Rejoice!

Isaiah 52:7-10

John 1:1-14

Today we are going to talk about feet. Take a moment and look down at yours. Then glance at your neighbor’s feet. They come in all sizes and we never notice them much except when they are cold or hurting. More often than not like the rest of our body, we don’t notice how much our feet do for us.

The Prophet Isaiah begins his message of good news by speaking of the messenger’s feet. He calls them beautiful as they traverse mountains trying to get to the people to proclaim good tidings of peace and joy for all who would hear the message. The messenger’s feet had gone a long distance to share this news. They had walked and run, jogged and hiked over hills and valleys. Gotten wet through rivers, then immediately were immersed in sand which rubbed them raw as the messenger kept moving.

This news couldn’t wait for the messenger’s feet to heal. This message was so important that no matter how exhausted the messenger became, the messenger had to continue on. Finally, cresting the last mountain, the messenger proclaimed to all the people, “Your God reigns! You will know salvation!”

What a message! It brought shouts of joy and tears of relief. This is what the messenger’s feet did – they brought a message so powerful that a whole nation burst into songs of praise and happiness. Now again, look at your feet. You have the same power as that long ago messenger. You too, can bring joy to another’s life. You too can traverse the mountains and valleys of the world as you share the good tidings that Jesus Christ is come! That our Lord and Savior bring eternal life in the form of a newborn baby that is here to die for humanity. It’s something to think about, how our feet can bring light into the world if we are only willing to use them.

When Mary was heavily pregnant with Jesus, I can imagine how tired she was and how scared she must have been. She was barely more than a kid and she was about to become the mother to God’s Son. Her feet must have been swollen and aching, her back painfully throbbing. Then she had to get on that donkey and ride to Bethlehem as her husband Joseph walked beside her. His feet carried him straight to the place that God had commanded them to be through the Caesar.

How tired he must have been after that long journey. His nerves must have been frazzled from reassuring Mary, making sure she was okay and trying not to worry himself. He was going to be a father. Not to just any baby, but he was going to help raise God’s Son. Where would this journey lead them too? What path were they about to journey down? He walked on, putting one foot in front of the other out of pure faith in God because I know he probably had very little faith in himself at that point.

How do you raise such a special child? Do you treat that child like a prince or do you treat him like a regular child? Do you punish the child when he misbehaves or do you dare not in case God becomes angry? What if the child doesn’t live past the age of one like so many children did not? What if he comes from Mary’s womb with a limp or blind or has some other infirmity? Would God blame Joseph and Mary for these things?

He walked on toward his fate, Mary riding beside him, with nothing but faith to keep him moving. Sometimes it is all we have that sustains us. Sometimes it is the only thing that gets us through the day. We must believe in the message we receive on Christmas Day. That a baby, a little and fragile baby boy would grow up and save us all from ourselves. That this boy would have so much faith in God that he willingly dies so the rest of the world may live.

The world is a dark place. It’s full of pits and potholes that would try to make us trip and stumble as we journey forward. There are big rocks of temptations in our path that would try to make us stop where we are at and no longer journey on. But like the messenger in Isaiah and Mary and Joseph, we must have faith in God. Our faith keeps us moving and will help us overcome every obstacle our feet encounter. Every step we take toward God is a step toward the light of God’s pure love for us. It’s a step out of the darkness the world dwells in and brings us one more step closer to eternal life lived with and through Jesus Christ. That beautiful baby who’s little feet will one day have nails pounded through them as he hangs on a cross for you and for me.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Jesus Christ and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

The True House

2 Samuel 7: 1-11
Luke 1: 26-38

Mary and Joseph are both descendents of King David. The same David we find in the passage of 2 Samuel. The scriptures have many lessons to teach us and this passage has several. King David was once nothing more than the youngest son of a sheep farmer in Bethlehem. When Samuel went looking for a king for Israel he looked at all of the sheep farmer’s sons, all except the youngest who was out tending the sheep. It was that boy, young and small and naïve who would become king. He would defeat the Giant and he would carry the Ark of the Covenant into many battles and win.

This same David, who had found so much favor in God’s eyes, was now settling down. He no longer had to move from place to place with only a tent over his head. He had built for himself a strong house, made of cedar and was quite content. Until he noticed the Ark was still in a tent.

He went to Nathan, the prophet who took over after Samuel and instead of asking his advice as was the norm, David told him about having a house of his own while the Ark had none. Nathan, instead of being offended by this change in protocol gave his agreement that David should do what he pleases because “The Lord is with you”.

Other than a little breach in protocol, this must seem very mundane to most readers. What is the big deal? David has found where he wants to build his kingdom and now he will build a religious temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. That sounds reasonable, it sounds like a great plan.

