Faith, Hope, Love

Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-11
Year C
January 31, 2010
Faith, Hope and Love

The Gift

When he first gave it to me
I wrapped it up
and put it under my mattress,
preferring to pretend I didn’t have it.
I couldn’t give it back –
his gifts are always irrevocable,
non-transferable.

For years it stayed hidden,
disturbing my rest
as I assured myself it wasn’t there.
It brought me dreams,
such that I woke in anger
crying “Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”

Then one day I took it out
and unwrapped it.
“Why not?” I asked lovingly,
“Why not?”
Perhaps I’ll never use it –
perhaps he gave it to me for others’ sake.

So now I hold it high,
polished and bright –
displayed for all who will to see.

It still disturbs my rest.
“Why?” I ask.
“Why not?”
“Why me?”
“Why not?”
and I am filled with awe.

That is how Ruth Dudley explains her call to become a ministry. The time in her life, when she asks God why me – and God’s response to her was why not you? This was her point of no return – the point when she realized that uninvited – God had stepped into her life and called her into God’s service. Anyone who has ever encountered the holy spirit will come to that moment. Romans 12:6 says that the grace of God comes to all of us – and gives us all a gift. We just have to decide how to use it.
Some of us spend a lifetime running away from what God has called us to do – knowing it, but trying to explain it away. Others know what their passion is from birth, even before that, and just live into it. It is not the call that we struggle with, but the response and the assurance that God has already equipped us to do what needs to be done.
Jeremiah realized his call to speak for God. But not just to his nation – but to the whole world. To tell them about God and what God had in store for us.
Each of us has been given a call, a gift, a story. But it is not what we do as invidduals that matter but who we are as a community.
We have been listening to Pauls words to the Corinthians. That we all have a part of the puzzle – but it is when we put those pieces together that the world starts to truly understand who Jesus is, and what Jesus did for us. We come to understand the power of love.

It is sort of like this hair dryer, and this cd player – wonderful inventions. Useful to us all and make a difference in our lives. But without electricity don’t do much good. We have gifts, we are important tools of God – but unless we are connected to Jesus – we don’t do much good. Our connection is always Love.

Love is patient, kind, rejoicing in truth, bears all things, hopes all things, never ends.

Love is not envious or boastful, arrogant, insisting on own way, rejoicing in wrongdoing. Means that we love our enemies, stop counting what we deserve, it matures us, not self seeking, and we think of others. Gifts are for such a time as this, our love last forever.

During the Christmas season, a couple worried about money to buy gifts for one another. The wife wanted to get a chain for her husband’s watch – a watch that had been passed down in his family. But she was still $5 short. She gave up her most prized possession to get the gift. Her hair was down to her knees – she was very proud of her hair – but she sold it in order to get the gift. Which is why her husband was so surprised, he handed her the package – which turned out to be the hair combs that she has wanted for her hair. He laughed even harder when he opened his gift. A chain for the watch that he had sold to buy the hair combs.
Neither received a gift that they could use that Christmas – but what they did get was love. They realized that they had a love that was willing to sacrifice in order to make the other person happy. A love that expected nothing in return for its sacrifice. A love that would get past that moment.
Because that is what love is – love is always an action and not a feeling. Love is always about the person and not the circumstance. We are to always be patient with one another, but we don’t have to patient about the circumstance – jesus reminds us that the time for change is always now we don’t have to stay stuck in our circumstance. Just as love is about people, so is jealousy and envy. Some people are jealous of the things that we have – the gifts that we have been given. Others are jealous of the fact that we have gifts. One can be overcome – the other is a very dangerous feeling that never goes away. One is directed at the person, and the other is at the circumstance.
Jesus message to us all – love the person, change the circumstance. Be patient with the person in all things. Fix the circumstance.
It is not only how we treat one another that shows love, it how we choose to live together that shows true love to the world. How we forgive, how we copperate, how we work together.
This paraphrase of Pauls word – demonstrates who we are to be as the church.


Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13

What if I could stand up here and say the most wonderful things, and sound impressive and answer everyone's questions, but I didn't love anyone - what would be the point?

What if we were the most incredible church where every pew was filled the preaching was always inspirational - we had a choir that always sang perfectly and served the best coffee in town, but no one felt love - what would be the point?

And if as a community we teach our children lots of information and knowledge and they can recite the books of the Bible and know all the right answers but they don't know how to love, we've failed them.

If we focus on some and say 'he/she was a saint' and welcome newcomers, and collect money for the Mission and Service Fund, and we pray every week for the poor of the world and yet we don't feed the hungry and reach out to the poor of our communities around us, and don't care for the sick and the lost in our community, where is the honesty in that?

If we don't love what's the point?

Love is kindness in action, offered simply and humbly. Love is not meant to make me look good, score brownie points with God, or draw attention to ourselves.

Love is co-operative; there are all kinds of ways of doing good and God is happy to use every way there is. Love only cares that what's needed is done. Love has the best interests of the other in mind.

Sometimes we grow weary and give up - we can't think of what else can be done. But God never gives up - God's love continues, and new possibilities are always appearing. What we know now is never the whole picture. What we do now is never the whole story.

In some ways we're like children: we do what we can and what we know to this point. But there's still more for us to learn, to grow into, to accept.

Some day we'll look back on where we are now, and wonder how we could ever have wondered and doubted and refused to accept what was happening.

In some ways, it's like looking in an imperfect mirror. There's a reflection there, but it's not quite right, not totally true. We are the body of Christ, the image of God - but not perfectly, not completely, not totally truly ... not yet. The day will come when we will see. The day will come when we will know. Until then, we live in faith, trusting God's love. Until then, we live in hope, hoping for God's love. Until then, we live in love, showing God's love as best we can. because love is the point of it all.

(adapted from a Loaves and Fishes resource sheet, Wood Lake Books, 1998 by Rev. Brian Donst, United Church, Winona, ONT)


The gifts that we have are great – but there is a more excellent way – and that way is the love of God. We each have a gift – n some way we each have an encounter with the holy – that is wonderful.
But what is better is who we grow as a community, growing is not getting smarter, but becoming more loving, more understanding, more tolerant of one another. As we grow to love one another we also grow to love God.
Faith is the loyalty we have with to God and to God’s cause on earth. Hope is the trust that we have that God’s word for us is true, but love is the glue that hold the faithful and all of their gifts together in order to show love to the world. Faith, hope, love – the greatest of these is?
Let us pray…

The Power of God's Word in our Lives

January 24, 2010
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Third Sunday after Epiphany
Year C
The Power of God’s Word for your life


Watergate

What comes to mind when I say the word Watergate? For many of us, we think of the Nixon years and the scandal that ensued during his presidency. I was seven years old when all of that happened, and still don’t remember all of the details. But I remember the term Watergate. Even today – what over 30 years later, the term Watergate is synonomous with scandal. Whenever something is scandalous – we use the term gate – remember Irangate. I suppose today we would refer to the Tigergate. I thought it was interesting, that even when I typed in the word Watergate on the word program – it even capitalized the term.

