First Sunday of Lent, Feb 21, 2010 Nancy Meehan Yao
Psalm 91
1You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
9Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
10no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
15When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
16With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Last Wednesday we began the 40 days of Lent, a time of preparation.
The word Lent comes from an Old English word, for spring, Lengten, meaning to lengthen- as in, the days are beginning to lengthen. Now, for people who have gone to Florida for the winter, or for people who live in the Southern Hemisphere, this doesn’t mean much. But for us, who are famished for every particle of daylight and sunlight we can get, even the idea of lengthening days is a hope for us.
Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. The 40 here is a number filled with meaning and memory- Noah and his family were on the ark for 40 days of rain, Moses and the people of Israel were in the desert for 40 years- Jesus is in the desert for 40 days- and Lent, a time of increasing daylight, is a time of 40 days. It is a time of preparation and testing.
This story appears in all 3 synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. In the Luke account, after his baptism, in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit appears like a dove, and Jesus hears a voice that says “you are my son, my beloved, with you I am well pleased.” And then Jesus is in the wilderness.
The light in the desert is harsh. Anyone who has ever been in a desert can tell you .-It is perilously dark at night, and cold, but when the sun comes up, it comes fiercely- so that people who live in a desert area are forced to do things early in the morning, or late at night, because the sun is blinding and dangerous. The light and heat are crippling. But the light is also revealing.
While in the desert, Jesus is set upon by the devil- the accuser—who acts as a prosecuting attorney. He comes after Jesus with one simple word….”if”….”If you are the Son of God, then turn these stones into bread. …“if you will only worship me….” And lastly, again, “if you are the Son of God, then prove it! Throw yourself down- and as God said--you’ll be safe, right?…” The devil is working here, asking questions, planting doubt about Jesus identity.
The devil offers what seem to be reasonable things—bread- for himself and the world! Power—to overthrow the Romans, perhaps, or power to set things right in the world. And glory—for if Jesus was to emerge safe, in the middle of Jerusalem, then surely the Temple authorities, the people, would understand just who he was, and what he could do!
They seem to be reasonable, but in the harsh light of the desert Jesus see what satan is really like. Because Jesus’ answers to the devil all are simple: “no”.
In a few moments, we will receive new members into our church. While we have known and loved them for a while, today they are making the formal step to join us in our common life and worship together. And I will ask them questions, questions that re-affirm the covenant made at their baptism. The first of these is this: “Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world?” And the answer is simple- “I do”. Simple to say, that is, but not simple to live out. The devil is still alive and working in our lives, planting doubt about our identity, our identity as children of God.
The second question I will ask is “Do you turn to Jesus Christ…?” Turning away is not all there is: when we turn away, we also then turn towards something or someone. When we say “yes, I do” to our spouse, then we are saying no to a host of other things and people. When we say “I believe in God” we are saying no to everything that is not God. Every “no” is also a yes to something else.
The blinding light of the desert, the cruel light of the wilderness, can show us the difference between yes and no. The cruel light of the desert can show us the truth about our lives. In that bright light, we can see the broken places in our lives. We can see the pain we have caused others, where we have failed to be who God created us to be. But we also can see the places of grace, and the places of healing. We can see just how dusty the house is, and see how beautiful the sky and trees look. We can see the darkness of our own souls, but we can see the smudge of ashes, shaped in a cross, and the damp spot left by baptismal waters. This is not to say that the desert is fun, or exciting, or even a place we would choose to go—ever. But when we are in the desert, there is so little: just stones and dust and bright light. There, we can begin to see.
I do not want you to think that Jesus was not really tempted. Unlike Tiger Woods, Jesus does not say that he worked hard and felt he deserved to enjoy all the temptations around him. Jesus was fully human and fully divine—like us in every way, the Apostle Paul says, except for sin. But notice something that we often miss in our reading of this story. Jesus was not without resources in the desert. And neither are we.
