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| The Prophet Elijah, Paris Hilton, and the Still Small Voice |  |  |  |
| Sermon delivered by Rev Elder Nancy Wilson at King of Peace MCC St. Petersburg, Florida on June 24, 2007 If you know your MCC history, you know that from the very beginning, almost 40 years ago, Rev. Troy Perry, preached a three part gospel in MCC the gospel of Salvation, the gospel of Community and the gospel of Christian Social Action. From the earliest days of MCC, Rev. Perry was involved in fighting for civil and human rights, especially for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The first time he was arrested for civil disobedience was in 1969 -- and the Board of MCC Los Angeles was so terrified, they fired him! Then the congregation became angry – they supported Rev. Perry's activism – so in turn, they fired the Board! And at that very tumultuous congregational meeting, the 29-year-old Pastor Perry asked the congregation to re-instate the members of the Board, as "we are all in a learning process; and we need to forgive and move on!" Today's Hebrew Scripture is one of the stories of Elijah the prophet. Elijah is the quintessential Hebrew prophet. He lived in a time of relative prosperity for some people, and a time when those who worshipped Yahweh, the God of the Hebrew people, were in the minority. The King of Israel, Ahab, had married Jezebel, a princess from Tyre, and as Queen she was determined to rid the nation of the prophetic pest, Elijah. They were syncretists (meaning they sampled different gods and shopped around among the religious options of the day), but really, they primarily worshiped wealth and power. And they worshiped themselves. In the midst of this, the prophet Elijah watched as his people were seduced by the idolatry of self and wealth. Sound familiar? He was fighting against complacency, apathy, and materialism. Sound familiar? Recently Paris Hilton – the full-time socialite and some-time actress – has shown up on my radar. She was at the center of a recent controversy over her jail sentence in Los Angeles. Like Rev. Nathan Meckley, interim pastor of King of Peace MCC, I was a long-time California resident and I tend to pay attention to news from Los Angeles. Paris Hilton is an heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune. But mostly she is "famous for being famous." She first came to my attention when she was the LA Gay Pride Marshall a few years ago, and my serious Pride friends were horrified -- someone so shallow and clearly not an activist seemed to be such a frivolous choice for the honor. Since then I have learned a few things about Paris Hilton. Here's what I learned: She is described as a "celebrity, socialite, model, 'actress' and 'recording artist.'" She "starred" in her own sex video in 2003, and she's paid between $75,000 and $100,000 (USD) to make two-hour visits to nightclubs and dance clubs that want to be boost their popularity by boasting about her presence. She is an entrepreneur and earns millions off of her celebrity status. She's been referred to (well, by herself, actually) as the "Blonde Icon of the Decade," and she's compared herself to Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe, comparisons that fail miserably and make her look even more shallow and self-absorbed than we might have imagined. The 2007 Guinness Book of World records calls her the "Most Overrated Celebrity." Having every advantage one could imagine, at age 25 she has managed to earn a General Equivalency Diploma (GED), which is no small feat for many with no resources, and she's produced a tongue-in-cheek autobiography filled with advice on how to be a spoiled heiress. She participated in a "Get Out the Vote" campaign in 2004, until they (oops!) discovered she had never registered or voted herself. (I should probably also make this disclaimer: Last year when her TV show, "The Simple Life," was hosting a wedding for a lovely lesbian couple who were in a long-term, committed relationship, the show's producers contacted MCC and the ceremony was performed on national U.S. television by Rev. Pat Langlois, garnering MCC a good bit of public recognition.) I also know about Paris because my partner loves to watch "The View" - even since Rosie left - and they have been obsessed with Paris. Barbara Walters alternately claims and denies being a friend of Paris' Mom, Kathy Hilton. We were even treated to a report from jail (Paris called Barbara) and to proclamations that she has had a "spiritual awakening" in jail and is now going to dedicate her life to a variety of social causes. Given all that's happened both before and since, it's almost impossible not to find some humor in this proclamation. But I do think this is worth noting: There actually are serious issues embedded within this strange, modern day story. It was instructive to watch the back and forth between the judge who sentenced Paris Hilton and LA Sheriff Lee Baca, who was charged with confining her to jail. I must say that Sheriff Baca's press conference after releasing her early to serve her sentence in her Hollywood Hills home was a stunning piece of public education. I'd say that Lee Baca is a good Sheriff and I believe he's serious