Nehemiah

But today I want to take you back to a simpler day – when a water gate was simply that – a water gate. The scripture in Nehemiah talks of another Watergate event – this one happening at the water gate. Nehemiah was a servant in Babylon. He was the cup bearer for the king. His people had been taken captive by the kings father – and expected to serve. Nehemiah convinced the new king to allow them to go home and even to rebuild the temple so that the people whose loves revolved around worshipping God – could go home and worship their God. Upon returning, he became the governor of Israel. He wanted them to not only return to their home – but also to their worship. He has the priest unroll the scrolls and read them to the people. And they read, and they read and they read – for six hours the people stand by the water gate and listen to the word of God. Had that happened today – everyone would have fallen asleep by then. Today we last about ten minutes – and then we are gone. But the scripture says that everyone who could understand - listened and obeyed the word of God. They turned their lives around and started living as holy people – all because they heard the word of God through the scriptures.
I don’t want to focus on Nehemiah this morning – but the important point for us is that the water gate was an important turning point for the isrealites. It was the moment that they realized who they were, whose they were, and what they should be doing. They were the people of God- and their duty was to live in God and to tell the story of God through their lives.
Jamie Scott
It is sort of like the story of little Jamie Scott – a first grader – who wanted a part in the school play so bad. All he talked about was the play. His mother was afraid of what would happen if he was not chosen, he would be devastated. On the day of tryouts she prayed for him all day. After school, when she went to pick him up – he ran to the car – I made it mom – I have been chosen and given a part – my part is to clap and cheer.
At the water gate – the people of Isreal realized that they too were chosen, and given a part to play in God’s big play – that part was to clap and cheer – to worship and praise God in everything that we do. We can worship and praise God in many ways. We all have a part to play in the play – a different part - a part that fits us perfectly – but it is only one play and one God. No one’s part is more important than another. And it takes us all together to put on God’s play of salvation for the world.

Paul’s metaphor of the body of Christ
Paul uses the metaphor of a body with different parts. United through Christ. It is not possible to be a Christian on a deserted island. Because our faith is not about who we are as individuals – it is about how we related to one another. It is about why we related to one another. We are related through our baptism. We don’t have to agree with one another to be the body of Christ. We just have to agree with Christ. As a matter of fact – Christ doesn’t intend for us to agree, or to get along, or to always see things the same way. We think of conflict as a problem – but in Christianity it is an asset. The church of Corinth was a church with a lot of conflicts – and a lot of questions. Paul was trying to teach them that their faith depended on them learning to work through those conflicts. Learn to work together in spite of their differences, not to let their differences stop them from working. You cant be a Christian on a deserted island – because when you are by yourself – you don’t have anyone to disagree with – and nothing to work through and solve. You have no reason to put aside your own thoughts and to think about the common good and what is best for all.

Tree fungus
They say that when trees are planted near each other – their roots grow and touch one another. A fungus starts to grow. This fungus creates a unique relationship between the trees. Everything that they do is connected – so that if one is in the sunshine and the others are in the shade – all of them get the nutrients from the sun. If one is near a river, and the others are farther away – they all get the nutrients from the water. Even though they are individual trees, in community they all have a part to play. Point being – there is a fungus among us – and that Fungus is Jesus Christ. In Christ, our difference become unity.

Laminin – a cell glue
Since this is a sermon of metaphors – my final metaphor is a laminin. Laminins are cells in the body – they function as glue – they hold everything together. Each cell in our body has a different function – different instructions for what it is supposed to do. The only way they can work together to form one organ – and our organs can become one body is laminin.
It is amazing how God works – How complicated God made us – and how God thought of every minute detail. And how God is able to put a signature on everthing that God does. If you look at a laminin under a microscope – you will find the shape of a cross. It is the cross that makes these connections between the different cells. Once again the presence of Christ is what holds us together. Christ is not Lord over us – Christ is the Lord in us. We learn to work together, not by having one under another – but by intentionally working side side by side. Where all ideas are taken seriously – and all parts are allowed to fulfill their role.