Jesus had Scripture—all of his answers, his “nos” are from Scripture. This is why it is important to hear the word of God, to study the word of God. It is like food and water in the desert for us. There is a lot to be said for memorizing Scripture. Memory verses are not as popular as they were when many of us were children—but there is a great deal to be said for having Scripture so deeply within us, so deeply ingrained, that that is what comes up in times of trial and distress.
Jesus had the Holy Spirit. Right there in the first verse, it says “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit IN the wilderness”- the Spirit did not drive Jesus out to the desert, shove him out of the car and then speed away—God’s own Spirit did not abandon Jesus at his time of testing—and the same is true for us. WE ALL go through times of wilderness, times of testing, long dark times of temptations and wrestling with evil and its power in the world, and in our own lives, and in the lives of the people we love—but the Holy Spirit is with us, in that desert, in that time of trial—the Holy Spirit has not abandoned us. The question to the new members begins “trusting in the gracious mercy of God…” That in itself, that trusting, is a work of the Spirit, and is evidence of the work of the Spirit in our lives. The passage we read today ends “and the devil departed from him, until an opportune time.” There will be more testing, more trials—but the very next verse, one we didn’t read today, v 14, says “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee…” the testing, the trial, did not separate Jesus from the Spirit of God.
And I want us to notice one more thing. The sequence of events is the same for us. Jesus, at his baptism, was declared by God “my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” This does not get said after Jesus successfully lives in the desert for 40 days, after Jesus says “no” to the devil and the temptations. No, the order is this: Jesus is baptized, called and blessed, and after that, the temptations come. The same is true for us—in our baptism, we are marked by God, blessed by God, claimed by God—and the temptations begin later.
The 40 days of Lent are often described as a time of renouncing: renouncing dessert, or the internet, or chocolate—and perhaps renouncing something, for a time, gives us strength, to renounce other, bigger things, with the Spirit’s help, to renounce sin and evil in the world, and its hold over us. These practices are not grim and despair-filled: rather we learn the meaning of hope in the grace of God in the practices of these disciplines. The light in the desert times is harsh, but it gives us light to see clearly. And what we see is the One who died on the cross for us, the One who was raised to bring us new life, the One who is Light of the World. Amen
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Ash Wednesday
Lent started this past Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. Ashes are both a sign of grief and repentence (Job and others put ashes on their heads when mourning, the people of Ninevah put on sackcloth and ashes when repenting and turning to God) and also a reminder of our mortality: "you are dust, and to dust you shall retutn" (Genesis 3:19). Although being reminded of our death is perhaps not the cheeriest way to spend a Wednesday evening, it is important. We are mortal creatures. With one exception, the ratio is still 1:1- we are born, and we die. But that one exception is Christ. And Christ, in his death, overcame sin and death for us. Now--how will you live?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Transfiguration Sunday
Transfiguration Sunday- Feb 14, 2010 Nancy Meehan Yao
Exodus 34:29-35 The Shining Face of Moses p. 71
29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Psalm 99 p. 480
Luke 9:28-35 The Transfiguration p. 843
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. 34While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’
Today is Valentine’s Day. Now, I suppose since this is Valentine’s Day, you are expecting me to talk about love. And I will- but we will take a roundabout route to get there. We heard the famous Corinthians “love” text a few weeks ago—and you heard me say that that text is not about romantic love, even though the word love appears there numerous times. In today’s readings, there is no talk about love, explicitly- but love is spread all over these pages.
We have in this morning’s texts two stories about shining faces, about transformation, or transfiguration. Something has happened, and neither Moses, nor Jesus, nor the people around them remain unchanged.
Moses, in today’s reading, has been up on the mountain for 40 days. He has interceded for the people to God. Shortly before this, the people have made a golden calf and worshipped it; and God is—literally—fuming mad. God wants to destroy the people, or at least refuse to accompany them any longer on their trek through the wilderness. Moses talks God out of his anger, persuades God not to destroy the people, and Moses receives, again, the law, the Ten Commandments, to bring down to the people. When Moses comes down from the mountain, he is glowing—his face is radiating—and the people are afraid to come near him.