As a church, we often look to our leaders in the Consistory and the pastor for great plans. We hope that every month when they get together, they are coming up with ideas to help grow the church, and to make the church run more smoothly. We do not like the idea of the people we elect merely maintaining the status quo, we like action. We want growth whether it is in the form of giving more money through our committees, coming up with new and better programs, or doing things around the church building.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Just like there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with what Nathan and David are planning now that they are settling down in one area. But both King David and the Prophet Nathan have forgotten a very important key to this plan. They have not asked God what God would like to do. How could David, who is in the position of King of Israel because of God’s favor, have forgotten to ask God what to do? How could Nathan, a prophet, a messenger of the Lord, have not considered praying about what they should do?

Now if two such wise and holy people could forget to consult God, how often do we do the same thing? Perhaps our ideas and thoughts seem so natural and good that we think the thought must have come from God. Perhaps we are too busy this week to say a prayer asking for guidance. We do not always consult God about what we are up to. Even as a church, how often when we have a problem or issue do we take a moment to pray to God? Sometimes I think we would be amazed at what God is thinking because God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, God’s ways are not our ways.

 God makes God’s presence known in the very next line of the scripture. He comes to Nathan at night and reminds David and Nathan that God is the one that brought them out of the land of Egypt. God is the one that has shown them the way each time they have been scared or unsure. God is the one that has helped them find this land, the land he promised hundreds of years ago to Abraham and then to Isaac and then to Jacob. In all this time, God has never had a temple; God has never needed a temple to do the miraculous things that were accomplished.

The Lord reminds Nathan and David that all they have, all that they are is because God has made it happen.  If God wants a temple, not only would the Lord have mentioned it but God would have directed them in how to build it. It was a humbling message to them both, but obviously one they needed to hear. David thought he knew what God wanted; he thought he knew the heart of the Lord. But what God reminds them both is that he cannot be contained or be totally known. God will always be a mystery to humanity and the more we try to squeeze God into a box or a temple or a church, the more elusive the Lord will become. God is not found only in our religious buidlings because the Lord cannot be contained.

But God did not stop by just reminding them of his power and might. God then gives David a gift. God promises to be faithful to David, to make his name great and to build a great home for all of the Israelites. They will no longer have to travel from place to place, forever wandering and fighting other people for space to live. No longer will they have enemies that can kill them. God has promised to give them rest, to build them all homes and to make the line of David one that lasts forever. God promises that the name of King David will be one that will always be remembered.

Here we are today, looking at this passage and wondering what this has to do with our life. This passage should have us asking a few hard questions of ourselves: What are our assumptions about what will be pleasing to God? What are the ways that we seek to enshrine and confine God? Do we build churches so that we can place God inside it and then only visit for an hour a week? Do we sometimes link God to our political or religious agendas in the hope of swaying more people to our causes? What may God want to do but cannot because personal ambitions and church politics are blocking the way?

God does not want or need to be enshrined here at church. Our Lord is one of surprises. Our God is one that instead of sending a warrior to defeat the world’s evil, God sent a baby - a baby named Jesus born to a poor couple who would not raise their son with every toy or modern convenience, but with love. God sent us a little boy who would grow up to hang out with the least desirable crowd. He would find his way among the outcasts, among the sinners and the destitute; his followers were those that have diseases and were a burden upon society.

What is God up to right now? What is God doing 2,000 years later? Could God be present in this church or is God out there.. amongst the poor, the diseased, and the people we scoff and lift our noses at? Is God with the unemployed, the people on welfare, the illegal immigrants, the convicted felons?  It’s a question we need to ask. It’s a question David and Nathan forgot and were chastised for.

Where are you God? What are you doing? What do you want us to do?

Amen.

Then Who Are You?

Psalm 126
John 1:6-8, 19-28

I’ve always felt a little sorry for John the Baptist. In Luke we read about how his father did not believe he could truly have a child, the father resisted God’s efforts to set him straight and it wasn’t until John was born that finally Zechariah could admit that John was his son and he had been sent by God. Then John’s whole life must have been lived knowing he had one purpose to fill, to proclaim the Messiah. He must do whatever was necessary to make sure as many people heard his message as possible. It did not matter if he went without clothing or food or sleep. It didn’t matter if he had a roof over his head or friends to talk things over with. John’s one purpose, his one mission in the world was to be the voice crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord!”

That’s a lonely life. That’s a life completely devoted to God and leaving nothing left over for oneself. Then we have this passage in the Book of John where the author tells us even more than Matthew, Mark, and Luke did about John the Baptist’s character.

