Sermon for January 15th, 2023
Contents
Genesis 25:21-27
21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other; the elder shall serve the younger.” 24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle, so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Acts 15:36-41
36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the brothers and sisters in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. 39 The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose Silas and set out, the brothers and sisters commending him to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Ephesians 4:25-27, 29-32
25 So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not make room for the devil. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Three Minute Film Summary
Pádraic (which is the Irish gaelic pronunciation of Patrick) and Colm are lifelong friends living on the fictional island of Inisherin, just off the coast of Ireland in the 1920s, around the time of the Irish civil war. Or, at least, Pádraic and Colm used to be lifelong friends. One day, Colm inexplicably decides he's doesn't want to be friends with Pádraic anymore. Pádraic, who is simple-minded but kind, doesn't take it so well, and keeps pestering Colm, attempting to save their friendship or at least find out what went wrong.
Colm, who is Pádraic's opposite--a bit of an intellectual and an artist--eventually reveals that he thinks his friend is Dull and he wants to spend his remaining years working on his musical legacy, and not engaging in idle chatter. When Pádraic refuses to leave him alone, he threatens to cut off one of his own fingers every time Pádraic talks to him...and eventually he is forced to make good on that threat, not just once, but until all the fingers on his fiddle-playing hand are gone. Through a variety of circumstances gone horribly wrong, Pádraic goes from being sad to angry, shunning his nice-guy reputation and escalating the feud with Colm to a fever pitch. Along the way, Pádraic and Colm interact with a whole host of colorful, quaint, funny and grotesque characters who help to move the story along and contribute to its dark humor, its poignant themes, and its timely message about the demons that drive us, and often divide us from one another.
Opposites & Identities
I already said that Pádraic and Colm are opposites, but sometimes it takes a couple of good friends to point out the differences:
- Film Clip #2 - We're on your side
In our scripture passage from Genesis, we see a similar breakdown: Jacob is clever, and his twin brother Esau is big, dumb and hairy. Throughout their lives, they have an on-again, off-again, love-hate relationship. And yet both are part of God's ultimate plan (more on that and the film later). I also could have gone with Cain and Abel, or even Peter and John in the gospels. Paul and Barnabas (from our second scripture reading) provide another example of two friends who go their separate ways, for reasons that seem good to each of them at the time.
Being Nice
The trick, of course, is to go your separate ways and still be kind to each other. Ephesians 4 (our 3rd scripture reading) teaches that it's okay for friends and neighbors to be angry sometimes, but not to let the sun go down on your anger (in other words, be quick to forgive) and don't let your anger cause you to sin.
Pádraic is decidedly less nice when he's drunk, and Colm isn't even sure that being nice is what's most important in life. And so they resume an argument as old as civilization itself:
- Film Clip #3 - Drunk Nice
Don't be fooled. Colm, though he may seem the meaner of the two friends, is also capable of showing great kindness. When Pádraic is assaulted by the police officer, Colm comes to his rescue in a touching scene that should remind us of one of the most famous parables of Jesus...see if you can guess which one:
- Film Clip #4 - Good Samaritan
The Banshees...
Banshees in Irish Folklore are screaming, wailing spirits who appear to warn of impending death. They are usually depicted as wearing a hood or a cloak of some kind. Sometimes a banshee can appear as an old woman, and sometimes as a young virgin.
There are two hooded women who make appearances throughout the film. The obvious one wears a black hood, and is the pipe-smoking little old lady, Mrs. McCormick, who always seems to be lurking in the most creepy kind of way--which is why people try (unsuccessfully) to avoid her:
- Film Clip #5 - Black Banshee
Mrs. McCormick is clearly a Banshee--but the title of the film is "Banshees" plural. So there is another one, and she's a little bit harder to spot. She wears a white hood, over a blue cloak. It's the statue of the Virgin Mary. In this film, she is a silent observer in a fixed location... always appearing at the fork in the road, the moment of choice. Remember, every fork in the road represents a parting of ways, or the death of at least one option.
Mary is silent, and Mrs. McCormick, though talkative, certainly doesn't scream or wail--so how are they true banshees, in the traditional sense? I'll let Colm explain:
- Film Clip #6 - Banshee Explained
...of Inisherin
There is, in actuality, no island of the coast of Ireland named "Inisherin." It was a fictional name invented for the film. And if you look at it closely, it just might explain the entire film. Inish is the Gaelic word for Island. And Erin is the traditional name of Ireland itself. So Inisherin literally means "the Island of Ireland." And what's happening to Pádraic and Colm as their friendship deteriorates, is also happening over on the mainland of Ireland itself, as the civil war rages, as Protestants fight Catholics, as North fights South, as brother and neighbor fight each other in a cycle of violence that never ends, and only escalates.
The violence of the Irish Civil War is a violence that many flee the country to get away from (like Pádraic's sister in the film). It is a violence that kills innocent bystanders (like we also see in the film, but I won't give spoilers here), and which makes some callous and indifferent (like the police officer and the shopkeeper). Those who participate in the violence cause as much harm and mutilation to themselves (like Colm cutting off his fingers) as they do to others. Some had no desire to take part in the violence, and aren't even really sure why or how it started, but are nevertheless swept up into it, and become just as violent (or more) as those who began it.
I'm not going to spoil the ending of the movie for you, but it's absolutely the right ending given the allegory, and the conflict it represents. The Irish Civil war never officially ended, and its ripples continued right down to the very recent past. When Amy and I visited both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the summer of 2015, there was at the time a fragile, somewhat tense and uneasy peace...and it seems to be holding. I believe that it is only in the aftermath of this almost 100 years of struggle that a story like this one can even be told.
I believe that Ireland has an important story to tell the world (and us) right now, as we fight and argue about who to let in and who to keep out, who to protect and who to abandon, as we sometimes let our politics define or undermine our friendships, our family ties, and our faithfulness.
The banshees are already among us to warn us of the death we are creating, but the banshees aren't screaming. They are observing, watching, silently to see what we will do. And what can we do? Once again, Ephesians chapter 4: "Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you."
