A Miracle Even Thomas Jefferson Could Embrace
Sermon given at the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church
October 1, 2017
by The Rev. Craig M. Nowak
In the early morning hours of November 14, 2015, thirty gunshots from a high powered rifle rang out. Of these, four pierced the walls of the empty mosque in central Connecticut. Following arrest, the gunman, a marine who had posted anti-muslim sentiments on social media, said he went into, “Marine Corps protection mode" after drinking the night following the Paris terror attacks, figuring, "If I fire some shots it'll scare any terrorists.” Ultimately he was sentenced to six months in prison and fined for damage to the mosque.
Had this story ended there I would not have chosen to share it with you this morning. As it turns out, the story contains a miracle. And by miracle I don’t mean that which made Lila and the choir’s offerings today so wonderful, particularly the 10th Amendment, which I’ve been reminded…often… is challenging. That rather, was hard work and dedication on the part of the choir and Lila. Nor by miracle do I mean that Lila managed to talk me into including an amendment from the the musical setting of the Bill of Rights by Neely Bruce in one service each month this church year. That idea actually fit perfectly with my intent to explore themes this year that are perhaps broadly but not always deeply familiar or known. And certainly the Bill of Rights falls into that category.
No, when I say the story of the man who shot at a mosque contains a miracle, I mean like the miracle contained within our second reading this morning, the story of Jesus and the Canaanite woman. Now, for those of you concerned that I’m about to make a case for supernatural, selective, divine intervention in defiance of reason and scientific knowledge, rest assured; I am not. Rather, I hope to offer you a different way to think about, and recognize in your own life. A miracle that has nothing to do with a concept of God as a celestial busy-body, choosing to meddle or stay out of people’s lives for no apparent reason. I’m talking about a miracle even Thomas Jefferson could embrace. And so as not to keep the Jefferson reference an inside joke and thus violate the most basic spirit of hospitality, allow me to elaborate.
Over the years, Unitarian Universalists have often claimed Thomas Jefferson as one of our own. This kinship is based on his thoughts and writings about religion rather than membership in a theologically Unitarian religious community, which was apparently not readily available to him in Virginia. Jefferson, a product the Enlightenment, was deeply interested in the interplay of science and theology.
As a result, Jefferson was considered well outside the mainstream of religious belief in his day. So much so that, according to writer Owen Edwards, Jefferson’s “opponents in the 1800 presidential election labeled him a “howling Atheist.” A charge for which his opponents might well have felt vindicated leveling upon discovery of a book Jefferson produced in 1820, and now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, called, “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.” Today it is more commonly referred to as “The Jefferson Bible.”
Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University, has described “The Jefferson Bible” as a product of, “scripture by subtraction.” Indeed, Jefferson, after studying various translations in Greek and Latin, literally cut, arranged and pasted the book together, ultimately retaining the Gospel accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus but omitting those which referred to the miracles or other events which Jefferson deemed, “contrary to reason.” And in case you’re wondering, no, the Gospel story that was our second reading this morning is not included in “The Jefferson Bible.” Presumably Jefferson omitted it because he objected to the idea of demon possession and exorcism.
So how could this story reflect a miracle Jefferson could embrace? Certainly, Jefferson was a learned man, but he wasn’t infallible. He did, I remind you, in a letter written in 1822, say Unitarianism will…”before long, be the religion of the majority from north to south, I have no doubt.” Jefferson then, was human. That is, like all of us, he had, shall we say, blind spots. Given his concern to push aside anything, “contrary to reason”, Jefferson may have set himself up to apply a something of a purity standard to his endeavor much as the religious authorities of Jesus’s own time used purity codes to measure religious piety and worthiness. And as we surely know from our own experiences and the state of our politics, either/or thinking and ideological purity makes judges, jurors and executioners of us all.