Christ unites us all
For just as the body is one and had many members, and all members of the body, through many are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one spirit we were all baptized into one body and we were all made to drink of the one spirit. And that spirit is….Christ.
When you think of the world Watergate – what comes to mind? The church in all of its conflicts and issues. But we all stand at the Watergate of faith listening for the word of God – the word of God is embodies in the body of Christ – in us.
We are all at the gate where we need to be clear about what we are called to do. Remember the story of Jamie Scott – we have been chosen to clap and cheer – Cheer Christ on as he works hard to give us all a place in God’s kingdom. In the body of Christ. Let us pray…

The First of Many Miracles to Come

January 17, 2010 First of many miracles to come Third Sunday of Epiphany Year C John 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 Word Jazz – that is a form of poetry much like the spoken word, this is from Britain – someone’s take on the story of Jesus turning water into wine So in our need for hope for survival It’s time to turn the pages of the Bible To the wedding in Cana in the land near Galilee Where Jesus and his mom enjoyed festivity Noshing on the free eats Eating on the free treats Sipping on the red wine Having quite a swell time “Hey, bartender, can you top off my glass What’s that you say? There’s no wine in the flask? Ran out so soon? That’s so low-class!” Midnight rolled around No more wine was found Tuesday the party popped Wednesday the party flopped Jesus said “Let’s go Come on, Mom, let’s blow.” But Mary told him “No! It isn’t time to go The wine has got to flow The people need to know That – we can! “Okay, okay” She heard him say Beneath his breath He was bored to death But he did her will And went to fill The empty jugs That stank of swill That cheap red wine That wasn’t so fine Show them what it means to be an agent Instead of a victim Change the system Instead of waiting for the system to give you spare change. Did I not sing the Magnificat when you were conceived? Is it not in revolution that we’ve always believed?” Most of the guests went home after the wedding and said, “Jesus performed a miracle and turned the jugs of water into jugs of wine. That proves you should believe in him. When things get bad, just pray to him and ask him for another miracle while you wait on the sofa.” But a few of the guests stayed after the party and asked Jesus how he did it. He told them how he did it and told them they could do it, too. He said to them what his mother said to him. “Change the system. Be an agent. Don’t be a victim. Let go of yesterday. Don’t get uptight about tomorrow. Work with what you’ve got. Be birdlike. Be barnless. I am the vine, you are the wine, don’t whine, take your time, and run with what you’ve begun.” These few are the ones that do, and you can, too. It’s true. So let us make the besta for the lasta… From Cana to Costa Mesa…. Amen! This is a very long poem – I only read parts of it for you. But it captures the point that John was trying to make perfectly. That this was the first miracle of Jesus career – but the whole point for us is that the best is yet to come. The miracles of life are not the huge things or the horrible things – it is in what we are willing to look forward to. Unlike the other gospels where Jesus does up to 30 miracles – John only focuses on 8. Eight turning points in Jesus’ life where he showed others that he could make a difference. In the other stories, Jesus is out on the front lines of help – he is healing the sick, enabling the discouraged, coming back to life. But in this story he , his mother and his first five disciples are at a party- drinking wine and celebrating and having a good time. And his mother becomes concerned that the wine is running out. It’s just something that we as Christians would say – what difference does that make for us. Why should we