Tempted by the Good Things

Deut 26: 1-11
Luke 4:1-13

Temptation exists everywhere we turn. There is not a day that goes by that we are not tempted by something or someone. Sometimes it is the same temptation offered to us over and over again, and sometimes we are tempted by many different things. Inside each of us we have a selfish person that wants to do whatever we want whenever we want. Inside each of us is the Spirit of God that whispers of things more grand than what we temporarily desire. Having both inside of ourselves creates confusion and confliction.

We are essentially good people. We want to help others and be good examples to our children, grandchildren, friends, and community. We desire to follow Christ in all ways and to make a positive difference in the world. It’s one of the reasons we come to church and join the various activities the community offers us. However, there is a kernel of sin that exists in each of us as well. There is a darkness that if we do not keep a tight rein on it, will become a tree of temptations that make being a good person very hard.

Not too long ago, I asked the Confirmation class what makes our God different from every other god that has been worshipped throughout time. One of them said Jesus. Another said and Jesus is God. I asked them why that mattered and they responded, “Because Jesus is God and Jesus is human, he understands how we feel and understands how God feels.” I won’t lie; I got shivers down my spine when I heard that. They understand what is so important about our Christian faith. Jesus is not just the Son of God who has saved us from our sins by offering himself on a cross. Jesus is the Great Mediator. Jesus is the one that understands both sides, the human and the divine, and he helps each side to see what the other is trying to tell them.

What an amazing gift God has given to us. In Luke, Jesus is baptized by John and then immediately goes into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He is not tempted to do bad things; he is tempted to do good things. Have you ever noticed that before? The devil knows that Jesus is a good person and so he cannot tempt him by asking him to do mean things or extremely selfish acts. No, the way that the devil tries to get his hold on Jesus is by tempting him with the very things that Jesus wants most for the world. It is the WAY they would be done that is wrong; it is not the end result that is the sin. It is the means.

Jesus is in the wilderness for forty days without food or water. The devil comes to him at one of his weakest moment as a human being and says, “Since you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus has unspeakable power; he could turn that stone into bread. The unspoken message the devil is trying to get through to Jesus is that if he does this now, then all the stones that litter Israel could be turned into bread to feed the hungry. Jesus has the power to end famine right here and now. “Tap into the power of God and right this wrong that exists; prove you are God’s Son to the world.” whispers the devil.

The second temptation is the devil reminding Jesus of the awful regimes that are in power across the world - the dictators and the fascists that commit horrific atrocities and keep the people from true freedom. The devil tells Jesus that he has the power to give Jesus every kingdom in the world so that he can be their benevolent ruler. Jesus can make happen what he has come to earth to do; to bring peace and justice to the world, and to show everyone God’s love. “Take the easy way, you can avoid the pain and suffering; you can avoid that painful death on the cross if only you do it my way and bow down to me now. Say the word, and the world is yours.” whispers the devil.

The third temptation goes to the very heart of Jesus’ fears as a human, and ours as well. Jesus knows what he is about to sacrifice for the world to bring about God’s plan to save us all. He is offering up everything he has and trusting God with every iota of his being. However, there are always little doubts that creep in. Will God fulfill his promises? ALL of his promises made to Jesus? Will this all be for nothing or will God stand beside him the whole way through this terrible journey? “Throw yourself from the temple and watch the angels come to your aid so that not even your foot will strike a stone.” Will God protect him? Will God stay with him? Will he fall to the ground, broken and dying or will the angels lift him high for all to see that he is truly the Christ? “Test God, make sure God tells you the truth. You are about to sacrifice everything for Him, make sure God is willing to fulfill what He has promised.” whispers the devil.

As you can see, the devil is wily. He knows his audience. He knows that he cannot get Jesus with offering him money and power, but instead, he must look at what Jesus desires most to do – to fulfill God’s plans for the world and to help humanity become one with God. Our temptations are often like this. There is the poor young man who grew up with barely enough food to eat and only hand me down rags to wear. When he is an adult with his own family, he struggles against the temptation to cheat on his taxes and to skim money out of the till so that his children will have a better life than he did. There is the woman who was abused as a child and so as an adult she refuses to love anyone and make a commitment of any sort, often hurting the ones that care about her most. There is the man who feels like his life is out of control at home, and so he turns to his work and volunteer activities to find comfort and stability. He wants to help others and make sense of what has happened to him, but gets so caught up in avoiding what has hurt him that he alienates the very people he’s trying to help.

Your deepest wants and desires, even though they are rooted in good intentions, are often the breeding ground for sin and temptation. Yes, we can all be tempted to eat an extra piece of cake for dessert or to say a cuss word when we’re angry. However, the place where we truly get off track and lose sight of God is often when we allow our best and most noble intentions to be corrupted by the way we try to make them happen.