And Moses, apparently, is unaware of his face. But when he realizes that the shining of his face is scary, distresses the people, he wears a veil when speaking with them. But when he goes back into the tent of meeting, to meet with God, he removes his veil.
Jesus, on the mountain top, is also transfigured. He has gone up on the mountain to pray. With him are three of the disciples, Peter, James and John. While Jesus is praying, “the appearance of his face changed”, the text says- literally, he looked “other” and his clothes were like flashes of lightning. And then, as if that were not strange enough, two people- Moses and Elijah appear with him, and talk to him. The disciples, we are told, were heavy with sleep- but, because they stayed awake, they saw all this. And Peter- perhaps in fear, perhaps just in stunned astonishment, says “Master it is good for us to be here—let us make three dwellings”. Peter wants to stay. He might be confused, a little rattled at what he saw, but he doesn’t begin to get scared until the cloud descends, and he hears a voice from heaven—then, we are told, all three of the disciples were terrified.
The voice tells them “This is my Son, my Chosen—listen to him” apparently they were not really listening—or at least not listening enough—well enough, hard enough—to suit God. God intervened, gave them a little shake up.
And Peter and John and James are shook up. Because after the voice has faded, after the fog has lifted, we are told, “they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.”
Perhaps they were as scared as the Israelites were upon seeing Moses’ shining face. Perhaps they just couldn’t think of any way to explain what happened. Perhaps they were embarrassed, at being yelled at by God. Because when God speaks to the disciples, up on the mountain top, he gives them a direct command- “This is my Son- Listen to him”
Moses was transfigured, transformed, after listening to God. We are told earlier in Exodus that Moses and God used to talk, face to face, “as one speaks to a friend” Not only did Moses speak face to face with God, he spent time with God- a lot of time. In this morning’s text, Moses has come down after spending 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai with God. Jesus, prior to being transfigured, was in deep prayer—and it must have been a long prayer, because we are told the disciples are “weighed down with sleep”. Jesus was spending time with God.
Transfiguration Sunday is the Sunday before Lent. We begin our Lenten journey this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. Many people give things up for Lent—chocolate, or tv or soda. But many people also take things on—additional spiritual disciplines. The Hector church will be open on Wednesday afternoons for a time of prayer and meditation during Lent. During Lent we are taking time to be intentionally silent, to have some time in worship to listen to God. Times when we do not say anything, but only listen. And this will be uncomfortable for many of us--because we are a people of words. But I am not suggesting that you can only pray in church. A time of silence, a time of quiet, a time of listening for God can be any place—at home, at work, in the car waiting for practice to be over. What is less important is how you do it or where you do it than that you do it. In this area of the state, there are beginning to be places for people to go away for awhile, to set aside time to intentionally listen to God. One of these places, Wellspring, is in Hammondsport, and is connected to the Presbyterian church there. Another is Cobblestone Springs, over in Dundee. Both are places for spending time with God. Time away from the phone, time away from the to-do lists, time with God.
And here is where the love comes in. Both Moses and Jesus were shining—because they were spending time with God, whom they loved. Moses talked to God as a friend, face to face. Jesus was God’s own son, the Beloved, the Chosen. Both Moses and Jesus were listening to God. When you spend time with someone you love, it shows. We all have seen couples who are just glowing when they are around each other. We all see on faces the love of parents and grandparents for their children. What was visible on Jesus and Moses faces was love and reflected glory, the glory of God. They were transformed by that love.