about his job. Among other things, his staff has to manage 20,000 inmates in the terribly overcrowded LA County jail system. Women's jail facilities are at 160% capacity. Of the current 20,000 inmates, 1300 are serious felons -- many, many thousands are simply awaiting trial because the court system is backed up and overloaded. Approximately 2000 of the inmates have serious mental illnesses. And this was truly insightful: When someone asked him, "Why don't you just send all of them home, then, under house arrest?" as had been done for Paris Hilton, Sheriff Baca replied, "Because most of them are homeless." I learned more about how terribly broken and destructive our public mental health and criminal justice systems are in five minutes of that press conference than I had during the many years in which I engaged in jail and prison ministry in Los Angeles. I have Paris Hilton to thank for that. For Sheriff Lee Baca, Paris Hilton was a horrific liability in jail. From his perspective, it was better for his staff if she were not there. She sidetracked his staff from far more pressing matters. But the judge was so furious at this "celebrity," who simply was too intoxicated to care or notice that she was not legally permitted to drive, that he "threw the book" at her. Trying to provide some boundaries for someone who has possibly never had them in childhood, may be too little too late. By the way, early release has been standard procedure for non-felons. And for people who are white and rich. No one seems to have noticed this very much before. When I heard Lee Baca's press conference, I thought, "Well, maybe Paris' jail term, and the mental problems she experienced there, can shine a light on all this injustice." She could choose to let it do that. But I doubt it. You see, Paris Hilton has been her own god. Which means she is not so different from many of us --from all of us, at times. Her parents affirmed that "she has never been alone," and suddenly she was spending 23 of every 24 hours alone in a jail cell without much to read. (Except for fan mail. Really, no kidding.) Our whole culture has been "Paris-Hilton-ized." Friends, we live in a new "gilded age" of sorts in the United States. And it's not unlike the time of Ahab and Jezebel. Celebrity is the new "value." The rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are poorer. Real wages in the U.S. have gone down 7% in the last several years. But we are so enamored of "celebrity" that it's as though we've been anesthetized and are unable to notice. In the biblical story, Elijah felt very alone in speaking out against corruption and materialism. The celebrities of his day were out to kill him. So he ran away – which was not very "prophet-like," but which was very human – and, all alone in the wilderness, he finally heard the "still small voice," or as some translations have it, "Sheer silence," that finally comforted and reassured him, and sent him back into the fray. God followed him into his wilderness and called him to return to his prophetic calling. MCC has been and can continue to be a prophetic voice, a voice crying in the wilderness. From time to time, we too, have to run away and seek shelter and safety and face ourselves. I have realized in the last few years that MCC has also has had our times of being seduced by things that were not our real calling; when we've been too silent and not responsive to the cries of those who need justice, and those who need our voice to speak on their behalf. I think in this moment of our history, MCC is going through a time of re-awakening to our true, original call. Every MCC congregation confronts things that challenge us in preaching and living the Gospel of Christian Social Action. One is Despair: Elijah says: "It is enough, O Lord, take away my life, I am no better than my ancestors!" We all have our days, or periods of time, when we feel sorry for ourselves, or we are sure that whatever we do cannot make a difference. But it is a lie -- over and over we see in scripture, and in everyday life, that one person, and one church, one community can make a huge difference. Paris Hilton could make a difference -- she has fans, remarkably, and people who read her website and check her out on MySpace. She could say, "Why are there 2000 mentally ill homeless people in the LA County Jail system?" "Why are thousands of people, some of whom are innocent, clogging up our jail systems?" "Why do people of color have longer sentences than white people for the same offense?" and, "How can we change this?" I confess that sometimes I am tempted to despair -- as when I visit Jamaica and hear story after story of murders of LGBT people that have gone unsolved, and the daily harassment, and no one willing to stand up. But then, someone does stand up, and hope begins to dawn. You may have faced times when you were tempted to despair, or when something you did failed, or when you lost your way. Despair is easy. It is easy to say, "Change, growth, is too much work!" Rev. Elder Diane Fisher was in Eastern Europe recently. At a conference in Turkey, LGBT Muslims got on their knees, literally, and begged her to come to places like Kyrgyzstan, where transgender people, especially, are being murdered. They