Jesus wanted everything the devil was tempting him with. He wanted them desperately. But Jesus knew that how we go about things is just as important as achieving them. The only way he could see that what the devil offered was not the right way was because he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The only way for us to make sure we achieve our dreams and desires in the right way is to do it according to God’s will. The only way to know God’s will is to let go of what we think is so important and instead begin praying for God to show us what is really vital to our life.

Jesus fed the hungry throughout his ministry. Jesus healed the sick and maimed and even raised the dead. Jesus changed the governments and kingdoms of the world forever through his death and resurrection. Christianity swept through the early world and the disciples followed Jesus’ example and constantly preached justice and peace as he had done while on earth. Jesus had all of his doubts removed as he continued to follow God’s will and never once did God leave him. He went to the cross, confident in God’s love in the face of the world’s hatred, and triumphed over the devil and all those who had tried to treat him as a mere man instead of God’s Son.

God knows what you desire most. God knows your darkest fears. We cannot hide from the One who created us and breathed life into us. Trust that God has a plan. Trust that even as dark and painful as life can get that this is not the end for you and those you love. There is more to life than pain. There is more to life than these temptations the devil would offer us. Focus on Christ and let your pride, ego, and wants fade away. What Jesus knew and what you will discover too is that when we let go of what we desire most, that is when God steps in to help us. God will not force you to do it Jesus’ way. You have to choose Jesus, and through your choice your temptations will no longer hold any power over you.

Amen.  

Our Calling

Jeremiah 1: 4-10
Luke 4: 21-30

The two texts we read today are about a person’s calling. For Jeremiah, he could not believe that the Lord was calling him to be a prophet and for Jesus, he always knew he had a special destiny to fulfill. Today’s Christians are no different than these two men. We all have a calling by God to fulfill, and some of us have always known what it was while others have trouble believing God would consider them to do anything.

What is a calling by God? How do we recognize when God is speaking to us? How can we answer the call and still have free will? These three questions have been asked by millions of Christians over the years and we each struggle with the answers. The truth is that the answers are not the same for all of us just as each of us may be called by God, but we are not all called for the same purpose.

Jeremiah is what we could call an every person’s prophet. Jeremiah did not think himself worthy. He had real fears and anxiety. Throughout the book of Jeremiah he resists God’s call upon his life and even resents what God has asked of him. That is why we consider Jeremiah an every person’s prophet. We all have experienced doubts and fears, resistance to what we know God wants us to do in our lives because it is hard or overwhelming or we plain just don’t want to do it.

A calling isn’t always as grand and big of a job as what Jeremiah and Jesus were called to do. I am not standing here telling you that every single one of you need to become pastors or lay leaders or evangelists. God calls us to use our strengths and even our weaknesses to witness. That is what a calling is about. We can witness to God’s kindness for the world through the kindness you show a stranger on the street when they drop their suitcase and papers spill everywhere.

We can witness to God’s dedication to the world by making sure to show up to meetings on time and volunteering for tasks that others will not do. We can witness to God’s compassion when you take a moment to visit a sick friend, call a loved one, or when you spend time helping someone on your day off when you’d rather be drinking a beer and watching the Super Bowl game. We witness to God’s love when you help at the local food pantry, attend civic meetings, help out at church functions, visit shut-ins, and go on mission trips that in no way benefit you personally, but instead help others.

All of those things are part of our calling as Christians. Each of us has gifts that we can use to make the world a better place. Sometimes it takes a lot of discerning to figure out where we are best able to help others. Maybe you are the patriarch or matriarch of your family and your calling is to keep that family together despite the family spats and feuds. Maybe your calling is that at work you are the peacekeeper. You are the one that everyone comes to when there is a problem because you think clearly in times of crisis. Maybe your calling is in your ability to make people laugh even when they are on the verge of tears. Maybe your calling is to help your spouse raise responsible children and grandchildren.

Maybe your calling is in the way you weave words and so God has called you to share the stories of faith that are all around us. Maybe your calling is that you can talk anyone into anything, and God has asked you to use that gift to get people to volunteer in various projects. Not everyone is called to be a preacher or evangelist or missionary. Not all of us are called to travel the world, instead most of us are called to stay right here in our little area and make a difference.

And you do make a difference.

In Jeremiah’s case, he was called to be a prophet and to speak out against all the evils committed by his countrymen and women. They were ignoring God’s laws and desecrating the temples with idol worship. Jeremiah was told by God to do some radical things that probably had many calling him a fool, and as much as Jeremiah secretly agreed with all of them, he still did them. Jeremiah may have felt that God should not ask him to do anything because he was far from the perfect prophet, but God knew that had nothing to do with it.

