Christmas Eve
December 24, 2010
Isaiah 9:2-7
Luke 2:1-20
Where do your Presents come From?
Year C
Christmas is a time that is rich in tradition, we have many things that we only do during Christmas. Each family is just a little different.
What are your Christmas traditions……….
I was fascinated to learn that each country does Christmas just a little different.
But even more fascinated to learn that each country has a different person to bring gifts
Where do the gifts come from under your tree – for most of us they come from Santa Claus, or a family member
In the story of the first Christmas – gifts were given because of Jesus a little baby – a child born into the world who will make a difference.
We know the story by heart – but it is easy for us to forget it
Where do gifts come from? Where do babies come from? Where did Jesus come from
Our gifts come from God?
What does Christmas mean to you? – what gift will God bring you this year?
The ultimate gift of Christmas is the knowledge that God will be with us
Kenan stated Jesus is right next to us in the midst of all things.
God is with us in our darkest hour
God is with us in confusion
God does Christmas with others in mind
God does Christmas in spite of opposition
God does Christmas in the nick of time
God does Christmas with lights and music
God does Christmas with one big gift – God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son.
A gift that will last a lifetime
Hectic time of year – whoever did this should be shot
Remember he was crucified, so that you would have life, salvation, strength and support
Accept God’s gift – accept God aware of God, willing to serve and acknowledge God in all things.
Poem by Horward Thurman….
Work of Christmas Begins
"When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart…
And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.
-- Howard Thurman, adapted
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Great Dads; Great Sons
December 19, 2010
Year A
Great Dad’s; Great Sons
Isaiah 7:10-16
Matthew 1:18-25
Fourth Sunday of Advent
The image of Hope of Mother and Child
A mother and her baby is one of the most important images of hope that the world knows. Wherever you go, in whatever culture, you can always find that endearing image of the Virgin Mary and her Holy baby.
One of the most precious images of hope that I have seen this season, was not a picture of a mother and her child. It was a picture of a male colleague. He posted a picture of his dad and him when he was a baby. He wanted to honor the man who taught him everything about becoming a man. Not just a man, but a righteous man.
Matthew does the same thing on behalf of Jesus in today’s scripture. He honors the man who taught Jesus everything. It was Joseph who not only gave Jesus his name, he gave him a mission, and a way of life. Joseph was a carpenter – Jesus was a carpenter. Joseph was a descendant of David, Jesus was the son of David.
Jesus went on to become one of most famous men in history, we really have no idea of what ever happened to Joseph. Did he die early in Jesus life? Did he and Mary have other children? Why was he not present when Jesus was crucified. We have absolutely no record of anything beyond the birth stories.
Comparison of the intention of Matthew and Luke
The early church fathers like Paul, were simply not concerned about Jesus life as a baby or a young child. And they don’t say much about his family.
Mathew and Luke are the only two places in the gospel where we hear about Jesus’ birth. And they don’t talk much about it after chapter 1.
Luke is the story of Jesus’ mother – that is the story that we are most familiar with, and the one that gets repeated year after year. Luke is the story of the underdog and the underserved. Luke was concerned about the poor and those who did not have a voice in society. Since Mary was a woman, a person without a voice in which no one cared about – Luke tells her story.
Matthew is a gospel written to the men, those who had status, who were in power and could make a difference. It is not that Matthew did not care about the poor and underpriviledged – but he cared more that the men of the church – did not take their status for granted. He wanted them to be intentional about becoming true disciples of Christ, and to make a commitment to be righteous in whatever they did. He wanted them to learn to always do the right things no matter what.
Luke traces Jesus’ family through his mother, Mathew traces Jesus family through Joseph. In Luke the salvation of the world is brought to us through the actions of Mary, in Mathew it is through the actions of Joseph.
Joseph as Stepdad
Afterall it was just as dangerous for Joseph to raise Jesus as it was for Mary to tell the world that she was pregnant. Even though they were not married, they were engaged. If Joseph were to admit that he slept with Mary before Marrying her, her brothers would have killed him. If he told the world that it was not his baby – then he was just as guilty as she was. If he told his neighbors that he was raising the son of God – they would have killed him
And yet he agreed to do just that – to become the stepdad for God’s son. In today’s world a man who chooses to raise a child that is not his own is pretty common. There are men who adopt children, men who raise foster children, men who marry or live with women with children who raise them, and even men who know that a child is not theirs biologically, but they make the decision to raise the child anyway. This is all pretty normal today. But back then, and even today in middle eastern countries that could mean death.
Joseph’s Dream
And if it wasn’t for a dream – it would not have happen. An angel of the lord came to Joseph in a dream and told him not be afraid.
The angel uses the reference of Isaiah – a virgin shall give birth to a child and name him Emmanuel – God with us.
Joel asks us how do we know that God is with us – our old men shall have dreams and our young men shall have visions.
Matthew is a call to action to our men – to dream, to vision, to carry the dreams of God forward out into the world in whatever you do.
