First Sunday After Christmas Dec 27, 2009 Nancy Meehan Yao
Psalm 148
L=1Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise God in the heights!
2Praise God, all his angels; praise God, all his host!
3Praise God, sun and moon; praise God, all you shining stars!
4Praise the Lord, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5Let them praise the name of the LORD, for God commanded and they were created.
6God established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for God’s name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
14God has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful,
for the people who are close to him. Praise the LORD!
Luke 2:41-52 p 833
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
They grow up so fast, don’t they? It seems just a few days ago that Jesus was a cute little baby, in his crib, with adoring people smiling down at him.
Now, he is a pre-teen, nearly a man, or at least he thinks he is. If we ever needed Scriptural proof that Jesus was both fully divine and fully human, here it is- Jesus is being rude to his mom, not following his curfew, taking off and not bothering to tell anybody where he was.
When his parents finally get to him, they are “astonished”- which, I think, is Greek for they wanted to shake him until he saw stars. His mother, Mary, who “pondered all these things in her heart” after the angel showed up, has been pondering all right- pondering where the kid was, all the way thru the frantic searching among the relatives, among the traveling party, and all the way back to Jerusalem--. She asks what I believe is an entirely reasonable and calm question—“Child, why have you treated us like this?” Jesus, being twelve, nearly 13, answers, essentially- “What” in that kind of teen age grunt and shrug answer that is a non-answer. What? What’s the big deal? I don’t get it- why were you searching for me? Duh- you should have known this is where I would be, in my Father’s house…..”
When Jesus was twelve years old, the Holy Family went up, as usual, for the festival. The Holy Family goes to church—and they bring their children. And, as we have seen, those children are not always obedient or well behaved, or polite, or even following their parents wishes. They make a fuss and a problem and a disruption. But I want us, as the family of God, to note just a few things
1) Jesus is in the Temple- it is where children are supposed to be, it is where he obviously belongs- When Jesus was born, he was brought to the Temple as an infant, Simeon and Anna sang praise to God for him. Here the slightly older Jesus says: “did you not know I must be in my Father’s house?” - and he is there because his family is there- “they went up to Jerusalem as was their custom”—it was a regular practice- it was a habit—they did not decide, every Sabbath, whether or not to go or to stay home in their pjs. It was already decided. They said, as a family, this is what we do, this is who we are.
2) the family was larger than just Mary and Joseph- in the same way that so many, different people are involved in the Advent/Christmas story- many people are involved in Jesus’ life- he travels with a large group of people who care for him- aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, the kindly lady who bakes those good cookies- and they all watched out for him and for each other. Mary and Joseph are not especially worried when they can’t find Jesus at first- he is with other adults who love him and care for him. The people traveled together, for safety and companionship. So should we as we travel through life.
3) there are teachers- Jesus goes to Sunday School- I imagine they did not have Vacation Bible School in Jerusalem in 12 CE- but we have VBS- and Sunday School, and youth group- it takes a village, or rather, a church, to raise up children- Proverbs tells us “train up a child in the way he should go, and he will not depart from it”….
4) the children, and the teens, when they are in worship, will not behave well. They will not be quiet, they will not be decorous—they will make a fuss, they will ask unfortunate questions, they will make us want to shake them until their heads spin….but they need to be in worship anyway.
5) The children will, while growing in the faith, take off in directions we do not know or expect. Jesus, after going up to the Temple, did not at first return home with Mary and Joseph. Their faith life, nurtured in the pews, in the Sunday School classrooms, in youth group, will take them, perhaps, to places we are not sure we want them to go—but grounded in faith, raised in faith, we give them the skills and tools necessary to ask those questions, to lead worship, to make decisions about life. We also trust that God is in this process- that we do not only have that child, but that God has acted first—in the child’s life, and in our life.
William Willimon, former dean of the chapel at Duke University and currently a bishop serving in the United Methodist Church, tells a story about a day, while he was the dean of the chapel at Duke, he received a phone call from a very irate father. The father exploded on the other end of the line, telling him furiously, “I hold YOU personally responsible for this!” The father was angry because his graduate-school-bound daughter had decided (in his words) “to throw it all away and go and do mission work in Haiti with the Presbyterian Church.”
The father screamed, “Isn’t that absurd! She has a B.S. degree from Duke and she is going to dig ditches in Haiti! I hold YOU responsible for this!”
Willimon said, “Why me?” The father said, “You ingratiated yourself and filled her with all this religion stuff
Will Willimon is not easily intimidated. Upon hearing the father’s accusation, he asked the man, “Sir, weren’t you the one who had her baptized?”
“Well, well, well, yes,” the man stammered.
“And didn’t you take her to Sunday school when she was a little girl?”
“Well, well, yes.”
“And didn’t you allow your daughter to go on those youth group ski trips to Colorado when she was in high school?”
Yes . . . but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Sir, YOU introduced her to Jesus. Not me!”
The church introduces children to God. The church is a provisional demonstration of the kingdom of God. We model Godly love and justice, we live out compassion and peace--We talk about God—in our Old Testament study this fall, we talked about how the bible says “When your children will ask you” in the days to come—not if, but when—and we are to tell of God’s love and care. The whole family of God—mothers and fathers, grandparents, Sunday School teachers, ushers, vacation bible school volunteers, we all, as the family of God, have a part in each child.
