Dec. 30, 2012 First Sunday of Christmas

Luke 2:41-52

41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. 43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
    49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
    51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

“Jesus Increased”
 
“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.”
Lk 2:52
He had to grow up like any other person.  He grew physically, mentally, spiritually.  He was not a super-boy; he was a human boy.
Development is a part of God’s creation.  We have to become who we were created to be. This does not happen quickly, nor perfectly; it does include faith, and the confession of sin.  Perfection begins with the confession of our inability to be perfect.  And our trust that Jesus was perfect for us.

No one is too bad to be a child of God and no one is too good to not be in need of Christ’s grace and forgiveness.  Luther:  “ I am at the same time sinner and saint.”

As Jesus grew in his consciousness of who he was as the Son of God, we too have to grow in our consciousness of who we are as sons and daughters of God.

“The Child Jesus”

Jesus wasn’t the perfect child if we think of being perfect as always obedient, always predictable, always meeting his parents expectations.

He gave them some anxious moments, fearful moments, bewildering moments.  Something burned within Jesus (God’s plan) which he may not have understood as a child of 12 but which led him in ways which left his family anxious.

He had to find out who he was and what he was here for.  (Don’t we all?)

No one can do this for us - we have to each do it for ourselves and it will create anxious moments for those who love us.  As one writer said of these words,

“There are times when we get caught up in things which scare our parents, not because they are wrong, but because there is danger as well as beauty in what we are doing.”

To parent is to love when we are anxious and let our children grow - in wisdom and stature with God and us.  Even Jesus had to do this!

 “Becoming Who I Am”

Some see this story as evidence that the family is made for conflict.  “Attempting fidelity to the will of God will always bring painful separation; there is no way around it.”  ( Proclamation 3, C,1991, p. 50)

Others hold that this story is an incomplete interlude between the birth account and the baptism by John.  Luke is the only one to include the story.  It hints at what is to come, as do all good stories.

And again, this story is seen as a pronouncement, telling us that this boy is God’s son, called to a unique mission for God -”to become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people”.  As such the boy Jesus “must choose...obedience to the...will of his father over against the claims of his earthly family.”
(Proclamation 2, C, p.40

Jesus was not playing a game with the teachers in the temple, nor was he being indifferent to his parents.  He was discovering who he was.  He was waking up to his calling as the Son of God.  This makes him truly human as well as truly divine.  For all humans have to” become”; struggle to discover and become who I am to be.

Jesus lost himself in the moment and forgot about his parents.
There are times when we are called to loose ourselves in others - “waste time with people” and discover what might happen in their lives and ours when we do.  This too is a part of being merciful and faithful servants in the service of God as we become all we can be.

Dec. 25, 2012 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 men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
    6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men 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 every man was coming into the world.[b]
    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 received 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, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Christmas is a love story.  It is a story which has moved hard
people to do beautiful things and cold people to let others warm up in their love.  It has stopped war, inspired great music, and warmed the heart of many a lonely, lost person.  

Christmas is the celebration of the sacred sign given to us in human form, that God is love.  Whoever loves is of God and God is of them.
As John tells us:
“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)

God isn’t moved by power, prestige, fame, or fortune.
God’s isn’t impressed by what we do to show how holy, righteous, or important we are.  God is moved and impressed by how we love!

As Mother Teresa put it:  “We are not called to do great things for God;
we are called to do small things with great love.”

What we celebrate in Christmas is love, for
“Love came down at Christmas
love all lovely, love diving’
love was born at Christmas,
star and angles gave the sign.”
Therefore:
“Love shall be our token ,
love be yours and love by mine,
love to God and all (people)
love for plea and gift and sign.”


“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!

Dec 23, 2012 Advent 4

Luke 1: 39-55

 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

    46 And Mary said:
   "My soul glorifies the Lord
       47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
    48 for he has been mindful
      of the humble state of his servant.
   From now on all generations will call me blessed,
       49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
      holy is his name.
    50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
      from generation to generation.
    51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
      he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
    52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
      but has lifted up the humble.
    53 He has filled the hungry with good things
      but has sent the rich away empty.
    54 He has helped his servant Israel,
      remembering to be merciful
    55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
      even as he said to our fathers."