Advent is the chance for all of us to dream, not of the world as we want it, but to dream of the world as God intended. To look at our life, to look at life in general and to take account of what needs to change, and what we need to do to change it.
Dreaming for dreams sake is useless. Our dreams don’t always make sense by themselves. How do we know if our dreams are messages from God, or something that we made up in our imagination.
Joseph and Ahaz
Afterall, the old testament was about a man and his dreams. Ahaz was the king of isreal, struggling with the right thing to do for his country. And he asked for a sign to know God’s will. He was given a sign, but he chose to ignore it.
The sign was the same as Joseph – young maiden would give birth, and by the time the baby was old enough to go to kindergarten the threat would be over and everything would be okay. All he needed to do was trust in the Lord – that the Lord is always in control and will take care of everything.
What was the difference between Ahaz and Joseph? How do we know if our dreams,our visions our signs are really from God?
A righteous Man
The bible calls Joseph – a tsaddik man – a righteous man. A man who is intentional to be faithful in all of his relationships. A man who never turns his back on those in his life. A man who always prays in order to determine in all things what is the right things to do, and what is the wrong things to do. And always intentionally chooses the right thing – no matter what the personal cost. A man who is willing to follow the will of God, even when it is unpopular and puts us at risk in the minds of other people.
As disciples- we are all called to be tsaddik – righteous. And advent is our time to look at our integrity in our relationships and to always do the right things.
The Gold diggers and the new baby
There was a commotion in Roaring Camp. Cherokee Sal, the only woman in this rough, tough mining settlement, was dead after giving birth to a son whose father was unknown. Around the crude cabin where the newborn child lay helpless and crying, the hundred or so hard-bitten goldrush miners gathered in curiosity and concern. Death was so common here, but birth - this was a whole new experience.
Stumpy, a fugitive from justice on charges of bigamy, had by common consent taken charge of the little one's arrival. Shortly he allowed the miners to view the new baby, suggesting that it would be appropriate to make a contribution for the helpless orphan. So they came filing in, unconsciously taking off their hats in the presence of this miracle of new life, and putting their gifts at his side - a revolver, a diamond ring, a sling shot and a silver spoon. But now what to do?
The next day the inhabitants of Roaring Camp met in serious deliberation, and without the usual slugging and brawling, decided that working together they would all help raise this child. Stumpy was designated the particular guardian with a female mule as his first assistant. Strange to say, the little one thrived under their care, and equally strange was the effect on Roaring Camp. The little infant was named "Tommy Luck." His cabin, a filthy mess before he had been born there, was scrupulously cleaned, whitewashed and fixed up. A cradle was packed in by mule, and that made all the rest of the makeshift furniture so shabby in contrast that by common consensus, the whole place had to be done over.
In turn the local gambling joint and bar, the so-called grocery store, had to be spruced up to be in keeping with the Luck's cabin, and before long, the remainder of the settlement followed suit. This, and Stumpy's remarkable but understandable refusal to let anybody hold the Luck unless he was spotlessly clean, shaven and shorn, produced miracles in the miners' appearances. And equally amazing was the change in their conduct. Shouting within sound of Tommy's cabin was forbidden, lest he be wakened, and shortly the usual profanity was practically given up as not right for their boy to hear. From being Roaring Camp, the ugly drunken frontier settlement became, as one Cockney criminal inhabitant expressed it, "kind of 'eavenly." There was talk of further improvement and even of inviting some decent families to live there to benefit Tommy Luck with their presence. Word got around to the outside world of this miracle of change through the pony express riders who would say, "They've a street up there in Roaring Camp that's better than any street in Red Dog. They've got vines and flowers round their cabins, and they wash themselves twice a day ... and they sure worship an Injun baby."
Advent is our chance to become righteous disciples
Advent is your chance to clean up your house for the coming of the new baby. God really doesn’t care about the condition of your physical house – but the condition of your spiritual house.
Is your heart prepared for the coming of Christ into the world? Are you right in all of your relationships? Or is there something that you need to work on. Is your relationship with God the most important thing in your life? Or is there something that you need to put aside?
Finally in Jesus day, there was no such thing as a DNA test to prove whether you were the father of your wife’s baby. A righteous mans word was always the final determination. If the man came forward and claimed the baby as his own – and he was willing to give the baby a name- then the baby was his a part of his family, irregardless of the circumstances, and whether everyone else knew your business.
His destiny named his Emmanuel, his daddy named him Jesus. He promised to be God with us – even to the end of the age. Let us pray…….
Year A
Great Dad’s; Great Sons
Isaiah 7:10-16
Matthew 1:18-25
Fourth Sunday of Advent
The image of Hope of Mother and Child
A mother and her baby is one of the most important images of hope that the world knows. Wherever you go, in whatever culture, you can always find that endearing image of the Virgin Mary and her Holy baby.
