Sermon for December 28. 2014

The reading

Luke 2
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too." There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

The message

In the days leading up to Christmas this year, I had a few appointments and stops to make that required going past the Queens Center Mall. Some of the stores were open 24 hours, the streets around the mall and exit ramp on the lie nearby were backed up for blocks, often looking more like a parking lot then roads you could drive on. The sidewalks were almost unusable as well, every foot of space was crowded with people, bags, boxes, toys, tvs and other packages. Since I finished all my shopping already I didn’t have to actually go in the mall but I can imagine it was a rather uncomfortable place to be. On Thursday, Christmas Day, Knok from the Church of Grace to the Fujianese drove us home from his church’s Christmas celebration. We drove past the mall around 4 O’clock and it was closed. Things were quiet, there was no traffic, the sidewalks were empty, the doors were closed and the lights were all turned off. After the past few days of chaos, it was hard to believe I was even passing by the same place again, so much had changed there. It had gone from the chaos of last minute Christmas shopping to the eerie abandoned quiet of a totally empty space that was built for tens of thousands of people to work and shop in. I imagined that if someone did not know it was Christmas and he or she walked past the mall, they would know something very significant was happening to create that sort of change, that complete stop of all the activity of the past few days.

That’s why as I passed the mall on Christmas afternoon, I thought this experience would be a good way to look at what happened that day in Bethlehem, when the grace of God appeared, bringing salvation to all, when Christ our savior was born. I also thought it would be a good way to understand the encounter that Simeon has with the newborn Christ and his family that we hear reported to us in the Gospel reading. The scene at the mall, the story of Jesus birth in a barn on the outskirts of the world, and this moment in Simeon’s life when the promise that he would see the messiah is fulfilled are all connected since they are all times when everything suddenly stopped. At Christmas, over 600 years after the first promises of the Messiah were heard. God’s grace appeared, bringing salvation to all. Things would be different now, God’s promises would be clearly and openly for all people. God’s peace had come to the world, not a regular ordinary peaceful feeling, but one that can only come from knowing our sins are forgiven by God’s grace and that beause Christ is risen, we will arise. The shepherds stop, leave their lives behind and seek the baby that the angels sang about. Kings and leaders stop their regular business and concerns as they shake with fear, (as we will see when we talk about the story of the epiphany or three kings). Things would definitely not be business as usual between God and the world and us and each other. At Christmas, the relationship between us and God now has no room for confusion, it is one of grace, welcome and love. It is a life when God walks with us, so we can go in peace and live our lives in peace,

Honestly, this example of a mall on Christmas day as an example of God’s stopping peace entering the world is sort of lacking. Not because its bad but just because it is not big enough to show the power of Christmas. This Christmas marked the 100th anniversary of one of the most significant events of peace in history. In 1914, after the first few months of World War I were underway, There was a grassroots, naturally occurring truce in the trenches to celebrate Christmas. World War I just stopped. During that Christmas cease fire, enemies who a few hours before were killing each other in numbers never before imagined in war, were now celebrating Christmas together. Eyewitnesses report singing O Come all Ye faithful in Latin together, French and German carols going back and forth, small gift exchanges of cigarettes, books, candy, having an opportunity to pick up, properly honor and bury the dead. World War I stopped for a time, because it was Christmas. The soldiers had a few hours in the midst of where they saw their enemies as people, who understood that the people in the other trenches also had families, loves, faith, fear, and hope. Many wondered what exactly it was they were fighting for, After the prodding and encouragement of military leaders, World War I would restart after Christmas and continue for years until over 35 million people died.

If they stayed with it, If the soldiers on these front lines maintained this ceasefire, we are left to imagine a world where WW I ended after only 4 months and a few thousand deaths, a world where WW II may not have happened . Here we have a story, a short vision, a serious glimpse of what can happen when we take God’s message seriously, when we see one another as people loved by God, when we go into the world understanding and sharing Simeon’s words: "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”,

May the joy and comfort of Christmas, fill your hearts and minds with the peace only God can offer.

