Readings for Epiphany
A: Ps. 72; Mt. 2:1-12
January 6, 2002
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Unfortunately, the way politics has played out in this country over the last 20 years, the voice of economic justice and compassion for the poor has been quieted. The religious right would have us believe that a laxity of sexual morality is what is destroying our society. Others in Washington are blaming the poor for our problems. Many politicians say that the middle class is suffering because poor people are taking away our tax money and they're living on welfare and they're coming into this country and they're taking away our jobs. And so people rush to find solutions by limiting immigration, cutting the safety net, reforming welfare, and getting the churches to set up yet another soup kitchen. "If only the churches were more charitable," some cry.
In a recent interview, Michael Zweig (an advocate for the poor and oppressed) says: "Don't be charitable to the poor. Arrange it so they have power." It is into this context that we read today's psalm: "Give the King your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the King's son; that he may rule your people righteously and the poor with justice. For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress and the oppressed who has no helper. He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; he shall preserve the lives of the needy. He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, and dear shall their blood be."[Ps. 72]
Psalm 72 was probably written for the coronation of a king in ancient Israel. In those days, the king was viewed as a representative of God. The hope was, that the new king would establish a right social order where righteousness, justice, and peace would reign. This sense of well being is known as "shalom". The people would pray this psalm in hope that their new king would deliver, have pity on, save, and redeem the most helpless of the citizens. And even though there was always a disparity between the ideals of this psalm and the actions of the monarchy, the prayer remained on the people's lips and in their hearts.
In later years, Christians associated psalm 72 with Jesus the Messiah. In Jesus, they saw one who proclaimed the reign of God and embodied it through a ministry to the poor and the needy. In whatever context the psalm is read, it basically says the same thing: Only in the presence of justice and righteousness does the world operate as God intends.
Today we are celebrating two important events that are inter-related: Epiphany and Outreach Awareness Month. First, in our liturgical calendar, we are celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany. For the Eastern Orthodox Church, Epiphany is the day on which the birth of Jesus is remembered. But since Western Christianity celebrates the incarnation on December 25th, Epiphany is the day on which we remember the manifestation of Christ to the outside world. One way of remembering this manifestation of Christ to the outside world is through the story of the Three Kings. (Note: If you read the Scriptures carefully, you will notice that there is nothing about three kings but rather an unmentioned number of wise men or "magi" traveling from the East.)
Another way of remembering the manifestation of Christ to the outside world is by recalling the ministry of Jesus. Remember how he healed the sick, cared about the poor, embraced the oppressed, challenged the rich, and pointed to a life of generosity and self-sacrifice. Remember how he challenged the cultural wisdom of the day, the religious authorities and customs, and the accumulation of wealth and the exercise of power. It is in this remembering, and through our commitment to follow Jesus by helping those in need, that Christ is manifested in the world today. So we have set aside several weeks this month at St. Jude's to celebrate and strengthen our efforts in outreach, and to expand our notions of what is required to fully help the most needy.
Outreach can take many forms although it usually begins with a commitment to justice. I think justice is a core value here at St. Jude's. Some people support outreach through the giving of money; others through direct contact such as feeding programs. Some offer their talents to charitable organizations through book keeping, medical skills, or serving on an advocacy board. Many at St. Jude's work on our buildings and grounds to provide a campus for outreach activities. Some teach, some preach, and some voice their concerns at Peace and Justice Commissions. The rotating shelter is one of our parish's "hands on" outreach programs. Many of you are involved in this effort. I was deeply moved by the way this parish responded with compassion last Sunday to the death of one of our guests at the rotating shelter. It is a privilege to be the rector of a parish who cares about issues of justice and the dignity of people. And I wholehearted support our charitable efforts in reaching out to those who need emergency response.
But I am also troubled and taken by Michael Zweig's statement: "Don't be charitable to the poor. Arrange it so they have power." I think what he is trying to say is don't stop with just a "handout." Go to the next step and change the structures that keep people on the margins! Let me give you an example. Each month, we send a portion of our income to the Diocese. This money goes to support an Episcopal Ecclesiastical Structure as well as to support some very important outreach programs. Every ten years, all of the Episcopal Bishops from all over the world meet for a conference in Lambeth England. When they met a few years ago, they discussed the issue of third world debt and how it is has been destroying the soul and body of the poor in developing nations. They summoned James Wolfensohn, the president of the World Bank, and shared their concerns about this burden that keeps millions of people in poverty. The bishops were able to convince him to forgive billions of dollars of Third World Debt. This is a concrete example of moving beyond first-aid charity to changing the structures which cause the poverty.
Poverty is a little different in America than in third world countries. "The poor are not some lump of people at the bottom of society who are just there as the underclass, permanently poor and permanently outside the mainstream of American life. The boundaries are more fluid. The poor are working people. The poor are people who are unemployed but who are going to go back to work. The poor are women whose marriage ends and they are trying to get a job and get their lives together. After a while they get their lives together and then they are not poor anymore. And then something else happens and then they are poor again. The poor are those who have a minimum wage job but then their mother gets sick and they have to stay home and take care of her because they don't have adequate medical care." The poor are those who collapse under the stress of life and can't function in the stressful work world.
Now if you approach these poor people with a sense of charity, it can be humiliating. People will accept the charity because they are hungry and they will even appreciate it in a certain way. But give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.*
I would like for us at St. Jude's to think about moving onto the next step in our outreach program. I want us to pray, to keep our eyes open, to listen, and to think about how we can be involved in changing the structures that keep people on the margins. If you come up with an idea of how we can walk alongside the poor and oppressed and be advocates for change, please share your idea with the outreach committee, the vestry, and the leadership of this parish. For what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do unto Christ. SHALOM.
(* Some of the material in this sermon was taken from an interview with Michael Zweig. See the Oct. 2001 issue of The Witness.)
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