Throughout the Bible, God picks the most unlikely people. He picks an elderly couple like Sarah and Abraham to give birth to a nation of people. He picks a swindler and a liar like Jacob to help carry on the task of creating Israel. He picks a man like Noah who is a drunkard to build an ark to save the whole world. He picks the youngest and weakest boy like David to become the greatest king Israel will ever know. He picks a prostitute named Rahab to help hide Joshua and make it possible for a small group of men to defeat a whole army. Jesus hangs out with prostitutes, lepers, and tax collectors who were all reviled in that time. And yet, each of these unlikely and unsuitable people has a hand in bringing about God’s vision for the world.

Look around this room. Look inside yourself. It is very easy to talk ourselves out of being important. It is very easy to come up with excuses about why we cannot change the world. It is very easy to forget that God does not care about our inadequacies because God knows what each of us is capable of with Jesus by our side. We love to throw around the words, “With God all things are possible”, but we forget the true power in such faith and belief. With God, you can make a difference. With God, you can help change the world or your small portion of it. With God, it does not matter how sinful you were or are, all that matters is your willingness to listen and follow where Jesus is leading you.

Calls from God are scary. Tell someone that God spoke to you and everyone will think you’re crazy. However, not all calls are a voice clearly saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.. I appointed you a prophet to the nations”. Sometimes it is a thought that we cannot get rid of that seems a little bit crazy and irrational. We try to ignore the thought but it seems to be there again and again.

The owls that bring Harry Potter invitations to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are like a call from God. Harry’s less than kind foster parents try as best they can, to destroy the invitations. They even try escaping to a remote cabin on an island. Finally the umpteenth letter arrives personally delivered by an angry giant of a man named Hagrid. God’s call was like this for Jeremiah – it was relentless and inevitable. Here is the secret – we do not choose God, God chooses us.

God has chosen you. You are here for a purpose and if you’re not sure what that is then you need to listen a little harder. God is the voice that does not go away. God is the one that keeps talking and banging His fist against the door of our will until we let down the barriers and accept Him inside. You may be right that you’re not trained for this or you’re not good at working with people or you have no influence in the world, and no one ever listens to you when you speak. Maybe that’s all true. And God won’t lie to you about your qualifications, but always you will be told, “Do not be afraid for I am with you.”

That’s what we need - God by our side in our attempts to do good works. God does not tell us it will be a cakewalk or a party, God merely tells us that we should not cower in fear because Jesus has our back. No matter how far we go from the call of God, no matter how many reasonable excuses we may offer, God is there watching out for us and even giving us the words to say.

No one knows you’re a Christian. Most of us do not wear signs that proclaim it or even a cross that might tell another we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our faith is shown by what we do and what we say. Our call to God is to speak the truth and do good things in our daily life. We are asked to respect every human being, while resisting evil, and bringing about justice to an unjust world. Our calling will never be easy if it is God’s true purpose for us. But your life will never be more satisfying than when you do God’s work and answer Jesus’ call to you.

Amen. 

Choose Wisely

Isaiah 62:1-5
John 2: 1-11

In this passage of John, we have Jesus and his mother at a wedding banquet in Cana of Galilee. It’s a beautiful area full of rolling mountains and limestone buildings everywhere. In those days, weddings were a seven day event that was like one long party for the guests and wedding couple. It was expensive to host so many people for that many days, and the usual custom was to make sure the finest wine and the best food were served the first couple days while everyone was still sober and able to appreciate the finery.

For whatever reason, on the third day of the wedding the wine began to run out. Perhaps it had been a particularly hot summer week and everyone was very thirsty, or perhaps it was a rowdy bunch of people attending this wedding, or perhaps the couple did not have the funds to properly supply the wedding. The writer of John does not explain so we are left to guess the reason the wine began to run out four days too early.

What’s interesting is that it is not the bridegroom or the master of the banquet that notices the lapse; it is Mary, Jesus’ mother who becomes concerned. In her concern she does not turn to those around her to collect money to head out and buy more wine, she turns to her son. Now, some of you out there are mothers and some of you are sons, and we all know that when a mother gets it into her head that her son needs to do something – he had better do it or she will nag him until he does.

Jesus was relaxing at a table, talking to his disciples and other friends when his mother approaches him. You can almost see the determined look on Mary’s face. “They have no more wine” she tells Jesus and he looks up at her, a little confused as to why she is bringing this to his attention. Does his mother want them to go home early since the wine is gone? And so he asks her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not come.”

In the book of John, the writer is very clear that Jesus knows exactly when his hour will come for he repeats it throughout the book. Jesus knows his hour will be the moment he hangs on the cross. His mother, however, has a different idea of what it means for his hour to have come. Mary knows the potential Jesus has to do great things, and she’s not willing to let the wedding couple be embarrassed or this fine party to end just because they were lacking wine. Not when her son, her Jesus had the power to do something about it – whether it was his hour or not.