Christmas Sermon 2014

The reading

Titus 2:11-14

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,  training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds

The message

The Grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. Originally, those 10 words were going to be all I said for tonight’s sermon.  I wanted to just stand up here for a few seconds and simply say “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all”, announce the next hymn and start to sing  one of my favorite songs “I wonder as I wander”.  The Grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, is the description of Christmas from Paul’s letter to Titus, his friend and fellow missionary in the area of Crete almost 2000 years ago.  This letter, the final communication between Paul and Titus was written to encourage Titus in his work, correct false teachings and remind him that he is part of the larger church.  Christmas is central to that work.

I went as far as walking up and down in the church aisle on Monday, practicing The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, saying those few words with different tones, speeds and volumes. After all, I figured if a pastor was going to only say just a few of someone else's words at one of the most crowded and beautiful church services of the year, he should, at least spend the time to make sure they are clear and easy to understand.  I expected that there would be reactions. It would be something remembered, something outside of everyone’s ordinary church experience, something people would go home, talk about and tell others.  After practicing for a bit, I imagined people being unsure of what happened, looking around at each other, going “that’s it?”, “is he finished?”, people sending text messages to loved ones at home saying: “get the ham in the oven, we’ll be back earlier than usual”, some people thinking “if church was like this every week, I’d come back” and others being disappointed, Wanting to hear more about the religious meaning of Christmas in a world  just plain overcome with secular, retail, and social meanings to this holy day.

I am still talking though, so I obviously decided that this would not be the shortest Christmas sermon ever. The reason is simple enough, It’s actually an illness, something called Sudden Rich Syndrome (which honestly sounds like a disease we want to have). It’s a way psychologists, social scientists and others try to understand and explain why so many people who earn large sports and music contracts or win the lottery for 5, 10, 50, 100 million dollars or more end up in debt or bankrupt within a couple of years.  Most of the time, this collapse is caused by waste, fraud, poor management, theft, stress, just not knowing what to do and not having any honest help to do it. It is not a personal failing, race or cultural thing, this happens to all different people around the world.  It all comes down to the fact that dumping a huge amount of money on someone and walking away from them is not really a formula for success.  People are not prepared to actually win and to actually receive what they have dreamed of. People are often just not ready or able to handle that much change. 

This is not the shortest  Christmas sermon ever because to just say "the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all" would make it seem like Christmas is about God dumping salvation on us and walking away, leaving us to figure out what to do with this grace jackpot.  Christmas is more then that. It is a time when God's Grace appears for our salvation and also when God stars to walk with us, a life and story that shows us what to do with the grace that appears on Christmas, .a journey where, in the words of the carol, “Jesus our savior was born to die for poor ordinary people like you and like I”, a life that shows us love, welcome, care and salvation for all people.  ,

This is not the shortest  Christmas sermon ever because Christmas is not about 20 or 30 second sound bites, out of context clips, twisting words, looking right, saying things just to annoy, anger, illicit a response, get viewers, sell books, sell advertisements or get some attention at any cost.  We have enough of that sickness infecting the world right now.  Christmas offers us a different vision, a world of complete relationships, where people with faith in God's care and trust in God's promises, love each other in the complexity, pain, struggle and confusion of the world. Seen this way the church, this community is a place of wondering and learning together about how to share this grace that appeared on Christmas.       

This is not the shortest  Christmas sermon ever because right before the verse, I keep saying “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, are other verses, including “slave obey your master” and “woman obey your husband”, some of the most difficult passages for us to reconcile with a faith that teaches welcome, love for all and inclusion.   I am still talking because I know if someone read just those verses a few sentences away from tonight’s word, and then threw the book of Titus away,  he or she would miss Christmas.  It is a very sad and dangerous thing to talk about just one piece of God’s story. 

