Jan. 1, 2012 Christmas 1

Luke 2:22-40

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

   25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

   29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, 

   you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 

   31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 

   and the glory of your people Israel.”

   33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

   36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

   39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

“A Sign Spoken Against” 

Jesus came as a sign; a sign of God’s love; a sign to be spoken for or against.

Many spoke against Jesus in his days - those who loved their religious ritual and formalism more then a living faith.  They didn’t want to lose their importance as religious leaders to one who would make it so easy to be a child of God. The Rich Young Ruler spoke against Jesus; he wanted to buy his way in; not enter through the grace of God. The Pharisee’s spoke against Jesus - they were too proud to live by grace.

The question we all have to struggle with is “Do I speak against the sign God has given us?”  With Christmas over -  do I live as one who has celebrated it’s mystery and experienced its joy?

  “To Be Or Not To Be”

What we believe is basic to who we become in life.

To surrender to Christ is to become a child of grace; it is come alive and discover real self identity and self worth.  I am not a no body, no matter how insignificant I feel; I am a child of God and that makes me somebody - somebody unique, precious, and loved.

Out of surrender to Christ comes new birth in Christ.   A life of becoming, including a life of good works.  We become what we believe.  When I believe I am a child of God -- I can fail and not be destroyed;  I can have worth even when I don’t feel worthy... even when I have preached the worlds worst sermon.

Dec. 25 Christmas Day

John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

   6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

   9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

   14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

“The Word Became Flesh” 

Christmas is here; and will soon be past.  The celebration of Christmas, which begins earlier each year, will soon be over.  Yet Christmas is never over.  It never ends.  It is hidden in every day, every word, every deed of our lives.

As we celebrate the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us, we also celebrate the Word becoming flesh - our flesh - and dwelling still in our midst.

We are to live our words and live The Word so that even our flesh becomes a presence of the God who became human and dwelt among us in Jesus.

God’s Word - God’s best word to us is seen before it is heard. felt before it is known, experienced before it is understood, lived before it can be spoken. 

It became flesh and dwelt among us so we could best know it in the most human ways possible.   And that is also how we share it - by living it.

Henri Nouwen:  “The most important question for me is not, ‘How do I touch people?’  but, ‘How do I live the word I am speaking?”

Indeed, Christmas is not just once a year.  It is yesterday, today, and forever, as the Word becomes flesh in us and dwells among us.  

Indeed, Christmas is every day!

Christmas Eve - December 24

Luke 2:1-14

  1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

   4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

   8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

   13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

   14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, 

   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

                      “Love came down at Christmas 

                love all lovely, love divine;  

                love was born at Christmas,

                star and angles gave the sign.

              Worship we the Godhead,

              Love Incarnate, Love Divine;

             Worship we our Jesus;

             But wherewith for sacred sign?”

Christmas is the celebration of the sacred sign, given to us in human form, that God is love, and whoever loves is of God and God is of them, and “God does, in fact, live in them.” as John tells us in his Epistle...

“God is love, and the (person) whose life is lived in love does, in fact, live in God, and God does, in fact, live in (them).”

                                                            I John 4:16 (Phillips)

This is what makes this such a special time of the year.  Such a sentimental time of the year.  Such a warm and loving time of the year when people do things they don’t always do and remember those who are so easily forgotten the rest of the year.  This is also what makes this such a difficult time of the year to not be together with family and friends, to be forgotten and alone.  For this is the season when the world almost stops, if but for a moment, and lets love be center stage and the hearts of even the most callous are softened as together we reflect on the awesome possibility that love did come down at Christmas and that love can make all the difference in the world...even in this world where love is the one thing there is just too little off.

Our story tonight  reminds us that God isn’t moved by power or prestige or fame or fortune...God isn’t impressed by what we do to show how holy and righteous and important we are.  God is move and impressed by how we love when no one seems to notice; when it costs us more then we have; when we are not trying to impress anyone, including God but are simply letting God’s love have sway in our lives and letting it touch those we touch in ways unnoticed by the world.

The story takes place a long time ago in a far away country where few people have traveled.(“Why The Chimes Rang”-Raymond MacDonand Alden)

It is a story about two boys who lived in a little village and dreamed of visiting the great church in the city a number of miles away.  It was a beautiful church, high on a hill, with stone columns and dark passages and a grand entrance leading into it.  It was so large that standing at the entrance one could hardly see to the other end, where the choir stood by the marble altar and the powerful organ which filled the church and even the country side with it’s beautiful music.  It was so powerful that sometimes when it played, the people for miles around would close their shutters and think a thunderstorm was coming.  There was no other church like it...and as if this wasn’t enough to make it special, it had a wonderful chime of bells high up in a tower which were not meant to be played by the organist but were heard only on Christmas Eve when the greatest and best offering was laid on the altar as a gift to the Christ Child.  They were the most beautiful, sweetest bells in the world, sounding like angles far up in the sky.