When we baptize a baby, we ask the parents questions: do you desire that your baby be baptized? We ask the parents if they renounce evil and the ways of sin, and turn to Jesus Christ. They answer this not only on their own, but on behalf of the child, who cannot yet answer or decide for herself. And then, the elder turns to the congregation: and asks:
“ Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise
to guide and nurture this child by word and deed, with love and
prayer, encouraging him to know and follow Christ and to be a
faithful member of his church?”
And we always reply: We do.
At baptism, we declare that the baptized one is now a member
of the household of faith---did you here that? Not an institution,
not a doctrine, not a club—the household of God. The family of
faith. God, who claims us before we can say yes, is calling us
to live out our “yes”, our “We do”- to our children, and to all
children- that they may grow up in faith, with adequate food and clean water, with health care and love.
Mary and Joseph, Jesus parents, we are told “did not understand” what Jesus said to them. The family went back to Nazareth, and Mary “treasured all these things in her heart”.
The miracle of baptism is that God claims us before we can even begin to reach for God—God claims us, comes into our life first. That is grace. We do not understand it. We simply have to live, in the family of faith, in the household of God. And we can ponder all these things in our hearts, even as we, old and young, grow in stature and wisdom and faith. Amen
note: the Willimon anecdote: http://www.trinitycamphill.org/Sermons/Sermons2008/Contemporary%20Service/2008-01-20%20-%202%20Epiphany%20-%20C%20-%20Vicar%20Michael%20K%20%20Louia.pdf Vicar Michael Louia, although I first heard this story in a sermon preached by the Rev Dr John Hunter at Memorial Presbyterian Church, St Augustine, FL.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Advent III
Third Sunday in Advent Dec 13 2009 Nancy Meehan Yao
Candle of the Shepherds
Zephaniah 3:14-20 p 767
14Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! 15The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. 16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing 18as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. 19I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 20At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.
Philippians 4:4-7 p 955
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Did you hear it? There it is again- sing aloud! Shout!- last week we talked about singing- how can we keep from singing, I asked. This week, the words in the text are an imperative- a command- sing! Shout! Jerusalem is described as daughter Zion, and she and all the people of Israel are to sing- why? Because God is in their midst, and God has removed their shame from them.
There is lots of talk about Joy at this time of year. The pink candle we light today in the Advent wreath is sometimes called the joy candle. In the early church, Advent was like Lent, a time in which we prepared our hearts and souls for the Christ, with extra prayers, and fasting, and meditations upon our sin. This Sunday, the Joy Sunday, was meant to be a bit of a break from all that solemnity and inward looking-ness.
And yet…we don’t always feel joyful. And if we don’t, then perhaps we wonder what is wrong with us. The tv shows it, the cards proclaim, the ads yell at us that this is the most wonderful time of the year…right?
When Paul wrote to the church in Phillippi, he was exhorting them to rejoice- he says it multiple times- “Rejoice in the Lord, always, again, I say Rejoice” There had been problems in the church, there at Phillippi- some disagreements, some arguing- Euodia and Syntyche, two church officers, are urged to be of the same mind for the good of the church. But Paul writes to them as he sits in prison- and he is the one exhorting them to rejoice in the Lord—always! Do not worry about anything, he says, but in every circumstance, pray…..
We hear the same thing, a command to rejoice, to sing, in the Zephaniah text. Zephaniah was a prophet, speaking to the people of Judah. It is thought to be written during the reign of King Josiah, who was described in the Old Testament as “the last great king”. Josiah was given a scroll, found during a Temple renovation, a scroll long thought to be lost…a scroll with the words of God written on it, a scroll with the law. And Josiah, upon finding it, calls all the people together, to stand and to hear the word of God. And upon hearing the law, the people see their own sin. They are devastated—how had they wandered so far off track? How could they be God’s people when they were so sinful? In the earlier portions of the book of Zephaniah, the prophet does indeed call down woes on them, essentially curses—for their wickedness, for the wickedness of Jerusalem, and for the wickedness of the other nations. But, here, Zephaniah tells them—to rejoice and sing! They are to rejoice because God will take away the judgments against them, because God will be in their midst- right smack dab in the middle of them. The word for midst can also mean “internal”- as in, inside you- that’s how close their God will be to them. God will rescue them, God will remove their shame. In a shame based culture, this was a big deal.
The shepherds, out in the fields, lived with a lot of shame. Because they were agricultural workers. Migrants, wanderers, really, following the sheep and goats, tending to them for the owners, mostly, out in the desert. And because they lived out in the deserted countryside, they could not follow the Jewish religious rules—the rules about keeping clean, the rules about washing your hands before you eat, the rules about when and what to pray, about going to the Temple for proper worship—and they felt shame. In that culture, the world was divided into two parts. Honor or shame—there were no other categories--and there was a fixed amount of honor—it was not spread all over, it was not evenly distributed. It was a closed system. And if the proper people, the city people, the religious people, had the honor, then, of course, the poor, the workers, the farmers and the shepherds lived in shame. But what other choice did they have? They had to eat, they had to support their families—so they incurred shame, and maybe even the anger of God, by living outside of society, by living outside of the rules about how to worship God.
We call today’s candle both the Joy candle and the Shepherd’s candle. The Shepherds received great good news—but first, they were terrified- sore afraid the Kings James version says, in Greek- they feared a great fear- but, also in Greek, the angels brought them great good news- the Messiah, who shall be for all people—them—the people who live on the outskirts of society, the people who are unwashed—the people who can’t follow the rules because their job requires them to be dirty, to handle dirty things, to live with animals….