This is not the shortest Christmas sermon ever because in the rest of our reading from Titus tonight, we hear that Christmas is an invitation to change, a call to celebrate by letting the grace of God that appeared, bringing salvation to all,  shape our lives, to live in the comfort and joy that comes from knowing our sins are forgiven and that our God loves and cares for us, to celebrate Christmas by being a people zealous for good deeds. Now is the time for me to stop talking and for us to start living the news of Christmas: The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all. 

Sermon for December 21, 2014

The Readings

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."  Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."  But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:  Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?  I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.  Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"  Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;  and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.  And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.  Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.                        

Luke 1

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."  But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."  Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"  The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.  And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.  For nothing will be impossible with God."  Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. 

The Message

We are now just a few short days away from Christmas, from this day we have been counting down to with our advent wreath, from this time when we celebrate the entry of God into our world for our salvation. We have heard the last readings of Advent, a time set aside to prepare us for God’s entrance into the world.  Today’s Gospel reading from Luke really should sound familiar to most of you. For the past few weeks, we have included a sung, musical version of this reading in our worship service.  This text is really just a conversation between Mary and the angel Gabriel that we somehow are able to overhear.  This conversation is often called “the annunciation”, which comes from the Latin word for announcement.  In the Roman Catholic and many orthodox churches this event is celebrated as a feast usually on March 25. (The logic being Jesus conception was 9 months before his birth).   While it is celebrated by some protestant churches and pastors, it is not a formal part of our church year.  At the same time, there is a lot we can learn from this conversation, inspirations we can draw from Mary’s faith, Joseph’s trust, the angels word’s “do not be afraid” and the reminder that God keeps promises.   Although I am no going to focus on this part of the story, We should keep in mind that our first reading about God dwelling among the people instead of in a glorious house of cedar and the fact that God comes to our world like everyone does, points us to the fact that God is truly and really present with us. 

At its heart, the annunciation is a simple story.  A young ordinary girl is engaged and preparing to marry her partner, Joseph.  He happens to be a very distant relative of King David, the great leader of ancient Israel, whose family line was promised to give birth to the messiah, but one that no one has heard from in centuries.  Mary’s quiet life is suddenly, unexpectedly and seriously interrupted as the angel Gabriel shows up and says “greetings favored one, the lord is with you” . The angel goes on to explain why Mary is highly favored, reporting to her that she will give birth to Jesus, the long expected Messiah.   Mary knows something is off here. They might not have had the internet or known too much about science or anatomy back then, but they knew where babies came from. Mary also knew that to have a child while you’re not married could be seen as adultery and most likely punished by death (or the best case scenario would be a great deal of embarrassment and serious consequences that would follow her forever).  The angel uses the miraculous pregnancy of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth as an example to encourage her. Mary is given a little evidence that with God, all things are possible.   

Nothing in this story is casual, there is no “oh look it’s an angel, large, glowing, and real, how cute”.  Nothing  in this story is expected,  Mary did not expect to be the favored one of God, Mary or Joseph did not expect to be part of God’s entry into the world for our salvation,  Nothing in this story was easy,  Nothing in this story was part of ordinary life for a young girl (or anyone honestly).  That is what makes Mary’s response so incredible. Mary’s words of faith, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word” were spoken in the midst of fear, surprise, shock and unbelievable things.  Every word Mary says is a deep and profound statement of trust in God.  For Mary, they were not just words either.  If we look forward, 30 years or so from this announcement, we see Mary, with her friends and relatives, at the cross of Jesus and then hearing news of the empty tomb. We see that she kept her promise, that she took this commitment she made to the angel very seriously.

Today, Mary’s life and faith continues to inspire and show us what it means to take our work, life, faith, church and promises seriously.  In many ways the world around us has not changed too much in the 2000 or so years since Mary talks with the angel. Obviously things like technology, global connection, access to knowledge and population numbers have changed but the world is still a place of great violence, tremendous inequality, growing suspicion, lives of anxiety, times of fear, moments of doubt, lost faith in God and others, divisions between those who have and those do not have, and separations based on things like strength, wealth, family, ethnicity and culture all seem to remain.