One of the most precious images of hope that I have seen this season, was not a picture of a mother and her child. It was a picture of a male colleague. He posted a picture of his dad and him when he was a baby. He wanted to honor the man who taught him everything about becoming a man. Not just a man, but a righteous man.
Matthew does the same thing on behalf of Jesus in today’s scripture. He honors the man who taught Jesus everything. It was Joseph who not only gave Jesus his name, he gave him a mission, and a way of life. Joseph was a carpenter – Jesus was a carpenter. Joseph was a descendant of David, Jesus was the son of David.
Jesus went on to become one of most famous men in history, we really have no idea of what ever happened to Joseph. Did he die early in Jesus life? Did he and Mary have other children? Why was he not present when Jesus was crucified. We have absolutely no record of anything beyond the birth stories.
Comparison of the intention of Matthew and Luke
The early church fathers like Paul, were simply not concerned about Jesus life as a baby or a young child. And they don’t say much about his family.
Mathew and Luke are the only two places in the gospel where we hear about Jesus’ birth. And they don’t talk much about it after chapter 1.
Luke is the story of Jesus’ mother – that is the story that we are most familiar with, and the one that gets repeated year after year. Luke is the story of the underdog and the underserved. Luke was concerned about the poor and those who did not have a voice in society. Since Mary was a woman, a person without a voice in which no one cared about – Luke tells her story.
Matthew is a gospel written to the men, those who had status, who were in power and could make a difference. It is not that Matthew did not care about the poor and underpriviledged – but he cared more that the men of the church – did not take their status for granted. He wanted them to be intentional about becoming true disciples of Christ, and to make a commitment to be righteous in whatever they did. He wanted them to learn to always do the right things no matter what.
Luke traces Jesus’ family through his mother, Mathew traces Jesus family through Joseph. In Luke the salvation of the world is brought to us through the actions of Mary, in Mathew it is through the actions of Joseph.
Joseph as Stepdad
Afterall it was just as dangerous for Joseph to raise Jesus as it was for Mary to tell the world that she was pregnant. Even though they were not married, they were engaged. If Joseph were to admit that he slept with Mary before Marrying her, her brothers would have killed him. If he told the world that it was not his baby – then he was just as guilty as she was. If he told his neighbors that he was raising the son of God – they would have killed him
And yet he agreed to do just that – to become the stepdad for God’s son. In today’s world a man who chooses to raise a child that is not his own is pretty common. There are men who adopt children, men who raise foster children, men who marry or live with women with children who raise them, and even men who know that a child is not theirs biologically, but they make the decision to raise the child anyway. This is all pretty normal today. But back then, and even today in middle eastern countries that could mean death.
Joseph’s Dream
And if it wasn’t for a dream – it would not have happen. An angel of the lord came to Joseph in a dream and told him not be afraid.
The angel uses the reference of Isaiah – a virgin shall give birth to a child and name him Emmanuel – God with us.
Joel asks us how do we know that God is with us – our old men shall have dreams and our young men shall have visions.
Matthew is a call to action to our men – to dream, to vision, to carry the dreams of God forward out into the world in whatever you do.
Advent is the chance for all of us to dream, not of the world as we want it, but to dream of the world as God intended. To look at our life, to look at life in general and to take account of what needs to change, and what we need to do to change it.
Dreaming for dreams sake is useless. Our dreams don’t always make sense by themselves. How do we know if our dreams are messages from God, or something that we made up in our imagination.
Joseph and Ahaz
Afterall, the old testament was about a man and his dreams. Ahaz was the king of isreal, struggling with the right thing to do for his country. And he asked for a sign to know God’s will. He was given a sign, but he chose to ignore it.
The sign was the same as Joseph – young maiden would give birth, and by the time the baby was old enough to go to kindergarten the threat would be over and everything would be okay. All he needed to do was trust in the Lord – that the Lord is always in control and will take care of everything.
What was the difference between Ahaz and Joseph? How do we know if our dreams,our visions our signs are really from God?
A righteous Man
The bible calls Joseph – a tsaddik man – a righteous man. A man who is intentional to be faithful in all of his relationships. A man who never turns his back on those in his life. A man who always prays in order to determine in all things what is the right things to do, and what is the wrong things to do. And always intentionally chooses the right thing – no matter what the personal cost. A man who is willing to follow the will of God, even when it is unpopular and puts us at risk in the minds of other people.
As disciples- we are all called to be tsaddik – righteous. And advent is our time to look at our integrity in our relationships and to always do the right things.
The Gold diggers and the new baby
There was a commotion in Roaring Camp. Cherokee Sal, the only woman in this rough, tough mining settlement, was dead after giving birth to a son whose father was unknown. Around the crude cabin where the newborn child lay helpless and crying, the hundred or so hard-bitten goldrush miners gathered in curiosity and concern. Death was so common here, but birth - this was a whole new experience.
