December 18, 2022, Advent 4
John 1:1-18
Introduction
Last week when our Elder/Lay Leader Jacob Aukeman spoke about both artificial intelligence and the coming of the winter solstice and its least amount of light in a day, I couldn’t help but become fixated on both topics, particularly in relation to this “most wonderful time of the year.” This train of thought was furthered as I talked with some of you, reached out to others, and recalled others as well, that for many, this Advent/Christmas season, for many reasons, isn’t all that wonderful.
Move 1
A few years ago an art piece in the genre of what’s called an “installation” was created. An “installation” is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works designed to immerse a viewer within a space and then transform the viewer’s perception of what’s happening.
The piece entitled “Can’t Help Myself” was created by Chinese artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, and was first displayed at the Guggenheim. Not your typical piece of art made of paint or clay, “Can’t Help Myself” features a robotic arm, equipped with artificial intelligence able to detect when museum on-lookers are watching, which will then initiate the robotic arm to perform for those on-lookers—dancing celebratory moves that have been named: “Bow and shake.” “Scratch an itch,” and “Shake your booty.” (Never thought I’d say those words in a sermon.)
There is a catch with this happy-go-lucky, booty shaking, performing robot however,—a perception that must be noted. Constantly spilling from the piece is a fluid, just oozing out from, and all around, the base of this performing robot. And because of the spilling, oozing fluid, the robotic arm must periodically stop dancing, stop “shaking its booty”, stop its performance, and clean up the spilling, oozing fluid. Then, once the mess is somewhat under control, it resumes its “booty shaking” performance.
But far better than me telling you about the installation called “Can’t Help Myself” is for you to see it in action. Take a look…
*Show Video*
All of this got me thinking and wondering… On this fourth Sunday of Advent, deep within the holiday season, deep within “the most wonderful time of the year”, while nearing the winter solstice and its shortest day of the year, what is our perception of this “most wonderful time of the year”? Are we perceiving hope, peace, joy, and love? Or are our perceptions, perceiving something else?
Move 2
When it comes to “Can’t Help Myself”, there are many ways a person can perceive and interpret it—which is often the point of art. Some have suggested the piece is a commentary on authoritarian political rule and controlling people. Others see it as a comment on the nature of work in some cultures— that there is always more to be done, we don’t rest, we do take time to dance—we just keep going and going.
One interpretation got the attention of the internet, and sent millions into a tizzy, when the idea was shared that the fluid leaking from and the robot was actually hydraulic fluid—the machine’s “life-source” as the perceiver called it—and that the hydraulic fluid looks like blood—blood of course a life source for human beings. And because the robot is losing its “life-source” it stops “dancing” and has to work recollect its “life-source.” But every time the machine stops recollecting its “life-source” to dance or perform for spectators, more of its life-source spills and oozes away—becoming of course this lose-lose never-ending cycle.
Perform for onlookers, but the life-source spills and oozes away. Stop dancing and you’re left trying to get it all back, but as we see in the video, not even robotic artificial intelligence that runs 24/7 can get all the spilling and oozing “life-source” back. Watch the video again with this perception in mind…
*Show Video Here*
Did you perceive the machine as losing its life-source? Did you perceive that while the machine is trying to gather back its life-source, it’s also trying to keep up its appearance of a dancing, carefree being that shows onlookers it has everything under control? Did you perceive that “Can’t Help Myself” might just be an artistic metaphor of the human life?
Move 3
We say Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. But do we really believe that? Because when we think about it, when we look around at these long dim days, we see others—even ourselves—putting up a good show for onlookers—when the truth is our emotions, our fears, our sadness is causing our life-source to spill and ooze out, all while we try fast and furiously to gather back in our life-source while also showing onlookers we have everything under control.
At times like Christmas for sure, but most everyday really, the world doesn’t leave much room or give much permission for hardships, or struggles, or grieving does it? And because it doesn’t we become like this robotic arm—that when it sees someone watching, it goes into performance mode and does a little dance to show others everything is good—pay no attention to the “life-source” spilling and oozing out.
Does any of this feel familiar… or is it just me?
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What is the cause of our life-force spilling and oozing out?
If we put ourselves in the “nuts and bolts” of this machine trying to keep from completely losing its life-force, what would we say is the cause of our life-source spilling and oozing out? Fear? Loneliness? Feeling overwhelmed? Loss of purpose? Lack of self-worth? Self-doubt? Self-judgement? Could it be an illness? An injustice? Grief? Sadness? Anger? Or maybe we don’t even have words for what is causing us to lose our life-source—we just know we are.
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In this “most wonderful time of the year” we often find we “can’t help ourselves” from becoming more acutely aware of the life-source spilling out from us—the life-source we have lost.
For some, there is the sadness and loneliness of this being the first Christmas without someone they spent so many Christmas’ with. And maybe there is some anger there too. For some, there is the fear this could be their last Christmas. For some, there is the feeling they have been forgotten, leading to diminished self-worth. And for some still, there are no words to explain why “the most wonderful time of the year” isn’t. All of it influences how many—maybe even ourselves—perceive this “most wonderful time of the year.”
Move 4
When the “most wonderful time of the year” isn’t wonderful there is something we can do that’s better than putting on a good show while also trying to sweep back in the life-source spilling and oozing out of us. We don’t have to stay locked away in our grief or our fear or our struggle or whatever it may be.
We can share with God and others our feelings and emotions and find we are not alone.
We can reach out to those we know are probably having a hard time this season and make sure they know they are not alone or forgotten.
We can let ourselves lean into the truth that God is not an artificial intelligence, and we are more than robots because here’s another truth… We were never meant to help, or save, or redeem ourselves—because we can’t.
And when we try to keep it all together, God knows we’re only fooling ourselves. When we keep dancing and performing as though all is well—even though our life-source is oozing out of us— we are missing the chance to immerse ourselves within a space that can transform our perception—that though this time may not be so wonderful, though we are losing our life-source, God has come again, in Jesus. And Jesus—the light of the world—can transform perceptions.
Conclusion
Advent, Christmas, the “most wonderful time of the year”, every day… is a chance for us to fully immerse ourselves within a space and have our perceptions transformed. The light of the world can show us again the wonder still to perceive and embrace.
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So will we perceive only what has been lost or what is being lost, while trying to keep up our performance? Or will we perceive the light of the world surrounding us?
God shows up in Jesus, not to end all of our suffering and struggle, but to show us there is always more perceive. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, Advent 4, December 18, 2022
Gracious and loving God we know what it feels like to look for you. We know what it feels like to turn our heads up to the sky, looking for a star or a sign. We know what it feels like to walk day after day, hoping to draw closer to you. We know what it feels like to seek.
Like the Magi of the Christmas story, we are seeking you by trying to follow your light. Like the magi, we are seeking to bring ourselves closer to you, step by step, and word by word.
That is part of why we end up here in this Advent season, because we are hoping that in the midst of this messy world we might catch a glimpse of your light, and it will carry us through.
We know however, we are asking a lot for a group that brings very little. We don’t have gold, frankincense or myrrh. We haven’t spent the last several weeks traveling by camel. We are no Magi, but we are yours.
So we bring ourselves to you, in hopes of catching a glimpse of your light— a light we know shines bright in any dimness and gives to us hope, peace, joy, and love.
We pray you once again show us your light Holy God. Make your light as clear as a star in the sky, so it can once again be followed, so it will once again lead us to those most unexpected places where we find you, waiting to receive us, waiting to promise us, once more, love has come again and your light of the world is with us always.
Here now the prayers of our hearts as we share them in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of the King of Kings, Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”