Full Service Script

for Sunday October 17, 2021  

Enoch and Mythology in the Bible 

The Bible is rich in many kinds of literature. Mythology is one of them, and Enoch is an excellent example. 

NIUU, Jeanie Donaldson, April Winters, Pastor Fred 

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Prelude:  Turn Ye to Me--a Scottish Folk Song

Welcome:  

Come into this circle of love and compassion,

Come into this community where we can dream and

Believe in those dreams—

Welcome to North Idaho Unitarian Universalists where we accept, we support, we transform:  Ourselves, Our Community. Our world.   

Lighting the Chalice: 

A Fire in the Universe

By Shawn Trapp

Our chalice reminds us of that the fire within ourselves is the same fire that illuminates the Universe. It is our reminder that all is connected even though the space of the void is vast, and our experience here is but a blip in the cosmic timeline.

This flame is our promise that in our smallness and our short time on this Earth, that we live intently and deeply, with love for one another, with honesty and integrity, to be guided by rational thought and critical thinking, and with a sense of shared responsibility—for as the late astronomer Carl Sagan reminded us, this pale blue dot is the only home we’ve ever known.

Opening Words: 

Call from Beyond

By Susan Maginn

When William Shatner, Captain James T. Kirk, returned to Earth last week,  after his brief adventure in space, he spoke of his powerful feelings. He was overwhelmed by seeing our home in its fragility with its thin blue line of atmosphere. 

From beyond the playful summer clouds,

beyond the earth's thin blue line,

from beyond the bright moon and meteor showers,

we hear the call to look and listen carefully,

to turn away from a world that buys and sells happiness,

to fully experience the luring whisper of your heart's truth.

Why not today, why not now?

We are here and together at home in this evolving place,

home in this ever changing breath and body,

home in this dewy morning even as it reaches toward high noon.

We hear the call from far beyond and deep within and we do not hear it alone.

Come, let us worship together.

The movie, City of Angels, portrayed fallen angels simply as those who had chosen to live a human life on earth. Some of them married and had children. The mythology of fallen - or descended - angels, the Nephilim, as portrayed in the Books of Enoch and in Genesis, included their having children with human women. The song, “In the Arms of the Angel” served as a theme for City of Angels, and it is most appropriate for our theme today. 

Hymn - In the Arms of the Angel by Sarah McLachlin 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SiylvmFI_8 

Covenant: 

Love is the spirit of this church, and service its law

This is our great covenant:

To dwell together in peace,

To seek truth in love,

And to help one another. 

Meet and Greet / Check-in  / Joys and Concerns /  Sharing

Story: 

Icarus, a myth about one who fell to the earth, but not in a good way. 

By Erica Shadowsong

an original retelling

Daedalus was a brilliant inventor, and he had made a career, even a legend of himself for being able to create the seemingly impossible. So when he decided to escape from his tower prison by flying over the ocean like a bird, his son, Icarus, had no doubt he would do it.

It took him only a little while, and Daedalus did the thing that no one else had ever been able to do. He created two sets of wings that for all intents and purposes looked like they could have come from a very large bird, with a wingspan twice his and his son's own heights. Daedalus was ready to fly.

At any other time in his life, that would be it; he would take off, no matter how dangerous the risk, with the untested creation, and somehow beat odds impossible for anyone else. But Daedalus was older now, and he'd had his share of trouble. His proclivity for trouble had landed him in this prison, after all. And because he now had a son, he could no longer do anything without first weighing the consequences. And he worried, now...something he had hardly ever done for himself in his own youth and prime.

When the wings were finished, Daedalus showed them to his son and gave him careful instruction.

"When we set out over the ocean, you must take care not to fly too high, because if you do, the heat of the son will melt the wax holding these wings together, and you will fall into the sea, and I won't be able to save you. But you also must not fly too low, because the ocean spray will soak the feathers, and drag you down into its depths. Be sure to follow me and do what I do, until we safely reach the shore."

Icarus agreed; his father knew everything. So they attached the wings to themselves one day and lept out of the high tower window, catching the wind and sailing high over the endless ocean.

At first, Icarus did exactly as his father instructed. But as they continued to travel for what seemed hours, he naturally was a fast learner, and he began to fly playfully, imitating the sea birds shrieking in the sky. He flew faster than his father, who was flying more carefully. Every now and then, he'd hear his father call out to him to remind him to take care not to fly too high or too low.

He stayed well away from the ocean spray. But he could not resist flying higher and higher to see how far he could go, and the enormous sun was so very far away; surely there was more than enough height for him to go before there was danger from it. And he probably would have been right, if it were not for the fact that, as he saw the tiny silhouettes of birds flying across the great bright sun over the ocean, he found himself hypnotized by its beauty and enormity. He couldn't help it.

Watching the sun and the birds flying seemingly so close to it, he naturally rose higher and higher. And he began to entertain what he knew was impossible; he began to think about what it would be like to touch the sun! He heard his father's voice calling behind him, so far away, and could hear the terror in it. But he was mesmerized by the sun, and sure enough, as his father had said, the wax holding his wings together began to melt it its heat, and still he rose higher, still he kept his eyes on the horizon, toward the great sun.