What was the shepherds’ reaction? Do they stay out in the fields? Do they sit and stare, after the songs and the brilliance of the angels has disappeared from the night sky?
No—they go and see “this thing that has taken place”—just as it was told them. At great risk to themselves, and to their flocks, and to their livelihoods- they leave their sheep and go into town. They risked everything that they had, and all their future, as well, to go see that baby.
And what they saw gave them great joy- a baby, just as the angels had said, a boy who would bring God’s love to all people- not just the religiously observant, not just the rich ones, not just the educated ones, not just the washed and clean smelling ones. To all people—including them.
And what did the shepherds do next? “They made known what was told to them about this child—and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them” the text in Luke says. Why were people amazed? - because of the good news of course—but also because of the shepherds. The angels came not to the powerful, not to those who the society gave honor to, but to the shameful ones, the dirty ones, the unwashed ones. Why didn’t the angels sing to Herod? Or to Quirinius, the governor? Or to any of the other powerful, important, honorable people living in Bethlehem that night?
In our modern world, we do not think about honor and shame in quite the same way the ancients did. We think about shame differently. Shame is the thing that we know about ourselves—our past, something we did, something we are, something that was done to us. Shame is that secret thing, that if other people knew it, they could never love us. They could not stand to be with us. Shame is the thing that we hide, and we fear other people knowing. An addiction? Jail time? Mental illness? Abuse? All of these, we think, are reasons for shame, reasons why no one could love us, reasons why God can’t love us.
I want to go back to the Zephaniah text, to look at a little more closely. Because here’s the amazing thing—it is not just we who are to sing, and not even just the outcasts who are to rejoice. We are told, in verse 17, that God, who is in our midst, GOD will rejoice over us with gladness—that God will sing and rejoice, that God will exult over us with loud singing. This is great, good news—in Jesus Christ, God sings for us, sings over us. In Jesus Christ, we see the lengths God will go to for our joy. God delights in us, and so comes to be with us, to be in the midst of us.
So if you don’t feel joy, if you can’t sing, if you feel shame, if your throat closes every time you try to sing the carols—don’t despair. The good news is this: that God’s love is for everyone. If you can’t sing, then God will sing for you. God will sing over you, God will “exult over you with loud singing.” Jesus Christ is God’s own song. And may the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, be yours.
Amen.
Candle of the Shepherds
Zephaniah 3:14-20 p 767
14Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! 15The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. 16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing 18as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. 19I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 20At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.
Philippians 4:4-7 p 955
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Did you hear it? There it is again- sing aloud! Shout!- last week we talked about singing- how can we keep from singing, I asked. This week, the words in the text are an imperative- a command- sing! Shout! Jerusalem is described as daughter Zion, and she and all the people of Israel are to sing- why? Because God is in their midst, and God has removed their shame from them.
There is lots of talk about Joy at this time of year. The pink candle we light today in the Advent wreath is sometimes called the joy candle. In the early church, Advent was like Lent, a time in which we prepared our hearts and souls for the Christ, with extra prayers, and fasting, and meditations upon our sin. This Sunday, the Joy Sunday, was meant to be a bit of a break from all that solemnity and inward looking-ness.
And yet…we don’t always feel joyful. And if we don’t, then perhaps we wonder what is wrong with us. The tv shows it, the cards proclaim, the ads yell at us that this is the most wonderful time of the year…right?
When Paul wrote to the church in Phillippi, he was exhorting them to rejoice- he says it multiple times- “Rejoice in the Lord, always, again, I say Rejoice” There had been problems in the church, there at Phillippi- some disagreements, some arguing- Euodia and Syntyche, two church officers, are urged to be of the same mind for the good of the church. But Paul writes to them as he sits in prison- and he is the one exhorting them to rejoice in the Lord—always! Do not worry about anything, he says, but in every circumstance, pray…..
We hear the same thing, a command to rejoice, to sing, in the Zephaniah text. Zephaniah was a prophet, speaking to the people of Judah. It is thought to be written during the reign of King Josiah, who was described in the Old Testament as “the last great king”. Josiah was given a scroll, found during a Temple renovation, a scroll long thought to be lost…a scroll with the words of God written on it, a scroll with the law. And Josiah, upon finding it, calls all the people together, to stand and to hear the word of God. And upon hearing the law, the people see their own sin. They are devastated—how had they wandered so far off track? How could they be God’s people when they were so sinful? In the earlier portions of the book of Zephaniah, the prophet does indeed call down woes on them, essentially curses—for their wickedness, for the wickedness of Jerusalem, and for the wickedness of the other nations. But, here, Zephaniah tells them—to rejoice and sing! They are to rejoice because God will take away the judgments against them, because God will be in their midst- right smack dab in the middle of them. The word for midst can also mean “internal”- as in, inside you- that’s how close their God will be to them. God will rescue them, God will remove their shame. In a shame based culture, this was a big deal.
The shepherds, out in the fields, lived with a lot of shame. Because they were agricultural workers. Migrants, wanderers, really, following the sheep and goats, tending to them for the owners, mostly, out in the desert. And because they lived out in the deserted countryside, they could not follow the Jewish religious rules—the rules about keeping clean, the rules about washing your hands before you eat, the rules about when and what to pray, about going to the Temple for proper worship—and they felt shame. In that culture, the world was divided into two parts. Honor or shame—there were no other categories--and there was a fixed amount of honor—it was not spread all over, it was not evenly distributed. It was a closed system. And if the proper people, the city people, the religious people, had the honor, then, of course, the poor, the workers, the farmers and the shepherds lived in shame. But what other choice did they have? They had to eat, they had to support their families—so they incurred shame, and maybe even the anger of God, by living outside of society, by living outside of the rules about how to worship God.