Now the bells had not been heard for a long time... some said they didn’t believe there were any bells in the tower at all...others said that they remembered someone telling them they had heard the bells a long time ago...others said the wind rang the bells and still others that only the angels could set them swinging.  Yet they all went to church on Christmas Eve and brought their gifts to the Christ child and waited...hoping to hear the bells.

Pedro and his little brother, the two boys who lived in the village, had dreamed of going to the big church on Christmas eve and bringing their gift to the Christ child too.  It wouldn’t be much, just one silver coin, but it was all they had.  So they set out one bitterly cold Christmas Eve day to walk to the city and see the great Church on Christmas Eve.  It was a long hard walk but by nightfall they saw the lights of the big city before them and were about to enter one of the great gates when they saw something dark on the snow near their path, and stopped to see what it might be.

It was a poor woman, who had fallen just outside the city, too sick and tired to get in where she might have found shelter.  She lay in the soft snow, asleep and if someone didn’t wake her, she would never wake again.

Pedro knelt down beside her and tried to rouse her, tugging at her arm and rubbing some snow in her face.  But it was no use...and he was too small to carry her into the city.  So he sent his little brother on by himself to find some one to come and help him.  “Go to the church,” Pedro said, “everyone is there now.  And when you come back, bring someone to help her.”  I will stay here and keep her from freezing, and perhaps get her to eat the bun that is left in my pocket.”

“But you will miss the service, Pedro.”, protested  little brother.

Yes, but you need not miss it too.  You must see and hear everything twice, Little Brother - once for you and once for me.  I am sure the Christ child must know how I would love to come with you and worship Him; and if you get a chance, Little Brother, slip up to the altar without getting in anyone’s way and put this little silver piece there for our offering...and forgive me for not going with you.”

The great church was a wonderful place that night.  Everyone said it had never looked so bright and beautiful.  When the organ played and the thousands of people sang, the walls shook with the sound and even Pedro outside the city wall could feel the sound of the music.

At the close of the service came the procession of offerings...with many great gifts proudly laid upon the altar.  Wonderful jewels, baskets of gold, creations of art and literature, even the King took from his head the royal crown and lay it gleaming on the altar.  But no Christmas chimes were heard...and the people shook their heads and said they didn’t believe the story of the chimes and doubted if they ever rang at all.

Then procession was over, the closing hymn was being sung when suddenly the organist stopped playing as if he had been shot and all turned to see the old minister, standing by the altar holding up his hands for silence.  Not a sound could be heard from anyone in the church, but as the people strained their ears to listen, there came softly, but distinctly, swinging through the air, the sound of chimes in the tower.  So far away, yet so clear and pure - sweeter then anything they had ever heard before.  The Christmas chimes were ringing!  Then they all stood up together and stared straight at the altar to see what great gift had awakened the long-silent bells.

4

But all that the nearest of them saw was the childish figure of Little Brother, who had crept softly down the aisle when no one as looking, and had laid Pedro’s little piece of silver on the altar.

Indeed, it doesn’t take much to make God’s heart glad; just a little love at work in our lives, changing our hearts and making us available in places of human need.  For as Mother Teresa has so well put it, we are not called to do great things for God; we are called to do small things with great love.            

Then Christmas comes again, and again, and again, all year long!

Indeed: “Love came down at Christmas

            love all lovely, love divine;

            love was born at Christmas,

          star and angles gave the sign.

         Worship we the Godhead,

          Love Incarnate, Love Divine;

         Worship we our Jesus;

         But wherewith for sacred sign?”

Therefore: Love shall be our token,

                Love be yours and love be mine,

               Love to God and all (people)

               Love for plea and gift and sign.”

Dec 18, 2011 Advent 4

Luke 1:26--38 

 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

   29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

   34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

   35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

   38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Smuggling God Into The World

The extraordinary occurs in the ordinary, the uncommon in the common, the divine in the human.  This is the mystery we celebrate in Christmas.  Where ever love is in human form, something of God is there too, in divine form.  Our task is to “keep our eyes skinned“, open for the miracle which is hidden in the common.

It wasn’t as easy as it looks, believing this promise and living with the mystery.

Consider Mary as Barbara Brown Taylor seeks to capture the moment the angel comes to her.

“If you decide to say No you simply drop your eyes and refuse to look up until you know the angel has left the room and you are alone again.

Then you smooth your hair and go back to your spinning or your reading or whatever it is that is most familiar to you and pretend that nothing has happened...Or you can set your book down and listen to a strange creature’s strange idea.  You can decide to take part in a plan you did not choose, doing things you do not know how to do for reasons you con not entirely understand.  You can take part in a thrilling and dangerous scheme with no script and no guarantees.  You can agree to smuggled God into the world inside your own body.”  (Mothers of God, pp. 150-53)

We stand with Mary and Joseph this morning in pure amazement at the wonder of Christmas and how God did it and continues to do it, in loving in human form.