Stumpy, a fugitive from justice on charges of bigamy, had by common consent taken charge of the little one's arrival. Shortly he allowed the miners to view the new baby, suggesting that it would be appropriate to make a contribution for the helpless orphan. So they came filing in, unconsciously taking off their hats in the presence of this miracle of new life, and putting their gifts at his side - a revolver, a diamond ring, a sling shot and a silver spoon. But now what to do?
The next day the inhabitants of Roaring Camp met in serious deliberation, and without the usual slugging and brawling, decided that working together they would all help raise this child. Stumpy was designated the particular guardian with a female mule as his first assistant. Strange to say, the little one thrived under their care, and equally strange was the effect on Roaring Camp. The little infant was named "Tommy Luck." His cabin, a filthy mess before he had been born there, was scrupulously cleaned, whitewashed and fixed up. A cradle was packed in by mule, and that made all the rest of the makeshift furniture so shabby in contrast that by common consensus, the whole place had to be done over.
In turn the local gambling joint and bar, the so-called grocery store, had to be spruced up to be in keeping with the Luck's cabin, and before long, the remainder of the settlement followed suit. This, and Stumpy's remarkable but understandable refusal to let anybody hold the Luck unless he was spotlessly clean, shaven and shorn, produced miracles in the miners' appearances. And equally amazing was the change in their conduct. Shouting within sound of Tommy's cabin was forbidden, lest he be wakened, and shortly the usual profanity was practically given up as not right for their boy to hear. From being Roaring Camp, the ugly drunken frontier settlement became, as one Cockney criminal inhabitant expressed it, "kind of 'eavenly." There was talk of further improvement and even of inviting some decent families to live there to benefit Tommy Luck with their presence. Word got around to the outside world of this miracle of change through the pony express riders who would say, "They've a street up there in Roaring Camp that's better than any street in Red Dog. They've got vines and flowers round their cabins, and they wash themselves twice a day ... and they sure worship an Injun baby."
Advent is our chance to become righteous disciples
Advent is your chance to clean up your house for the coming of the new baby. God really doesn’t care about the condition of your physical house – but the condition of your spiritual house.
Is your heart prepared for the coming of Christ into the world? Are you right in all of your relationships? Or is there something that you need to work on. Is your relationship with God the most important thing in your life? Or is there something that you need to put aside?
Finally in Jesus day, there was no such thing as a DNA test to prove whether you were the father of your wife’s baby. A righteous mans word was always the final determination. If the man came forward and claimed the baby as his own – and he was willing to give the baby a name- then the baby was his a part of his family, irregardless of the circumstances, and whether everyone else knew your business.
His destiny named his Emmanuel, his daddy named him Jesus. He promised to be God with us – even to the end of the age. Let us pray…….
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Who is Your Messiah?
James 5: 7-10
Matthew 11:2-11
Who is your Messiah?
3rd Sunday of Advent
December 12, 2010
Year A
I have a confession to make. I live in fear of Saturdays. No matter what have planned that day, and I try to do very little on Saturday. All that I can think about all day is getting my sermon done. Actually I am always afraid that something will happen and I will not have time to prepare my sermon, and that the sermon that I did three years will just not work. That is a pastor’s worse fear – that Saturday will come and go, and God will give me nothing to say. And will have to come to church unprepared.
Every Saturday for me is a time of anxious waiting for things to come together and to make sense.
When you think about it, Saturday is a lot like advent. Afterall Saturday is the day between Friday and Sunday. That probably doesn’t mean anything to you – for you Saturday is just another day. But Saturday is the day between Friday and Saturday. Friday – the day Jesus died, and Sunday – the day Jesus rose. Saturday is the day between good Friday and easter Sunday. Saturday is the day with no name, no meaning. Saturday is the day between the promise made and the fulfillment of that promise.
Saturday is the day where all we can do is wait…..
But waiting is not easy for us. We live in a world where everything is getting faster, easier, and quicker. We think we are supposed to have everything right now. In the age of instant coffee, instant television, instant relief from pain – we forget the value of patience. And yet it is in our patience that we learn to most about the nature of God.
Everyday is an unfolding of history and an unfolding of the promise of God. And with each passing day, we are smarter, we understand more and the stories of our lives start to make more and more sense.
One Christmas eve, a squirrel got caught in a families attic. He frantically tried to get out running around like crazy, The more they tried to rescue him, the more frantic he became. Until they set a box next to the attic and waited until things got dark and quiet and the squirrel felt safe enough to climb into the box and to be taken back outside. We have the same patience as that squirrel, when we know that we need to change, we are flailing every way but loose. We fight anyone who get close enough to try. We want to be free – but we are so frantic that every move that we make – seems to put us deeper into bondage. Until we learn to be still and realize that someone bigger than ourselves, someone like God has to come and set us free and make things better.
In our scripture for today – John the Baptist is sitting in prison. He has raised so much sand that he has irritated the King and his family and Herod has arrested him and put him on trial to be be killed. This was not what he expected at all when he signed up to work on behalf of God. He thought he would be rewarded for pointing the way to the messiah – not imprisoned.
