We saw the Tom Hanks movie, "Big", the other day. The scene in the toy store where they are playing "Chopsticks" on the big keyboard is one of the best movie moments ever. No one gets hurt, no one is degraded, it's just good all-around fun.
I hope I never grow out of that.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
One Week Later
Wow, I've been away from this blog for a whole week. I'm almost one year into this experiment, and it's been more than I hoped for in most ways.
Glad to be back.
Yep, Christmas with both parents was a little weird, but at least there was Jamie. She can say, "Aunt Anne" now, and knows that that's me!
Glad to be back.
Yep, Christmas with both parents was a little weird, but at least there was Jamie. She can say, "Aunt Anne" now, and knows that that's me!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Why would this be weird?
My dad's coming to my mom's house for Christmas.
Ordinary parents do this all the time; of course, they tend to be married. To one another.
My parents have been divorced for 30 years.
My mother has not always been kind and gracious, particularly to my step-mothers (there have been 2; Bobbi died in September. She and Dad had been married almost 17 years).
She called to talk to me about when everyone will be arriving at her house on Tuesday, and seemed shocked that I suggested that Dad might not come until at least one of his children had arrived. "Why would you think that?" she said.
Gee. I don't know.
(what's the emoticon for sarcasm?)
It promises to be a good time, except for the occasional weird moment. Jamie the Exceptional will be there, and she'll be the belle of the day. So we'll just see...
Ordinary parents do this all the time; of course, they tend to be married. To one another.
My parents have been divorced for 30 years.
My mother has not always been kind and gracious, particularly to my step-mothers (there have been 2; Bobbi died in September. She and Dad had been married almost 17 years).
She called to talk to me about when everyone will be arriving at her house on Tuesday, and seemed shocked that I suggested that Dad might not come until at least one of his children had arrived. "Why would you think that?" she said.
Gee. I don't know.
(what's the emoticon for sarcasm?)
It promises to be a good time, except for the occasional weird moment. Jamie the Exceptional will be there, and she'll be the belle of the day. So we'll just see...
Friday, December 21, 2007
An Almost Christmas Friday Five
Rev HRod says:
I have debated with myself for weeks about today's Friday Five.
Self 1: It should be deep and theological.
Self 2: But it's almost Christmas, it should be fun and warm and sweet.
Self 1: But your last Friday Five was sort of silly. You should show your more serious side.
Self 2: You worry WAY too much!
So after consulting with my fourteen year old daughter, we're going playful, pals o' mine! I love stories, so I hope you'll tell some about your favorite Christmas memories.
What was one of your favorite childhood gifts that you gave?
What is one of your favorite Christmas recipes? Bonus points if you share the recipe with us.
What is a tradition that your family can't do without? (And by family, I mean family of origin, family of adulthood, or that bunch of cool people that just feel like family.)
Pastors and other church folk often have very strange traditions dictated by the "work" of the holidays. What happens at your place?
If you could just ditch all the traditions and do something unexpected... what would it be?
I have debated with myself for weeks about today's Friday Five.
Self 1: It should be deep and theological.
Self 2: But it's almost Christmas, it should be fun and warm and sweet.
Self 1: But your last Friday Five was sort of silly. You should show your more serious side.
Self 2: You worry WAY too much!
So after consulting with my fourteen year old daughter, we're going playful, pals o' mine! I love stories, so I hope you'll tell some about your favorite Christmas memories.
What was one of your favorite childhood gifts that you gave?
Gee, I dunno...that was a long time ago! But this year we've taken a child's table and chairs that were Ben's when he was a child, painted them (apple green with blue and purple polka dots!), and are passing them on to Jamie the Exceptional One.
What is one of your favorite Christmas recipes? Bonus points if you share the recipe with us.