Here is another love story. Heidi Neumark was a seminary graduate, and was called to Transfiguration Lutheran Church in the South Bronx. In the Lutheran tradition, churches often have red doors. And the congregation, eager to welcome Heidi, painted the doors freshly red for her arrival. Having leftover paint, they neatly stored the can in her office. Which was handy, because every morning Pastor Heidi went outside and repainted the doors. Had to, because of all the graffiti that had been applied over night. It was a daily event—the graffiti at night, and the repainting every morning. When Heidi got down to the end of the second bucket of red paint, she invited some of the neighborhood children in for an art class, run by a friend. And the children began to paint murals—not just on the inside, not just for bulletin boards or Sunday School rooms, but a big, riotous mural on the outside of the church building. The children painted a fire hydrant, open, flowing with water—the only experience those city children had with water—flowing down into a baptismal font, and they painted a communion table with bread and wine, and they painted a table filled with food- turkey and greens and rice, a table where no one would be turned away, hungry. The children painted what they had learned of love, about God’s love, in that church. After that, the church was transformed. There was no more graffiti on the walls or the door. It was not easy. And it is not that the church did not struggle or have setbacks. But it began to live into its name, Transfiguration Church.
There is a lot of talk in churches about transformation, and about transformational leadership. What does a transformed church look like, how do we do it, can we do it here. There are all kinds of training and books, programs and consultants that churches can hire—at exorbitant prices.
But no matter what the program for transformation is titled, no matter how charismatic the author or workshop leader, unless the transformation is founded on three things, it will not succeed.
The first is what I have already said: the people must be spending time with God in order to be transformed.
And the second is that the people, like Moses, are to reflect God’s holiness. Because Moses face was not shining of his own accord—it was a reflected glory. We, as the church, are to reflect God’s glory, not our own.
The third part of the transformation is the willingness to be transformed to be reshaped by the Holy Spirit. One of the mottos of the Reformation, out of which comes the Presbyterian church, our heritage, is a Latin phrase: Ecclesia Reformata, semper reformanda- the church, reformed, is always being reformed- by the Spirit of God. In speaking of the church, Paul says “all of us, seeing the glory of the Lord as through reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory into another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:18)
Jim and I have been meeting with the Session to begin to talk about the church that God is calling us to be. Transformation can be scary and uncomfortable—but it always is grounded in listening to God, spending time with God, seeking God face to face. May God transform us, as people and as the church, so that we might shine with God’s own glory. Amen
Exodus 34:29-35 The Shining Face of Moses p. 71
29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
Psalm 99 p. 480
Luke 9:28-35 The Transfiguration p. 843
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. 34While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’
Today is Valentine’s Day. Now, I suppose since this is Valentine’s Day, you are expecting me to talk about love. And I will- but we will take a roundabout route to get there. We heard the famous Corinthians “love” text a few weeks ago—and you heard me say that that text is not about romantic love, even though the word love appears there numerous times. In today’s readings, there is no talk about love, explicitly- but love is spread all over these pages.
We have in this morning’s texts two stories about shining faces, about transformation, or transfiguration. Something has happened, and neither Moses, nor Jesus, nor the people around them remain unchanged.
Moses, in today’s reading, has been up on the mountain for 40 days. He has interceded for the people to God. Shortly before this, the people have made a golden calf and worshipped it; and God is—literally—fuming mad. God wants to destroy the people, or at least refuse to accompany them any longer on their trek through the wilderness. Moses talks God out of his anger, persuades God not to destroy the people, and Moses receives, again, the law, the Ten Commandments, to bring down to the people. When Moses comes down from the mountain, he is glowing—his face is radiating—and the people are afraid to come near him.
And Moses, apparently, is unaware of his face. But when he realizes that the shining of his face is scary, distresses the people, he wears a veil when speaking with them. But when he goes back into the tent of meeting, to meet with God, he removes his veil.
Jesus, on the mountain top, is also transfigured. He has gone up on the mountain to pray. With him are three of the disciples, Peter, James and John. While Jesus is praying, “the appearance of his face changed”, the text says- literally, he looked “other” and his clothes were like flashes of lightning. And then, as if that were not strange enough, two people- Moses and Elijah appear with him, and talk to him. The disciples, we are told, were heavy with sleep- but, because they stayed awake, they saw all this. And Peter- perhaps in fear, perhaps just in stunned astonishment, says “Master it is good for us to be here—let us make three dwellings”. Peter wants to stay. He might be confused, a little rattled at what he saw, but he doesn’t begin to get scared until the cloud descends, and he hears a voice from heaven—then, we are told, all three of the disciples were terrified.
