Isaiah 35:1-10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. Yahweh will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. Yahweh will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Matthew 11:2-11
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, the movie, turned forty this year. I am referring of course to the low budget, clay-mation film released in 1964. Brilliant it is with one simple message and multiple memorable songs—Deb has even confessed to owning the soundtrack. Although many holiday movies have been released since, this little, no-nonsense, distinctly 60’s effort has risen to the top of the pile for four decades and counting—but why? What is it about this charming little romp through snowville that captures our imaginations and tugs at our heartstrings year after year?
I remember the first time I saw Rudolph. Oh sure, I had been singing about him since I could walk. But the first time I put a visual to him was late one winter evening when my father got me out of bed, wrapped me in a blanket and set me on his lap to introduce me to Burl Ives as the singing snowman. I was immediately enthralled, my sleepiness fell away and l was led melodiously into a world of clapping seals and singing elves. The moral is not unique to this story; it is of course as old as time, and children are usually first introduced to it through the telling of the Ugly Duckling. The message is that we are all special, unique and beautiful no matter how awkward, misplaced or marginalized we have been made to feel. The moral, and it is a truth echoed by all world religions I might add, is that there is some universal balance in the world, the fulcrum of which is the equality and the inherent worth of all creation. When that seesaw tips too much to either side it appears as though discrimination and oppression are at their worst. In other words, when things are off balance, Rudolph doesn’t get to play in any reindeer games. We realize through the telling of stories like these that there really is no backbone to the some-fit-in-some-don’t theory. The truth is it’s all about perception: shift the perception and the margins change.
But for some the shackles of the margins have felt very real - there is tremendous hurt that comes from being cast off or made to feel less-than. It might surprise us to know that most everyone has experienced that feeling at one time or another. Would that we could only admit that to one another and connect out of that commonality—but usually pride prevents that from happening. So it seems that the key is removing the stigma from being different. That is what is beautiful about the Rudolph story and about the Gospel for that matter—the last shall be first and the first shall be last—the little reindeer whose father was appalled to see his ‘blinkin beacon’ soon realizes that his son will save Christmas and become a hero. It makes us feel better to hear stories in which the underdog is triumphant and that is I believe why the movie resonates with so many of us.
As odd as it may seem, I actually believe that since I was a child this little morality tale has had great influence on my spiritual journey. I first began noticing the effect the movie was having on my life in a small church in Northern California called Seventh Avenue. I had been sent there—more like spit out there—by the then President of San Francisco Theological Seminary. He was fed up with my questions about the injustices perpetrated by institutional religion. That, in combination with my decidedly liberal political leanings, prompted him to say, "Why don’t you try Seventh Avenue—that is where all the other misfits go!"
So, I did and something clicked. I had never been a terribly “religious” person myself: going to seminary in the beginning was for me more of a social justice move than a religious one. Having seen the damage it had done to others, I was understandably suspect of it all and loath to trust those in positions of authority. But I walked through the doors of this unassuming little sanctuary in the heart of the Richmond District, where the sun rarely shines, and I noticed something very different about the place.
The Liturgist was in a wheelchair and spoke from the floor rather than up behind a big podium-the choir although slightly out of tune was joyful and energetic and the people around me were indeed the most beautiful assortment of misfits I think I’d ever seen. They were a wash of colors, class, sexual orientations and mental abilities. Then the pastor took to the pulpit—an impish soft-spoken man with a flare for dance and a passion for his people—and I instantly fell in love with this little island of misfit toys. I referred to it as that from that moment on and have looked to be a part of churches just like that one. So here we are: a beautiful band of misfits.
Thursday night I asked the Choir, “If you were a toy from the Island of misfit toys, what toy would you be?” The answers were fabulous, deep, and in some cases very revealing. So how does this tie in with this week’s scripture? Well, John the Baptist is sort of Christianity’s champion misfit. Last week we heard him promise that the miracle of Jesus was on its way. This week John—who is in prison because he doesn’t fit in and because his rhetoric is frightening to people—John gets news that the Messiah has arrived. He sends word to Jesus asking “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus tells his disciples to go and tell John what they have heard and seen.