We have Jewish leaders from Jerusalem making the journey to Bethany to discuss what John has been up to. This loud man was making a racket that reached deep into the city and made the religious leaders nervous. He was causing people to question, to think outside the box of accepted theological beliefs about who and what the Messiah will be. If the one that prepares the way for the Messiah is such a different sort of person, what then will the Messiah be like? Will the Messiah be a king coming on a white horse, brandishing a sword that will cut off the head of the Roman Empire like they had all dreamed? Or will the Messiah be something and someone like this radical man who is in the wilderness and baptizing people like he has been given the authority to do so?

So with nervous trepidation and probably a lot of righteous indignation, the Pharisees journey to Bethany to confront this man causing all these questions among the people. Before they can even speak a word, John emphatically denies that he is the Messiah. Perhaps John knew this was the secret question in everyone’s mind and so he decided to confront this falsehood first. Or perhaps John was just totally sure of what he was not, and so he shared it with them without provocation.

My favorite line in this whole passage is what they say in response to his emphatic denial to being the Messiah, “Then who are you?” There is such bewilderment and confusion in those four words. There is a wealth of meaning behind them as well. If you are not the Messiah, then why are you baptizing people? If you’re not the Messiah, then you must surely be someone else important to get the people talking like this. And that’s why they begin with their questions of, “Are you Elijah?” “Are you the Prophet?”

But John replies no to each of their inquiries. He is not any of those things they are wondering or hoping he might be. John refuses to allow them to label him. When in exasperation they finally say, “Give us some answer to take back with us? What do YOU say about yourself?” The Pharisees had finally run out of labels for John. “What do you say about yourself? Who do you consider yourself to be?”

This is an interesting question and one often asked of all of us. When we first meet people we often ask them what their name is, and usually the question that follows is “Who are you? What do you do?” If I went around the congregation and asked all of you that question, what would your response be?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when someone asks you who you are? What labels do you put upon yourself? What boxes do you check when the Census Bureau asks you to define yourself? Do you identify yourself as a man or woman or perhaps as a husband or a wife first? Do you think of your job and say, “I’m a lawyer, I’m a truck driver, I’m a teacher?” Is your first thought “I’m a mother, father or grandparent”? Or perhaps you think of yourself as an American first or as a white American. Perhaps you consider yourself by your age or your favorite hobby. “I’m a stamp collector, I’m a Harley Davidson fan, I’m a music lover.”

“Who are you?” they asked John. He refused to give them a name. He did not give them an occupation. He did not mention his parents or children or wife. He did not mention his hobbies or his interest in star alignment. John did not even respond using his own words to define himself. John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’

John has given his identity to Christ. His Messiah comes first. Who John is, well that is not nearly as important as who is the Messiah. John wants to get past these unimportant issues of who is he to discuss the most relevant one to all humanity, “Who is the Christ?” But the Pharisees are still wrapped up in John’s identity. They are still struggling to understand this simple human man, and will not allow themselves to move forward to weightier, more important issues. So they begin again with the questions.

“Why do you baptize people if you are not the Messiah, the Prophet or Elijah?” But John refuses to answer that with a question that satisfied their human curiosity. John once again points his answer back to the one that is most important by replying dismissively that he merely baptizes with water and then he says, “but among you stands one you do not know.  He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

John is trying to tell them about Jesus Christ. He is trying to convey to them that John is merely a witness to the glory of Christ. There is something so much more important in this world, happening right NOW than who one man is and why he baptizes with water.

John reminds all of us that there is something more important going on in the world than what we often consider to be important. John challenges all of us who proclaim ourselves to be Christians to also be witnesses. We are to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ. We are called to not show off who we are and what we can do, but tell the world who Christ is and what Christ has done and is doing for us all. John refused to put a label on himself other than a voice, a witness who professes the work of the Lord. He gave himself completely to God and during the Advent season we are reminded that this is our task as well.

We do not just put up decorations and admire how cute our children look in their Christmas clothes, we are to remind the world that God loved us ALL enough to give His Son, so that we might live with Him and have eternal life. That is our mission, and that is our witness. Let us be reminded and let us go out joyfully, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. “Christ lived and died for YOU. Christ rose again so that we might defeat death and live by his side in heaven!”

Amen.

Prepare the Way

Isaiah 40: 1-11
Mark 1: 1-8

Too often we preachers will give you a message that is all about God’s forgiveness and redemption and mention nothing of God’s righteous anger when we do sinful things. Or, we will do the opposite and give a blistering sermon on sinful humanity and mention nothing at all about God’s grace. The book of Isaiah challenges such a one dimensional sermon and reminds everyone that just as God can be angry and punishing, God can also love and forgive. We try too often to put God into a box and that is not where God belongs. We cannot hem in God with our own preconceptions and ideas without having lost something vital to our faith and relationship with God.