The voice tells them “This is my Son, my Chosen—listen to him” apparently they were not really listening—or at least not listening enough—well enough, hard enough—to suit God. God intervened, gave them a little shake up.
And Peter and John and James are shook up. Because after the voice has faded, after the fog has lifted, we are told, “they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.”
Perhaps they were as scared as the Israelites were upon seeing Moses’ shining face. Perhaps they just couldn’t think of any way to explain what happened. Perhaps they were embarrassed, at being yelled at by God. Because when God speaks to the disciples, up on the mountain top, he gives them a direct command- “This is my Son- Listen to him”
Moses was transfigured, transformed, after listening to God. We are told earlier in Exodus that Moses and God used to talk, face to face, “as one speaks to a friend” Not only did Moses speak face to face with God, he spent time with God- a lot of time. In this morning’s text, Moses has come down after spending 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai with God. Jesus, prior to being transfigured, was in deep prayer—and it must have been a long prayer, because we are told the disciples are “weighed down with sleep”. Jesus was spending time with God.
Transfiguration Sunday is the Sunday before Lent. We begin our Lenten journey this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. Many people give things up for Lent—chocolate, or tv or soda. But many people also take things on—additional spiritual disciplines. The Hector church will be open on Wednesday afternoons for a time of prayer and meditation during Lent. During Lent we are taking time to be intentionally silent, to have some time in worship to listen to God. Times when we do not say anything, but only listen. And this will be uncomfortable for many of us--because we are a people of words. But I am not suggesting that you can only pray in church. A time of silence, a time of quiet, a time of listening for God can be any place—at home, at work, in the car waiting for practice to be over. What is less important is how you do it or where you do it than that you do it. In this area of the state, there are beginning to be places for people to go away for awhile, to set aside time to intentionally listen to God. One of these places, Wellspring, is in Hammondsport, and is connected to the Presbyterian church there. Another is Cobblestone Springs, over in Dundee. Both are places for spending time with God. Time away from the phone, time away from the to-do lists, time with God.
And here is where the love comes in. Both Moses and Jesus were shining—because they were spending time with God, whom they loved. Moses talked to God as a friend, face to face. Jesus was God’s own son, the Beloved, the Chosen. Both Moses and Jesus were listening to God. When you spend time with someone you love, it shows. We all have seen couples who are just glowing when they are around each other. We all see on faces the love of parents and grandparents for their children. What was visible on Jesus and Moses faces was love and reflected glory, the glory of God. They were transformed by that love.
Here is another love story. Heidi Neumark was a seminary graduate, and was called to Transfiguration Lutheran Church in the South Bronx. In the Lutheran tradition, churches often have red doors. And the congregation, eager to welcome Heidi, painted the doors freshly red for her arrival. Having leftover paint, they neatly stored the can in her office. Which was handy, because every morning Pastor Heidi went outside and repainted the doors. Had to, because of all the graffiti that had been applied over night. It was a daily event—the graffiti at night, and the repainting every morning. When Heidi got down to the end of the second bucket of red paint, she invited some of the neighborhood children in for an art class, run by a friend. And the children began to paint murals—not just on the inside, not just for bulletin boards or Sunday School rooms, but a big, riotous mural on the outside of the church building. The children painted a fire hydrant, open, flowing with water—the only experience those city children had with water—flowing down into a baptismal font, and they painted a communion table with bread and wine, and they painted a table filled with food- turkey and greens and rice, a table where no one would be turned away, hungry. The children painted what they had learned of love, about God’s love, in that church. After that, the church was transformed. There was no more graffiti on the walls or the door. It was not easy. And it is not that the church did not struggle or have setbacks. But it began to live into its name, Transfiguration Church.
There is a lot of talk in churches about transformation, and about transformational leadership. What does a transformed church look like, how do we do it, can we do it here. There are all kinds of training and books, programs and consultants that churches can hire—at exorbitant prices.
But no matter what the program for transformation is titled, no matter how charismatic the author or workshop leader, unless the transformation is founded on three things, it will not succeed.
