Column by Mary Lee Talbot
The Rev. J. Peter Holmes was having a conversation with his friend, the Rev. Susan Sparks from Madison Avenue Baptist Church. She, too, has been a chaplain at Chautauqua. They were discussing how things were going and what a mess the world is in.
Sparks reminded Holmes of theologian Karl Barth’s admonition to read the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other. But they both felt overwhelmed with the news and admitted that it was hard to read the news at times.
“I was reading an interview with James Taylor and he said that whenever ‘Fire and Rain’ comes on the radio, he turns it off,” Holmes said. “It reminds him of one of the worst times in his life.”
Holmes preached at the 9:15 a.m. Wednesday morning worship service in the Amphitheater. His sermon title was “Fire and Rain,” and the scripture reading was Isaiah 43: 1-7.
Holmes recalled some of the lyrics to “Fire and Rain.” “Just yesterday morning, they let me know you were gone,” refers to the death of Taylor’s friend, Suzanne. “My body is aging and my time is at hand,” refers to his drug addiction and “sweet dreams and flying machines,” refers to the break up of his band.
This year there are historic wild fires in Canada, wars, diseases and tariffs around the world. Sparks told Holmes that there is a wall in the church with photos of all her predecessors. She sometimes stands in front of them and says, “Tell me what to do.” There is one who was there from 1909 to 1919, Charles Eaton, but the name had no meaning for Holmes.
Holmes did think about Isaiah, writing to the exiles in Babylon, 1,000 kilometers from Jerusalem. Isaiah told them that the warfare was over in Jerusalem and to prepare a way, a highway from God. Isaiah wrote, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; / I have called you by name; you are mine. / When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, / and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; / when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, / and the flame shall not consume you. … Do not fear, for I am with you …”
He continued, “It is a beautiful story and it might have reminded the exiles of Moses going through the waters on dry land, or Jonah, as we read in our canticle this morning, swallowed by the water. Or Meshach, Shadrach and Abendigo in the fiery furnace and the king asking who the fourth person was.”
Holmes told the congregation, “God says ‘I am with you.’ God is with us on the days we feel the heat but the heat won’t be the end; God will see us home.”
In “Fire and Rain,” Taylor asks, “Look down upon me Jesus and help me take a stand.”
“Jesus comes down and stands with us,” Holmes said. “Jesus was baptized so that when the waters overwhelm us, he will go through with us. On the cross he faced evil, but God raised Jesus up and had the last word.”
He continued, “When the disciples raised the alarm in the boat that they were sinking, Jesus said, ‘Peace, be still,’ and the disciples who could get the wind and waves to obey him. God is with us and does love us.”
Sparks had told Holmes about the photo of Charles Eaton, and the name stuck with him. He knew that Eaton was not connected with Eaton’s Department Store in Toronto, but it nagged at him and he began to look into his own church history.
Holmes found that Eaton had been the pastor of Yorkminister Park Baptist church, where Holmes serves, from 1895 to 1901. “Eaton was from Pugwash, Nova Scotia, He studied at my school, Acadia University, and at Mary Lee’s school, (Andover) Newton Theological School. I called Susan and asked to borrow the portrait for our church. He was the same person.”
In 1916-17, Eaton publicly advocated for the United States to enter World War I and received hate mail because of his stand. He offered to resign. Sparks said that she had been getting hate mail after a sermon she preached on a social issue. Sparks and Holmes found a biography of Eaton and both read it.
When Eaton left Madison Avenue, he entered politics as a Republican and served as a congressman from New Jersey from 1924 to 1952. He was known for his bipartisan work and President Harry Truman included him in the United States delegation to sign the United Nations charter. Eaton retired from Congress in 1952 and died 20 days later.
“We are not alone,” Holmes said. “God has said I am with you.”
He talked about The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, and the communication through the roots that Wohlleben says trees have, how they share nutrients. When an old tree dies, its roots feed younger trees. Sparks was reading the same book.
“My point is that we are not alone. There is a third, fourth person, a communion of saints with us,” Holmes said. “Where two or three are gathered, Christ is with us. We stand on the shoulders of giants.”
He told the congregation, “Don’t go it alone, don’t think you are alone. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Whatever you are facing, give it to God who is with you, for you and loves you. Do not be afraid. Whatever our fire and rain are, God is our refuge and our strength. Thanks be to God.”
The Rev. Mary Lee Talbot presided. Alison Marthinsen, a member of a six-generation Chautauqua family, read the scripture. The prelude, performed by Owen Reyda, organ scholar, on the Massey Memorial Organ was “Allegro in A minor,” by Niels Gade. The Motet Choir sang a cappella “Do Not Be Afraid,” music by Philip Stopford and text by Gerard Markland. Joshua Stafford, director of sacred music and Jared Jacobsen Chair for the Organist, directed the choir. Laura Smith, organ scholar, performed “Toccata,” from Suite Gothique by Léon Boëllman, on the Massey Organ. Support for this week’s preaching and chaplaincy is provided by the Alison and Craig Marthinsen Endowment for the Department of Religion.