The world also remains a place to which God sends messengers, people to announce to each one of us the words of the angel “do not be afraid” and  “for nothing will be impossible with God”.  In a few days, it will be Christmas, all of the preparing will be complete, ready or not, sick or healthy, tired or excited, gifts will be exchanged, dinner will be served, carols will be sung, trees will be decorated, guests will be welcomed.  Of course, a few days after that, everyone will be home, those leftovers will be gone, trees will litter the streets waiting for garbage pickup, wrapping paper will be in recycling bags, unwanted gifts will be exchanged, and decorations will be packed away until next year.  The words of the angel will remain. The promises “do not be afraid, for nothing will be impossible with God” will continue to guide our lives,  Mary’s statement of faith, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word” will continue to be an example of what is at the heart of a faithful life.

  

Sermon for Sunday, December 14

Sermon for December 14, 2014

The readings: 

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.  They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.  For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.  Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed.  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.  For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.  May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

John 1

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.  This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah."  And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"  He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said.  Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.  They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"  John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal."  This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

The message

Every few months, there is a story that pops in the news about the new senior pastor at a large church somewhere around the country. He or she decides to teach, challenge and test the new congregation by attending worship in disguise. They usually choose to wear dirty or very old clothing, carry bags, ask for money, and if they decide to go all out, smell pretty bad.  The new pastor wants to see how serious his or her new church takes God’s  clear instructions to welcome all people, walk with those in need, include everyone regardless of who they are or what they have and to love one another as God loves us.  The expectation is that the new senior pastor would be welcomed with celebration, by everything getting cleaned up, by people who usually wear shorts and tee shirts putting on suits on for that morning, that the church staff, readers, choir, and worship assistants would be very ready and that a special meal would be prepared and served. People would make efforts to ensure that things were perfect.  At the same time, the expectation is that the homeless person would be seen as a problem, avoided, ignored, or even asked to leave.  In most cases these stories end with varying degrees of failure on the part of the congregation to welcome people who are not like them and a sermon about the church welcoming and accepting all people just like God welcomes us. 

The TV show “undercover boss”, uses the same principle as owners, CEO’s and executives put on disguises and go to work at different, lower paying and lower status  jobs at their own companies.  At the end of each episode, they have meetings where their true identities are revealed to the shock and surprise of the people they worked alongside during the show. They also learn important lessons about how things are really operating in their company, lessons we are lead to believe they could only learn by really being there. This interplay of disguises, assumptions and mistaken identities is nothing new.  Our world is filled with the stories, old and new, funny and sad, that all make use of this principle, We are in a world of make over shows, weight loss advertisements and amazing physical transformations, we have all seen and heard the stories of a big person who picks a fight with a small little guy only to find out the little guy has been doing martial arts since he was two years old or a student who makes a comment to impress a stranger only to find out he is really talking to his professor or new boss (and totally wrong). 

We have all seen, heard, laughed at, been amazed and learned from these stories before.  At the same time, it exposes a difficult truth about us. We obviously do not put much stock in the old saying ”don’t judge a book by its cover”, we consistently treat people based on what they look like, what they have or what they can do for us.   This calculation of how to treat people can make us very uncomfortable when we do not know who we are dealing with.  This morning, we see one of the bible’s most obvious examples of this.  We hear about the appearance of John the Baptist into the 1^st century religious world. John is one of the major figures in this church season of Advent, this time we set aside to prepare for God’s entry into the world. He is related to Jesus by family and by work.   He challenges  the religious authorities and leads us to question how we interact together.  By family, John and Jesus are connected since John’s mother Elizabeth and Jesus mother Mary are cousins. Both women have miraculous births, Elizabeth because of her advanced age and Mary because of the role of the Holy Spirit.  Both births are celebrated and suspected as being connected to the long expected Messiah or promised savior.'