The first is what I have already said: the people must be spending time with God in order to be transformed.
And the second is that the people, like Moses, are to reflect God’s holiness. Because Moses face was not shining of his own accord—it was a reflected glory. We, as the church, are to reflect God’s glory, not our own.
The third part of the transformation is the willingness to be transformed to be reshaped by the Holy Spirit. One of the mottos of the Reformation, out of which comes the Presbyterian church, our heritage, is a Latin phrase: Ecclesia Reformata, semper reformanda- the church, reformed, is always being reformed- by the Spirit of God. In speaking of the church, Paul says “all of us, seeing the glory of the Lord as through reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory into another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:18)
Jim and I have been meeting with the Session to begin to talk about the church that God is calling us to be. Transformation can be scary and uncomfortable—but it always is grounded in listening to God, spending time with God, seeking God face to face. May God transform us, as people and as the church, so that we might shine with God’s own glory. Amen
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Sermon Feb 7 2010
Sermon Feb 7, 2010
Communion Sunday/5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 p 935
15Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. 3For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
Luke 5:1-11 p 836
5Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
We grow up in a culture of self esteem- or at least a culture that struggles with self esteem.- we give out gold stars and certificates to our children so they will know that they are good achievers, that they are full of self esteem, that they are loved. But we, most of us, don’t believe it ourselves.
There used to be a running skit on Saturday Night Live. In it, a character named Stewart Smalley, would host a show called “Daily Affirmation”. He would encourage his guests who were riddled with self doubt to look into a mirror and say positive things about themselves, and confirm it by saying:- “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and, dog gone it, people like me.”
It was funny because many of the guests like basketball great Michael Jordan expressed doubts we all feel but assume successful people couldn’t possibly struggle with. This week’s readings feature three of the big names in Scripture, Isaiah, Simon, that is Peter (though this is before Jesus gives him that name) and Paul, and all are struggling with a sense of unworthiness, because all find themselves in the presence of God. .
In the Gospel text this morning, Jesus is out in the Galilean countryside. And the people so much want to hear him, to hear the good news that they crowd onto the lakeshore. When Jesus is by the lakeshore with Simon, he asks Simon for one of his boats. And Simon puts out into the water, a little ways. Jesus had already been at Simon’s home, and had cured his mother in law of her illness. So perhaps Simon felt a debt of gratitude to Jesus.
And Jesus, after teaching the crowd, told Simon to put out into the deep water and go fishing again. This is after they have fished all night, and have been pulled up on shore, cleaning their nets—because that’s what you do at the end of your shift, clean your equipment. But Simon does put out his nets, and the catch is so large, so amazing, that it threatens to tear the nets and sink not one but two boats- because Simon had to call to John and James to come out and help, there were so many fish.
Simon Peter, then, in an instant—in a flash, because Simon does everything quickly, falls to his knees and says “Go away from me LORD, for I am a sinful man.” Go away, for I am sinful.
Now, I don’t think this would be my first reaction. Mine might be “great-- food for all” Or even I’m stickin’ with this guy- whenever he’s around, things start looking up! But that’s not Simon Peter’s reaction- he falls to his knees- in fear and trembling- because he sees that this is God sitting in the boat with him- Simon calls him Kyrie- LORD- and Simon Peter also sees himself in startling truth- “for I am a sinful man.”
In the 6th chapter of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah has a similar experience- Isaiah is serving in the Temple, and he sees the Lord God in the Temple—and there is smoke, and thunder so loud the doors of the temple shake, and angels that look like fire. And Isaiah’s reaction is “Woe is me”- meaning, I am doomed—“Woe is me,” he says, “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
But Isaiah is not doomed, and Simon Peter, in the boat, is not struck down. Jesus words to Simon Peter are: “Do not be afraid”
Do not fear. And then, in the boat, Jesus goes on to tell Simon Peter about his future, to give him his own mission statement: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching people.”