didn't care that Diane was a Christian, but they believed she could and would help them. We do not have enough money or trained leaders to answer all the calls we get every week from over 80 countries. We are the answer to their despair, and it is so important that we keep hoping and reaching out beyond ourselves. Another barrier is Fear: The story says that Elijah was afraid. You know, sometimes it is easy to donate money, but scary to get involved. Now don't get me wrong, donating money is very important, especially in MCC, where we are under-resourced to do the things we know God is calling us to do! The gospel story in Luke is so telling. Jesus heals a bizarre, demon-possessed man who has been living out of town in the caves so that he will not disturb the townspeople. Oddly, they seem more disturbed when he is healed! In our culture, we distance ourselves from people who are on the margins -- homeless, or in jail, or hungry. And if we do see them, it is important for us to be able to have a safe distance. I am sure that people in Jesus' time contributed to the "Upkeep of the Lepers and Demon-Possessed Benevolence Community Fund." But it was more comfortable if the demon-possessed stayed demon-possessed and if the lepers simply remained out of sight and out of mind. Jesus broke the rules that day. He healed the demoniac and wanted him to integrate back into the community. This frightened and outraged the townspeople so much, they asked Jesus to leave. For me, the times I have spent in jails, prisons, hospitals, hospices, and shelters have been times of great spiritual awakening. The people I have encountered have inspired me, once I got over myself. Years ago I was part of a team that provided worship services in the California Institute for Women. Each week, 75 or 80 women, most of them lesbians, crowded into a classroom for the MCC service. Early on, Susan Atkins, a notorious prison celebrity, who at age 19 was one of the "Manson Family," attended our MCC services. The first time I served her communion, I confess, I could not close my eyes, because I felt frightened and intimidated. As months went by, though, it became possible for me to see her as a human being, and as a chaplain's assistant, and as a woman who found a place of ministry in prison. (Today, she is the longest incarcerated woman in California history.) I watched as other women in prison showed her mercy, and treated her with kindness and dignity. They were women who could close their eyes when they served her communion. I learned a lot from them. Don't let fear keep you from experiences that will shake you and shape you; they will be part of your spiritual awakening. I want to encourage you, today, even in the midst of change and transition, to develop the third part of the Good News that is MCC -- the Gospel of Christian Social Action. I challenge local congregations to create your own Social Action Teams, and to participate in feeding the hungry and in community projects. And as you do, you'll discover that it's a handful of people who really are the hands-on folks, but they are folks who will make a profound difference in your ministry and your community. Sometimes, our biggest barrier is the temptation to ask, "What can I possibly do? How could I get started?" Let me say a word to those MCC congregations that have a large population of seniors. This is a great strength, because, you have congregants who lived through remarkable times and history. Those worshipers who are LGBT, a majority, came out in times that were really difficult, when it required courage and strength to survive and thrive. One of the most important gifts you have to give is the stories you can tell and the perspectives you can share. Young LGBT people love to hear those stories, and need to hear them. When I was just coming out, there were two women in MCC Boston, an inter-racial couple that had been together 40 years -- they met in Marlene Dietrich's gay bar in Berlin in 1932. I sat at their feet as often as I could. Some of you lived through and were active in struggles for civil rights for African Americans, for women, for poor people. You have war stories. You have stories of successes and failures. You have experience that any community needs. You know sometimes, it just takes asking a question, volunteering for one day, one event. Doing something out of the ordinary, something about which your friends and family might have to say, "What's gotten into him? What's up with her?" Don't you love to do that? Over the next few weeks and months, as opportunities present themselves, open yourself to the God who lives and moves among "the least of these." Get involved in healing a world and culture that sometimes seems hooked on "celebrity" rather than "justice for all." Pray for our MCC Global ministry, that we might be a voice for justice and hope for so many who are waiting to have what we already experience. Pray that the Holy Spirit will move us to new levels of commitment to the social gospel that is ours to share. And while you're at it, pray that Paris Hilton really does have a spiritual awakening that shocks the world, the kind that would make Elijah proud. Amen.
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