We call today’s candle both the Joy candle and the Shepherd’s candle. The Shepherds received great good news—but first, they were terrified- sore afraid the Kings James version says, in Greek- they feared a great fear- but, also in Greek, the angels brought them great good news- the Messiah, who shall be for all people—them—the people who live on the outskirts of society, the people who are unwashed—the people who can’t follow the rules because their job requires them to be dirty, to handle dirty things, to live with animals….
What was the shepherds’ reaction? Do they stay out in the fields? Do they sit and stare, after the songs and the brilliance of the angels has disappeared from the night sky?
No—they go and see “this thing that has taken place”—just as it was told them. At great risk to themselves, and to their flocks, and to their livelihoods- they leave their sheep and go into town. They risked everything that they had, and all their future, as well, to go see that baby.
And what they saw gave them great joy- a baby, just as the angels had said, a boy who would bring God’s love to all people- not just the religiously observant, not just the rich ones, not just the educated ones, not just the washed and clean smelling ones. To all people—including them.
And what did the shepherds do next? “They made known what was told to them about this child—and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them” the text in Luke says. Why were people amazed? - because of the good news of course—but also because of the shepherds. The angels came not to the powerful, not to those who the society gave honor to, but to the shameful ones, the dirty ones, the unwashed ones. Why didn’t the angels sing to Herod? Or to Quirinius, the governor? Or to any of the other powerful, important, honorable people living in Bethlehem that night?
In our modern world, we do not think about honor and shame in quite the same way the ancients did. We think about shame differently. Shame is the thing that we know about ourselves—our past, something we did, something we are, something that was done to us. Shame is that secret thing, that if other people knew it, they could never love us. They could not stand to be with us. Shame is the thing that we hide, and we fear other people knowing. An addiction? Jail time? Mental illness? Abuse? All of these, we think, are reasons for shame, reasons why no one could love us, reasons why God can’t love us.
I want to go back to the Zephaniah text, to look at a little more closely. Because here’s the amazing thing—it is not just we who are to sing, and not even just the outcasts who are to rejoice. We are told, in verse 17, that God, who is in our midst, GOD will rejoice over us with gladness—that God will sing and rejoice, that God will exult over us with loud singing. This is great, good news—in Jesus Christ, God sings for us, sings over us. In Jesus Christ, we see the lengths God will go to for our joy. God delights in us, and so comes to be with us, to be in the midst of us.
So if you don’t feel joy, if you can’t sing, if you feel shame, if your throat closes every time you try to sing the carols—don’t despair. The good news is this: that God’s love is for everyone. If you can’t sing, then God will sing for you. God will sing over you, God will “exult over you with loud singing.” Jesus Christ is God’s own song. And may the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, be yours.
Amen.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Second Sunday in Advent
Second Sunday of Advent Dec 6, 2009 Nancy Meehan Yao
Communion Sunday
Candle of the Holy Family
Malachi 3:1-4
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.* Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
Luke 1:68-79
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour* for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon* us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’
Advent is the time when we are all on the way to Bethlehem. The prophets, who listened to God, can show us the way. The Holy Family, who also listened to God, can show us the way.
But the family of God doesn’t always listen very well. Zechariah was Jesus’ uncle, and was the father of John the Baptist. He was a priest, serving in the Temple at Jerusalem. His wife, Elizabeth, was also of a priestly family- she was “a daughter of Aaron”, we are told in the text. They are described as righteous before God, living blamelessly. Zechariah was in Jerusalem, serving his priestly duty, when, by lot, he was called to go in to the Temple and offer incense. So, he did. When he didn’t come out for a while, the people outside, waiting and praying, began to get worried. It was thought, that if you came face to face with God, you would be struck dead. That God was so holy that you could not survive an encounter with God- Malachi asks “but who may endure- who may stand- the day of his coming?” People were so worried about this, that the high priest who had the duty of going into the Holy of Holies, on the holiest day of the year, the Day of Atonement, had a rope tied around his ankle—in case he was struck down, or fainted, or something, and so could be hauled out again after his encounter.
When Zechariah went into the Temple, he saw an angel—and, suitably, Zechariah is afraid- terrified--. The angel says “do not be afraid.” But he is told good news—he and his wife will have a son. Zechariah is told that God has heard his prayers….and this son will not be like any other child- this child will turn many to the Lord their God. This child will have the spirit and power of Elijah, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
And what does Zechariah answer? “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years….” Zechariah, a priest, serving in the Temple, gets a message from an angel—and he responds not by praising God, not by saying thank you, but by asking “How will I know?” The angel Gabriel essentially pulls rank on Zeke, then, and says that since Zeke has not believed, he will be voiceless until these things take place. More than 9 months of silence. So, Zechariah ends his term of service, and goes home. How he explained all that to his wife, Elizabeth, the text doesn’t say.
What we do know, though, is that Elizabeth, even in her old age, becomes pregnant. God gives them a child. Like Abraham and Sarah, these two old people are about to become parents. Sara laughed. Zechariah doubted. But long past the time when any of them reasonably could be said to have a child, they do: “For nothing is impossible with God”.
When the baby is at last born, Zechariah’s voice is unleashed. He bubbles over with joy—he begins to speak, praising God. If he were dancing, he might look like the characters in the Charlie Brown Christmas special, bopping away. But Zechariah sings.