We have been studying, these past few weeks, Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. Paul has been writing to a church that is divided. And it is a church that Paul himself started- Paul was in the business of catching people, as well. Paul in this portion of the letter wants to push past all the noise and divisions, wants to get down to the solid foundation that binds them all together, the reason they are a church at all. He reminds them of “The good news that I proclaimed to you, in which you also stand, through which also you are being saved…if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
Did you hear that? Jesus appeared to Cephas- Cephas is the Greek name for Peter- Jesus appeared to Simon Peter, Peter who told Jesus to go away, Peter who would get things so wrong, who only in flashes, sees who Jesus really is, Peter who would later deny Jesus—Jesus in his resurrection glory appears to Peter.
Paul goes on to say that last of all, Jesus appeared also to him. “For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” There it is- there is Paul’s confession- And yet Jesus also appeared to him—
In the boat, Jesus does not wait for Peter to be better, to be holier, to be worthy. And Jesus did not wait for Paul to change his ways, to stop persecuting the church, to come to his senses- God in Jesus called them each, where they were. Paul goes on to say “but by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain.” God’s grace has not been in vain- Jesus said of Peter “upon this rock I will build my church” and Peter became a preacher and leader of the early church, Paul went on to start new churches in many areas, instead of persecuting believers, he built and supported churches in the Gentile areas.
I know that some of us are uncomfortable with talk of sin, and if we have grown up in a church culture that stressed sin, we are tired of it. But we have a prayer of confession every week in worship,because we need to see what Peter saw. We need to say out loud what Isaiah said. Confession and remorse do not earn us worthiness—but they are a way of radically telling the truth- about who we are, and about who God is. I grew up in a faith tradition in which, the week before we shared communion, we prayed a prayer of self- examination—to make a thorough examination of ourselves, to see where our sin and guilt were, and to confess them before we came to the table. Because we were not worthy to come to the table.
And the truth is, we are not worthy. No one can earn his or her way to the Table. This is not a Table for people who are good- this a table for us who are struggling, for us who are trying to be faithful, for us who fall and fail. That prayer of self examination? It goes on to say this:
Therefore, our self-examination must not end in despair.
We are called to trust God’s work on our behalf
and to receive the gift of forgiveness offered us in Christ Jesus.
Our reconciliation to God is found in trusting this good news—
that before we chose God, God chose us.
We are what God has made us,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Because in our seeing our sinfulness, we see the enormity of Gods grace to us. Like Peter, like Isaiah, like Paul, we begin to know how much God loves us and the whole of creation. God’s grace to us has not been in vain. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Communion Sunday/5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 p 935
15Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. 3For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
Luke 5:1-11 p 836
5Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
We grow up in a culture of self esteem- or at least a culture that struggles with self esteem.- we give out gold stars and certificates to our children so they will know that they are good achievers, that they are full of self esteem, that they are loved. But we, most of us, don’t believe it ourselves.
There used to be a running skit on Saturday Night Live. In it, a character named Stewart Smalley, would host a show called “Daily Affirmation”. He would encourage his guests who were riddled with self doubt to look into a mirror and say positive things about themselves, and confirm it by saying:- “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and, dog gone it, people like me.”
It was funny because many of the guests like basketball great Michael Jordan expressed doubts we all feel but assume successful people couldn’t possibly struggle with. This week’s readings feature three of the big names in Scripture, Isaiah, Simon, that is Peter (though this is before Jesus gives him that name) and Paul, and all are struggling with a sense of unworthiness, because all find themselves in the presence of God. .
In the Gospel text this morning, Jesus is out in the Galilean countryside. And the people so much want to hear him, to hear the good news that they crowd onto the lakeshore. When Jesus is by the lakeshore with Simon, he asks Simon for one of his boats. And Simon puts out into the water, a little ways. Jesus had already been at Simon’s home, and had cured his mother in law of her illness. So perhaps Simon felt a debt of gratitude to Jesus.