And as his wings came apart, and he plunged to his death in the sea, his father watching, helpless to be able to save him, could it be that he knew he was about to die for flying too close to the sun? And could it be that he simply decided, it was worth it?

 

Meditation: 

Holy and Creative Light,

By Charles W Grady

Holy and Creative Light, teach us to love this earth, our home. Together we live in one small house, even though to us it seems so large, with so many rooms. This quiet star, marbled blue and white, was hanging here and spinning in black space long before we came. Whole families, kingdoms, empires of teeming life arose and passed away before us. Now we are here, not knowing how or why. Slowly we have begun to learn about our house: how delicate, how self-contained, how easily torn apart! Holy it is, this bubble of rock, water, air -- not to be consumed, nor smashed like the careless child's toy, but to be cared for and cherished, to be kept clean and livable for all the later tenants in their generations. Teach us to be servants of life, and not prideful masters. For we are caretakers and stewards here, with a great responsibility: to watch over the house, to savor its beauty, to breathe its air.

Eternal One, addressed by the human heart through many names, but never to be encompassed by any name, even the holiest: we would know more of ourselves within this hour. We would find more light, knowing dimly somehow that to be a human is, precisely, to be responsible. To feel shame at the sight of misery condoned; to feel shame when we hear of suffering shrugged away; to resist the inroads of arrogant wrong from whatever quarter; to struggle against oppression. We would stand up with quiet strength, and together plant our tree of justice and truth, our flower of mercy, our stone of understanding, our foundation for peace. May wonder and adventure, curiosity and humor, live in us always. May we search in faith for the green fields beyond the desert of this time, and look for the dawn coming over the sea's horizon rim, and for the stars beyond the dark. Amen.

Sermon: 

Scripture quotations are from the NRSV, 

"New Revised Standard Version Bible, 

    copyright 1989, 

      Division of Christian Education of the 

        National Council of the Churches of Christ in the 

          United States of America. 

Used by permission. All rights reserved." 

  Designated by the initials, (NRSV).

The word "mythology" is all too threatening 

  to many people when it is used 

    in reference to parts of the Bible. 

In truth, it's simply a literary classification. 

By definition, mythology refers to stories 

  where gods, goddesses, angels, and other beings 

    intervene in the lives and affairs of people 

      and communities. 

With that simple understanding, 

  there is a lot of mythology in the Bible. 

To speak of a myth 

  does not necessarily refer to an untruth, 

    although the term is often used that way. 

In fact, 

  myths may convey particularly important truths. 

It is with that in mind 

  that I'm wanting us to think about myths today. 

Most cultures from ancient times to today 

  have important myths 

    as part of their self understanding. 

The Aboriginal people of Australia have 

  one of the oldest cultures in the world. 

It goes back about 60,000 years or more. 

The most ancient time of their culture 

  is sometimes called the dreamtime, 

    a mythological age of heroic ancestors, 

      like those of many cultures. 

Another such culture with heroic ancestors 

  helped in the formation of the Bible. 

I'm speaking of the culture of the ancient Hebrews, 

  the ancestors of the people whom we know today 

    as the Jews. 

Their heritage and culture is a vital part 

  of the formation of our own. 

Adam and Eve were the first of the heroic ancestors. 

The name Adam simply means humankind. 

The name Eve simply means Mother of All the Living. 

In our more scientific age, 

  genetic scientists have found evidence of Eve 

    in the cells of every living human being. 

Her genetic material is found in the mitochondria 

  of every human cell, 

    and so she is known as Mitochondrial Eve. 

She is believed to have been a female hominid 

  who gave birth to the first of her children

    about a quarter of a million years ago. 

We are all her descendants, 

  and so her name is, "Eve." 

At this point Biblical mythology 

  and natural Science meet. 

It's always fascinating when science and religion 

  actually meet this way. 

People's reaction to the encounter 

  varies widely, 

    mostly according to their own faith traditions 

      and accompanying preconceived ideas. 

Science and mythology have always had 

  an interesting relationship. 

For our purposes, 

  the most interesting characteristic 

    of the relationship 

      is the place of the mythology 

        in the history and development of cultures. 

Enoch, whom we are thinking about today, 

  is important in the development 

    of our own culture 

      mostly because he is believed by many people 

        to have been the first to experience 

          one of the most important 

            past and future events

              in modern religious mythology. 

I'm speaking of the rapture, 

  the belief that some people will not taste of death 

    but will be taken bodily to meet God. 

What the Bible actually said of Enoch 

  is just a little bit less than specific 

    than the concept of the rapture. 

In Genesis 5:21-24 we read, 

  "21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him." (NRSV)

 

Many conservative Christians see in Enoch 

  the experience for the first time known 

    of being raptured as a way of entering eternal life. 

In truth, the concept of the rapture 

  as it lives in popular culture 

    is not clearly presented in the Bible. 

It's an idea that inspires both fear and hope. 

One way to think about and picture 

  both the fear and hope 

    is the series of Science Fiction books (and movies) 

      known as Left Behind. 

