaiah in today's reading – getting his "wings" so to speak – his call and commission to be God's prophetic voice. But unlike last week, when we look at Jeremiah's call into the prophetic roll.....Isaiah's was a bit more dramatic. Isaiah actually claims he was in the presence of God – or at the very least – had a very dramatic vision of God in all her/his glory and power.

Let's grapple with the awesomeness of this experience for Isaiah – This was Isaiah's Epiphany – an experience with the Holy - and in Hebrew culture – to see God was to DIE! No one could see the Sovereign face-to-face and live!

And what a spectacular vision of the Sovereign God Isaiah had. God is sitting on a high and exalted throne. The Sovereign, it appears, is wearing a long flowing robe with a train that fills the entire temple....The Sovereign is surrounded by Seraphs or Seraphim or Angels – each attending the Sovereign – guarding the Sovereign – proclaiming the holiness of God. Each angel had six wings – two wings covered the/her face (to hide from the power and glory of God) and two wings covered the angels legs. With the remaining two wings the Seraph could fly and hover around the throne of the Sovereign.

This group of seraphim were calling out to each other – a song of the majesty of God....

"Holy, holy, is the God of hosts; the whole earth is full of God's glory."

The sound of the Seraphim's voices was so strong, so loud, that the doorposts of the temple would shake and rattle as they spoke with authority and power. The temple was filled with a cloud of holy smoke, symbolic of incense or prayers rising up to the throne of God.

How would you respond to such a vision of the Sovereign? I know that I would more than likely respond in the same fashion that Isaiah did......

"Poor pitiful me! I am lost! I am unclean! And everyone I live
Around is unclean.....I am not worthy!

If one word were to be employed to express the mood of our text, it would be "AWE". A holy God has taken the initiative to address a weak and mortal individual...and Isaiah is almost paralyzed with a sense of God's power and his own inadequacy.

BUT God encounters human beings not to condemn and terrify, but rather to TRANSFORM and CALL.

God certainly captured Isaiah's attention – But what amazes me is that God doesn't seem to take any excuses from the women and men he/she calls.

As with Jeremiah – God gave Isaiah no choice – one of the angels touches Isaiah's lips with a live/hot/burning coal taken from the altar – and states – you are ready to speak for the holy God because your GUILT is gone and you are free – free to live forgiven! Isaiah is forgiven, emboldened, and given a word to deliver to the people.

Now, I would say that ROSA Parks was touched by the live fire of God....she was listening – she didn't do the negative self-talk that day in December of 1955....she didn't say "what can a poor black woman do to change the course of history" – she responded to the call of her God.....she was emboldened.... SHE DID the JUST and RIGHT THING....Rosa DID JUSTICE – Just what the prophet Micah said – right there on backdrop!

(READ IT TOGETHER OUTLOUD)

"GOD HAS TOLD YOU, WHAT IS GOOD; AND WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU BUT TO DO JUSTICE, TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD"!

People have tried so many ways to please God – I am sure we all have our stories from childhood – from our own history – how did we try to please or appease God.....? BUT GOD makes it clear what will please HIM/HER –

God wants us to be JUST – and not just to BE JUST – but rather to DO JUSTICE – to act out justice with and for others - to do the JUST and RIGHT thing – to LOVE KINDNESS and MERCY and GOODNESS – and finally – to walk HUMBLY WITH OUR GOD!

That was Rosa Parks – she didn't take the EASY way out – she could have chosen NOT TO DO THE JUST THING – NOT TO TAKE WINGS and SPEAK OUT FOR JUSTICE AND EQUALITY.....She did not choose what a member shared with me on Saturday morning – "ARMCHAIR ACTVISM" or "CHECK BOOK CHRISTIANITY" – her faith was a faith in action....a faith that actually changed the course of history. Rosa Parks knew what the epistle of James was talking about when it said;

"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, 'You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works'." (James 2:17-18)

We are being challenged, just like Rosa in 1955, in 2007 to display out faith by our actions – our actions that lead to God's justice, mercy and love.

I know that ROSA PARKS got her wings and spread her wings on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama December 1, 1955.

The Isaiah text also contains an ominous note that should catch our attention and challenge us this morning to DO JUSTICE – to SPREAD OUR WINGS:

In the Isaiah Passage God says, "Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed."

These words bring to mind the ubiquitous cell phones, iPods, and Blackberries that consume the attentions of so many of us today, stopping our ears and blinding our eyes. Who among us hasn't been nearly run down by a pedestrian or driver focused on a cell phone conversation? How can we hear the call of God when our electronic gizmos demand that we respond to the calls of friends, family, or of bosses? How can we hear the call of God when we have so little silence in our personal universe?

These CALL narratives or stories about Jeremiah and Isaiah aren't simply reminding us that our DAILY work is a part of God's calling – that is true – but these epiphanies – these experiences with the Holy – remind us to look and listen for an epiphany – to seek out an experience with the holy – a spectacular meeting with God – an opportunity to get our wings and spread our wings - These CALL narratives are here to spur our imaginations and give us the ability to envision a call to DO JUSTICE – to envision a resurrected future for ourselves.

Ask yourself the question this morning....are you shut off to an experience with the holy.....a chance for an epiphany....a chance to move out of ARMCHAIR ACTIVISM or CHECK BOOK CHRISTIANITY? This means FAITH in action – DOING JUSTICE – and living faith and doing justice with our own hands, our own feet, our own mouths!?

May this be the time and the place where God breaks into our seemingly mundane routines in such a way that makes us drop our cell phones and iPods and black berries and pay attention to the EPIPHANY BEFORE US....an experience with the HOLY....to hear God call our names....give us our wings and the power to spread those wings.... 

We must be intentional in healing, restoring and developing our wings...and in helping our brothers and sisters celebrate their wings. From the church house to the crack house, broken wings must be restored so that we can fly to the new heights God has for us. It's not just enough to believe we can fly ... it's time to actually put on our eagle wings and fly – spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally – individually and as a community of faith.

May we allow the Holy Spirit, the wings and wind of our God, to give us the courage to present one another with the gifts of roots – a healthy and authentic identity, and wings – the ability to become our best and brightest selves.

Like Rosa, let us boldly claim our wings – Do justice – live mercy and walk humbly with our God!