As they go away, Jesus begins to speak to the crowds about John He asks them what they went into the wilderness to look at. Were they looking for a Prophet or were they expecting to see someone dressed in soft robes? “Look,” He says, “those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.” John is indeed the Prophet you have been looking for, he just doesn’t look like you thought he would. John has every embarrassing quality short of a blinking red nose—and yet he is the one chosen by God to pave the way for Jesus.
Things haven’t changed all that much. Society still wants its prophets to look like they just stepped out of an episode of Friends. When prophets are black or Asian or differently abled or, yes, even gay, the popular culture hardly knows what to do with them. They would just as soon they put mud on their noses and do their best to conform, right? Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, John the Baptist, Seventh Avenue, Open Prairie—same thing. Misfits, glorious misfits unafraid to step into their unique nature—the very qualities that make us misfits also make us exceptional; but sometimes that is easier for me to say than for you to believe. Because its easy for me to see miracles when I look at you. But what to do when you are too far inside the feelings of misfit to see the forest for the trees? What to do when you feel stranded on that Island: misunderstood, under appreciated, Invisible?
I received a letter from one of our young adult parishioners this week. Dawn wrote: “We are unfortunately in the midst of a serious anti-gay and anti-liberal religious protest on campus. The UCC commercial began airing in Pella, and it has created quite a stir. At dinner the other night, there was a sign on a section of the cafeteria that said, "Non-UCC Christian seating." Dawn had sat down to eat with her softball team as she does every Tuesday night when a young man approached her and sighting her sexual identity commented that she should go join the rest of the "people like her" somewhere else with the other "Christ-manipulators." The Prophet Isaiah says “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God/ Yahweh will come and save you.” How I wish I could have whispered those words in her ear at that moment.
You remember in the Rudolph movie how on Christmas Eve all the animals and toys wait in a circle on Misfit Island for Santa and Rudolph to come and save them, to deliver them to children. They wait, and when it seems the hour of salvation is past and they have been left behind for yet another year, they begin to cry. I imagine if I had been in Dawn’s shoes my knees would have felt weak and my hands sweaty. I might have felt like the misfit toys, forgotten and left alone on the verge of tears. But the Prophet says “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God/ Yahweh will come and save you.”
Dawn writes, that before she could say anything to defend herself, one of her teammates stood up, then another, and another, until most of them were standing. The pitcher for the team said to the young man who had slung the insults, "This is Dawn. That's the only group she belongs to." If you or I had been there we might have chimed in and said boldly , “This is Dawn a beloved child of God and in her God is well pleased, so back off, buddy.” The experience left her shaken but not broken because she was not alone, she is not alone. There is strength in numbers—don't we know that?
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.” That is the promise this morning—the good news. I told you last week that miracles are in progress all around us. I mentioned that the third part of the miracle blessing of this UCC Advertising Campaign was still unfolding, and while there are still those who would have us feel like we have been cast adrift on some tiny Island of marginalized misfits, there is much evidence that speaks clearly to the truth of our belonging. Hundreds of people have written to the UCC to support the Advertisement, thousands have visited the website, and untold numbers are venturing into UCC churches, maybe for the fist time, maybe for the first time in a long time.
The margins are shifting—at least that is what the Prophets tell us. What was once dry and barren land awaiting salvation is now beginning to prosper; the desert of our emptiness and waiting is finally being seen and opening up to blossom.
I leave you with my favorite letter of support—an anonymous person wrote in saying, “If I could, I would take out a scroll of paper and hammer, and nail a charge on your church's door. It would read: "Go forth and change your heart and world by following Christ's example through deed and thought. Go forth with grace and invite the world to join you on the journey using the tools of your day. Some will join you in deed, some in thought, some in church, but with each step God will reveal your path."
The promise is made real this morning—in misfits, in miracles, in you and in me. Amen and Amen.