Breaking down the walls - Inclusion and Risk
“We live in interesting times” as the saying goes - in my lifetime and most of you will also remember - we saw the breakdown of the Berlin wall, we can recall celebrating the news as we watched people dancing on the wall, walking through the checkpoints and dismantling the wall. Today we are watching the erection of another controversial wall. Walls are sometimes to keep people in - as do prison walls but usually they are about keeping people out and whether it’s keeping people in or out - it is often about a desire for safety, with an element of superiority or importance thrown in.
The structure of Herod’s temple in Jerusalem showed who was important. There was a series of walls - the outer realm was the court of the gentiles - then there was the court of women (which allowed men and women), then the court of the Israelites - only Jewish men could proceed here or beyond, further in were the courts of the Levites and finally that of the priests - who had access to the Holy of Holies - the place where God dwelt. The lepers had their own little room off the court of women - they weren’t going to be let anywhere near God.
It is in the court of women that today’s action takes place - because Mary wouldn’t be allowed any further in - even though this purification ritual, their reason for going to the temple, was for her. It was a rite of purification for women after giving birth, when the child was approximately 6 weeks old. Simeon could have gone into the court of the Israelites but he chose to be in the court of women. Anna of course was also limited to this area even though she was a prophet.
Simeon and Anna were two elderly folk hanging around in the court of women. But for Luke - these are people of value - others may have overlooked them but Luke doesn’t. Luke names them and describes their piety. With Anna we even get a little of her whakapapa - her family and tribe. He doesn’t name the priest who participated in the ritual sacrifice for purity, the one who could go so much closer to the holy of holies where God dwelt - no - he names these two old has-beens in the women’s court - Simeon and Anna.
Who would have thought that the hymn Simeon spoke over the baby Jesus would be sung by Christians for centuries in evensong? We know it as the “Nunc Dimittis” and it is in our prayerbooks in our pews on page 78 as part of evening prayer.
Simeon’s song challenges and turns upside down the values that were practiced in the temple - values of exclusion. He metaphorically breaks down the walls by speaking of this baby, the baby of a poor, humble couple as bringing God’s salvation to all - TO ALL - even the Gentiles. (At the end of Luke’s gospel we read of the tearing of the curtain of the temple - the final barrier the one into the holy of holies - the last of the walls is broken down with the death of Jesus. God’s salvation is available to all and all are now able to come into the presence of God.)
Simeon’s blessing speaks of the baby as being destined for the “rising and falling of many in Israel”. It echoes the song of Mary in chapter 1 “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;” This feels more like a prophecy than a blessing. This prophetic blessing lets us into the idea of God’s Kingdom upsetting the values of the world and it also speaks of a mix of joy and sorrow for Mary. Simeon’s song surprises and disturbs the listeners.
Anna was no spring chicken - it depends on the maths and how you read the passage she may be 84 or 105 - the numbers don’t matter but I suspect that age range has relevance for many here! Anna was pious - she worshipped, fasted and prayed, she knew she had a ministry. Anna becomes the first evangelist - going and spreading the news to those who were interested, including others in this joyous news. We could look at Anna with the eyes of her society as an elderly, poverty-stricken, unimportant widow, hanging about with the rest of the less important, the “hoi polloi” who occupied the outer courts of the temple. Or we could look at her with the eyes of Luke as a person with a ministry, a person who broke down categories and barriers, who included others in her joy in God’s good news.
In our world we don’t so much build physical walls (with the possible exception of one leader in the western world) but we do exclude people socially - we make them feel unwelcome. There is an expression “FOMO” or fear of missing out which causes widespread anxiety and makes people do desperate things. Sometimes it’s not FOMO but FONFI - fear of not fitting in which makes people feel desperate and alone.
My time at high school was not miserable, awful and unhappy (I don’t want to whine) - but I still have memories of not fitting in - I dreaded those times in Phys Ed when 2 leaders would be asked to pick their teams - every single time without fail I was last to get picked - the message was very clear - no one wanted me on their team - me and my klutziness were not welcome. I can also recall very consciously holding back when the teacher was asking questions to which I knew the answers - being seen as “too bright” did not improve one’s popularity and I held myself back from a fear of not fitting in. I wonder what your story is?
Not wearing the right clothes, not having a job, not having a home or having one that is not as clean or stylish - having a disability or an illness, not knowing the right thing to say, having a different sexual orientation or identity … all these can make people feel excluded and we are guilty of contributing to that feeling of exclusion by how we treat others. Most recently we have seen an increase in racism and xenophobia as people react in fear to the Corona virus epidemic. Phrases like “send them home” are circulating, there are restaurants in South Korea with “no Chinese allowed” signs.
God is in the business of breaking down those walls of exclusion. We might live in a world where Malala was shot - but it is also a world where she has had a profound influence globally in the movement to get girls equal rights for an education and for this she has been recognised with a Nobel Peace Prize.
We live in a world where a 16 year old girl with Aspergers has become an inspiration for millions of children and adults and galvanised countries to take action on climate change. The walls that could have excluded Greta Thunberg on the basis of her age, gender or disability are being knocked over.
Here in our parish we have a female priest and deacon - something unheard of 100 years ago - God is in the business of breaking down the walls - of changing exclusion to inclusion - this is the very heart of the gospel.
If walls are about helping us feel safe and comfortable - breaking down the walls is about risk and discomfort. We feel safer and more comfortable with “our kind of people” and with maintaining the status quo. But Jesus didn’t call people to safety and comfort in scripture and he doesn’t now. Jesus’ call was to follow him and the way is the way of the cross, the kingdom we are called to be a part of is one which overturns the values of society, a kingdom which includes rather than excludes.
It seems fitting this morning that we hear Anna’s story is the day when we commission the leaders of AAW. Here we value the ministry of a group of older women who, themselves, value prayer and mission.
Society might view them as bunch of pensioners - old & wrinkly - not “young and beautiful” in the eyes of the world, perhaps no longer earning or producing, not famous - where is their value? They are of value to God - These are the Anna’s of our church - they are women of prayer and committed to mission - we name them and acknowledge their ministry.
In God’s economy we all have a ministry - none are excluded by age, race, gender, disability…. none are excluded. In God’s economy we all have value because we are all created by and loved by God. God’s grace is extended to all and we in turn extend that grace to others as we, here at St John’s (in partnership with God) - we remove the walls, the barriers, and the exclusions and we welcome and include all people in our loving community of faith and in our ministry.
Let us pray
God of grace
give us the eyes to see the walls we erect
and the courage of Simeon & Anna
to challenge, change and remove them
may we dance on their ruins
in the name of Jesus who died and rose
for all the world
in the power of the Holy Spirit
who is love and community
Amen
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