Zechariah sings a new song. There are lots of songs in this section of the gospel of Luke: Mary’s song, the Magnificat, which begins “My soul magnifies the Lord”. Elizabeth’s song, which she sings to Mary: “Blessed are you among women!” . The angels sing in the heavens the night Jesus is born. Later, in the Temple, when the baby Jesus is brought for his dedication, Simeon sings upon seeing the baby. Apparently this is what the family of Jesus- the family of God does- they sing. We sing.
And Zechariah’s song? After being silent for more than 9 months, he has a lot to say. First, he begins with “blessed be the Lord God of Israel”. This song is traditionally known as the Benedictus- because the first word he says, is Blessed. “Blessed be the Lord!” When Zechariah stepped out of the Temple, his first act would have been to bless the people waiting there. (Numbers 6:34) Probably the Aaronic, the priestly, blessing: “ The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you, the Lord give you peace.” But Zechariah, because of his disbelief, his questioning, had lost his voice. Until now—now, he erupts into a whole hymn of blessing. His first word are blessing and praise.
Zechariah goes on, singing a song of remembrance, and of hope. Zechariah first recounts the fact that God has looked favorably on us, remembered God’s covenant that God had spoken thru the prophets. It is essentially a recitation of God’s acts and history. We do this today; we will do it at the Table. In the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving- we recount God’s saving history with us and with our ancestors.
Zechariah then moves to the present—and what we are to do. What is our response to this good news? As God’s people, we now will serve God “without fear” all our days. Because of the mighty savior, the dawn breaking in from on high, we will be able to stand when God appears- we may endure the day of his coming.
Zechariah then speaks about the future, turning to the baby in his arms—and you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most high…..that baby in his arms would grow up to be John, who would grow up to tell people to change their ways, tell people to repent- John who “proclaimed the good news- the gospel—to the people…”
When we come to the Table, the Lord’s Table, we often talk about it in much the same way Zechariah does. We call it a feast of remembrance, and of communion, and of hope. We remember God’s gracious acts. We think about Christ, who is the light of the world, inviting us and all creation to come to this Table. We look forward, in hope, to the day when that same Christ will come again.
There is a Quaker hymn, entitled “How can I keep from singing?’
My life flows on in endless song:
Above earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet, tho' far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?
How can we keep from singing? Even if you don’t have a good voice, even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, you have good news – you have a song to sing. We, who have heard the good news. We, who are fed around the Lord ’s Table. We, who are called the family of God, are called to sing. Like Zechariah, like Mary, like Elizabeth, like John. Like the Holy Family. Let us sing.
note: the lyrics found above are from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2006, # 763.
Communion Sunday
Candle of the Holy Family
Malachi 3:1-4
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.* Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
Luke 1:68-79
‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a mighty saviour* for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon* us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.’
Advent is the time when we are all on the way to Bethlehem. The prophets, who listened to God, can show us the way. The Holy Family, who also listened to God, can show us the way.
But the family of God doesn’t always listen very well. Zechariah was Jesus’ uncle, and was the father of John the Baptist. He was a priest, serving in the Temple at Jerusalem. His wife, Elizabeth, was also of a priestly family- she was “a daughter of Aaron”, we are told in the text. They are described as righteous before God, living blamelessly. Zechariah was in Jerusalem, serving his priestly duty, when, by lot, he was called to go in to the Temple and offer incense. So, he did. When he didn’t come out for a while, the people outside, waiting and praying, began to get worried. It was thought, that if you came face to face with God, you would be struck dead. That God was so holy that you could not survive an encounter with God- Malachi asks “but who may endure- who may stand- the day of his coming?” People were so worried about this, that the high priest who had the duty of going into the Holy of Holies, on the holiest day of the year, the Day of Atonement, had a rope tied around his ankle—in case he was struck down, or fainted, or something, and so could be hauled out again after his encounter.
When Zechariah went into the Temple, he saw an angel—and, suitably, Zechariah is afraid- terrified--. The angel says “do not be afraid.” But he is told good news—he and his wife will have a son. Zechariah is told that God has heard his prayers….and this son will not be like any other child- this child will turn many to the Lord their God. This child will have the spirit and power of Elijah, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
And what does Zechariah answer? “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years….” Zechariah, a priest, serving in the Temple, gets a message from an angel—and he responds not by praising God, not by saying thank you, but by asking “How will I know?” The angel Gabriel essentially pulls rank on Zeke, then, and says that since Zeke has not believed, he will be voiceless until these things take place. More than 9 months of silence. So, Zechariah ends his term of service, and goes home. How he explained all that to his wife, Elizabeth, the text doesn’t say.
What we do know, though, is that Elizabeth, even in her old age, becomes pregnant. God gives them a child. Like Abraham and Sarah, these two old people are about to become parents. Sara laughed. Zechariah doubted. But long past the time when any of them reasonably could be said to have a child, they do: “For nothing is impossible with God”.
When the baby is at last born, Zechariah’s voice is unleashed. He bubbles over with joy—he begins to speak, praising God. If he were dancing, he might look like the characters in the Charlie Brown Christmas special, bopping away. But Zechariah sings.
Zechariah sings a new song. There are lots of songs in this section of the gospel of Luke: Mary’s song, the Magnificat, which begins “My soul magnifies the Lord”. Elizabeth’s song, which she sings to Mary: “Blessed are you among women!” . The angels sing in the heavens the night Jesus is born. Later, in the Temple, when the baby Jesus is brought for his dedication, Simeon sings upon seeing the baby. Apparently this is what the family of Jesus- the family of God does- they sing. We sing.