I think John the Baptist in prison, is a symbol for us all – we too are imprisoned to our lives, our thoughts, our beliefs, our expectations, our broken dreams. All of those things keep us in bondage to the way things are. We are spending our lives waiting….. and waiting can take its toll on one’s soul and one’s faith. We can become disillusioned about the promises that have been made to us….
How else can you explain Jesus’ biggest proponent becoming Jesus biggest critic. He was disappointed in Jesus. In prison he sends word to Jesus - He ask – are you the messiah – or should I wait for another?
In other words – is this all there is? Or is there something better to come? Because sitting in prison waiting for my life to end – was not what I was waiting for.
The truth is, the Hebrew scriptures talk a lot about the messiah – but no one really knew what that meant, or who he was, or what was really supposed to happen when he came. John’s confusion about whether this was it or not, was the confusion of everyone.
We know the messiah means the Christ, the anointed one. It also means the one who is to come….but what is he supposed to come and do?
Many people voted for President Obama – because they were expecting a change. He promised hope for a better day- something that many of us could believe in.
Two years later many are disappointed. Was Obama really the one, we have waited this long, should we be waiting for another? Did Obama fail to live up to our preconceinved notions – or is it still Saturday – the time between the promise and fulfillment. Is it still advent?
It was not Obama’s promise that our lives would get better, it was God’s Everything happens in God’s time.
Dillusionment is not the same as disappointment. When we are disillusioned that means that we are stripped of our illusions of how things should be, so that we can see clearly how things really are.
John was dillusioned about who the messiah really was and what the messiah is supposed to do. Jesus never answers John’s question about whether he is really the messiah. He says – the blind walk, the prisoners go free, the lame walk. Everything that a messiah is supposed to do, jesus has done – you decide. Jesus has questions of his own. Questions for us – what did you go out into the desert to see? What were you looking for? What was going on in your life to lead you to looking for a messiah, and did you find it in ME or are you still looking?
Jesus tells us that those are questions he cant answer for us, we have to answer them for ourselves.
Did jesus fail to come to us when we rubbed our magic lamp – then perhaps that is because he is not a genie.
Did Jesus fail to punish all of your enemies when you prayed? Then perhaps Jesus is not a cop. Did Jesus fail to make everything run smoothly – then perhaps that is because jesus not mechanic.
It is our disappointments and our disillusionsments about what we expect Jesus to change in our lives – that help us to understand exactly what a messiah is supposed to do for us, but more importantly for the world. A messiah is as a messiah does. Has Jesus done something for you? Or are you still waiting for another? That is a question only you can answer.
The book of James talks about the fulfillment of the promise of God. It addresses a people who were impatient and waiting for Jesus and who started to believe that Jesus was not going to come. James reminds us to be patient. Be patient with ourselves, be patient with life, be patient with one another. Being patient is not idly waiting, but in living responsibly and working faithfully. And waiting expectantly for the one who is to come.
Finally I leave you with a version of chapter 13 of Corinthians for the Christmas season…..
1 CORINTHIANS 13 – - A CHRISTMAS VERSION -
By an unknown author
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights
and shiny balls, but do not show love, I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing
gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not
show love, I’m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I
have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a
myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on
Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table
linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are
there to be in the way.
Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in
giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but
giving the gift of love will endure.
The way that you wait for the Christ this year is your choice.
The coming season is all about love – its about loving ourselves, it is about loving others, but most important it is about our choice to love God, whatever that means, whatever that leads us, whatever that brings to our lives.
Advent is our chance to wait for the one who comes……
Matthew 11:2-11
Who is your Messiah?
3rd Sunday of Advent
December 12, 2010
Year A
I have a confession to make. I live in fear of Saturdays. No matter what have planned that day, and I try to do very little on Saturday. All that I can think about all day is getting my sermon done. Actually I am always afraid that something will happen and I will not have time to prepare my sermon, and that the sermon that I did three years will just not work. That is a pastor’s worse fear – that Saturday will come and go, and God will give me nothing to say. And will have to come to church unprepared.
Every Saturday for me is a time of anxious waiting for things to come together and to make sense.
When you think about it, Saturday is a lot like advent. Afterall Saturday is the day between Friday and Sunday. That probably doesn’t mean anything to you – for you Saturday is just another day. But Saturday is the day between Friday and Saturday. Friday – the day Jesus died, and Sunday – the day Jesus rose. Saturday is the day between good Friday and easter Sunday. Saturday is the day with no name, no meaning. Saturday is the day between the promise made and the fulfillment of that promise.
Saturday is the day where all we can do is wait…..
But waiting is not easy for us. We live in a world where everything is getting faster, easier, and quicker. We think we are supposed to have everything right now. In the age of instant coffee, instant television, instant relief from pain – we forget the value of patience. And yet it is in our patience that we learn to most about the nature of God.
Everyday is an unfolding of history and an unfolding of the promise of God. And with each passing day, we are smarter, we understand more and the stories of our lives start to make more and more sense.
