Rev Ingrid Brown ‘A world where Love leads the way’ Sunday, September 18th

gilakas’la / čɛčɛ haθɛč,
I respectfully acknowledge that I live, work, play, and pray on the unceded territory of the K’ómoks Nation

Reflection

What is God’s dream for the world? I think Desmond Tutu sums it up pretty well in that book. The picture he paints for us is human, not flawless, but beautiful. What is God’s dream? For centuries people have been looking to sacred texts for guidance on what Creator would have them do, how God would have them live. That is, essentially, what the Bible is all about – people wrestling with how to live with God and one another. Yes, it has been used – misused – by taking a narrow view of certain lines or phrases out of context, but what if we consider that whole arc?

It starts with a tree – a tree in a beautiful garden. The climax of the Christian story comes on a tree – the story of Easter. And today we have a reading from the last chapter of the Bible – the very last thing ends with a tree. Now I know the book of Revelation has a bad wrap – its crazy. Angels and demons, jewels, thrones, crystals, fire – its like the next best HBO special really. (announcer voice) “You’ve seen game of thrones, but have you seen John of Patmos REVELATION!? Coming soon on HBO Max” It is very exciting literature – and that is what it is. Literature – a style from the era called Apocalyptic – referring to the apocalypse. This became known as this fiery dooms ending (based on this and several other ancient works) but apocalypse actually just means the final things. And after all of the spectacular events found in this Book of Revelation – we have this ending where John – exiled on the island of Patmos – shares a vision an angel gives to him – his understanding of God’s dream coming realized.

“Then I saw it” he writes, “then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the old one had passed away… And i saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…and I heard a loud voice saying…God’s home is on earth, among humans. God will wipe every tear from their eyes, death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more…see i am making all things new….then theangel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from God through the middle of the street of the city. And reaching to either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit…and the leaves are for the healing of all the nations.”

The healing of all the nations. The vision also shares the falling of empires and the gathering of all peoples in the fullness of their diversity singing together in unity.

What if that is God’s dream? The falling of empires, the healing of nations, and celebration of diversity in unity.

I want to share with you this same reading from Revelation from the book, “Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization” – this is titled, “Turtle Island Renewed” Turtle Island is the Indigenous way of referring to North America. The writer offers this same vision of a new heaven, a new earth written by John, that I just read from the Bible, but told through a decolonizing lens.

“THEN I SAW a renewed heaven and a renewed earth, for the old order of things had passed away. And the sea was no more—the sea that brought the colonizers’ ships, soldiers, guns, and diseases, and their slaves, and their dreams of wealth, plunder, and domination. The sea which was used to strip Turtle Island of its riches—its furs, lumber, fish, agricultural goods, silver, and gold— no longer a highway of exploitation.

I saw the renewed Turtle Island lovingly fashioned by the Creator’s hands, and I heard a loud voice thundering from the sky, “See, the home of God is among humans, and Creator will live with them as their God, their sustainer and healer, so that they will never again be harmed or go astray.

Creator will wipe every tear from their eyes and every scar from the landscape. Death will be no more. Mourning and crying and pain will be no more. Economic exploitation and oppression will be no more. Colonialism and its painful legacy will be no more.

Greed and ecological destruction will be no more. Militarism with its callous disregard for lives, resources, and ecosystems will be no more. Racism, sexism, exceptionalism, and all other isms that alienate and harm will be no more. For the old ways of doing things have passed away.”

And the Creator of all said, “See, I am making all things new. Bead these words into a Wampum belt, for my promise is trustworthy and true. I am the beginning and the end, from sunrise to sunset. I am the four directions…

Then the Spirit showed me the river of the water of life, flowing from the sacred fire of the Creator and the Son-Daughter, through the centre of Turtle Island. Reaching either side of the river grew the tree of life, transplanted from primordial time, providing abundant fruit in every season of the year. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations, and the creatures, and the plants, and all our relations. No more pain, or sorrow, or evil would be found in Turtle Island, because Creator and the Son-Daughter were present.

All saw them and rejoiced. All gave gifts of praise and thanksgiving. This is what Creator’s good future looks like. Blessed are those who live in keeping with this vision.”

-from “Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization,” Berger and Smith, eds., Orbis 2019

This morning, on the ferry over, it was easy to catch a glimpse of God’s dream realized. We are so blessed here to see the handiwork of the Divine in the ripple of the waves and the dancing of the trees. Maybe we come in this space here and see love at work and think yes, this is a taste of God’s dream.

Maybe we can see love at work in the world in myriad ways, but do we dare to dream big? I am a person who tries to live in the world with God coloured lenses in my frames – to see love and beauty wherever I can. My friends know that I have corny sayings like “that’s odd, must be God” or “I dont believe in coincidences, i believe in God-incidents”. And while that is a conscious and important way for me to live in the world – and really it is great fun most days, I think it is important to take time to dream BIG, like GOD BIG, like, I cannot imagine a way that this could possibly happen but it is just so very right and good and I just have to dream it out loud in all of its big yes-ness. I believe that we have creative imaginations – every one of us, whether we consider ourselves artists or not – and we were given those creative imaginations in order to actually use them! To hitch our wagon to God’s big smiling rainbow every now and again and dream big. So big. Just ridiculous and impossible colourful wonderful big. And when we do that we are actually channelling GOd

Scripture tells us that God’s dream is the ultimate healing of all things – where there is no more war, no more death or destruction, where water flows free and clear for all, where food is abundant and diversity is celebrated.

That’s one damn big dream. But Scripture also tells us that with God all things are possible. Maybe not in my lifetime, but we can make big dreams and lean in that direction during our time here. And why not? Universal health care seemed like a too big dream when it was first dreamed of. So did the internet. So did electricity in every home. Every tremendous and wonderful thing had to be dreamt of first, so let’s do it. Let’s dare to dream beyond what we have ever let ourselves. Let’s jump into God’s imagination of what might be and see it, really see it. Close your eyes. What big thing might come to be? Maybe imagining world peace is a bit beyond the limits of your imagination today – can you imagine love in action here on the island? In this community? What might God’s dream for this place be? Can you see it? Can you taste it? What does it feel like?

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