be concerned about the wine. When we are not supposed to get drunk. But for this culture – wine was a sign of prosperity, a sign that things were going well. Wine overflowing was a sign of the presence of God – it was a preparation for the party to come, when God made everything right in our lives. Jesus says that my time has not come, but his mother tells him that the time is now- Time to show the people the God is not just present in our suffering, but in our celebration. God doesn’t just want to hear our bad news, but our good news. Not only is God happy for us – God guarantees to make the celebration even better than you can imagine. So Jesus uses his power for the first time at a wedding. If the wine had run out – people would have been talking about this family for years. They would have expected them to make it up by giving extra gifts for everyone else who ever got married in the neighborhood. And of course you cant have a wedding without gifts. At another party – the guest were expected to bring the wine. Everyone would bring a jug and poor it all into a community pot – so that everyone could celebrate and have a good time. Times were hard for one family – so that decided that they would fill their pot with water – no one would never know – there was no way their jug would matter, if everyone else bought wine. It turns out that everyone felt that way – and the community had to celebrate with water – no one had filled their jug with wine. The point is – that in community – all of our gifts really do matter. And that no one’s contribution is more important that the other. That is the point that Paul is making to us in the 1Corinthians text. Unlike this couple – people were beginning to think that their gifts were more important than anyone elses. If they gave the better gift, then they also have a right to control everyone else. They had a right to judge the contributions of others. And there were willing to give- but only to those in their church. God gives every church a different set of gifts, given the different set of people in the church. Each person has a unique gift. And yet Paul reminds of that even though the gifts are different- the Spirit that brings them is the same. Jesus is still coming to the party – bringing his special gifts with him. And he gives them freely to us – so that everyone can enjoy. What gifts do we have amongst us – and how do we use them? Show them what it means to be an agent Instead of a victim Change the system Instead of waiting for the system to give you spare change. Did I not sing the Magnificat when you were conceived? Is it not in revolution that we’ve always believed?” Mary said to Jesus, “This poetry is nice But sorry son it just will not suffice – No time to rhyme, son, It’s time to run, son, You gotta work with what you’ve got. And you’ve got a heck of a lot! Enough of yesterday and tomorrow Seize today, son, and run with what you’ve begun…. Mary motivated, Jesus activated. The bride and the groom Came out of their room Emerged from their gloom And shared a glass… And told the guests: “This isn’t normal! It isn’t formal! This big faux pas On Mardi Gras Has changed the rules And made us fools… How did this come to pass? Give us another glass! The wine that’s best Was saved for last!” It was the Merlot of mindfulness It was the Syrah of sincerity It was the Cabernet of kindness It was the Chardonnay of social change It was the Zinfandel of fidelity It was the Rose’ of righteousness It was the Pinot of patience It was Jesus’ Juice of Justice…. In other words – this is epiphany – time for us to see things differently. Time for us to put our gifts into our lives. Time for us to realize the spirit is working in us so that the party that has been going on for generations continues. I am not as poetic as Jim Burklo – who wrote the word jazz – but my point is that the spirit flows freely in us – the gifts are the fruit of the spirit. Let us thank God for the abundance we have been given – and let us look forw