One Christmas eve, a squirrel got caught in a families attic. He frantically tried to get out running around like crazy, The more they tried to rescue him, the more frantic he became. Until they set a box next to the attic and waited until things got dark and quiet and the squirrel felt safe enough to climb into the box and to be taken back outside. We have the same patience as that squirrel, when we know that we need to change, we are flailing every way but loose. We fight anyone who get close enough to try. We want to be free – but we are so frantic that every move that we make – seems to put us deeper into bondage. Until we learn to be still and realize that someone bigger than ourselves, someone like God has to come and set us free and make things better.
In our scripture for today – John the Baptist is sitting in prison. He has raised so much sand that he has irritated the King and his family and Herod has arrested him and put him on trial to be be killed. This was not what he expected at all when he signed up to work on behalf of God. He thought he would be rewarded for pointing the way to the messiah – not imprisoned.
I think John the Baptist in prison, is a symbol for us all – we too are imprisoned to our lives, our thoughts, our beliefs, our expectations, our broken dreams. All of those things keep us in bondage to the way things are. We are spending our lives waiting….. and waiting can take its toll on one’s soul and one’s faith. We can become disillusioned about the promises that have been made to us….
How else can you explain Jesus’ biggest proponent becoming Jesus biggest critic. He was disappointed in Jesus. In prison he sends word to Jesus - He ask – are you the messiah – or should I wait for another?
In other words – is this all there is? Or is there something better to come? Because sitting in prison waiting for my life to end – was not what I was waiting for.
The truth is, the Hebrew scriptures talk a lot about the messiah – but no one really knew what that meant, or who he was, or what was really supposed to happen when he came. John’s confusion about whether this was it or not, was the confusion of everyone.
We know the messiah means the Christ, the anointed one. It also means the one who is to come….but what is he supposed to come and do?
Many people voted for President Obama – because they were expecting a change. He promised hope for a better day- something that many of us could believe in.
Two years later many are disappointed. Was Obama really the one, we have waited this long, should we be waiting for another? Did Obama fail to live up to our preconceinved notions – or is it still Saturday – the time between the promise and fulfillment. Is it still advent?
It was not Obama’s promise that our lives would get better, it was God’s Everything happens in God’s time.
Dillusionment is not the same as disappointment. When we are disillusioned that means that we are stripped of our illusions of how things should be, so that we can see clearly how things really are.
John was dillusioned about who the messiah really was and what the messiah is supposed to do. Jesus never answers John’s question about whether he is really the messiah. He says – the blind walk, the prisoners go free, the lame walk. Everything that a messiah is supposed to do, jesus has done – you decide. Jesus has questions of his own. Questions for us – what did you go out into the desert to see? What were you looking for? What was going on in your life to lead you to looking for a messiah, and did you find it in ME or are you still looking?
Jesus tells us that those are questions he cant answer for us, we have to answer them for ourselves.
Did jesus fail to come to us when we rubbed our magic lamp – then perhaps that is because he is not a genie.
Did Jesus fail to punish all of your enemies when you prayed? Then perhaps Jesus is not a cop. Did Jesus fail to make everything run smoothly – then perhaps that is because jesus not mechanic.
It is our disappointments and our disillusionsments about what we expect Jesus to change in our lives – that help us to understand exactly what a messiah is supposed to do for us, but more importantly for the world. A messiah is as a messiah does. Has Jesus done something for you? Or are you still waiting for another? That is a question only you can answer.
The book of James talks about the fulfillment of the promise of God. It addresses a people who were impatient and waiting for Jesus and who started to believe that Jesus was not going to come. James reminds us to be patient. Be patient with ourselves, be patient with life, be patient with one another. Being patient is not idly waiting, but in living responsibly and working faithfully. And waiting expectantly for the one who is to come.
Finally I leave you with a version of chapter 13 of Corinthians for the Christmas season…..
1 CORINTHIANS 13 – - A CHRISTMAS VERSION -
By an unknown author
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights
and shiny balls, but do not show love, I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing
gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not
show love, I’m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I
have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a
myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on
Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table
linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are
there to be in the way.
Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in
giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but
giving the gift of love will endure.
The way that you wait for the Christ this year is your choice.
The coming season is all about love – its about loving ourselves, it is about loving others, but most important it is about our choice to love God, whatever that means, whatever that leads us, whatever that brings to our lives.
Advent is our chance to wait for the one who comes……
Turn Around
Romans 15: 4-13
Matthew 3:1-12
Turn Around
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” – Matthew 3:2
2nd Sunday of Advent
Year A
The bible is full of tales of wandering in the wilderness. The bible says that the isrealites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entering into the promised land. Just before jesus entered into his public ministry he spent some time being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. And then there is the story of John the Baptist. John the Baptist called people to come away from the world and come into the wilderness to be baptized.
The wilderness plays an important part in our spiritual journey. It is a chance to get away from it all and to just hear the voice of God. If you are listening, if not to just be lost. Or to wait for something different.