So after Jesus makes his protest, she merely turns to the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.” Mary didn’t exactly insist that Jesus make something happen. When she tells the servants to do whatever Jesus says, she leaves it up to him to make the choice. Help those who are in need or let it go? He could have sent the servants on their way and they would have obeyed without question. Jesus had a choice to make, forced upon him by his well meaning mother, Jesus could make this his moment to begin his ministry or he could wait for a more convenient time.

Throughout our own lives we are offered choices. Some of them are given to us by our family, our work, and our friends and some are given to us by God. We all know of times when we have wanted nothing more than to sit back and relax when someone offers us a chance to help out.

We must choose between what we would rather do and what we know we should do. There are times when our own desires win rather than the needs of others. The truth is that sometimes our own desires NEED to be considered first so we don’t burn ourselves out in helping other people. But there is another truth, and that is sometimes we are too selfish to help because we are very comfortable where we are at right now in our lives.

Only Jesus knew if it was selfish to not help that couple out. Perhaps Mary was wrong in bringing this matter to his attention because Jesus’ time to perform miracles was not yet here. Only Jesus knew the truth. The same thing goes for all of us. Only we know if when we deny our time and attention to something if it is out of selfishness or because we truly cannot stretch ourselves any thinner. In those moments we are given a choice, to help or not help.

Jesus must have been torn between what he felt was right and what his mother felt about it all. In this moment, Jesus realized that sometimes it’s not about perfect timing. Sometimes it is about doing what is right regardless of anything else. These people needed his help and he gave it. He utters two sentences to the waiting servants.

“Fill the jars with water” and so the servants filled them to the brim. And then, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet”. In those two sentences a miracle occurs. The water becomes wine as the master of the banquet takes a drink, and this is not just any old wine. Jesus gives this couple all he has and it is the finest of wines to end the wedding banquet.

The other thing we are to learn from this text is that when we agree to help, it should not be a half-hearted attempt because we know we should. Jesus gave the best wine to this couple even though he did not consider it his time to do miracles. When we are given choices, we must commit to our choice whole-heartedly otherwise there is no point in saying yes or no at all.

Jesus calls us to give what we can, when we can. Only we know what that means. Sometimes we have to say no because there is nothing left to give, but there are other times when we have to say yes and do it with our whole hearts. Make your choice and be at peace with it.

Amen.

Three Lessons from the Magi

Isaiah 60: 1-6
Matthew: 2: 1-12

The visit of the Magi has always been an exciting mystery for Christians. There are many stories that have been passed down about these men that came visiting from afar, following a star to an unknown destination, only to find a baby in a manger. Matthew is the only book in the bible to mention the wise men, and yet there seems to be so much history to this story. If I asked some of you to tell me the story of the wise men, I’m sure someone would mention that there were three of them, and yet nowhere in Matthew’s account does he say how many men came to see baby Jesus. There could have been two, three, or twenty. What we do know is that three gifts were offered to baby Jesus of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which is perhaps where we got the notion that there were three men. From stories passed down, we were told that these wise men were from the Orient and even a beloved hymn mentions the same thing, however all this passage tells us is that they came from the East.

When we look at this text, if we strip away what tradition and stories passed down tell us, we actually know very little about these visiting magi and their purpose, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have things to teach us. In fact, this passage tells us quite a lot about Jesus and a lot about humanity. Let us begin with the magi. The word magi comes from the Greek word Magoi and translates as wise men so we know that these men have a lot of education. We also know that these men must have been stargazers, studiers of astronomy and astrology for them to notice one star appear out of the thousands they can see in the night sky.

We also know they must have been at least vaguely familiar with Jewish traditions and religion for them to know the appearance of this star coincides with the appearance of the king of the Jews. We also know not only were they NOT Jewish, but they get lost on their way. They see the star appear and contrary to what tradition and our pageants say, they did not follow the star the whole way to Bethlehem. They got lost, and in a manner very untypical of men, they stopped and asked for directions when that happened.

It’s not surprising that they had to stop in Jerusalem to ask King Herod about where to go next. I always imagined that Bethlehem and Jerusalem were very far apart, however when I was there it didn’t take us long at all to get from Bethlehem into Jerusalem for they are only about ten miles apart. So you can imagine it looked like the magi were at their destination when they reached the area the star had appeared because they were in fact very close to it.

This is where it gets interesting. The Magi stop at King Herod’s palace to inquire about where the king of the Jews was to be born. King Herod is disturbed by this news and approaches his chief priests and advisors to ask them where the Messiah was to appear. The Pharisees and the Sadducees get together and then recite from the Old Testament the exact location. The Magi continue on to their destination and we hear nothing more about priests and teachers.

