Last night was the Third Annual U2charist at Tabernacle Church in Salem, MA a benefit for Heifer International. Great music. Great people. Great message. Here is my sermon...
Children and families hungry. Living in extreme poverty. Dying of starvation. Overwhelming. Tonight is our chance to make a difference. We heard what Heifer International does to help individuals in poverty stricken countries. We are here to support them tonight. The purpose of my sermon is to help you, each individual sitting before me to do what you can. It is not only about money, but how you lead your life. What your every day choices are. That is where I found these words. That is where I found the title. Only love. For if we act out of a place of love, we can only do good.
We just saw a video of the activities of the youth group. I chose the song Magnificent off the last U2 album No line on the horizon. And these kids and the adults that lead them truly are Magnificent. That choice was simple.
So again, for inspiration I turn to a U2 song. As it is a U2charist. This song like so many songs that U2 writes can have different meanings. We can take it as a love song. But I always love to dig a little deeper. Out there on the blogosphere many believe it is based on the bible’s Magificat or Mary’s song. Mary’s song may be familiar to you, or not. It doesn’t matter. That is the great thing about U2’s music. It can be biblical, social or personal. You decide.
So see if you can just listen to the words and pay attention to what comes up....
I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise ..
I can remember feeling that joy with the birth of my children. And although to get to that joy now I have to trudge through the memories of sleepless nights, children crying and sibling rivalry, it is still there. It has a special place inside me . It is like that space inside that is quiet. That is peaceful. What we all have inside of us. Our essence. If we pay attention we can feel it. That space that we may only touch for a moment, but when we do it is Magificent. That place that we yearn to get back to....
To go back to the lyrics from Magnificent...
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
By now, many of you know that I am a nurse practitioner, so my mind is based in science. At times I have difficulty with the miracles. You know, healing the sick, curing the lepers. Immaculate conception. It is still a journey - this faith thing, and I am on the path. I was fortunate this past October to go on a week retreat in Monterey California. Most of the 5 days were spent in silence. I had a lot of time with myself. To listen to and feel what I really believe. One thing that I now know for sure is that love does heal. If you open your heart to love and are willing to listen, that is where God lives.
So, back to the science. There is a body of scientific literature that documents the healing power of altruistic deeds. Volunteerism. Civic Engagement. How inner city youth volunteering leads to better grades and higher levels of high school graduation. Depressed people helping others decreases their physical symptoms . Giving feels good. Creates actual chemical changes in the brain. Dopamine, oxytocin. The feel good chemicals surge with giving. It heals wounds.
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
What would happen in your life if you made your daily choices from a place of love. If you took the time each day to be quiet. If you paid attention to what you really want in life. Not stuff. Shoes, cars, material things. Because lets face it we live in a society of abundance. Even in this economy, even if we don’t have jobs. Even if paying bills is a struggle. Compared to most of the world, what we have is lavish.
So yes, I am asking you to dig deep. If you haven’t donated money yet tonight, you still have the chance. Maybe you will forgo some of the Christmas gifts and give to Heifer. There are catalogs in the back you can take with you. Buy a cow or some chicks. Maybe you will serve at a soup kitchen this winter - you can ask any Tabernacle member in red about where to sign up. When you go Christmas shopping, look for the “RED” items at the Apple store, Starbucks, Nike or the Gap. A percentage of those proceeds go to product red campaign which fights AIDS in Africa by supplying medications to those who are HIV positive. Maybe it is as simple as buying fair trade coffee.
Take a moment to be quiet. Live from that place. Make choices from that place.
I am not asking you to give up something but to give for yourself.
Only Love Can Heal such a scar.
Only Love, only love will unite our hearts.
Many blessings to you
For information on how to give to Heifer International please go to www.heifer.org
