Running toward-a sermon reflecting on Domestic Violence

One of the things we learn in John’s Gospel is that Jesus weeps with us in times of sadness and tragedy.  We all know the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, but what you may not remember is that before Lazarus is raised from death—John says that Jesus wept—that tears pour from his eyes and

down his face for his friend Lazarus. 

I believe that God has wept over every person who has died because of this terrible virus and I believe that God wept the moment Kathleen McClean’s life was snuffed out in such a terrible terrible way.   I think most everyone knows who Kathleen was—a Dover resident who we believe was tragically murdered by her husband a little over a week ago.  The God I believe weeps over Kathleen and continues to weep with her children and all who loved her and that God weeps with us here in Dover and continues to weep over the scourge of domestic violence. 

And folks it is a scourge—1 in 3 women will experience some sort of it in her lifetime and 1 in 12 men will. Unfortunately this isn’t an isolated incident that happened here in Dover.  It happened 29 times last year here in Massachusetts alone.  In other places like Lexington and Abington and Northampton and Sheffield.  This is the second time in the course of my ministry that this has occurred in a town where I have served—both affluent communities outside major metropolitan areas places where you wouldn’t things like this might occur.  But what I’ve learned is that DV like the opioid epidemic is blind to what zip code we live in.   

This morning our Gospel has dropped  down into what is known  as the high priestly prayer—the part of the prayer that I connected with is the part where Jesus lifts his eyes heavenward and with  these words prays for his disciples protection, “Holy Father, protect them in your name.” 

Now, why would Jesus pray for their protection—perhaps because he knows that this is a fallen and violent world that very much falls short of the dream God has for it.  Jesus prays for his disciples' protection because there are so many ways in which this world is not what God desires for it.   That prayer that Jesus offers travels through space and time and isn’t just a prayer for 12 disciples, but it becomes a prayer for you and me—that Jesus, that God’s desire for us and for all people is to live healthy happy lives free from violence-free from viruses, free from every ism—that tears other down.  Free from the poverty-free from addiction.   

This week I came across a Christian historian speaking about how Christian has responded during different pandemics.   And the thing that struck me is that often during times of pandemic Christian ran toward the pandemics building hospitals or finding ways to care for the sick. she said that this is because for Christians our inclination is to be helpful, to offer ourselves in service to the other even when it puts us at risk.  This gospel inside us is so important—that there are times when we may need to risk our lives to share it.

Throughout history you see this again and again—during the civil rights movement—Christian marching and spoke up they said this is not the world we want—you see it after natural disasters—Christians going to places that have been devastated to help out and rebuild as they are able too –saying we are here to walk with you in this difficult time.  Our inclination is to run toward, our inclination is to protect our neighbors to help, to alleviate pain when we can, and to stand side by side with others when we can’t.  Our inclination is to work to change systems that oppress or hold back others.   

Our inclination is such because we see a world that falls short of God’s dream for it and we will not stand idly by and we will work to make that dream a reality in whatever little ways we can. 

Our inclination today should be to move toward this scourge of domestic—to shine a light on it—to talk about it and to make changes in our world and in our personal lives so that this can be no more.  We do this today and tomorrow because God’s dream has no room for a world where there is any sort of violent, but also because the memory, the life, and death of our neighbor Kathleen call us to do something and to do something different to get up off our knees to be a different people-to be a different town to be a different society.  

Jesus prayed for our protection---sometimes we have to be the answer to that prayer---to protect those who can’t protect themselves to work toward a society that protects and cares for its most vulnerable always.

AMEN