The very people who should have been aware that their Messiah had been born, the very people who should have been on their way to Bethlehem heard the news from nonbelievers. When they heard the news, their reaction was one of disinterest. Nowhere in the bible does it say several chief priests and teachers followed the Magi to also go worship the Christ. No. They gave the information to the Magi and continued about their day like nothing had happened to change everything.

This is an important lesson to all of us when we think we know so much about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It is a reminder that sometimes it takes someone outside of the fold to show us the way. And doesn’t Jesus show us that when he grows up and instead of becoming a priest he looks for the outcasts of society to hang out with. Jesus does not want to be part of the in-crowd. Jesus has no desire for popularity or to listen to what everyone else thinks God is up to. He knew that faith had nothing to do with how much knowledge of God we have, he knew faith was not about how much scripture we can quote or how often we worship in the church. Faith is what we do with our knowledge, how we react after worship and after encountering God’s saving grace. Faith is action. Faith is response. Faith is what the Magi had and what the Pharisees and Sadducees lacked.

That leads us to our second discovery. The Magi believed in a prophesy that wasn’t theirs. They saw the star, they connected the dots, and they believed. Perhaps they didn’t know exactly what they believed, but they had faith enough to begin a long, arduous journey to an unknown land with an unknown ending. They could have got there and been killed. They could have got there and found nothing at all. But the Magi believed and so they acted upon their belief. That is faith.

In contrast we have all the Israeli people who know the scriptures, we have the chief priests and teachers of the law who know it word for word, and no one put it together and once the knowledge was given to them, not a one of them acted upon it. This tells us that Jesus did not come just to save the Jews. This tells us that every person on this planet has a chance to be saved if they are willing to believe. This tells us that we don’t have to know everything about God to be saved. We just have to believe and act upon that belief. The magi had no way to prove if this Messiah could actually bring peace and salvation to the Jewish nation and to their own lands. However, what they knew was that the possibility for redemption existed and that was something that could not be ignored.

The final lesson we can take from these three men is that science and religion can and do mix. If it wasn’t for the science of stargazing, the Magi would never have known to come to Bethlehem. Too many Christians take the bible so literally that they cannot imagine a world that existed longer than 6,000 years despite the scientific proof that it has existed for millions of years. There are people out there that are so against evolution despite the proof it’s real because they think somehow that makes God unreal. Or the idea of the Big Bang as how the universe began.

What we must understand is that the bible was never written to be a historical document. It was never meant to show us exactly how long God took to create the world and who are we to say what a day is to God? It took God six days to create the earth and on the seventh he rested. Great. But how do we know that for God a day is not a million years? God exists outside of time and space because there was never a time when God didn’t exist. But when we get so literal with the Bible we limit our ability to understand the world and God. How do we know that the spark that began the Big Bang was not God? What if God created us to evolve so that we would always be improving ourselves which is what God wants us to do spiritually, so why not physically too? When we put limits on God, we put limits on our ability to understand God.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees fell victim to that same trap. They thought they knew everything there was to know about God and the Messiah. They thought they had it all figured out, up until the moment Jesus appeared three days after they crucified him. Thankfully, despite and because of their ignorance, Jesus saved us. But this story is a reminder to us all that we can’t possibly have all the answers. We can’t possibly think that we know God’s mind. And it also tells us that we should never lose sight of the fact that Jesus works from the outside in and the very people we think are least knowledgeable about God may be the very ones who have the faith to act on what Jesus wants us to do.

Amen. 

The Community of Believers: Mary & Elizabeth's Story

Micah 5: 2-5a
Luke 1: 39-55

Let’s tell a story about two women both pregnant, both scared and unsure of their future. They are separated by a long distance, it’s a hard journey. It’s a hard journey whether you are man or a woman, but for a pregnant woman the journey becomes that much harder.

Both have been put into a situation beyond their control and both have been given orders by a higher power. Unsure of what’s going to happen in their futures, they feel that baby inside of them and know that their destiny will always be linked to that little tiny person.

The thoughts that must have ran through their heads; Elizabeth with her husband Zechariah who couldn't speak because he refused to heed the power of the Lord. She would go about her busy days, washing and cleaning, sweeping the floor while her husband sat in silence. Did she talk? Just to hear her own voice, to hear a human voice, since her husband could not participate in the conversation. Or did she sit there quietly while she did her chores, to allow the silence to invade every nook and cranny of that space?  Was it a heavy silence or was it calm and peaceful, almost holy and sacred?

