SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 - WORLD FOOD DAY - CREATING HOLY GROUND
Carolyn Smith
World Food Day - Creating Holy Ground
Take off your shoes, stay awhile! Comfortable, restful, cozy up on the sofa or
play in the grass - we do this easily at home or at friends, it’s an informal, friendly
invitation to settle in and pause in this place awhile. And while wearing our
Sunday best wouldn’t easily lead to bare toesies , we’ve eased on the formality of
our faith family gatherings and created a safer place of sharing stories, laughing
and spending time together. Everybody knows your name.
And God says “Take off your shoes, you’re standing on Holy Ground.” I’m going
to ask you a question, and I’m curious to hear your answer...
What makes this holy ground??.... What happens on holy ground??
Looking around this space, at one another, what grows from this HOLY Ground?
I use the word Sacred often as a synonym for Holy.. and it builds bridges for even
a secular understanding.. sacre - heart, blood, - so sacred... at the heart of it, or
what gets your heart beating? Or what do you give your life to?
The covenant of Marriage feel like this; how about your kids & grandkids or the
life you’re creating together? Maybe with a group of longtime friends. In our
commonality here at church, we could easily say we give our hearts to goodness
in the world. We look to what’s holy and good and make more of it. Even more
personal, what do you long for and work for, and give your heart to, even above
and beyond your loved ones or friends?
And if we were to map all this out now with each of our gifts and interests and
friendships, and the causes we uphold, the struggles we long to ease, imagine
the safety net we’d create just with us. If you came here knowing you’d be able
to rest a bit and refresh your spirit, then we indeed are standing on some holy
ground. So if you were to take of your shoes and get comfy here, and dig in a
bit, there’s something rich and fertile and wonderfully possible about that.
In the legend of Moses, God says “Take off your shoes, you’re standing on Holy
Ground.” And things change.
We recall the story of Moses as a baby laid in a basket floating on the Nile river
to escape the soldiers. Then he was saved by the Princess of Egypt, and raised
in two cultures - by The princess in the family of Pharoah, but handily, she had
arranged for his own mother & sister, Hebrew women, to nurse him. A legendary
beginning between two worlds.
Later, we recall him with strong arms spread, (like the movie!) parting the waters
of the Red Sea, and on the mountaintop with the 10 Commandments. From one
lucky baby to one Mighty Leader.
But here today, in the desert with no one to lead but sheep, Moses is off the
beaten path, off track. Heroes in legends usually have to fall, they have to face a
mighty challenge and then rise from the ashes. Who remembers what
disconnected him from his life in the Pharaoh’s circle? His two circles collided
traumatically when he found one of Pharaoh’s soldiers beating a Hebrew
worker... Moses couldn’t help but intervene for the sake of his kinsman, except in
doing so, he murdered the Soldier and then he runs away in a panic. In being the
child of two worlds, he now wanders aimless, exiled in wilderness.
And the Burning bush is suddenly there.. This random Bush is in flames, but not
burning up. We go to a lot of trouble to justify weird things in life that catch our
attention, probably to eliminate the chance it is a SIGN. And neon hadn’t yet
been invented “Hey Moses!” - But just in case Moses might miss the SIGN, this
flaming bush then called out to him, definitely God this time. “Moses Take off your
shoes, this is HOLY Ground.”
Out in the desert, you might think twice about taking off the sandals on picky
rocky ground and dusty. Not to mention, why him? With no help around, and no
understanding it’s a bit of a commitment, an act of trust or maybe his wits’ end to
take off the protection of shoes, stepping towards this weird thing. Moses took off
his sandals and said ‘Here I am.”
Moses is here, a wandering, imperfect person - with a new companion - God,
stepping into something new on this holy Ground.
Why him? Because he knew from experience, in his bones what God knew...
His people were suffering under the crush of oppression. And in this knowing,
this sharing of purpose, God makes all things possible.