Of course, we don’t even have to imagine things to that extreme to posit Jefferson’s approach to scripture likely left him unable (or unwilling) to see outside the box he had placed himself in. Thus, he might not have wondered what other reason or reasons beyond the healing or exorcism there might have been for this particular story to be included in the Gospels. Much has been made of the faith of the women in the story, which seems to have won Jesus over, convincing him to heal or exorcise her daughter. But I wonder what the very human Jefferson would, and indeed all of us, make of the very human Jesus in this story?
Here we see a Jesus who perhaps surprises us. First he ignores the woman who has come to him for help. She is after all, from a despised people. This prompts Jesus’ disciples, who here, like so often in the Gospels are portrayed as clueless, to urge him to, “Send her away.” For a moment, it looks like Jesus might do actually do just that. By his own words, his understanding of his mission seems narrow, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, he says to the woman. Nevertheless, she persisted. Ultimately, Jesus realizes the woman sees him more fully than he see himself and exclaims, “Woman, great is your faith!” and her daughter, the story tells us, was healed.
So what’s the miracle here? The healing? Maybe, but the rational mind requires more detail about the condition described simply as being “tormented by a demon.” I wonder instead about the Jesus’ change of heart brought about when the woman, whom he consistently dismissed, persisted as if to say, “I know you’re better than this.” She indeed demonstrated great faith…in his humanity.
A blogger who goes by the name of Progressive Redneck Preacher, writes, “Her [the woman’s] response, speaking up…helps Jesus see he is just going along with his culture and inspires him…to reach out to the Gentiles.”
When in your life have you realized someone saw you more fully than you see yourself and moved you to reach out beyond the confines of your clan, tribe, national origin, sexual orientation, race, religious, socio-economic or political group? When has another’s faith in the depth and breadth of your humanity, inspired the miracle of a change of heart in you?
Among the principles named in our association’s covenant and which we as Unitarian Universalists are called to affirm and promote, are, “the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.”
An important thing to remember about these and all our principles (as well as our congregational mission), is we’re not there yet. These are aspirational statements and the time we give to one another in community and on our own is our continuing education. The focus of which is not the acquisition of information, but the cultivation of wisdom, as evidenced by a transformation of the heart.
There are, as the Gospel story suggest, two paths to this transformation: To see ourselves more fully and to see others more fully. The cool thing is it doesn’t really matter which one you start on. One leads you to the other. And this is where the words from our responsive reading, “Give Us The Spirit Of The Child” can offer us guidance.
The reading reminds us that within each person is the capacity to trust, imagine, give and receive freely, to wonder…and that is not ashamed to need or afraid to love. For so many adults this is a process of unlearning…of stripping away all the defensive layers that keep us from seeing ourselves and others fully. As those layers are stripped away the odds of a miracle, a change of heart, get better and better.
I’m not particularly inspired by reports of supernatural miracles. Statues that are said to weep or traveling preachers who claim to heal the sick do not strengthen my faith, but rather, more often offend it. Leaving me wondering why an intervention for one person or situation and not another.
Give me a miracle as a change of heart any day. It is the only miracle I know of that can effect deep and lasting change. Change that is desperately needed in our nation today, this land of noble principles, which nonetheless feels now as if it is buckling under the weight of a superiority complex interwoven with its white supremacist past and present and exacerbated by political cynicism.
Just such a change describes the miracle in the story of the marine who shot up a mosque in Connecticut. The mosque leader, rather than rail against the shooter, visited him in prison… every other week. He also gifted him his grandfather’s Koran, a family heirloom. The intent was not to convert the shooter to Islam, but, to show him he is better than what he did and is seen more fully than he or others might see him.
Now free from prison, the marine who once hated muslims, devotes time and energy to sharing his story and encouraging others to look beyond the confines of prevailing stereotypes, headlines and religious and political propaganda. Having been seen and seeing himself more fully, he has experienced a change of heart.
To see ourselves and others more fully. This is the work of our Unitarian Universalist faith. It is work that takes commitment and practice, but the change of heart it can and does inspire, is nothing short of a miracle. A miracle even Thomas Jefferson could embrace. May it be so.