How did Zechariah feel - this old man, this stubborn old man watching the baby continue to grow inside of Elizabeth?  Knowing no matter what he did or thought he was not going to be able to speak to her because of his lack of faith and trust.

Months pass, the baby continues to grow. And all of a sudden, one day, in comes Mary. Now Mary’s story is about a young girl, we know she is probably a teenager; a young teenager. We’re not sure about Joseph. He could have been a young man or he could have been older too. Both have been suggested. But Mary, pregnant and having never had sex – that would baffle people today, let alone people back then.

Did she wonder if it was really God? Was an angel really speaking to HER? Little old Mary from a tiny village. She was no one. She was just a young girl, getting ready for her wedding day when the angel came to her. The confusion and the bafflement she had to have felt. But she managed to answer the angel and say, “yes I will do this”.

Although even as she says yes, at the same time how her head must have swirled with thoughts. How her heart must have raced with fear and pure adrenaline that something so magnificent, so monumental and scary had been thrust upon her without her consent. No one asked Mary if this is what she wanted to do. They told her after the fact.

Pregnancy back then was never as joyful as it is today, because the chance of you surviving birth wasn't always that good, and the chance of your baby surviving was even less so. If you managed to give birth to that baby, more often than not they died in their first year, and if not the first year then the first five when the children are the most vulnerable.

And here is the angel of the Lord, coming to Mary and saying, “You have been blessed.” Maybe I’m a cynic but I think in my head, I would have been thinking, “That’s not a blessing. That’s a burden. You have just given me the task of giving birth to the world’s savior. You have just told me that the world’s fate rests on whether I can give birth to a healthy baby and keep him alive.” But she managed to answer the angel and said she would do it.

However, when the angel disappeared and she had to go tell Joseph that she was pregnant, yet never had sex, and that somehow it was magically the savior, the Messiah they had all been waiting for – I’m sure she was terrified. I’m sure she had doubts about her own sanity. So what did she do? What did Mary decide to do?

She got ready, she hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea and entered Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home. Why did she do that? What was the purpose of going to Elizabeth? Elizabeth even asks that, “Why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” it was simple really. Mary was scared and she was pregnant and probably felt very alone.

Elizabeth was pregnant and might as well have been alone because Zechariah could not speak and their family was not supporting them. So Mary sought out the one person who might know exactly how she felt. Mary needed someone who knew what she was going though. She needed community. It is one of the reasons that we come to church.

We need community. We need people to share our common lot with. We need people who will understand when we say, “I believe in Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I believe in the Holy Spirit who resides in my heart. I believe in God the Father who sent his only Son so that I could be saved”. We need a place, a holy space where we can go and talk and commiserate with each other. Listen to each other’s burdens and woes, embrace each other and share in the joys that we have in our lives. The blessings we have received. So we might have a moment of hope, to know that as bad as things sometimes get, as scary as they were for both Mary and Elizabeth, there is joy and peace to be found.

When Mary sought out Elizabeth, the two together found faith and joy, they provided comfort for each other. Elizabeth as she turns to Mary’s greeting, suddenly the baby leaps in her womb. I've never been pregnant, but I've watched very pregnant ladies, and when the baby suddenly kicks, you can see it happen. With my sister Allicia, she had twins, and you could see a hand pushing on one side and a foot on the other and you knew it was both of them moving around; perhaps having a little baby fight or something in there.

Those of you that have been pregnant or witnessed such things can imagine the baby leaping in Elizabeth’s womb as she was filled with the Holy Spirit. What is that Scripture we say so often, “Where two or three gather in God’s name, His Spirit resides”. And Elizabeth in a loud voice exclaims, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you bear”, which is an instant source of comfort for Mary who sought out Elizabeth because she was terrified. She needed the reassurance that this was not all in her mind, that this was not a burden, this was a blessing. She needed to know the little baby inside of her would survive and would save the world, and she was going to have a beautiful part in that.

Never in the story does it say it will be easy, but now because she has sought out Elizabeth, she knows she can do it. There are people there rooting for her, the Holy Spirit will be with her, and she is blessed.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her”. That is what Elizabeth tells Mary. “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfilled his promise to her”. And just with those few words Mary’s terror and fear changed to joy and she began her song.

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my soul rejoices in God my savior. Where he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant”.  Now, now Mary understands all will be well. Because she has sought out one that understands her pain, understands her terror of this not being a blessing, but a burden. Instead, she realizes with Elizabeth’s words of reassurance and comfort that she can do this. That God has made her a blessed person and generations of people will hail her name because she was willing to set aside the shame, the fear, the pain of years of uncertainty as she raises this child. She was willing to put all of this aside to rejoice in the Lord and to accept what had been thrust upon her.