There was nothing about Mary to make her stand out among all the maidens of Israel.  In fact, she was one of the lowliest of a downtrodden people.   In all likelihood an orphan, a mere servant, tending the cattle and the house with no more esteem than a maid who does her appointed chores. She was probably between 13 and 15 years old and her name, which in Hebrew form is Miriam reveals something of her life, which was bitter and hard - it means “bitter myrrh”.

Yet it was this one God chose to use to give birth to God’s Son.  When you stop to think about that for a moment, it suddenly becomes clear that the miracle here is not just that God did it, but that Mary believed God and let God do it.

 As Martin Luther said, “The miracle of Christ as Virgin-born, is a trifle for the Almighty 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 God promised would be hers.”

The extraordinary occurs in the ordinary...the uncommon in the common...the divine in the human.  This is the mystery we celebrate when we celebrate Christmas, God coming to dwell with us...to take on human form and to touch the ordinary with God’s extraordinary grace.

 It is for this reason that we can say, where ever love is in human form, something of God is there too, in divine form and it is for this reason that we can say that nothing is too insignificant for God and no one counts for nothing.

 Mary reminds us to, as a Norwegian relative put it, trying to deal with our many colloquial phrases, “keep our eyes skinned”(pealed),  open for the miracle which is hidden in the common, and see with the eyes of faith that which Mary saw when she went along with this extraordinary plan God laid on her.

“Journey Into Blessing”

Mary is called “blessed” because she allowed herself to be used as a blessing.  She humbly believed what the Lord said to her and let it be accomplished.

God needed Mary to do God’s will.  God couldn’t have done it, at that time in that way, without Mary.

God needs us to do God’s will in our world.  As unbelievable as it sounds, there are some things God can not do at this time without us.  To follow God’s lead is to discover God’s blessing.  It comes in the doing.  Blessing is a serendipity.  Something which happens in the process of surrendering to God’s will.  There will always be a blessing in doing God’s will.  For that is where it all ends up with God!

Dec 16, 2012 Advent 3

Luke 3:7-18
 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

“What Then Shall We Do?”

John got their attention.  He broke through their blindness, pricked their conscience, penetrated their hearts so they asked, ”What then shall we do?”

It is a question we must ask too, for it is never enough to talk the talk; we must walk the walk.
We must let God get to our hearts and change our way of being, or at best were just sincere hypocrites, “honoring God with our lips while our hearts are far from God.”

And what is it we are to do?

We are to “bear fruit that befits repentance”.
Repentance means changing from the inside out.
To be authentic from the inside out?  How?

We are to “Share with the one who has none."_
“Collect no more than you are required to".”  That is, be fair.
“Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely- be contented with your pay.”   Be kind

When I share with someone I identify with them; this is how we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

The mark of a religious person is that he/she can be trusted to keep their word. Honest!

Being fair is being aware of more then just what is right; it is being aware of what the effects of a given act is on someone else, and not taking advantage of that person.

To live lives which show that our hearts are really changed is the on going task of repentance.  For to repent is to turn around again and again and again, and be opened to change;  open to becoming who we never thought we would be.

Dec 9, 2012 Advent 2

Luke 3:1-6

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

   “A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
   make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
   every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
   the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

“Preparing for Christmas”

Our preparation for Christmas is distracted by the litany of commercialism and the litany of indulgence.  To offset this we need to “discern what is best” about this celebration by going deeper and deeper into the mystery which is Christmas.

This means we do things which enable us to love more, for Christmas is love.

The measure of how successful our Christmas has been is not in how exhausted we are at the end of the celebration,  but how excited we are about living Christmas all year long as we share the mystery of God’s love.

The word repent is an appropriate word for our Christmas preparation.  A careful look inward is a necessary part of “discerning what is best and pure and blameless”,  what is “ filled with righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”

This is what Advent is all about.  Getting ready!  When I am ready, I am more able to experience, more able to see.  Ironically, I can also be more spontaneous, more open to chance; call it planned spontaneity, prepared enough to be free to be spontaneous.

A song writer once said,  “Tunes simply pop into my head all the time.
But of course, your head has to be arranged to receive them!”

Louis Pasteur,  “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

We celebrate Christmas because something great has happened and something great is going to happen!  Some unexpected things are going to happen, human things, like getting the wrong number and have a visit with a lonely old person, or being touched by a need in someone's life and then doing something to meet that need.

God has some surprises in store for those who are ready to see them.
Are we prepared to see the salvation of God happening in our midst, in with and through us?  Are our hearts and heads “arranged to receive” the love which is Christmas?