Someone is Calling Your Name

January 10, 2010 Someone is calling your name Isaiah 43:1-7 Luke 3:15-22 Year C The Baptism of the Lord – Second Sunday of Epiphany Hearing Voices Harry Potter heard it, Joan of Arc heard it, and some say that even Jesus heard it. It being a voice that comes from beyond with a message for us. I am in the middle of reading the Harry Potter series – and in the second book the chamber of secrets – Harry Potter is able to hear a voice that no one else can hear. A voice that tells him that someone must be killed. He eventually follows the voice into the chamber of secrets to learn why someone must be killed. Joan of Arc said that she heard voices all the time. The voice of God telling her to do certain things, to fight for justice. Once again, she was the only one who heard that voice. And Jesus hears a voice, a voice which claims him and tells him the he is beloved and doing the right thing. But this time, the voice was for everyone to hear. It was the voice of affirmation. It is a voice that we all listen to today – a voice that tells us that we are also beloved. What it means to be baptized That is what it means to be baptized, to be accepted in the family and told that you are never alone. Not only is God with you, but so are all of us. The family of God. The voices of our world In a world where there is the radio, the television, the computer, the MP3 player, and all sorts of other electronic devices. We can hear a lot of voices – voices that give us lots of messages. Some in our best interest and some not. Henri Nouwen – a catholic priest who teaches spirituality says that in our world there are many voices which ask for our attention. There is a voice which says prove that you are a good person, another which says you should be ashamed of yourself, there is a voice which says nobody really cares about you, and one which says be sure to become successful popular, and powerful. But underneath there is a small still voice that calls us forward to come to the water. The story version of the baptism of Jesus People came from all over to see John. They came from all walks of life, a soldier, a civil servant, a maid. Some walked a long way. Some came because they thought it would be interesting to hear the voice of God after all of these years. Some came to be a part of the crowd. Some came because they thought he was a little weird – no one needs to wear animal clothing anymore. Some came because they were genuinely hungry for God. They felt that if they could just feel God in the water they would be okay – they would be fulfilled. No matter the reason that they came, John had a message for them all. They needed to get ready for the one – the one who was coming. He was baptizing with water, but he would baptize with fire. This one has been spoken of, but never named. John was doing this because God has called him by name to prepare the way. Even with all of the people coming out in the desert to see him – he knew that was no enough – there was something more – but he was not qualified to give it. His job was to be faithful until that one appeared. As each person came to be baptized – John prayed. He held them each under the water, and then prayed that God would fulfill them in some way. Whatever it was they were looking for they would find it, and in return they would give their lives to God. Jesus comes and prays He never expected that the one he was praying for would come to him – Jesus. Jesus came looking to be named, to be empowered, the affirmed. To be confirmed. He had been praying of what to do, and now it was time to go forward. But he wanted to be sure that it was really the voice of God that he was hearing and not the voice of his conscience, or worse yet his ego. After John dipped him into the water he stood there a long time praying. Hoping, listening and as he was praying the skies opened up. And a spirit came upon him like a dove. And there was a beautiful voice that said the words he needed to hear – you are my child, I love you and I am well pleased. Steve’s reaction For some reason when Steve heard that story he ran out of the church. He couldn’t take it. He hated that story. Those were the words that he waited his whole life to hear from his dad – and his dad never said them. And now his dad was gone. He couldn’t explain this to his family who were sitting in the pew next to him. But he talked about it with the pastor after church. The pastor told him to pretend that his dad was still here and he could still talk with him – and tell him how he felt. As he poured out his heart – he remembered the early days of his life – he saw his dad pick him up and tell him that everything was going to be alright – and then he hugged him and then said that was his boy. Steve was able to return home – and to take in the message of powerful acceptance that Jesus received. The effect of hearing the voice We all long to hear that voice of acceptance which tells us that we are loved. That we are not alone. That what we experience in life in not in vain, that we have someone who is with us no matter what. We all long to hear that voice in some way. Sometimes we hear it and sometimes we don’t. It all depends on our life circumstance. The message of baptism is that God sent Christ into our lives – so that we could know that all words that have been spoken to Jesus are intended for us to hear, and to take into our hearts. After Jesus heard the voice – he was able to go on. He was able to fulfill his call, and he knew that he was not just hearing voices – but that he was being led. When we are baptized we are called my name – literally we are called by our name. and we are told that we are loved and that we will be cared for. In calling us – God gives us each a job to do – a meaning a purpose. Through the waters of baptism we have been given to the strength to go forward. The words of Isaiah Isaiah says I have called you by name – when you walk through the waters I will be with you –when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned. And the flame shall not consume you. For I am the lord your god, your savior. Looking up instead of looking in When the people were looking to be saved – like many of us do – they looked up in the sky- waiting for miracle to come down. But the missionary told them that if they wanted to get water, that they needed to dig in the ground. Water for the crops comes from God – from the sky – what was this man doing – he knew that water was in the ground. He dug a well and the crops were saved. We are a lot like those people waiting for water to come into our lives – but for us the living water of salvation. We look in the sky waiting for a miracle to fall down – when the real miracle is down here – way down inside of us. Inside of our hearts. The miracle is in our prayers – our conversations with God. That is where we hear the voice of acceptance. In solitude, silence and a strong determination to listen – we hear that voice which tells us we are beloved. All of us are beloved children of god. The words of Isaiah 43:1-2 as a prayer Instead of saying an individual prayer – I want us to say a collective prayer – everyone needs a partner. First I want you to say the words of Isaiah 43:1 and 2. "(From the beginning).I have redeemed you, ______; I have called you by name, ______, you are mine. When you, ______, pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you, ______; when you walk through fire you, ______, shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Now I want you to insert the name of your partner as you say each phrase. Talk to them, not to me “God says (From the beginning).I have redeemed you, ______; I have called you by name, ______, you are mine. When you, ______, pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you, ______; when you walk through fire you, ______, shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Amen.