By work, John and Jesus, are connected since they both announce that the Kingdom of God has come. That the saving work God promised to suffering people through the words of the prophets, was being fulfilled.  John knows exactly who he is and what his work is in the kingdom. This morning, we hear John claiming and owning his role in God’s plan “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness; make straight the way of the Lord”.  Even with this declaration, John, more than any other figure in the scripture really, confuses and challenges the religious authorities in terms of who they are dealing with.  He defies normal categories.  John could easily be the leader of a new faith, a poor man in wilderness, a prophet or a liar; he could be Elijah, the Messiah, or the local crazy man.  

 John scares the religious authorities, he has no formal education, no title or status in their leadership, performs no miracles, wears no robes or symbols of authority, but John has a large and growing following, and no regard for the established ways of religious life. (Later we hear John call the religious authorities snakes and vipers before chasing them off).  In some ways, for the religious leaders, encounters with John are like a game, a complicated series of interactions, political decisions and power plays.  They want to treat John like he should be treated according to his station in the world, for them, who john is, will determine how they treat and react to him. That’s why they keep coming with questions, Are you the Messiah, are you Elijah, are you the prophet, the frustration of “well then who are you?”

John is not even playing the game though.  From its very start, the message of the kingdom is that God is not like us.  God does not respect our categories or our divisions between people based on what they have, what they know, what they do for a living or what they look like,

John sees everyone as children of God, he is preparing all people for God’s entry into the world. John does this with a simple call for repentance and for a change in the way they live their lives.  The symbols of this new way of life john offers are universals, Baptism, Water and washing, some of the few things each and every one of us depends on.  This applies to the religious leaders, farmers, kings, prophets, rich or poor, family or stranger, educated or untrained, believers or doubters,  No matter what, people had things in common: all people sin, all people hope for something better, all people are treated with care and welcome in the kingdom, all people are loved by God.   Amen

Sermon for Sunday, December 7th 2014

This week’s message was also part of the following collection

http://www.wnyc.org/story/garner-sermons/

Here are the readings that this sermon are based on:

Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.  A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.  Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.  Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"  See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.  He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.                                          

2 Peter 3:8-15a

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.  The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.  Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire?  But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.  Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him.                                                                 

  

Mark 1

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Sermon:

This week, we continue our new church year and the season of Advent. Our reading, once again, come from the beginnings of our faith. We hear words from the book of the prophet Isaiah, who announced good news to a defeated people, who announced to the suffering that 1- God did not forget them  and 2- God would keep the great promises of restoration and salvation.  Parts of Isaiah are read every week during Advent.  Throughout the four weeks of Advent we also hear words from the first chapters of the Gospels. Here, among the opening words of Mark, Luke and John, we hear those statements that get your interest, make you want to read on and outline or explain what the whole book is about. 

Advent is the beginning of church year. It is best defined as the time of waiting and preparing for Jesus entrance into the world.  It is not just about waiting for Christmas.  We are waiting for Jesus birth, but we are also waiting for the end of the world, for Jesus second coming.   Obviously, both events are very different. Christmas is a joyful holiday, publically celebrated every year by Christians around the world and lots of other people too really.  Its symbols and familiar images include a beautiful, innocent baby born in a stable, stars, angels, gifts, lights, trees, and pastoral scenes of shepherds in the countryside.  The other, the second coming of Jesus is a complicated, confusing, and often misunderstood, made fun of or abused part of our faith. Its symbols and images are fire, destruction, chaos, war, brutal events, monsters, fear and judgment.   

To say that Advent is about waiting for Christmas, is only part of the story.  Advent is about waiting for Jesus entrance into the world, for God’s love to break into our lives, our hearts, our community, and our society, about God’s grace ripping apart our systems of inequality and injustice, about God’s love wiping out our hatred, God’s welcome burning down all the things that separate us from each other, and God’s power defeating sin and death.   Here, I do mean to use words like break into, rip apart, wipe out, and burn down.  With our Advent hope, we are not talking about small changes in how we do things or minor adjustments to what we say.  With our Advent hope, we are waiting for unsettling, drastic, disruptive and impossible things.  Our Advent hope is for a world where, among other things, everyone works, where everyone eats healthy, good food, where everyone drinks clean water, where diversity is celebrated, where resources are shared with compassion, where God is worshipped without fear, where everyone has enough, where we act in ways that really ask “how will this impact others”,  and where God’s grace is announced with comfort and clarity.