“Blessed Is She Who Believed” 

It is incredible - that Dr. Luke  would report that a young woman would conceive without a man in her life; that Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph would believe what they were told, by angels. 

It is incredible -not that God could do it.  But that they believed it would be done through them!

The miracle of Christmas you see, is not that God was born of a virgin, but that a virgin believed God was to be born through her.  Not that the Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive, but that Joseph believed it was the Holy Spirit who did it.

As Luther says, “The miracle of Christ as Virgin-born, is a trifle for the mighty God.  That God becomes a man is an even greater miracle.  But the most amazing of them all is that the maiden finds the angel’s message credible and that the Child he promised would be hers.”

God chose her.  

God chooses us, to also be God’s instruments.  To be a human vessel through whom something of God’s love and grace becomes human and lives among us.

Blessed indeed are those who believe that there can be a fulfillment of God’s purposes through them, for they shall see God.  And know the true meaning of Christmas.

Dec 11, 2011 Advent 3

John 1:6-8, 19-28

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

   21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

   He said, “I am not.”

   “Are you the Prophet?”

   He answered, “No.”

   22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

   23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

   24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

   26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

   28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

“One Whom We do Not Know”  

                          “Love came down at Christmas,

      love all lovely, love divine;

      love was born at Christmas,

      star and angles gave the sign.”

And the world did not know him...

And his own people did not accept him. 

And as strange as it sounds. even among us,  more often then we would like to think, He stands as “One whom we do not know.”

He is among us in places we least expect, in people we find it difficult to be civil toward let alone love and in ways we are far from wanting to take as our way on this earth.  For His way is the way of love and that is the hardest thing for us to come to in this world.  We say we know what love is yet we reject it as the way to run our world.

It is too soft, we say; too sentimental, too easy, too forgiving.  It’s a good way to get yourself killed,  And of course, that’s exactly what happened to this Baby who commands so must attention at this time of the year.

     

Without love, as Paul reminds us so emphatically in his hymn to love, no matter what we do or believe, we are nothing!

That’s what makes this season such a powerful time of the year.  This is no casual thing we are celebrating.  This is the cosmic event of all time! 

For Jesus is pure love coming to dwell in a world where hate has its sway and such love is always on the cutting edge of life going where we do not want to go and asking us to follow in places we would never go alone.

Indeed, 

          “Love came down at Christmas,

love all lovely, love divine;

love was born at Christmas,

star and angles gave the sign.”

To believe this is to also have to, want to, dare to, rejoice to sing:

          “Love shall be our token,

Love be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all people,

Love for plea and gift and sign.            

“One Whom You Do Not Know”  

God is always a surprise.  There is always more mystery than knowledge with God.

God came in human form and God comes in human form.  It is the challenge and task of faith to see God in places we expect Him not and in people we know not.

Jesus was a surprise to all who thought they knew what to expect from God.  He was not the One they were looking for - they didn’t want a ‘word become flesh’ - that was too close for comfort.  

God is always new even as God is forever of old.  God is always close to us, even as God dwells in the far places of heaven.  God is deeply intimate even as God is powerfully creative.  God is among us as One who would change us into His likeness day by day as we walk with Jesus and dare to see him as the One God sent.  This means that we become more human not less, more alive, more joyful, more loving, more real and that our religion becomes not something which keeps God in our control , but something which opens us up to the mystery and surprise which God always is!

Dec 4, 2011 Advent 2

Mark 1:1-8  

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

   “I will send my messenger ahead of you, 

   who will prepare your way”— 

3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 

‘Prepare the way for the Lord, 

   make straight paths for him.’”

   4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

 “The Mystery Hoped For”

There is a lot of mystery in our religion.  Today we look the end in the eye and are not afraid, for we wait for what God has promised, a new heaven and a new earth.

There is a lot of mystery when we get close to God.  Perhaps the greatest mystery is grace - that God will never give up on us.  He waits patiently, lovingly, eternally, for our turning to Him and then as a Shepherd gathers and carries us in his Bosom.  This is the mystery we hope for - and live in!  The mystery of Christmas!

 “The Mystery Foretold”

Today we are reminded not to rush headlong into our celebration of Christmas.  To not start the celebrating until we have had time to be still and discover again how deep is God’s love.

We are reminded that we may well need to clean up our own act first, to come to repentance and open ourselves to change, before we can really celebrate Christmas.

Repentance - sounds like pouring cold water on a happy time, but it isn’t.  It is the way to make a happy time happier.  For it opens us to the joy of forgiveness and the joy of Christmas.  God waits for us to come to repentance, so God can love us in a way which makes a real difference in our lives.  So God can soften our hard hearts and make us more loving, as God is loving.

There is something of Scrooge in all of us.  We are reminded today to confess this so we can truly celebrate the mystery of Christmas.