The Stories We Tell

January 3, 2010
The Stories We Tell
Ephesians
Matthew
Year C
Epiphany

Play the Coventry Carol by Sting……

This is a great traditional after Christmas carol. I will read you the words…..

Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child.
By, by, lully, lullay.

O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young, to slay.

Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

You can probably tell from the words that this is a lullaby to a little baby. This is not a song to the baby Jesus. It is a mother saying goodbye to her baby in the slaughter of the innocents. It is a continuation of the nativity story. Mary and Joseph have travelled to Bethlehem, they baby Jesus as been born in a stable. And now that they have returned home, the wise men come to visit the baby in a stable. The story says that they came bearing gifts for the baby. They saw his star in the East and needed to worship the newborn king. During their travels, they had come to Jerusalem to ask King Herod about the new king. Realizing that Herod meant the new child no good, they did not let him know where the baby was. They went home another way. When Herod realized that he had been deceived, he had all children under two killed. And yet the baby Jesus was raised in Egypt in order to avoid danger. The slaughter of the innocents is a very important part of the nativity story.
The Coventry Carol was written as a part of a play in the 1500’s. We have no written record of the script of the play in which this story was told- yet we still have the words to this carol. Some of the words – they had to make up the last verse- because no one could read what it really says.
Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.


I thought it was interesting that Sting – does such a beautiful job of singing the song – and he has several Christmas songs on his album – and yet he makes it very clear that he doesn’t believe in Jesus. He doesn’t believe in God at all – yet he felt the story of the baby jesus was an important story to tell.
Christmas is such an important part of our faith. The nativity story is such an important part of our faith as Christians – it is hard to think of anyone telling the story but not believing it.
And yet is the story really important. Actually Christmas is a very recent phenomenon. The early Christians have always celebrated Easter, as the important part of Christ’s story. They really thought nothing of Christ birth.
If you examine the story – you find that it is the shakiest part of our faith. You can pick the story apart bit by bit- and it raises more questions than it answers.
Jesus wasn’t born on December 25th – Christmas hasn’t always been on that day – historically we do know that Miryam did have a son named yshua. He was born in the spring, in March or April. There would have been no logical reason for Joseph to travel to Bethlehem for a census. Isreal was a part of the Roman empire – the only reason to have a census is if you are going to have a war – And yet Isreal had been promised that they would never be used as soldiers. And if you read the Hebrew scriptures – a census was only of men – there was no reason for a pregnant women to travel 70 miles on a camel to be with her husband. There were no special stars recorded at that time, no record of any wise men coming to Israel from the east, no reason for Herod to be so intimidated that he would kill innocent children – he killed all of his own children – but that is another story. This is not even 2010 in the year of our Lord – a scribe miscalculated the date that Jesus was born – it is really 2014 but we don’t really know for sure. That geneology that matthew gives connecting jesus to David – he made it up. Matthew spends a lot of telling us that Jesus’ birth fulfills the scriptures – and yet any jew will tell you that Matthew and all of the other gospel writers were seriously confused about what the scriptures say – Isaiah doesn’t say that a virgin will conceive – it says that any young maiden will get married and have a child. Scriptures says that I will call my son out of Egypt refers to Moses bringing the isrealites out of Egypt, not jesus. I wont mention that they is no proof that the isrealites ever really exited Egypt to worship there own God. Or that someone named king david was a real person. The whole story was made up. Not one of the facts of the story hold up to reality. So why do we tell the story? Why have we held onto this story for 2000 years – why do I stand here every Sunday and tell that story as if it is really true – when there are so many other things that I could do with my Sunday morning. More importantly – why are you listening to the story in the first place.
I think that Ephesians has a good reason that puts it all into perspective. Paul says that God gave me a secret – that I have to tell the world. That secret is that God’s love and salvation is for everyone – not just a certain group of people. The story of God’s salvation is not a story about a little baby born in a manger – the story of salvation is much bigger than that – it is a story that is still going on today. The story of salvation is much more about the present than it is about the past.