Amen and Blessed Be.
Sermon given at the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church
October 1, 2017
by The Rev. Craig M. Nowak
In the early morning hours of November 14, 2015, thirty gunshots from a high powered rifle rang out. Of these, four pierced the walls of the empty mosque in central Connecticut. Following arrest, the gunman, a marine who had posted anti-muslim sentiments on social media, said he went into, “Marine Corps protection mode" after drinking the night following the Paris terror attacks, figuring, "If I fire some shots it'll scare any terrorists.” Ultimately he was sentenced to six months in prison and fined for damage to the mosque.
Had this story ended there I would not have chosen to share it with you this morning. As it turns out, the story contains a miracle. And by miracle I don’t mean that which made Lila and the choir’s offerings today so wonderful, particularly the 10th Amendment, which I’ve been reminded…often… is challenging. That rather, was hard work and dedication on the part of the choir and Lila. Nor by miracle do I mean that Lila managed to talk me into including an amendment from the the musical setting of the Bill of Rights by Neely Bruce in one service each month this church year. That idea actually fit perfectly with my intent to explore themes this year that are perhaps broadly but not always deeply familiar or known. And certainly the Bill of Rights falls into that category.
No, when I say the story of the man who shot at a mosque contains a miracle, I mean like the miracle contained within our second reading this morning, the story of Jesus and the Canaanite woman. Now, for those of you concerned that I’m about to make a case for supernatural, selective, divine intervention in defiance of reason and scientific knowledge, rest assured; I am not. Rather, I hope to offer you a different way to think about, and recognize in your own life. A miracle that has nothing to do with a concept of God as a celestial busy-body, choosing to meddle or stay out of people’s lives for no apparent reason. I’m talking about a miracle even Thomas Jefferson could embrace. And so as not to keep the Jefferson reference an inside joke and thus violate the most basic spirit of hospitality, allow me to elaborate.
Over the years, Unitarian Universalists have often claimed Thomas Jefferson as one of our own. This kinship is based on his thoughts and writings about religion rather than membership in a theologically Unitarian religious community, which was apparently not readily available to him in Virginia. Jefferson, a product the Enlightenment, was deeply interested in the interplay of science and theology.
As a result, Jefferson was considered well outside the mainstream of religious belief in his day. So much so that, according to writer Owen Edwards, Jefferson’s “opponents in the 1800 presidential election labeled him a “howling Atheist.” A charge for which his opponents might well have felt vindicated leveling upon discovery of a book Jefferson produced in 1820, and now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, called, “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.” Today it is more commonly referred to as “The Jefferson Bible.”
Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University, has described “The Jefferson Bible” as a product of, “scripture by subtraction.” Indeed, Jefferson, after studying various translations in Greek and Latin, literally cut, arranged and pasted the book together, ultimately retaining the Gospel accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus but omitting those which referred to the miracles or other events which Jefferson deemed, “contrary to reason.” And in case you’re wondering, no, the Gospel story that was our second reading this morning is not included in “The Jefferson Bible.” Presumably Jefferson omitted it because he objected to the idea of demon possession and exorcism.
So how could this story reflect a miracle Jefferson could embrace? Certainly, Jefferson was a learned man, but he wasn’t infallible. He did, I remind you, in a letter written in 1822, say Unitarianism will…”before long, be the religion of the majority from north to south, I have no doubt.” Jefferson then, was human. That is, like all of us, he had, shall we say, blind spots. Given his concern to push aside anything, “contrary to reason”, Jefferson may have set himself up to apply a something of a purity standard to his endeavor much as the religious authorities of Jesus’s own time used purity codes to measure religious piety and worthiness. And as we surely know from our own experiences and the state of our politics, either/or thinking and ideological purity makes judges, jurors and executioners of us all.