I can relate to a spiritual time in the wilderness. That’s where I feel that I am right now. Not necessarily because there is something wrong in my life, or that I am extra sad, or depressed or grieving about anything. But because I am waiting. Waiting for that great moment in life. And I realized that I have not had one in a while. That great moment when everything changes. When all of my struggles in life start to make sense, and I feel that I am moving ahead like never before.
Being in the wilderness is a time when you look back at life and realize that you cant really go back to the past, no matter how great things were, things have changed and the past no longer fits you anymore – but on the other hand the future has not been created, and you are not ready to move into it.
You have to realize that what might be, is on the same level as what will never happen. Both as equally possible. You just don’t know what will happen.
Advent is a time of being in the wilderness, of waiting for that change, of waiting for that big moment.
An adult brother and sister were talking. The brother had jus t come from the hospital visiting a friend who had been in a car accident. The brother’s lesson for the day was to always wear his seatbelt. The sister asked – didn’t you know that you were supposed to wear a seatbelt before today- yeah, but seeing my friend reminded me of an old lesson, in a new way, for a new reason. I understand well enough to listen and pay attention.
Advent is our time to renew our lives, our thoughts our attitudes, our intentions. And to live our old life in a new way.
And in every advent there is just one voice that cries out in the wilderness. There is one person who reminds us of the reason for the season. One character, who is the image of advent – do you know who that is?
We would be tempted to say that Jesus us the reason for the season. But you are wrong. Jesus is the center of Christmas season. Jesus us the hope that we are waiting for, the one who will bring about the change in life. But Jesus is not the man of advent.
But we have to remember that we are not in the Christmas season – we are in advent. And the voice of advent is not Jesus. But John the Baptist. Every year, John the Baptist comes to us out of the wilderness. Dressed in his camel cloth clothes, yelling at us at the top of his voice – repent you brood of vipers, for the kingdom of god is at hand. You need to repent. Repent – metanoia – to turn around. Don’t just say that you are sorry for what you are done, but make a commitment to change and be different.
The message of John is to earn, learn, burn and turn! Say it with me – earn, learn, burn and turn. Earn the right to be called a child of God. Stand up for what you know to be right. Take the time to learn the ways of God – read the bible, listen to the word of God, study with others, and most importantly take the time to pray. Burn means not to destroy yourself, but to destroy everything in your life that is not of God. If it stands in the way of your relationship with God then get rid of it. And burn with the spirit of Christ in your soul. The logo of the united Methodist church is not just the cross, but the flame. – the holy spirit which ignites us all. The final lesson is to turn – to repent. Repentance is not just for sinners – it is for all of us. All of us have something that we need to give up in our lives in order for us to be the persons God is calling us to be. We have to turn to God to know what it is. Earn, learn, burn and turn.
John is not Jesus – but every year he stands before us and reminds us that if you want to get to Jesus – you have to go through John. Remember your baptism and repent of your sins. Even if we don’t like to admit what our sins our, this is a good time to get them out and look at them. Because your sins are your ticket to see jesus. It is your opportunity for salvation. There are your chance for the change that you have been hoping for. It is your sins that have been holding you back in the wilderness. If you give them up, give them over to god, turn around – how far could you really go in life?
Advent is the season of hope – hope is a belief that something good is up ahead – In order to be ready for the good to come, you have to face the way things are, and be ready to sacrifice the bad, in order to face the good that is coming.
Electricity did not come to everyone in the nation at the same time. There were some areas in the country, who didn’t get power line for years. All they had to rely on for power was the lightning. Dallas Willard is from Southern Missouri, around where my hometown is. He talks about how in his senior year in high school his town finally got power lines. And his whole world changed drastically. With electricity there was a tremendous difference between light and darkness, day and night, chores and free time. That was the moment that he was waiting for, but didn’t know was coming.
Repent for electiricity is coming to your life – you older people can relate to this, more than the younger ones can. repent from kerosene lamps,ice boxes, scrub boards, batteries that run out and hand powered sewing machines. God has bought us something new.
I remember the say I got my first computer and realized al of the things I could do with it. My first year of ministry I typed my sermons on the typewriter – what a miserable things in comparison to the the computer. When I got my computer, I could store all of my financial records on it, and when I discovered internet – my life has not been the same.
The comparison is a little crude – but it makes the point. Jesus is the power source beyond anything that we could imagine. And it is a source that is eternal, all powerful, and will never run out. But you cant fully realize the power that Christ has in your life,until you come to terms to what you life is like without him. Without him all that you have is your sin, your darkness, your old way of things – with jesus everything changes. All you have to do is turn around – repent. Earn, learn, burn and turn.
Matthew 3:1-12
Turn Around
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” – Matthew 3:2
2nd Sunday of Advent
Year A
The bible is full of tales of wandering in the wilderness. The bible says that the isrealites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entering into the promised land. Just before jesus entered into his public ministry he spent some time being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. And then there is the story of John the Baptist. John the Baptist called people to come away from the world and come into the wilderness to be baptized.
