St. Patrick: Intimacy with God

Do the Peace of Jerusalem

Rob Gieselmann, Pent. 28B, November 15, 2015

In the television show,

Madame Secretary – Tea Leone stars as the Secretary of State of the United States.  Last Sunday, the show

opened with a disturbingly familiar internet clip of

an Isis terrorist murdering an American journalist, onscreen.  The terrorist is clothed head-to-toe in black – his face shrouded. He stares into the camera and speaks menacingly in farsi, but with an American accent. Tea Leone and her staff realize immediately that the man must be an American – so they set about discovering his identity. Once they think they have it, they invite the young man’s mother – an American – into the office, for her to confirm his identity. She hasn’t yet seen the Internet clip – so they show it to her.

Once again, there is the terrorist, shrouded in black – menacing. The woman watches the clip with bewilderment – Why are they showing this to her? she wonders.

But then the man – the boy, really – speaks – And her expression changes – from bewilderment to shock, and finally to perturbation. Her body shakes, her face contorts in horror. She realizes, her son, her beloved, is a murderer, and worse, a terrorist. Just a few short years before, she had nursed this boy at her breast. Held him in her arms, coddled him, and protected him. *Men don’t always appreciate the maternal instinct.

When Hannah was distraught at having no children, her husband, Elkanah, asked her, Aren’t I enough for you?

Hannah didn’t answer Elkanah, but if she had, her answer would have been, No. And I think of Hannah, and I think of all the mothers, this morning, who lost children in Paris on Friday night. Mothers both of the innocent and of the guilty –

For these mothers, all of them, we should pray. Now – the assumption is that Hannah’s motives were maternal only – but they were not. She was equally jealous of Elkanah’s other wife – the one with so many children. Maternal and jealous. Hannah’s soul was empty, for all the right reasons, plus a few dark ones. But God answered Hannah’s prayer, anyway, and she gave birth to Samuel. Samuel, who became the last of the judges, the first of the prophets – Samuel, who anointed two kings during his lifetime, Saul as Israel’s first, and David as Israel’s greatest.

And so it is, in life, some children become terrorists, while others become saints. This happens among the children of mothers, don’t ask me why. *Jesus warned, Not one stone will be left upon another. This prediction is not

judgment – neither Jesus nor God is condemning Israel. Rather, it is, as Rene Girard claimed. Girard by the way is the prominent French philosopher – and I would add theologian – who died just over a week ago – Girard claimed that humanity is responsible for its own history, not God. Hence, Jesus’ words are prediction, and not judgment. Not one stone will be left upon another.  **And, in fact, not one stone is left upon another. The Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed less than a generation after Jesus’ ascension, in the year 70. Only the Temple Mount still exists – the foundation - with its stone side, the Wailing Wall. When I visited the Wailing Wall some twenty years ago, I was given a free yamulkah – which I pinned to my head. I then walked-up to the wall, stood inches from it, just like I saw others do. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, the psalmist commanded, so I prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. All around me orthodox men likewise prayed. They rocked back and forth on their heels and toes, their heels and toes, like Hannah, uttering intense prayers, crying out to God. I suspect that they, too, prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. That they, too, prayed for the day when swords might be beat into ploughshares. Yet, even as I prayed, even as they prayed, there stood immediately above us, on the wall itself, a soldier holding an uzzi, guarding the peace. About a hundred yards away – on the Temple Mount itself – stands the second holiest site in all Islam, the Dome of the Rock. When I finished my prayers at the wall, I went to the mosque. Took off my shoes, and entered it solemnly. I don’t remember praying there, but I watched this stadium of men,

kneeling on their prayer rugs – Up and down, up and down,

worshipping the same god, the God of Abraham. And I don’t for the life of me understand how these faithful men –

the Jews and Muslims, could pray so close to each other, to the same God of Abraham, brothers – really – yet live in such a state of hate.

Brother will lift sword against brother, Jesus continued, and a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household –

Jihadi John, that Brit, so vengefully murdering his own brothers openly for all the world to see. *Woody Allen, in his pessimistic way, once said, Mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.

When will these things happen? The disciples asked Jesus.

I don’t know why Jesus didn’t retort, When WON’T they happen?  *Rene Girard blames it all on competition. Not competition as in capitalism and free markets – but in that very unholy need each of us has to obtain what we don’t have, but see in others. Like Hannah competing with Elkanah’s other wife – we’re never satisfied, are we?

This need to measure ourselves over against others leads, Girard says, to retaliation. And I would add, retaliation leads to war, and is evil.  **What happened Friday night is evil. No question about it. How did these children of God turn into terrorists working for darkness? I honestly don’t know. And of-course, it is too soon – to remind ourselves of this fact - that these terrorists were somebody’s children. But they were. I think what I want to  know is this: How is it Jews that prays at the wall.  Muslims inside the Dome.  Christians at St. George’s Episcopal Church nearby.  All Abraham’s children, praying for peace. But not willing to live peace? Brother against brother. And a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

I know one cannot compare the ISIS terrorists

with the faithful religious elsewhere. And I am not offering you an answer today; This sermon is not one of instruction, but of lamentation. I am deeply grieved. I suspect you are, too. And I would prefer in my grief to turn to prayer and hope

rather than despair and retaliation. And my prayer is ironic – it is that one of these days, we actually stop praying for peace – And begin to do peace.