Of course, we don’t even have to imagine things to that extreme to posit Jefferson’s approach to scripture likely left him unable (or unwilling) to see outside the box he had placed himself in. Thus, he might not have wondered what other reason or reasons beyond the healing or exorcism there might have been for this particular story to be included in the Gospels. Much has been made of the faith of the women in the story, which seems to have won Jesus over, convincing him to heal or exorcise her daughter. But I wonder what the very human Jefferson would, and indeed all of us, make of the very human Jesus in this story?
Here we see a Jesus who perhaps surprises us. First he ignores the woman who has come to him for help. She is after all, from a despised people. This prompts Jesus’ disciples, who here, like so often in the Gospels are portrayed as clueless, to urge him to, “Send her away.” For a moment, it looks like Jesus might do actually do just that. By his own words, his understanding of his mission seems narrow, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, he says to the woman. Nevertheless, she persisted. Ultimately, Jesus realizes the woman sees him more fully than he see himself and exclaims, “Woman, great is your faith!” and her daughter, the story tells us, was healed.
So what’s the miracle here? The healing? Maybe, but the rational mind requires more detail about the condition described simply as being “tormented by a demon.” I wonder instead about the Jesus’ change of heart brought about when the woman, whom he consistently dismissed, persisted as if to say, “I know you’re better than this.” She indeed demonstrated great faith…in his humanity.
A blogger who goes by the name of Progressive Redneck Preacher, writes, “Her [the woman’s] response, speaking up…helps Jesus see he is just going along with his culture and inspires him…to reach out to the Gentiles.”
When in your life have you realized someone saw you more fully than you see yourself and moved you to reach out beyond the confines of your clan, tribe, national origin, sexual orientation, race, religious, socio-economic or political group? When has another’s faith in the depth and breadth of your humanity, inspired the miracle of a change of heart in you?
Among the principles named in our association’s covenant and which we as Unitarian Universalists are called to affirm and promote, are, “the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.”
An important thing to remember about these and all our principles (as well as our congregational mission), is we’re not there yet. These are aspirational statements and the time we give to one another in community and on our own is our continuing education. The focus of which is not the acquisition of information, but the cultivation of wisdom, as evidenced by a transformation of the heart.
There are, as the Gospel story suggest, two paths to this transformation: To see ourselves more fully and to see others more fully. The cool thing is it doesn’t really matter which one you start on. One leads you to the other. And this is where the words from our responsive reading, “Give Us The Spirit Of The Child” can offer us guidance.
The reading reminds us that within each person is the capacity to trust, imagine, give and receive freely, to wonder…and that is not ashamed to need or afraid to love. For so many adults this is a process of unlearning…of stripping away all the defensive layers that keep us from seeing ourselves and others fully. As those layers are stripped away the odds of a miracle, a change of heart, get better and better.
I’m not particularly inspired by reports of supernatural miracles. Statues that are said to weep or traveling preachers who claim to heal the sick do not strengthen my faith, but rather, more often offend it. Leaving me wondering why an intervention for one person or situation and not another.
Give me a miracle as a change of heart any day. It is the only miracle I know of that can effect deep and lasting change. Change that is desperately needed in our nation today, this land of noble principles, which nonetheless feels now as if it is buckling under the weight of a superiority complex interwoven with its white supremacist past and present and exacerbated by political cynicism.
Just such a change describes the miracle in the story of the marine who shot up a mosque in Connecticut. The mosque leader, rather than rail against the shooter, visited him in prison… every other week. He also gifted him his grandfather’s Koran, a family heirloom. The intent was not to convert the shooter to Islam, but, to show him he is better than what he did and is seen more fully than he or others might see him.
Now free from prison, the marine who once hated muslims, devotes time and energy to sharing his story and encouraging others to look beyond the confines of prevailing stereotypes, headlines and religious and political propaganda. Having been seen and seeing himself more fully, he has experienced a change of heart.
To see ourselves and others more fully. This is the work of our Unitarian Universalist faith. It is work that takes commitment and practice, but the change of heart it can and does inspire, is nothing short of a miracle. A miracle even Thomas Jefferson could embrace. May it be so.
Amen and Blessed Be.
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