The concept of childhood – and young people needing to grow up and discover their destiny is only a recent phenomon. In the old world – you were considered an adult the day you were born. You were expected to find your place in the world and to live in it, as soon as you could walk and talk. So when a man did a great thing – it was assumed that was his destiny. That there were signs and wonders at birth which proclaimed to the world what this man was going to do with his life. It was so much more meaningful to construct a birth narrative about Jesus then to tell the truth. We can understand a little baby in a manger much more than we can that some strange man just walked into Jerusalem out of the middle of nowhere and started teaching stuff that no one had ever said before. We don’t know where this man came from, or where he got his knowledge, or by what authority he was speaking. He just walked into our lives, led us to a cross and died and came back to life, and somewhere in the midst of our life – we got it - we understood what he was trying to do. When actually, if you take out the birth narratives – that is exactly what the bible says about Jesus’ life. He was baptized, he taught for three years, and eventually he was crucified for teaching heresy.
So why did Matthew work so hard to give this man a life- a history, a connection to birth? If Matthew was so unclear about his own history – why would he spend so much time telling trying to connect this man’s life to prophecy.
Because matthew was not concerned about history at all – he was more concerned about the future. The focal point of the story of the birth narrative is not jesus – the focal point of the story is you. Matthew didn’t want you spending your life waiting for something to happen, something that already happen 2000 years ago. His message to us is that the scriptures have already been fulfilled – so you don’t have to wait any longer for salvation. Salvation is amongst us – salvation is within us, salvation has carried us this far, salvation ahead of us. The scriptures had to be fulfilled so that we could realize that the same power that fulfilled the scriptures, is the same power that fulfills our hopes, dreams and yearnings.
Kathryn still get goose bumps when she think about the day that she was explaining the concept of epiphany to her Sunday school class. Johnny blurted out that he had seen God for himself. No one has ever seen God face to face Johnny – so don’t say such a thing. But Johnny insisted to the class that he has seen God face to face. After class was over with she felt guilty about cutting Johnny off like that. Even if she didn’t believe him, she should have listened to him. She felt so guilty that she couldn’t even listen to the sermon. After church she went up to Johnny and his parents and apologized. She asked if it was okay that Johnny could tell his story now – and his parents said it was okay. Johnny explained that it was the time that he was in the hospital. He was very sick, and could see the doctors and nurses and his parents above him in bed. All of a sudden he was lifted up above them and he travelled into the dark tunnel until he reached a bright light. And there he saw God - he felt safer and happier then he had ever been and he wanted to stay there in that moment – but God told him it was not time yet. That his parents would miss him and that there was still things he needed to do with his life. God said that he had a long life and he would never be alone. So God sent him back to the tunnel, and he woke up. His parents remembered the day perfectly, Johnny had been really sick and lost consciousness, the doctors did not know if he would ever wake up and come to. But a few hours he did – everything was okay and Johnny went home and got better. His parents asked shy he never told that story before – Johny said because I was afraid no one would believe me. Miss Kathryn decided that all of the other children had to hear that story – and she called each home to tell them what to expect in class the next Sunday – Johnny would tell his story of his encounter with God.
The nativity – the baby, the stable, the star, the shepherds, the wisemen, the innocents – all have a purpose in our lives and in our story. It reminds us that whatever happened on the day Jesus was born – it was not just a family story- it was not just about a people – it was a story about all of us – the star led the wise men from the east to realize that whatever happened that day – it was a great moment for us all – because it was the moment that we realized that God is here for us all not just some of us. That is the great secret that Paul had to tell the world. God is indeed with us – God is with us in the story of Christ. Christ came into the world so that our story would be complete. Our lives would be fulfilled. God had a plan for us all – and we are never alone. Amen.