The images and language around the expectations of the messiah, and about the end times are intense. We hear of valleys being filled in and made into level ground, hills and mountains destroyed and made low places, and world powers, the things that we depend on for our safety and survival collapsing. We see a complete alternation of the physical world as a metaphor to show us God’s complete power over and alternation of all things, including the power of sin, death and presence of evil in the world. Everything changes. In Advent, we are looking forward to something big.      

600 years or so before Jesus birth, Isaiah tells the people to look forward to something big.  Jerusalem, was once the center of religious life and power.  In Isaiah’s time it is an eerie, quiet, ruined nothing. It is the impossible, the ruined City of God.  The people who lived through the fall and defeat of this city, were exiled.  Almost all of them felt abandoned by God, could not figure out what happened, struggled to even guess why or doubted that God even existed.  For them, Isaiah has big news: “the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.  He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep”.  We should never think of these words as an image of God walking around with some cute little sheep, they are words of hope that try to destroy an unbearable feeling of loss and they are promises of God’s continued love for a world that feels forgotten.                                                 

  

Peter, like Isaiah all those centuries before him, is writing to tell the church that God is about to do something big.  Peter is writing to a church that had been visited by many false teachers, some of whom convinced many of them that the present world, with all its systems and powers, would continue as it is without end. Peter writes to correct this, saying no, Jesus was not just a nice guy who taught us to help some poor people. Jesus came to really change things, to get the power of sin and death away from us, to get rid of all those things that separate us from each other, to speak love and light in a place of hate and darkness,  to cut out all the distractions that stop us from being God’s people here on earth.  There would not be a slightly better version of life; Jesus didn’t die and rise again for that. There would be a new heaven and the new earth, where to quote 2^nd Peter, righteousness is at home.   

John the Baptist, who we will talk about more next week, just like Isaiah before him and Peter after him, is a voice crying out in the wilderness, God is about to do something big.

Finally, in case it was not obvious, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the recent news and events happening in our city.  Today, there are voices crying out that things need to be changed.  I have been remarkably quiet here at church about the issues in Ferguson, in our city and all around the country.  I have not mentioned a word about it until now and I do not really plan to after this. This does not come from my idea that no one here cares, that this is not the church’s business, or that there is nothing we can do about it.  My belief is that our work here in this time and place is about sharing, explaining and looking at what God has done in the world, to explore and understand God’s saving work in our lives, how God treats us with forgiveness, grace and love, how God welcomes us regardless of what we have or look like, what God has promised us and what we are waiting for. When we leave here, comforted, encouraged, angry, excited, confused, hopeful, knowing that God loves each of us and were sent to do the same.  Then we are ready to work in the world.  I am not in the business of telling people what to do, or forcing my opinions on others, pretending they are God’s word or the only solution to very complicated, emotional and difficult problems. My work, and the work of the church is to give everyone a lens to look though, In this case, it’s the story of hope, of God’s entrance into the world for everyone,  of God’s universal grace, that saves all people, God’s promise that things will be changed and our instructions to work on it while we wait.  How you do that is up to you.

Sermon for November 30, 2014

The readings

Isaiah 64:1-9
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence--as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

PSALM 80:1-7, 17-19
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth: before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind--just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you--so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.


Mark 13
"But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

The Message

Happy New Year.  Today is the first Sunday of Year B.  Our church calendar is broken up into 3 years, A, B and C.  For each year, the Sunday readings focus on the Gospel of Matthew, mark or Luke. The Gospel of John is spread out over all three years.   In addition, each year is divided into different seasons and areas of focus. We have seasons like Epiphany, where we look at the world figuring out  just exactly who was born on Christmas and like Easter where we concentrate on the witness and meaning of Jesus Resurrection.  Each year starts with Advent, the wait for Jesus birth at Christmas and ends with Christ the King, the proclamation that, when all is said and done,  Christ is king,  no matter what, God's will is going to be done.