And Zechariah’s song? After being silent for more than 9 months, he has a lot to say. First, he begins with “blessed be the Lord God of Israel”. This song is traditionally known as the Benedictus- because the first word he says, is Blessed. “Blessed be the Lord!” When Zechariah stepped out of the Temple, his first act would have been to bless the people waiting there. (Numbers 6:34) Probably the Aaronic, the priestly, blessing: “ The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you, the Lord give you peace.” But Zechariah, because of his disbelief, his questioning, had lost his voice. Until now—now, he erupts into a whole hymn of blessing. His first word are blessing and praise.
Zechariah goes on, singing a song of remembrance, and of hope. Zechariah first recounts the fact that God has looked favorably on us, remembered God’s covenant that God had spoken thru the prophets. It is essentially a recitation of God’s acts and history. We do this today; we will do it at the Table. In the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving- we recount God’s saving history with us and with our ancestors.
Zechariah then moves to the present—and what we are to do. What is our response to this good news? As God’s people, we now will serve God “without fear” all our days. Because of the mighty savior, the dawn breaking in from on high, we will be able to stand when God appears- we may endure the day of his coming.
Zechariah then speaks about the future, turning to the baby in his arms—and you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most high…..that baby in his arms would grow up to be John, who would grow up to tell people to change their ways, tell people to repent- John who “proclaimed the good news- the gospel—to the people…”
When we come to the Table, the Lord’s Table, we often talk about it in much the same way Zechariah does. We call it a feast of remembrance, and of communion, and of hope. We remember God’s gracious acts. We think about Christ, who is the light of the world, inviting us and all creation to come to this Table. We look forward, in hope, to the day when that same Christ will come again.
There is a Quaker hymn, entitled “How can I keep from singing?’
My life flows on in endless song:
Above earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet, tho' far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?
How can we keep from singing? Even if you don’t have a good voice, even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, you have good news – you have a song to sing. We, who have heard the good news. We, who are fed around the Lord ’s Table. We, who are called the family of God, are called to sing. Like Zechariah, like Mary, like Elizabeth, like John. Like the Holy Family. Let us sing.
note: the lyrics found above are from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 2006, # 763.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sermon for Advent 1
Jeremiah 33:14-16 p 645
14 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’
Luke 21:25-36 p 856
25 ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’
29 Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’
Advent is a time when we are all on the way to Bethlehem. When we journey to the crib, following the words of the Prophets, following the star, to see the baby who is the light of the world. Except, perhaps, for this mornings portion of Luke.
Why, we might wonder, do we hear words about signs and times, earthquakes , distress among the nations, wailing and fear and foreboding? This is not what we come to church to hear! This is not what we expect when we are trying to get our hearts ready for Christmas!
And yet, every Advent season begins with words like these. This section of Luke is known as the “little apocalypse”- words of war and rumors of war, talk of how bad things are now, and how much worse things are going to get.
Apocalypse means “unveiling”, or revealing. It is as if a curtain has been drawn back, and we are invited to look, allowed to look—both at the way things are now, and at the way things will be. And in the apocalyptic type of literature, things are only going to get worse. But we also get to see something else—that is, that what we see now, and what we will soon see, are not the only things that are. (There is a greater truth, there is a greater Someone—and that Someone is in charge.)
Over one hundred years ago, Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol. And what Scrooge experiences on that Christmas Eve night, is an apocalypse—a revelation, an unveiling. Scrooge sees things that disturb him, unseat him. Scrooge sees his painful past and his even more painful future. He also sees a scene of love and hope—the Cratchitt family. Scrooge sees his own grave—and seeing, asks the Spirit of Christmas Future whether the things he sees are “things that Will be, or things that May be”….. Scrooge sees that what is, is not all there is- he can change, he is changed by what he has seen, and the future reality can become very different.
Jeremiah spoke to a people who were devastated. Living in a city destroyed by war—think of Dresden after the bombings in World War II, think New Orleans after Katrina—only the poorest of the poor have been left in Jerusalem. The Babylonians have carried off all the gold, all the silver, all the food, all the educated and powerful people. The ones who are left are starving, are abandoned by God, are living in utter humiliation and despair. And Jeremiah, the Prophet, speaks to them: The days are surely coming, says the Lord….the days are SURELY coming, when I will fulfill my promise that I made, says God……Just prior to this message, Jeremiah has bought land, for he has hope…..hope when there should be NO hope….Jeremiah has bought a field, and is making plans for the future…..because Jeremiah is unveiling for us the reality of God….which is different from the reality we see now…. And far different from the reality the people of Jerusalem are experiencing at that time….
Jeremiah knows that what we see is not all there is. A righteous branch will spring up for the people, and this leader, this ruler, will bring justice and righteousness. Don’t pay any attention to what you see now, says Jeremiah—this is not all there is. This is not how it will always be…..for God has remembered his promises. God is faithful….God will cause that righteous branch to grow up and flourish.
Flourishing, though, does not sound like what is happening in Luke. Jesus is standing in the Temple, and he is talking about the end. All of the earth, all of nature, will be in chaos….there will be signs….signs in the sun and the moon and the stars, pounding waves, signs on the earth and in creation.