The wilderness plays an important part in our spiritual journey. It is a chance to get away from it all and to just hear the voice of God. If you are listening, if not to just be lost. Or to wait for something different.
I can relate to a spiritual time in the wilderness. That’s where I feel that I am right now. Not necessarily because there is something wrong in my life, or that I am extra sad, or depressed or grieving about anything. But because I am waiting. Waiting for that great moment in life. And I realized that I have not had one in a while. That great moment when everything changes. When all of my struggles in life start to make sense, and I feel that I am moving ahead like never before.
Being in the wilderness is a time when you look back at life and realize that you cant really go back to the past, no matter how great things were, things have changed and the past no longer fits you anymore – but on the other hand the future has not been created, and you are not ready to move into it.
You have to realize that what might be, is on the same level as what will never happen. Both as equally possible. You just don’t know what will happen.
Advent is a time of being in the wilderness, of waiting for that change, of waiting for that big moment.
An adult brother and sister were talking. The brother had jus t come from the hospital visiting a friend who had been in a car accident. The brother’s lesson for the day was to always wear his seatbelt. The sister asked – didn’t you know that you were supposed to wear a seatbelt before today- yeah, but seeing my friend reminded me of an old lesson, in a new way, for a new reason. I understand well enough to listen and pay attention.
Advent is our time to renew our lives, our thoughts our attitudes, our intentions. And to live our old life in a new way.
And in every advent there is just one voice that cries out in the wilderness. There is one person who reminds us of the reason for the season. One character, who is the image of advent – do you know who that is?
We would be tempted to say that Jesus us the reason for the season. But you are wrong. Jesus is the center of Christmas season. Jesus us the hope that we are waiting for, the one who will bring about the change in life. But Jesus is not the man of advent.
But we have to remember that we are not in the Christmas season – we are in advent. And the voice of advent is not Jesus. But John the Baptist. Every year, John the Baptist comes to us out of the wilderness. Dressed in his camel cloth clothes, yelling at us at the top of his voice – repent you brood of vipers, for the kingdom of god is at hand. You need to repent. Repent – metanoia – to turn around. Don’t just say that you are sorry for what you are done, but make a commitment to change and be different.
The message of John is to earn, learn, burn and turn! Say it with me – earn, learn, burn and turn. Earn the right to be called a child of God. Stand up for what you know to be right. Take the time to learn the ways of God – read the bible, listen to the word of God, study with others, and most importantly take the time to pray. Burn means not to destroy yourself, but to destroy everything in your life that is not of God. If it stands in the way of your relationship with God then get rid of it. And burn with the spirit of Christ in your soul. The logo of the united Methodist church is not just the cross, but the flame. – the holy spirit which ignites us all. The final lesson is to turn – to repent. Repentance is not just for sinners – it is for all of us. All of us have something that we need to give up in our lives in order for us to be the persons God is calling us to be. We have to turn to God to know what it is. Earn, learn, burn and turn.
John is not Jesus – but every year he stands before us and reminds us that if you want to get to Jesus – you have to go through John. Remember your baptism and repent of your sins. Even if we don’t like to admit what our sins our, this is a good time to get them out and look at them. Because your sins are your ticket to see jesus. It is your opportunity for salvation. There are your chance for the change that you have been hoping for. It is your sins that have been holding you back in the wilderness. If you give them up, give them over to god, turn around – how far could you really go in life?
Advent is the season of hope – hope is a belief that something good is up ahead – In order to be ready for the good to come, you have to face the way things are, and be ready to sacrifice the bad, in order to face the good that is coming.
Electricity did not come to everyone in the nation at the same time. There were some areas in the country, who didn’t get power line for years. All they had to rely on for power was the lightning. Dallas Willard is from Southern Missouri, around where my hometown is. He talks about how in his senior year in high school his town finally got power lines. And his whole world changed drastically. With electricity there was a tremendous difference between light and darkness, day and night, chores and free time. That was the moment that he was waiting for, but didn’t know was coming.
Repent for electiricity is coming to your life – you older people can relate to this, more than the younger ones can. repent from kerosene lamps,ice boxes, scrub boards, batteries that run out and hand powered sewing machines. God has bought us something new.
I remember the say I got my first computer and realized al of the things I could do with it. My first year of ministry I typed my sermons on the typewriter – what a miserable things in comparison to the the computer. When I got my computer, I could store all of my financial records on it, and when I discovered internet – my life has not been the same.
The comparison is a little crude – but it makes the point. Jesus is the power source beyond anything that we could imagine. And it is a source that is eternal, all powerful, and will never run out. But you cant fully realize the power that Christ has in your life,until you come to terms to what you life is like without him. Without him all that you have is your sin, your darkness, your old way of things – with jesus everything changes. All you have to do is turn around – repent. Earn, learn, burn and turn.
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