And Jesus, after teaching the crowd, told Simon to put out into the deep water and go fishing again. This is after they have fished all night, and have been pulled up on shore, cleaning their nets—because that’s what you do at the end of your shift, clean your equipment. But Simon does put out his nets, and the catch is so large, so amazing, that it threatens to tear the nets and sink not one but two boats- because Simon had to call to John and James to come out and help, there were so many fish.
Simon Peter, then, in an instant—in a flash, because Simon does everything quickly, falls to his knees and says “Go away from me LORD, for I am a sinful man.” Go away, for I am sinful.
Now, I don’t think this would be my first reaction. Mine might be “great-- food for all” Or even I’m stickin’ with this guy- whenever he’s around, things start looking up! But that’s not Simon Peter’s reaction- he falls to his knees- in fear and trembling- because he sees that this is God sitting in the boat with him- Simon calls him Kyrie- LORD- and Simon Peter also sees himself in startling truth- “for I am a sinful man.”
In the 6th chapter of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah has a similar experience- Isaiah is serving in the Temple, and he sees the Lord God in the Temple—and there is smoke, and thunder so loud the doors of the temple shake, and angels that look like fire. And Isaiah’s reaction is “Woe is me”- meaning, I am doomed—“Woe is me,” he says, “I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
But Isaiah is not doomed, and Simon Peter, in the boat, is not struck down. Jesus words to Simon Peter are: “Do not be afraid”
Do not fear. And then, in the boat, Jesus goes on to tell Simon Peter about his future, to give him his own mission statement: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching people.”
We have been studying, these past few weeks, Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. Paul has been writing to a church that is divided. And it is a church that Paul himself started- Paul was in the business of catching people, as well. Paul in this portion of the letter wants to push past all the noise and divisions, wants to get down to the solid foundation that binds them all together, the reason they are a church at all. He reminds them of “The good news that I proclaimed to you, in which you also stand, through which also you are being saved…if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
Did you hear that? Jesus appeared to Cephas- Cephas is the Greek name for Peter- Jesus appeared to Simon Peter, Peter who told Jesus to go away, Peter who would get things so wrong, who only in flashes, sees who Jesus really is, Peter who would later deny Jesus—Jesus in his resurrection glory appears to Peter.
Paul goes on to say that last of all, Jesus appeared also to him. “For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” There it is- there is Paul’s confession- And yet Jesus also appeared to him—
In the boat, Jesus does not wait for Peter to be better, to be holier, to be worthy. And Jesus did not wait for Paul to change his ways, to stop persecuting the church, to come to his senses- God in Jesus called them each, where they were. Paul goes on to say “but by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain.” God’s grace has not been in vain- Jesus said of Peter “upon this rock I will build my church” and Peter became a preacher and leader of the early church, Paul went on to start new churches in many areas, instead of persecuting believers, he built and supported churches in the Gentile areas.
I know that some of us are uncomfortable with talk of sin, and if we have grown up in a church culture that stressed sin, we are tired of it. But we have a prayer of confession every week in worship,because we need to see what Peter saw. We need to say out loud what Isaiah said. Confession and remorse do not earn us worthiness—but they are a way of radically telling the truth- about who we are, and about who God is. I grew up in a faith tradition in which, the week before we shared communion, we prayed a prayer of self- examination—to make a thorough examination of ourselves, to see where our sin and guilt were, and to confess them before we came to the table. Because we were not worthy to come to the table.
And the truth is, we are not worthy. No one can earn his or her way to the Table. This is not a Table for people who are good- this a table for us who are struggling, for us who are trying to be faithful, for us who fall and fail. That prayer of self examination? It goes on to say this:
Therefore, our self-examination must not end in despair.
We are called to trust God’s work on our behalf
and to receive the gift of forgiveness offered us in Christ Jesus.
Our reconciliation to God is found in trusting this good news—
that before we chose God, God chose us.
We are what God has made us,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Because in our seeing our sinfulness, we see the enormity of Gods grace to us. Like Peter, like Isaiah, like Paul, we begin to know how much God loves us and the whole of creation. God’s grace to us has not been in vain. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
First Sunday after Christmas
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.
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.
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.
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