Readings:
2 Kings 2.1-12; Ps 50.1-6; 2 Cor 4.3-12; Mark 9.2-9
May I speak in the name of God, always Creating, Redeeming, Sanctifying.
I do confess myself to be a little apprehensive about my sermon today, because it might be a little challenging.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that the light shines brightest when it’s dark. For instance, the veranda lights were left on last week and they’d been on all day, and I hadn’t noticed until I took my puppy, Chewie, out for his late night walk and turned around to see, through the fence, through the church, the veranda lights were still on. I only noticed because it was dark.
Paul says that ‘the god of this world’ keeps people in darkness. I think that we have seen a fair bit of darkness in the world in the last couple of years. It’s not easy seeing wars, and genocides, and all kinds of sickness that happen in the world. I think sometimes (no, I know) when it happens on your back doorstep, we feel it so much more. When children murder people, the world seems very, very, dark. So the question is, where is the light? Because it is in very, very, dark places that the light has opportunity to shine even more brightly.
Paul also said, “It is the God who said, ‘Let the light shine out of darkness,’ who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” That’s our commission. We are commissioned to give light to the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever been frightened of that light when you’ve come face-to-face with it? The disciples were frightened, they were terrified! They followed Jesus up the mountain, and he was transfigured and became white. His clothes whiter than anyone could bleach them, and he shone! And they were terrified, and instead of attending to the terror, and figuring out why, Peter wants to busy himself. How often do we feel like that? ‘It’s an uncomfortable feeling, I don’t like it, ok, I’m going to do something practical! Let’s be practical now! I’m going to make some houses. There’s three people here wandering around, let’s build a dwelling.’ It stops you from being present. It stops me from being present.
Paul also tells us the difference that the light of Christ makes to us. He says, ‘We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not driven to despair. Persecuted but not struck down, oppressed, but not destroyed. Always carrying in the body, the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.” Perplexed, but not driven to despair. How often, well I know I feel perplexed, when enormous things happen that are difficult to understand. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. That’s important, it could be easy to despair. It is easy to despair. But Christ’s light tells us something different. We can be struck down, but not destroyed. We can be afflicted in every way, but not crushed.
So, what do we do? How do we show up when the world is dark? The world is dark for a family in Redbank Plains. The world is dark for the African community in Redbank Plains, because the anger that has been felt from this incident has spilled over into racist acts against the whole community.
There is more than one family who is in darkness in Redbank Plains. Yes, it is the family of Vyleen White. And it is also the family of that young man who took her life. They are also in darkness. I can imagine the darkness of nightmares of that little girl who witnessed what happened. I can imagine a mirrored nightmare of the boy who can never take that act away. His darkness is just as dark, if not darker, than the rest of the family. So where is the light? How do we walk alongside people who do things that we cannot understand? How do we walk alongside people who have committed violent acts such as this one It is an opportunity! It is a really hard, really difficult opportunity for us to be the light to that young boy, to the other boys that were with him, to their families, and to that community.
Now, the reason that I am focusing mostly on the boy is because I do know that young girl and her family are surrounded by a Christian community already. They have support. I’m not saying that the other family doesn’t I’m saying I don’t know and I’m challenging us. I am challenged by the gospel and by Paul’s writing to understand how I can show up, and how we can show up in this.
One of the things that the Baptist community are involved in is a ministry at the youth detention centre nearby. It is not their ministry, they are very quick to say, “this is not ours,” and they are very quick to invite people into it. They were invited into the detention centre by the authorities there to preach, to hold Bible studies, and it has been transformative for a lot of men there. They have conducted many baptisms they. They are being the light of Christ in that space. In a place where it would be easy to be overcome by darkness, they bring God’s light. And each little flame that is lit in there creates more light.
I also found out this morning that the Vyleen White’s daughter, Cindy, met with the Qld African Communities Council a couple of days ago, and held a press conference. The press was there, politicians were there, the police were there, members of communities were there, all to say that the repercussions against the community as a whole is not on! This is not okay! She is working with the African community in her mourning time, in her grief. And in their grief to say, ‘We are better than this. We have to be the light. Let us pursue life in peace together.’
When I talk about walking alongside this young man in God’s love, that does not mean that there is no consequence. Of course, there is consequence for his actions. It’s like forgiveness. Forgiveness does not negate consequence. What forgiveness does is relieve us from holding the judgement of that person. It’s not ours to hold. We release it and give it back to God. Which allows us then to work in love with those people. Can we release the judgement of those boys and give it back to God? In order to be able to bring the life of Christ to them.
It’s really hard. Because what’s happened is atrocious and we are right to be angry about it, that it happened. I was having a conversation through the week and the person I was speaking with there said, “When we say that the good I do doesn’t come from me, it comes from God, the opposite is also true.” We always point back to God. All of the good is not from us, it’s from God. He was saying the opposite is true, too. The evil that we do doesn’t come from us, it comes from the god of this world. Paul talks about the ‘god of this world who keeps people veiled,’ keeps people in darkness. And that darkness works through people just as God‘s love works through people. Can we separate the naming of that person as “a murderer” or “a whatever,” put in whatever word you want to use… because we do it with everything, right? “That person is a [insert adjective here].” But actually, a person did something, or a person has something. This separates their identity from an act, or separates their identity from disability, for example, or whatever the thing is. Because we are not those things. They’re plenty of things that I’ve done, there’s been plenty of darks days for me where I’ve spoken out of turn, or I’ve acted in ways at other times I would not have acted and I’m sorry for. But I want to know that I have a safe space to come and tell someone, so that they can help me see where the light is. So they can help me find where God is in the darkness. And to not be afraid of the light, even though the light often, frequently, probably always, requires change from us. And change is always scary. But we don’t need to be because God’s love is pure, and God’s love is perfect. We know what good love, good human love feels don’t we? Most of us have had some experience of decent human love. Now Imagine that on steroids. Imagine that a hundred times good. Because God’s love is perfect and that should bring us peace and it should bring us courage. It can bring us courage. May we have the courage of Vyleen White’s family, to stand up beside the leaders of the African community and say this is not on. This is not on. Because we love God, that’s why.
So, let’s pray.
Loving God, you came to the world Jesus Christ to show us what you look like. To show us what your love is like. You told us to love our enemies. You told us to love as you love. Give us the courage to do that. Equip us with what we need to be able to walk alongside one-another and beyond our community. Thank you for the light you are the world. Help us to shine forth, just as you do. In Jesus name, Amen.