We have signs all around us today. But the signs we see at this time talk about 50% off, or how many shopping days are left until Christmas, or how deep the discounts will be at 4:00 am on Friday morning. The signs in Luke, the signs Jesus is talking about, will be easy to see and understand—Jesus tells the disciples a parable--when the fig tree begins to sprout leaves, then you know summer is near. When you see the signs in the sun and moon and stars, then you know the Kingdom of God is near. It will not be too hard to figure out. It’s not something to be afraid of….do not worry, do not cower, do not run….rather, stand up and raise your heads- because your redemption is drawing near.
In the same way that Jeremiah is talking about something that makes no sense, saying that God’s reality does not match the present reality, Jesus here is saying that what God has planned does not match, will not match what we see. Because God will remember God’s promises to His people.
The church does things differently from the world. One of the things the church does differently is tell time. Last week, with the children, we talked about how the church tells time differently, how last week was the end of the church year, and this week is the beginning of the New Year.
But one of the other things the church does differently is seeing the truth.
At Advent, we stand, while on that journey to Bethlehem, in the middle of time—we look back to the birth of Jesus, and we look forward to the end of time…the time when Christ will come again, when Jesus will redeem us, when the righteous branch will be raised up for the people. Stand up and raise your heads. Do not be afraid---because we see the truth, we know the truth about God and the world. That truth has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
On npr the other morning I heard a story about an ophthalmologist, Dr Mike Brennan. He had been in the army in Vietnam, and had started a medical practice in North Carolina. He was busy working, and golfing, and playing with his grandchildren. And a friend of his, an old army buddy, called him up…to go to Iraq. To use his medical knowledge to help educate the doctors in Iraq. Because Saddam Hussein had so effectively closed off the country, that medical skills were decades behind. And when he got there, after his first couple of visits to doctors and hospitals, always accompanied by army, and armor, and guns, Dr Brennan decided just to go, by himself, to these hospitals and doctors, in civilian clothes. Because he saw a different reality---even though the reality he was living in, in Iraq, said that you had to have armor, you had to be armed, you had to be prepared….this man, this doctor, saw a different reality…..he saw a reality in which healers healed…and doctors took care of people the best ways they knew how,….and doctors from different countries and cultures worked together for the healing of all people. He had a glimpse, an unveiling, a drawing back of the curtain…of a greater reality. One of the Iraqi doctors he worked with, says “I think we were blessed—because sometimes when you think the world has ended all around you—war, violence—all of a sudden you have people who have traveled 10,000 miles to be there, to talk to you” This Iraqi doctor talks of being blessed- and of being able to see a different reality, because of the actions of one man.
If this portion of Luke, known as “the little apocalypse”, shows us a different reality, then what we see in Bethlehem is also an apocalypse, an unveiling—because we see the truth about God and about God’s people. We see that God so loved the World that he gave his Son—we see that God’s power is made manifest in weakness. We see the truth about the powers of the world, about the systems of oppression and violence, when we look at that baby in the manger. That baby in the manger is the same Christ who stands in the Temple and says to us: Stand up and raise your heads—because your redemption is drawing near. Be alert- but don’t be afraid. Be alert, be ready- for the world is about to turn.
14 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’
Luke 21:25-36 p 856
25 ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’
29 Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’
Advent is a time when we are all on the way to Bethlehem. When we journey to the crib, following the words of the Prophets, following the star, to see the baby who is the light of the world. Except, perhaps, for this mornings portion of Luke.
Why, we might wonder, do we hear words about signs and times, earthquakes , distress among the nations, wailing and fear and foreboding? This is not what we come to church to hear! This is not what we expect when we are trying to get our hearts ready for Christmas!
And yet, every Advent season begins with words like these. This section of Luke is known as the “little apocalypse”- words of war and rumors of war, talk of how bad things are now, and how much worse things are going to get.
Apocalypse means “unveiling”, or revealing. It is as if a curtain has been drawn back, and we are invited to look, allowed to look—both at the way things are now, and at the way things will be. And in the apocalyptic type of literature, things are only going to get worse. But we also get to see something else—that is, that what we see now, and what we will soon see, are not the only things that are. (There is a greater truth, there is a greater Someone—and that Someone is in charge.)
Over one hundred years ago, Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol. And what Scrooge experiences on that Christmas Eve night, is an apocalypse—a revelation, an unveiling. Scrooge sees things that disturb him, unseat him. Scrooge sees his painful past and his even more painful future. He also sees a scene of love and hope—the Cratchitt family. Scrooge sees his own grave—and seeing, asks the Spirit of Christmas Future whether the things he sees are “things that Will be, or things that May be”….. Scrooge sees that what is, is not all there is- he can change, he is changed by what he has seen, and the future reality can become very different.
Jeremiah spoke to a people who were devastated. Living in a city destroyed by war—think of Dresden after the bombings in World War II, think New Orleans after Katrina—only the poorest of the poor have been left in Jerusalem. The Babylonians have carried off all the gold, all the silver, all the food, all the educated and powerful people. The ones who are left are starving, are abandoned by God, are living in utter humiliation and despair. And Jeremiah, the Prophet, speaks to them: The days are surely coming, says the Lord….the days are SURELY coming, when I will fulfill my promise that I made, says God……Just prior to this message, Jeremiah has bought land, for he has hope…..hope when there should be NO hope….Jeremiah has bought a field, and is making plans for the future…..because Jeremiah is unveiling for us the reality of God….which is different from the reality we see now…. And far different from the reality the people of Jerusalem are experiencing at that time….
