A Quantum of Solace

December 23, 2012 Micah 5:2-5 Luke 1:39-45 A Quantum of Solace 4th Sunday of Advent Year C Not used to the presence of women Rear Adm. George J. Dufek, Naval commander of Operation Deepfreeze, tells this story of the day two airline stewardesses arrived on the only commercial plane ever to land in the Antarctic: “The girls, ravishing in furs, were being wined and dined in the McMurdo mess hall. But I noticed there were some men missing, and I walked around the base to see what they were doing. I found them sitting glumly in their quarters, smoking, drinking coffee and obviously resentful. Their reason? They wanted to be able to say that, from the time they left civilization until they returned they hadn’t seen a woman!” —National Geographic Not a lot of women in our story of salvation We wont have that problem when we read the book of Luke. When you read the story of salvation, it is primarily a story about men, told from a man’s perspective. Even from the beginning, sin came into the world –Adam was created first. And when eve convinces him to eat the apple of sin – he tells God it was not him, it was the woman that you gave me. And all throughout the story, women have taken a back seat in the story. Paul says that women should be silent in church- if you have a question in church, just be silent, and ask your question at home. Women are not allowed to be teachers in church. It is as if man is saying that women messed it up, so they should sit back and let the men take care of making it right. Luke focuses on the faith of women We can be grateful that not all men feel that way. Throughtout this year, you will notice that Luke goes out of his way to make sure that we see the contributions that women make to the story of salvation. He goes out of his way to explain that it was women who were the first witnesses to the resurrection. He points out that it was a woman who washed Jesus feet in preparation for death, when the men felt it was unnecessary. And it is only Luke who tells the story of the role women played in bringing the savior into the world. It is Mary who recognizes the plight of her people and who get the message from the angel that she will have a chance to turn the tables. And today we hear the story of Mary and Elizabeth as they come together to celebrate the new life that they are bringing into the world. Both pregnant – they come together. And even though Elizabeth is older, she blesses Mary and the baby she is carrying. They both know that the world will change. Pope John Paul said the he felt that every pregnant mother is a lot like Moses. They understand that with this birth, they are bringing in a new world, but they may never see the full implications of that world. We are all expecting And it is that time of expectation that we all stand on this last Sunday before Christmas. We don’t know how the world would be different – but we are ready for a change. We want it, we expect it, we pray for it, but by the time it comes, we may never see it. But we have prepared the way for the future and for our children. That is what it means to have faith in what we cannot see. We have heard the story of John the Baptist preparing the way – and now we see that even in the womb – the babies know about their purpose – and their relationship they will have with one another and with God. When we know that a baby is coming, we spend so much time getting ready for them, making space for them in our lives, wondering what life will be like when they come to us. But we never think about what it will be like from their perspective, how are they preparing their way for us. What are their expectations. What do they think about coming to our world? Legacy – man looking outside to expect freedom A woman tells the story of a man, who dreamed of freedom and a new life in his country of china. He wrote many documents on freedom. When the government discovered that he was writing these documents against communism. They literally locked him inside of his office. He was totally closed off from the world and made a prisoner in his own house. His family could send in food and water, but they had no access to him. The government had even put boards on his window, so he could only see through the thin slats in the boards. But everyday – he looked out and he would see a kite flying. It was his son, communicating with him. Telling him that even though they could not be with him, they still thought of him. They still loved him, and that there was still a place in their lives for him. It was that small connection – that helped him endure his imprisonment, until he was finally freed and could be with his family again. It was that kite that was his hope and anticipation of what his destiny would finally be. We have spent 4 weeks preparing ourselves for Christ to come anew in our lives. As we look in the world, we are clear about what we are expecting, what we are needing, what we are waiting for to change. Just as the faithful man watched that kite, and couldn’t wait to be freed, what if Christ is watching us, and looking forward to coming forward in our lives. What if Christ is just as excited about coming into our lives as we are in coming in ours? What if Christmas is our meeting place of heaven and earth. Where we get the chance to see God’s love hope joy and peace in us. The faith stories of women We as women spend so much of our time looking as the examples of men of faith. today we learn a lesson from women of faith. There is a educational campaign – called a a virgin, a queen, a harlot, a slave and a purpose. It points out the stories of women of faith in the bible, Mary, Esther, Rahab, and Hagar. All women who had a key role in the story of salvation of God’s people. We are all Mary Today we are reminded of the purpose of Mary, Mary;s faith in salvation and her willingness to be used. This Christmas, let us like Mary – respond to God’s opportunities in our lives, be willing to work with God to bring the change we pray for, make the promises of God real in how we live our lives, and most importantly – know that we have the spirit of God inside of us – waiting to be a blessing to all of the world. James Bond lessons The four themes of advent - hope, love joy and peace – those are the things that God will bring into the world with the birth of Christ. I have tried to tie those 4 lessons with 4 lessons from James Bond. First Sunday we stood at skyfall, second we remembered that as children of God we are shaken not stirred, third- we were reminded that there is power in the water, and today ‘s theme is quantum of solace. Our Quantum of Solace In many of James Bond’s movies – they got permission to use the title of the story – but couldn’t tell the story. And I just thought that was a good title. The theme song of the movie says that in order for you to truly live and be happy you have to have a quantum of solace, you have to find the place of your serenity. Our quantum of solace is in Jesus Christ. Malachi says that the coming savior is our source of peace. Michael Card (musician and author): “All we could ever imagine, could ever hope for, He is. ... He is the Prince of Peace whose first coming has already transformed society but whose second coming will forever establish justice and righteousness. All this, and infinitely more, alive in an impoverished baby in a barn. That is what Christmas means--to find in a place where you would least expect to find anything you want, everything you could ever want.” May you be prepared for the coming of your savior – may he be the true source of your joy, peace, love and hope. Amen.