We should not separate God’s judgment on human sin with God’s grace and forgiveness for those sins. The reason is that if we only concentrate on the judgmental wrath of God then when God punishes humanity we have a vengeful God without any of the compassion we see in the New Testament. It is like we have two different gods in the Bible. However, when we look at all of Isaiah and 2^nd Isaiah together we see that the God who punishes our sins is also the God who eventually forgives us and welcomes us back, restoring us to our proper place – by God’s side.

For all of us to understand what the Israelites were feeling in these passages, we need to know more about their journey. After God gave them Israel, the people prospered. They defeated their enemies and had food and riches in abundance. Abundance is a downfall to a pious society. It seems to always create greed and a desire for more. The people began to forget the God that had delivered them out of Egypt’s hands and looked only to themselves for their daily bread. They forgot to worship in the temple and instead they worshiped their money and the foreigners’ gods. Every attempt God made to warn them was rebuffed until finally God had had enough. For the first time, when an enemy came to conquer Jerusalem, God did not help to defend the people. The Babylonians rushed into the cities, laying waste to the temples and taking everything of value, including the people as slaves.

For fifty years the Israelites were slaves to the Babylonians. They were without priests to guide them; they were without their rituals to soothe them, and without God to sustain them. So this passage in Isaiah 40 is a welcome relief! They will be saved! God has not forgotten them! God is about to deliver them from their enemy’s hands and give them a straight path back to their homeland.

God goes so far as to promise to even out the hills, make the crooked paths straight so that every man, woman, and child will easily and quickly find their way back home. Hopefully, they will come home a little wiser, a little more wary, and a lot more faithful.

 God never wanted to punish her people. Although God is quite able to pick up a sword to smite a person, God tried often and for a long time to get through to the Israelites before allowing the Babylonians to take over. This is why we must keep the vengeful God at the beginning of Isaiah side by side with the gentle shepherd who leads her flock safely back home. God is not one or the other, God is both.

You may be wondering what all of this has to do with Christmas. The passage we read today in Mark 1 takes a piece of Isaiah 40 to explain the job of John the Baptist. The author of Mark sees that John was one that helped to make the pathways straight for the Lord, so that when Jesus began his ministry, he would have ears willing to listen to the message he desperately wanted us to hear. The Good News that Jesus and John the Baptist spread among the Jews and Gentiles was the one that the Israelites heard 600 years before.

Your God has not abandoned you. Your God loves you and forgives you. You are not alone in the trials you face and yes, there is something better for you than this crazy life you live now. That is the Good News which has never changed – for the Israelites in Isaiah, for the Jews of Jesus’ time and for all of God’s people today.

In both Isaiah and Mark, for us to hear the Good News requires repentance and confession from the people. In Isaiah, the Israelites had to be punished for fifty years before they could bring themselves to God and offer up true sorrow for their past ways. In Mark, John tells the people to repent of their sins and be baptized. What is interesting about this passage is that then John the Baptist goes on to say that there will come another, the Messiah, who will baptize them all with the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist could have taken all the glory for himself. He could have pretended to be the Messiah because the people were certainly captivated with him. He was a wild man, with camel hair clothes and an unusual diet of locusts and honey. He spoke of forgiveness and new life, a message the people were starving to hear. Yes, John could have proclaimed to be greater than he was, but instead he told everyone who would listen to him that another, greater prophet would soon be here to save them all.

How often do we hear people humbly promote another person’s achievements rather than their own? Let’s look at the political arena. Have you ever heard a new senator thank the previous senator for all their hard work and dedication? When something goes right during the first year of their office, do they credit those that came before them? I have never heard one politician give credit to the previous administration even when it is obvious to everyone else where the credit belongs.

We live in a world where everyone wants a piece of the pie. Everyone wants to be recognized for achievement, but John the Baptist shows us that is not the way. And God also shows us that by sending someone to prepare Jesus’ way. Think about it – even God sometimes needs a helping hand. This season is one of waiting and expectation. We wait for news of our Savior and for the coming of peace on earth.

We too often act like these good tidings are for our ears alone. We pretend that all the good things that have happened in this church are because of what we have done instead of acknowledging we stand on the shoulders of those that came before us. Their hard work makes this church a success. John’s hard work in the wilderness prepared the way for Jesus Christ’s ministry.

This is a season of waiting, but that does not mean we have nothing to do. We are now the ones that prepare the way for the Lord. We wait for news of Christ’s second coming and we are to spread the Gospel to all four corners of the world, letting everyone know that peace, joy, hope and love is waiting for them, just as we wait for Christ.

Amen.