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SERMON- ADVENT III Good Shepherd (Burke) Charles R SERMON- ADVENT III Good Shepherd (Burke) Charles R. Cowherd December 15, 2019 Isaiah 35:1-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 Canticle 15 OPENING: In 1970, a young graduate student at Carnegie-Mellon University was working on his master’s thesis about Greek and Roman mythology.1 Frustrated with his progress, he decided to go for a walk around Pittsburgh to clear his head. He wandered into a Cathedral near campus where it just so happened to be the time for their Saturday Easter Vigil. He entered the sanctuary and settled in for the service. But, since this student had long hair and was wearing overalls and a t-shirt, it maybe comes as no surprise that he was treated somewhat rudely by the ushers and eventually even frisked by the police for drugs on his way out. The student was dismayed, understandably, and later said: "I left with the feeling 2 that, rather than rolling the rock away from the Tomb, they were piling more on.” Remarkably, the student, John-Michael Tebelak decided to scrap the dissertation that he was working on and instead then tackle the Gospel of Matthew. He was going to try to write something that conveyed the urgency and joy and celebration of the Gospel, that was the opposite of his unfortunate Easter experience and that could convey Jesus’ truth to that turbulent era of 50 years ago. The result would be the musical, Godspell, which would go on to much fame ‘On Broadway’ and then as a movie and in countless productions ever since. 1 The information concerning this incident is jumbled and, at times, contradictory. For example, some sources say it was the Easter Sunrise service (March 29, 1970). See McHugh, Dominic. 2019. The Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.; Mark Oppenheimer, “Welcome to the Church of Godspell” The New York Times (November 4, 2011), https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/theater/broadway-revival-of-godspell.html; and Retta Blaney “‘Divinely Inspired’ Godspell” The Living Church (May 8, 2015) https://livingchurch.org/2015/05/08/divinely-inspired-godspell/; Bill Broadway, “Godspell, Loving Updated.” Washington Post (June 3, 2000) https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/06/03/godspell- 2000-lovingly-updated/9b792bc7-6923-4e49-9214-a2e30320cb87/. 2 Quoted in Swain, Joseph P. 2003. The Broadway Musical: a Critical and Musical Survey. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow. 295. ADVENT That idea of translating and transforming has been on my mind this Advent Season: last week, when we read the Gospel lesson we heard Matthew, quoting John the Baptist, quoting Isaiah “Prepare Ye the way of the Lord.”3 Or this week, when we hear Matthew, quoting John the Baptist, quoting Malachi: ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’4 I remember watching the musical Godspell when I was about 11 years old, and being amazed at hearing that familiar church story, but translated/ reimagined/ unlocked by this catchy and accessible, and a little bit cheesy (to be sure), musical. My memories of the performance are limited: a clown Jesus, a chain link fence, the famous “Day by Day” but mainly hearing “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”— John-Michael Tebelak quoting the King James Bible, translated through the language of a disaffected college student. Jesus speaks to this idea of translation and understanding in our Gospel when he asks “What then did you go out to see?” He asks it twice: “What then did you go out to see?”5 That’s a really good Advent question, in these weeks of waiting and watching and looking. What are we waiting for? I think we are looking for this path out of the wilderness, “a holy way,”6 because we cannot see one through the dark. We have always been looking for that, it’s not something that just the Hippies in the ‘60s and ‘70s or those living 2000 years ago were doing. We are always looking for ways to understand God, to know God, to translate afresh the story of God’s salvation in ways that can help us along on the path. 3 Matthew 3.3, Isaiah 40.3 4 Malachi 3.1, Matthew 11.10 5 Matthew 11.7, 8. 6 Isaiah 35.8 JOHN THE BAPTIST John the Baptist had been doing exactly that in his ministry, calling the authorities to account, attracting large crowds with his message of repentance and renewal. He was both in the ancient tradition of Israel’s prophets, recalling the ancient wisdom of the Old Testament, but packaged in this compelling, radical vision that was startling and threatening. John the Baptist was using new ways of saying the same thing: “Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near.”7 His radical message and appearance is balanced by the deep wisdom of the Jewish faith and his usage of Malachi and of Isaiah. SCRIPTURE: Speaking of Isaiah, you hear a lot if it in Advent, so the book has sometimes been called the 5th Gospel, for its frequency of quotation in the New Testament, and its ability to bridge the gap between the two, to translate Christ’s coming in light of Israel’s history. The book of Isaiah acts as a guide and signpost on our faith journeys as we make our way, as we walk this ‘Holy Way’. One famous church father of the 3rd century said that interpreting Scripture is like that, it’s almost like having a different key for each room (book) of the Bible, and only by knowing which key goes to which Book, can you proceed. So “The key in Genesis may best fit the door of Isaiah, which in turns open up the meaning of Matthew.” 8 GODSPELL: In the same way, the musical Godspell opens up the Gospel of Matthew, which might then provide another key to another room, which then unlocks another room, which yields another key, and so on. Now John-Michael Tebelak just so happened to be an Episcopalian so you will be delighted to know that to come up with the music for Godspell, he opened up our Hymnal, 1940 version, and then he opened up the King James Version of the Gospel of Matthew and applied his creative gifts. 7 Matthew 3.2 8 R.R. Reno “Series Preface” of Hauerwas, Stanley. 2015. Matthew. Grand Rapids MI: Brazos. 9-10. When the film version of Godspell opened, some, including the movie critic for Time magazine, criticized the lyrics, quoting those of "God Save the People" disparagingly. His co-composer, Stephen Schwartz, who was Jewish, shrugged and said “Apparently, (the critic’s) not Episcopalian.”9 Tebelak used rock & roll music and creative staging and shocking visuals, but to reveal an ancient truth. Even the name Godspell is a Medieval one that points backwards, that tries to translate the Good News into language appropriate for the context. CONCLUSION I am grateful to be in a tradition that allows for a generous understanding of how you prepare, of what keys and rooms are allowed, of how you look for Christ in the dark. It’s a tradition, usually, that is not scared of a musical, or the latest religious movie, or the latest faith fad. I think our reliance on the deep well of our tradition and a careful, ancient liturgy allows us that freedom of thought and movement and belief, where that sort of this is concerned. Speaking of fads, John has those on his mind, when he asks Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”10 John the Baptist is looking for light and liberation amidst the darkness of his prison stint. Even he, Jesus’ cousin and the one who baptized him, has doubts and cannot see the way. Jesus does not chastise John for his doubts in our story, rather he affirmed them and him. “Are you the one who is to come?” How do you know it’s true? How do you know it’s Jesus? We know because Christ transforms everything around him. That’s the answer Jesus gives. He heals the sick, feeds the poor, comforts the widow, resurrection and transformation is all around him. This Advent, this season of preparation reminds us of all the signs and guides and directions, that show us the way to Jesus, who says “I am the door.” and “I am the way, the truth and the life”11 who is the also the key who can open up all the rooms. AMEN 9 “FAQ about Godspell Songs.” Stephen Schwartz (May 2017), https://www.stephenschwartz.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Godspell-Songs.pdf 10 Matthew 11.2 11 John 10.9, John 14.6 .
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