It tells the story of people who were not ready, 

  not true believers, 

    when the time of the Rapture came. 

Hence the fear part: 

Their lives became more and more difficult 

  as the end of time 

    and the second coming of Christ approached. 

For many of those in the stories, 

  things turned out very well indeed. 

For the rest of humanity, 

  it was not so good. 

Belief in the rapture provides a kind of escape 

  from the fears and exigencies of everyday life - 

    - and from the alienation experienced 

      by many people living in the modern world. 

Not knowing for sure 

  that one will be taken up in the rapture 

    is a source of fear. 

For our purposes, 

  thinking about the mythology 

    surrounding the rapture

      can provide us a perspective on the thinking 

        of friends, family, and neighbors 

          whose way of life may seem 

            quite foreign to us at times. 

Because one interpretation of Enoch's story 

  is that God took him up bodily into Heaven, 

    his story is considered 

      by many who believe in the rapture 

        as evidence that their concept of escape 

          from the tribulations of the end time 

            is true. 

There are also two books of Enoch 

  that were not made part 

      of the Jewish or Christian Bible,

        but that are considered important 

          by many scholars who study mythology. 

For example, 

  one collection of characters in the story 

    were called the Nephilim, 

      whose name is variously interpreted as giants 

        and also "those who came from above." 

As one can imagine, those who came from above 

  have become important grist for the mill 

    of alien hunters and UFO enthusiasts. 

The Nephilim are also mentioned in the Bible, 

  in the book of Genesis. 

Much more detail of the mythology about them 

  is provided in the books of Enoch. 

Mythology is still an important part 

  of popular culture 

    in an age that likes to think of itself 

      as based on scientific objectivity. 

I don't want to dignify many of the false narratives 

  about such things as COVID-19 

    or the Insurrection against the U. S. capitol 

      last January 6, 

        but mythology underlies many people's 

          understanding of themselves and the nation. 

For example, there is the myth 

  regarding George Washington and the cherry tree. 

The story is probably not true in a historical sense, 

  but it represents much of the esteem

    in which George Washington is held 

      as Father of his Country and its First President. 

Another myth is that the 

  United States is a Christian nation. 

The Constitution clearly forbids the establishment 

  of any state religion, 

    yet the myth represents the importance 

      of people of Abrahamic faith, 

        as well as many other traditions

          to the founding and development 

            of the nation and its culture. 

So it is no surprise that the myth of Enoch 

  (and the Nephilim) 

    are so fascinating to many people in our time. 

They are indeed part of a powerful myth 

  of Jewish tradition, 

    and their adoption by people of various kinds 

      is a sign of our times. 

The two books of Enoch are among the so-called 

  lost books of the Bible. 

They have not been included in any Bibles 

  except that of the ancient Coptic church of Africa. 

Yet they have long been held in reverence by many. 

There are even references to the writings of Enoch 

  in the New Testament letter (Epistle) of Jude. 

In verses 14 and 15 (Jude has only one chapter), he refers to 1 Enoch, saying that God sent His myriads to bring judgment upon the ungodly who grumble and stir up trouble for the people of God: 

14 It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “See, the Lord is coming[a] with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

The idea of his holy ones 

  probably refers to the Nephilim, 

    the mythological race of Heavenly beings 

      who came down to earth. 

Since the myth says that they were sent 

  to defend God's children, 

    at least here, they do not seem to be 

      fallen or evil. 

Rather, they can be seen as ancestors of humanity, 

  and their powerful presence may well have been 

    understood by some as a good thing. 

Myths can be interpreted in different ways,

  according to the needs of people 

    here and now. 

They are a valuable form of literature 

  in that they represent deep truth about ourselves. 

We ourselves can choose what we believe, 

  and positive interpretations of mythology 

    can help us understand ourselves and our world. 

Amen. 

Let it be. 

Blessed be. 

Congregational Response 

Musical interlude (put this anywhere) 

  My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

Robert Burns wrote the beautiful words to this poem and found a melody in a songbook to which he could set them.

Offering Information

Our Charity of the Month:

Safe Passage

Violence Prevention Center

 

"Safe Passage not only helps survivors, we work toward reducing violence through prevention education. We provide individual and group programs that teach ways to recognize domestic violence and how to safely intervene and help."

NIUU

P.O. Box 221

CDA ID 83816

Extinguishing the Chalice :

The light of our Chalice is part of the same light that illuminates our small planet as we travel together on our journey through the deep heavens. We cannot extinguish that greater light, but as our small light is extinguished, we receive it into our own hearts and minds. 

 

Welcoming Guests and Announcements

 

Closing words: 

Be a Branch of the Tree of Life

By Norman V Naylor

Our eyes and minds turn now toward the ordinary.

Leaving this virtual space made sacred by our presence, take with you at least some seed of understanding, hope and courage and drop it into the confusion of the world.

Nourish the seed that it might grow as a tree of life giving shelter to the weary and hope to the despairing.

Be yourself a branch of the tree of life. Amen. So let it be. Blessed be.