This is what God offers to us as we come to church, and as we prepare ourselves for the coming of our lord and savior. We can put the fears away. We can put the pain away for a moment. The burdens, the responsibilities, the hurts inflicted by people knowingly and unknowingly will all be set aside for a moment. We can put it all away so we may embrace our future, together in community, sharing God’s love, sharing God’s commitment to us. Rejoicing in the promises made that will NOT be broken. But we need that reassurance. We need that time to reflect which is what Advent gives to us.

Tomorrow as we come together and read the story of our Savior’s birth, and sing the songs that magnify our souls and help us to rejoice, we will do so knowing that in the last four weeks we have taken a moment to commiserate with those that came before us. We have taken a moment to understand what it means to be faithful followers, and to know that God will never leave us alone. He will never leave us nor forsake us for he has sent his son to be with us, and we shall call him Emmanuel – God with us.

Amen. 

The Pinch of Salt

Isaiah 12: 2-6
Luke 3:7-18

Did you know to make a dessert sweeter, a pinch of salt is often added? If you want to bring out the full flavor of fruit, a squeeze of lemon works wonders. Did you know the quilts the Amish painstakingly make always have a flaw in them? Today we read the rest of Luke 3 and John the Baptist’s revelations about the Messiah. In it, we receive the pinch of salt, the squeeze of lemon, the flaw in the quilt that reminds us that good news often needs a dose of reality to make it truly good.

John the Baptist is one of my favorite people in the bible because he does not mess around. He cuts straight to the point, gets to the reality of the situation quicker than any prophet does previously. Even Jesus will often skate around the point he’s trying to lead the people to by offering them questions and parables. Jesus does this because it is more beneficial for a person to discover the truth with their own minds than to be told the truth. But John, well he is all about cutting to the heart of the matter and telling everyone exactly the way it will be. I can appreciate that because I have a similar philosophy.

John the Baptist is out in the wilderness preaching the coming of the Messiah. He is preaching the good news! He is giving every Jew the news that for thousands of years they have been anticipating. The news spread like wildfire. Everyone was coming out to see the crazy Baptist man in the wilderness who was yelling about the coming Messiah. People were shouting for joy, preparing their children, praying to God, offering sacrifices in the temple.

Have any of you watched or been to Times Square on New Year’s Eve? I have a cousin who went and when she came back she told me the energy in the air is electric. She said the anticipation and party atmosphere soaks into your bones and you find yourself unable to feel the cold because you’re warm from the inside out. You smile because others are smiling, you laugh at jokes that aren’t normally that funny. She said if she could go every year she would because the feel good camaraderie makes the rest of the year seem more hopeful and happy.

This is how I imagine the crowds felt as they listened to John speak. People were smiling, clapping, laughing. They were bringing their friends and neighbors and children out into the wilderness to hear this news that made them warm from the inside out. But all of a sudden, John shouts, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

It had to have felt like a bucket of cold water dropped on all of their heads. The instant silence, the awkward glances exchanged among the crowd of people as they listen to him go from glowing terms of the Messiah’s coming to their own wickedness. The shifting of feet, the almost silent muttering as people listened to him and realized their own sinfulness. The joy became shame as they realized they are not ready for the Messiah to come. John the Baptist was serious when he said the people needed to prepare the way for the Lord.

They needed to prepare the way for the Lord to enter their hearts by accepting their utter unworthiness to receive him. This is the dose of reality that keeps the Gospel from being a fairytale. Yes, Jesus is coming to save the world. Yes, Jesus will love all people. Yes, Jesus will forgive you for the wrongs you have committed. Yes, you will be given eternal salvation and go to heaven. BUT. First, before any of that can happen, we must clear our hearts and minds of wickedness. We must ask God to forgive us for the pain we have caused in the world. We must ask God to help us become better people. We must ask God to send his Spirit deep into our hearts and reveal to us our own sinfulness so we can let go of that darkness to embrace the light of Jesus Christ.

If we do not, John the Baptist tells us what will happen. “and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” You’d think some people would be turned off by this harsh speaking, this utter honesty coming from John’s lips. However, the people’s response, from young to old, from innocent babe to hardened soldier was, “What can we do then?”

We need both the Good News and the consequences of what happens when we ignore the Good News. We need that little dose of bitterness to make the rest of it sweeter. In the movie, “A Walk to Remember” Mandy Moore says to her bitter boyfriend, “Suffering makes the world a more compassionate place.” At the time he responds, “tell that to those who suffer” and he doesn’t find out until the end of the movie that Mandy is one of the people that is suffering. However, she knew that the truth depth of meaning and feeling is found when we experience both sides of the coin. We need both pain and happiness to be able to truly understand both emotions.

