When is a Window not a Window? By John Kim

When is a window not a window?

When it’s ajar ….

This chestnut has been kicking around for years but I was only recently reminded of it by my daughter Julia, who happens to love reading books of jokes.  While on the surface it’s a rather simple play on the word “ajar,” on a deeper level, it unlocked today’s scripture for me.

In the most basic physical sense, the window is always a window.  Use your senses – you can see and feel the glass, the frame, the window sill.  Yup, it’s a window alright!  So in the most literal sense, the answer to the question, “when is a window not a window?” is, of course, “never!  It’s always a window.”

The wordplay on “ajar” works because it moves us away from the literal and speaks to the window’s state.  All of a sudden we are no longer talking about the window – rather we are talking about the fact that it is slightly open.

When I first read the Amos passage, I cringed at the heavy handed language of judgment.  “The end has come upon my people Israel.  I will never again pass them by.  The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day.  The dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place, be silent!”  Whoa!  Who’s he talking about.  The people Israel?  These are the people of the covenant.  I once looked into the process of converting to Judaism.  The first thing that I learned is that they aren’t seeking to convert people to Judaism.  They can’t figure out why anyone would want to take on the burdens of being the chosen people.  “We’re already doing the work for all the people on earth.  You don’t need to take on the burden to enjoy the benefits!” I was told.  After reading this part of the passage I can see why they believe that others might be squeamish once they understood what being in covenant could mean.

But then, the passage goes on to identify the target of God’s judgment:  Those who trample on the needy, anxious to be done with annoying ritual of Sabbath so they can get back to the nitty gritty business of cheating and cutting corners to garner riches at the expense of the poor and needy.

Fast forward to the New Testament and the passage from Luke.  Here we have the story of Martha and Mary.  Martha opens her home to Jesus and bustles about trying to be the perfect hostess while her sister, Mary, sits at Jesus’ feet so she can listen to his words.  Interestingly enough, Martha appeals directly to Jesus, asking him to instruct Mary to help out with all the preparations.  His reply is that Mary is just fine where she is because she has chosen what is better and it won’t be taken away from her.

When I read these passages together, I see the theme of transcending the mundane – transcending the worldly – transcending the dictates of the body – transcending the behaviors that are driven by the basic instincts and needs of a corporeal existence like anger, greed, envy, selfishness.  Choosing the infinite possibilities of the spirit – choosing behaviors that are free from the exigencies of the body – choosing selflessness – choosing agape.

Mary’s choice to celebrate Jesus’ presence by sitting and listening instead of bustling about the house cooking and preparing is the metaphor for choosing a path that is not mundane, not the one expected by society or tradition, not the one that is worldly.  Jesus doesn’t say that Martha’s choice is wrong.  He says the Mary’s choice is better and it won’t be trumped.  In the Amos passage, God does not condemn that the people Israel engage in commerce and business.  But God definitely has a thing or two to say about how that commerce and business is conducted.  Amos was a prophet and his words from God can be seen as a warning.  “Hear this, all you who ….”

Every time we act there is an opportunity for an intentional choice.  Every time we act there is an opportunity to be more than mundane, an opportunity to be more than instinctual, an opportunity to be more than an animal with only material needs.  When is a loaf of bread not a loaf of bread?  When it’s the body of Christ.  [rimshot] The simple act of eating bread is elevated to spiritual nourishment by the intentionality that comes with the ritual.  When you eat of this, think of me….  As head usher, I sometimes bring the extra communion bread home – besides being the body of Christ, it’s really good bread (thank you Carol Colt).  When Mikala asked me for lunch that day, she said, “Daddy, I would like a turkey and mustard with tomato on Body of Christ.”  [look of horror].  “oooookay, puleeeeze?”  Now I knew she wasn’t joking around about body of Christ.  Rabbinical scholars talk about Jewish koshering laws in a similar fashion.  What species in the animal kingdom, when hungry, goes through the process of giving a prayer of thanks to the lamb before slaughtering it in a strict ritual fashion before preparing it in a strict ritual fashion on the right set of cookware, not touching certain other foods, etc. etc?  When is a meal not a meal?  When it’s a celebration of the spirit and the fact we are more than just a hungry body.

I was really amazed by this week’s VBS theme of the unsung heroes of the bible.  Those folks with no name who stepped up at the right time with the right intention and saved the day.  Was it an unnamed hero that gave up the loaves and fishes to feed thousands?  They never talked about where the original loaves and fishes came from.  Can you imagine being hungry and smart enough in a crowd of thousands to have brought some bread and fish for sustenance and giving it up knowing that there was no way it could feed the number of people gathered.  Talk about the ultimate act of sharing.  Talk about choosing the spirit over the body.  Talk about a celebration.

Just the other night, I was watching a show on ABC called “What would you do?”  It’s a hidden camera reality show where they create scenarios to see what people would do.  In this particular episode, they had actors play a white female real estate agent showing a house in an upscale neighborhood.  They had other actors play first a black couple and then a Muslim couple interested in seeing the house.  They had the real estate agent say increasing outrageously racist comments to see what other couples attending the open house would do.  As you can imagine, the reactions ranged from ignoring it to in your face calling out the real estate agent (and everything in between).  The ones who defended the black and Muslim couples chose to notice the injustice, chose to call it out right then and there, chose to act, chose to be heroes.  Sadly, it was only a third of the people who actually did something.  Thank God for that third.

You are all heroes in my eyes.  I came to the church and keep coming to this church because you do not pay lip service to the values that celebrate love and kindness and the spirit.  You put it into action.  You choose.  I look to you for encouragement and inspiration and the reminder that I too can choose.  I hope that I can do that for you.

When is a person not a person?  When they are amazing.

Amen