Jeremiah knows that what we see is not all there is. A righteous branch will spring up for the people, and this leader, this ruler, will bring justice and righteousness. Don’t pay any attention to what you see now, says Jeremiah—this is not all there is. This is not how it will always be…..for God has remembered his promises. God is faithful….God will cause that righteous branch to grow up and flourish.
Flourishing, though, does not sound like what is happening in Luke. Jesus is standing in the Temple, and he is talking about the end. All of the earth, all of nature, will be in chaos….there will be signs….signs in the sun and the moon and the stars, pounding waves, signs on the earth and in creation.
We have signs all around us today. But the signs we see at this time talk about 50% off, or how many shopping days are left until Christmas, or how deep the discounts will be at 4:00 am on Friday morning. The signs in Luke, the signs Jesus is talking about, will be easy to see and understand—Jesus tells the disciples a parable--when the fig tree begins to sprout leaves, then you know summer is near. When you see the signs in the sun and moon and stars, then you know the Kingdom of God is near. It will not be too hard to figure out. It’s not something to be afraid of….do not worry, do not cower, do not run….rather, stand up and raise your heads- because your redemption is drawing near.
In the same way that Jeremiah is talking about something that makes no sense, saying that God’s reality does not match the present reality, Jesus here is saying that what God has planned does not match, will not match what we see. Because God will remember God’s promises to His people.
The church does things differently from the world. One of the things the church does differently is tell time. Last week, with the children, we talked about how the church tells time differently, how last week was the end of the church year, and this week is the beginning of the New Year.
But one of the other things the church does differently is seeing the truth.
At Advent, we stand, while on that journey to Bethlehem, in the middle of time—we look back to the birth of Jesus, and we look forward to the end of time…the time when Christ will come again, when Jesus will redeem us, when the righteous branch will be raised up for the people. Stand up and raise your heads. Do not be afraid---because we see the truth, we know the truth about God and the world. That truth has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
On npr the other morning I heard a story about an ophthalmologist, Dr Mike Brennan. He had been in the army in Vietnam, and had started a medical practice in North Carolina. He was busy working, and golfing, and playing with his grandchildren. And a friend of his, an old army buddy, called him up…to go to Iraq. To use his medical knowledge to help educate the doctors in Iraq. Because Saddam Hussein had so effectively closed off the country, that medical skills were decades behind. And when he got there, after his first couple of visits to doctors and hospitals, always accompanied by army, and armor, and guns, Dr Brennan decided just to go, by himself, to these hospitals and doctors, in civilian clothes. Because he saw a different reality---even though the reality he was living in, in Iraq, said that you had to have armor, you had to be armed, you had to be prepared….this man, this doctor, saw a different reality…..he saw a reality in which healers healed…and doctors took care of people the best ways they knew how,….and doctors from different countries and cultures worked together for the healing of all people. He had a glimpse, an unveiling, a drawing back of the curtain…of a greater reality. One of the Iraqi doctors he worked with, says “I think we were blessed—because sometimes when you think the world has ended all around you—war, violence—all of a sudden you have people who have traveled 10,000 miles to be there, to talk to you” This Iraqi doctor talks of being blessed- and of being able to see a different reality, because of the actions of one man.
If this portion of Luke, known as “the little apocalypse”, shows us a different reality, then what we see in Bethlehem is also an apocalypse, an unveiling—because we see the truth about God and about God’s people. We see that God so loved the World that he gave his Son—we see that God’s power is made manifest in weakness. We see the truth about the powers of the world, about the systems of oppression and violence, when we look at that baby in the manger. That baby in the manger is the same Christ who stands in the Temple and says to us: Stand up and raise your heads—because your redemption is drawing near. Be alert- but don’t be afraid. Be alert, be ready- for the world is about to turn.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Advent
Advent means "coming", or "coming towards". In Advent we get our hearts and minds ready for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Oddly enough, though, the texts for the first Sunday in Advent always contain talk about the Second Coming. We who are Christians in this 21st century stand between the birth of the Messiah, back in a stable during the first century CE, and the Second Coming, when that same Messiah will come to close all time. The church tells time differently from the world. Advent is a time when we get ready--not for the tree, not for the presents, not for the relatives and food and parties--but for Christ. The baby whose birth we are getting ready for, is the same One who was crucified for us, and who reigns in power, for us, and who intercedes--for us--and who will come again--for us and for the redemption of all creation.
What are you getting ready for? or--perhaps a better question--who?
May God bless us all as we prepare our hearts for Christ
Pastor Nancy
What are you getting ready for? or--perhaps a better question--who?
May God bless us all as we prepare our hearts for Christ
Pastor Nancy
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving
I have always loved Thanksgiving- a day full of staying in your pjs and watching the parade, and then food and family- what's not to like? In the church, Thanksgiving falls most often between the end of the Church year, Christ the King (or Reign of Christ) Sunday, and the First Sunday in Advent--the beginning of the new church year. We sort of straddle time between those two Sundays. And being mindful of what we can be thankful for is not such a bad way to spend that "in-between" time. Gratitude is the third leg of a three legged stool of Presbyterian/Reformed theology. We are first to know our sin, then we come to know who saves us from sin, and then we are to live out a thankful life. Some use 3 Gs: Guilt, Grace and Gratitude. Some people use 3 Ss: Sin, Salvation, Service. No matter how you spell it, we live a life shaped by gratitude and thankfulness to God.
Blessings-
Pastor Nancy
Blessings-
Pastor Nancy
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)