We need to know that we are sinful, and we need to know how deeply our sins have invaded into our core selves so that we can truly appreciate the joy of being forgiven. John the Baptist understood humanity better than many of us do. He understood that humanity needs the pain of rejection we could experience to understand the happiness in complete acceptance that Jesus offers us. We need to know the pain we have caused so we can make amends equal to the hurt we inflicted.

Think about it this way. When do we appreciate life the most? Isn’t it right after experiencing loss or the fear of losing a loved one or our own life? Advent is the time we take to sweep away the darkness in our souls so that when that little baby Jesus, our Lord and Savior, comes into our lives, we can appreciate and understand the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus makes us good. Jesus makes us better. Jesus makes us whole.

And the only way to truly grasp what it means to be made whole is when we look at the fragmented mess our souls are in without Jesus to hold us together.

Amen.

True Meaning of CHRISTmas

Malachi 3: 1-4
Luke 3:1-6

Resistance. This time of year invokes resistance in many of us because our expectations of Christmas and the New Year have become separated from the expectation God has for us during this time. The demands we have placed on ourselves have created a tension within us because we want things to go smoothly during our parties and we want our decorations to be perfect and we hope to find just the right gifts to give our loved ones. However, God has already picked out the perfect decorations and has sent us all the most perfect of gifts. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are not supposed to be spent frantically. God asks us to take this time to prepare for the gift he has given us.

Advent is a special time and it is not because of the trees or the wreaths or the candles. Advent is where we take four weeks to prepare the way for the Lord. John the Baptist spoke about making the way straight for the Lord so all people will see God’s salvation. This was a striking image in a country full of sand dunes, mountains, and rocky paths that made traveling difficult. How do we prepare for the coming of our Lord? How can we make the path straight for others as well as ourselves?

John the Baptist gives us the first clue. After he receives his message in the wilderness, every person he finds he tells them about the one who is coming, the Messiah. Then when they believe his message, he baptizes them so they may repent of their sins. Does this mean that we should run around for the next several weeks shouting about our coming Messiah and everyone that shows interest we should baptize?

No, your job for the next several weeks is to take stock of your life. Each day, take a moment to quietly assess where you are in your spiritual journey. What have you left undone? Each day, pray for forgiveness for whatever wrongs you have committed. Take time to be with your family, or if they live far away, speak with them on the phone or write them a card. Each day, say a prayer and find a place to quietly think about the gift God is sending to you. As much as many of us enjoy the parties and the gifts and the rich food, Advent and Christmas have nothing to do with any of those things. Perhaps that is why the holidays are not always a happy time for people. The pressure to succeed and to do things right is enormous. The financial toll this season takes because of the social expectations is substantial. The strain it puts on personal and professional relationships is not insignificant either.

A couple weeks ago a channel was airing a Charlie Brown Christmas and Charlie has been tasked to find the perfect tree for their Christmas play. Well, Charlie finds a real tree, which is tiny and who’s needles fall everywhere, it’s a rather pathetic little tree. All the children make fun of him because Charlie didn’t pick out one of the bright, shiny metal trees that had become so popular.

Suddenly fed up Charlie Brown yells out, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!” Linus replies, “Of course Charlie Brown. The true meaning of Christmas is, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field and keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shown around about them. They were so afraid and the angel of the Lord said, Fear not for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy and it shall be to all people. For unto you this day born in the city of David is a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”

Many people have become upset with the word Christmas not being used to describe the trees or the wreaths or the lights that we have at this time of year. Many emails and buttons and signs go up that say, “Keep CHRIST in Christmas”. I love that idea. Keep Christ in Christmas. It is what we are celebrating for and it is what we are supposed to be preparing for right now. But I challenge the idea that the trees, or the lights, or the wreaths are Christmas-y. Where are they in the story? When did Christmas become the things we hang on our walls or the music we sing as we decorate? When did Christmas become the many gifts under the tree or the eggnog we drink at the parties? When did Christmas become the wrapping paper and the tinsel?

Jesus is Christmas. Jesus is the gift. Jesus is the light that shines brighter than any we could decorate with. Jesus is the one who died on a tree for us. Jesus is the one who wore the crown of thorns on his head in a mockery of his birth status. We get all caught up in the word, and not caught up enough in the meaning behind the word.

It’s okay if others call it a holiday and we call it Christmas. Christ doesn’t disappear just because the word isn’t used. Jesus will still be a gift for all who are willing to accept him as Lord and Savior. Our job, during this Advent season, is to be willing to share that good news to anyone who wants to listen and then invite them to become your brother or sister in Christ. This holiday versus Christmas debate was won 2000 years ago and no matter what we call it, the meaning stays the same. Fear not, they cannot take Jesus from us.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field.. and an angel of the Lord appeared before them and said, “Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy for unto you this day born in the city of David is a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”

Amen.