This new years though, it does not seem like our readings give us too much to celebrate.  Select verses from our readings give us a picture of a God who is filled with anger, judgment and brutal plans, From Isaiah, we hear You have hidden your face from us and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity" and we learn about a God who abandoned the people to their own self-caused trouble. In the Psalm, we hear "you have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure" and we learn about a God who leaves people to face the consequences of their actions. Most frightening of all,  in Jesus own words reported to us by Mark, we hear that the sun, the source of light and life, will go dark, the moon will be turned off, the stars will fall from the sky and even heaven itself will shake.  We have a vision of complete destruction.  Each one of these verses could make quite a sermon,  a message of damnation for those who are not like us, a message of separation from those who are suffering or in need, or simply that God is with the rich and strong, rewarding their good deeds with nice houses and shiny cars, while punishing the lazy and sinful with things like poverty and sickness. The judgment, urgency and alarm of these  readings (and many others) is very real but their abuse to scare, trick or teach people something terrible and untrue about God is also very real.

These verses were never meant to be read alone, understood apart from their history and context, or shared with people who had no idea where they were from or what they were about. Most importantly, these verses (or any word of scripture) were never meant to be thought of away from the bigger picture of a loving, caring, present, hope giving, world welcoming, active, all powerful, listening and forgiving God.  That's why we have a whole year to tell this story. That's why its so important to actually come here every week, that's why it's important to pray, to give, to share our time and resources, to be part of a community of faith and support, to fill our time with reminders of God's work in the world, to fill our thoughts, words and actions with the whole story of Jesus and his love.   

This story starts today, with Advent, with the time of waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled, of hoping for the birth of a Messiah, who would redeem, restore, heal and help us.  Let me start by saying I do not like waiting and I assume you do not either, I get impatient with lines, frequently complain when something takes longer then I think it should and get easily aggravated with delays. If there is a wait, even a few minutes for a restaurant, I'm likely to leave, If I do decide to wait, I spend the time fidgeting, pacing around and complaining to anyone who would listen (or even not listen).  I saw bits and pictures of the people waiting outside stores for the black Friday sales and I was just puzzled, I mean I know its cheap but really, the same sale is probably available online and they will run it again, plus I cant think of much that's worth all that waiting around.   Thankfully, Advent is a different king of waiting. As church,  we do not simply wait, pacing back and forth, bored out of our minds,  watching TV, looking at cat videos on you tube, playing phone games and looking for something to do to pass the time.  Really Advent is not about waiting around at all, its about preparing, getting ready. As we approach Christmas, each week helps prepare us for what God is about to do.  In a world where retailers and stores start preparing us for Christmas with sales and decorations in October, We officially have 4 weeks set aside to do this. Again, thankfully, the work of Advent, the preparing for Christmas, is something we do all year in our worship, life and community together.

This week, the readings prepare us to stay faithful,  The world is, will be, always has been, and probably will remain a place a filled with violence, anger, separation, pain, poverty, inequality and struggle. Life is not easy, aging is not easy, losing loved ones, living in fear, facing doubts, facing violence, competing for everything, change, helplessness, none of that is easy. If any of you join us after church for the bible study on Isaiah, you'll see that his message was shared with a place, people and world not all that different from ours

We start this church year with the promise, that we are not at this alone, God has given us the gifts needed to wait, to actively and faithfully wait while we serve, teach, share, pray and welcome.  To repeat the words of encouragement Paul shares with the strife filled church in Corinth I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind--just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you--so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will also strengthen you to the end

Simply said, we start the year with the promise that we have all that we need to get through the year, that God is with us, in our lives, work and waiting.