This week marks the UN’ World Wide Food day, and no surprise it comes at a
harvest time for much of the world, after our celebration of Thanksgiving and
World Wide Communion Sunday. We’re tuned in right now to know the gift of
nourishment, but also the cost of scarcity. We’re well aware of the magnitude of
the problem and the gift it would be worldwide to find some solutions. But it’s
not just one thing or we’d fix it.
I had the honour of hearing Lt. General Romeo D’Allaire speak several years ago
now - a prophet in his own way, having suffered after a hopeless effort in Rwanda
amidst genocide... and collapsed for a time after that. Who wouldn’t? But
hearing him talk.. He said with great confidence: You want to provide clean water
for the world? Easy... 30 million dollars. We could do that with one or two
corporations next week ... and imagine all the good that would do! But you
know what’s missing? Not the money... Guess?
Not the money... it’s the collaboration that’s missing. The commitment, the
communication ... and Lt. General D’allaire drew out some examples of
miscommunication, distrust, corruption of any hope to accomplish it any time
soon.
Then with the audience dismayed and hopeless, he pointed to the different
groups at work, and points of connection, showing what they had accomplished,
how they had worked around troubles and how good things, good progress had
come to be. Clean water for many people, simple ways to ensure it in places
where it was needed, connections with health care and food security rising in
more and more places in the world. Not a magic wand, Not the mighty arm
wave to part the seas, but in people who had faith, and who didn’t give up. Some
driving change at the highest levels for the 30 million dollar fix, and others with
some duct tape and bailing wire and bubble gum, wherever it works.
Hunger is like that too... we know it’s a distribution and corruption issue because
the planet is capable of producing enough for all. We know regionally, farmers
face seasonal shifts, and then climate change throws familiarity out the window.
We know it’s about our choices on the table, what is enough for our plates, and
what is wasted. Hunger happens when people are sick and can’t thrive, and it
comes of mistakes and wrong paths. Here in prosperous Oakville, we have the
highest poverty levels of Halton region, and thank God for networks like Fare
share and Kerr Street and Food for kids. But looking out widely, world wide, we
see war, destruction of habitat, refugees and migrants wandering. Destabilization
ignores borders and impacts the world by pitting us against each other. But
what gives inspiration or determination to bring change?
Of all these people who have struggled, there are as many experiences of ideas,
quick fixes and organizational ones, and of hope in dark places... And from
experiences of abundance and possibility, there comes compassion to act.
There’s not one fix, not one idea, not one moment or group, or person that is the
answer. The answer is even many outcomes to many people.
Who am I to help, we ask. Who ever was more perfect to ask than Moses, or
Jonah who ran in the other direction. Our next song is the song of Mary, a young
woman, far from a position of privilege. As our faith story has unfolded from
these Moses legends 5000 years ago down through the ages, terrible things
have always happened AND good things have always happened. And the good
things happen when imperfect but caring people dream of something better and
work at it. Big change happens when we’ve spent time knowing what is holy,
sacred for us - what we give our heart to, and then said “ok God, I’m in.”
Take off your shoes and stay awhile, spend time together learning and enjoying
each others gifts and foibles and ideas, dig your toes in the fertile land of what
we can be and do together. Get comfy and leave the criticism at the door.
If we were to ask ourselves before we leave this holy ground today, before we tie
on our sandals and move on, “What did we do to feed people, to lift up lowly
ones, to tend to the suffering ones, and serve our world,” what would the rest of
our time this morning look like? . Prayer Matters, listening and learning,
encouraging the ones on the ground, sharing expertise or resources, calling wise
friends and connecting them... elevating projects and groups - local ones like
Food for Kids, Canadian Food Grains bank or the United Nations.. Food.
Housing. Spirit lifting in community & mental health, Reconciliation and Diversity
work... You, me, us... a web of connection, of creation at work.
This is Holy ground, right here, if we want to make it that way. A rising up from
aimless wandering, if we dig in our toes and choose our path.
All our heart, and all our minds and all our strength, for heaven on earth. Amen.