Hmmm...this is like giving away a family secret. But here goes. Ben's favorite meal is my cranberry glazed pork loin roast with macaroni and cheese (also homemade, thank you very much) and green beans. So here's a two-fer:
Cranberry Glazed Pork Roast
Melt one can of jellied cranberry sauce (no berries) in a small saucepan with about 1/2 cup orange juice. Bring to a boil and cook for one minute. Remove from heat.
Salt and pepper both sides of a 3-3 1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast and place in roasting pan. Spoon cranberry glaze over roast, and cook uncovered in 350 F oven until internal temperature reaches about 160-165 F. Remove from oven and allow to rest. Top with more cranberry glaze. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.
Macaroni and Cheese
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
2-1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp Margarine or butter
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded American or Cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz. Mueller's Elbows (about 2 cups), cooked 5 minutes and drained
Preparation
In medium saucepan combine corn starch, salt, dry mustard and pepper; stir in milk.
Add margarine. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Stir in 1-3/4 cups (425 ml) cheese until melted. Add elbows. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with reserved cheese.
Bake uncovered in 375 degree (200 C.) oven 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
What is a tradition that your family can't do without? (And by family, I mean family of origin, family of adulthood, or that bunch of cool people that just feel like family.)
Being together. As long as I can remember, I've been able to have Christmas with my mother, my sister, and often my dad (the 'rents have been divorced for 30 years...I don't always see him Christmas Day, but usually I do). This year, there will be Mom and Dad, Sister and brother-in-law, me and Ben...and Jamie! It can't get any better!
Pastors and other church folk often have very strange traditions dictated by the "work" of the holidays. What happens at your place?
Not much. Because we're both clergy, we're often juggling ridiculous numbers of services. Case in point: last year, between the two of us, there were 9. When we can, we try to take part in one service together. This year, that will be 11pm candlelight worship at his place.
If you could just ditch all the traditions and do something unexpected... what would it be?
Rent a house in the mountains. No gifts, except for Jamie. Just us, and some great movies, a hot tub, maybe skiing for the intrepid, building a snow person, popcorn and hot cocoa and pork roast. Mmmm.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
A last minute Magnificat sermon
My senior pastor's got some pretty serious sickness in his family, and so last night I decided to write a sermon for today, just in case. It was technically his turn to preach all 3 services, but the situation is so tenuous that we decided I'd better be prepared to preach any or all of the services. He preached the two morning services, and I preached the following in the contemporary service. Be aware this is an unedited rough draft from late Saturday night.
Text: Luke 1:39-55
Title: Rejoice? For What?
You know, sometimes I wonder what Mary’s family must have thought about this pregnancy of hers. Would her father have wanted the wedding to take place right away? Were all her relatives out to get Joseph, thinking he was the father? Were they disappointed in her for failing to honor her betrothal and not staying chaste until her wedding night? How hard was it for them to believe that the Holy Spirit had overshadowed this ordinary young woman, and made her mother to the Messiah?
She was just a girl. Young, perhaps a little silly…or maybe she was the somber type. Who knows? We know very little about who she was, and would have known nothing at all had it not been for an extraordinary intervention in her life. Mary is mostly a mystery to us.
What we know is this: many hundreds of years ago, Mary was forced to go to her fiancé with a confession: she was pregnant. Joseph knew the child wasn’t his, and would have been well within his rights to not only ruin her reputation in town, but also to censure upon her family. Instead, he chose to stay with her, to live out her pregnancy and then begin their lives as a married couple. There must have been something special about Mary that she inspired this extraordinary loyalty and kindness from Joseph. Of course, history has proven him to be extraordinary as well.
The pregnant Mary went to visit with her older cousin Elizabeth, who herself is pregnant, a miracle in itself. Elizabeth and Zechariah have been the only people in the world at the time who could understand what Mary was going through: while their child may have been conceived in the ordinary fashion, it took divine intervention for this couple, long past the age of child-bearing, to get their long-awaited son. An angelic messenger gave them the good news…so perhaps Mary thought that Elizabeth would be able to hear her own story.
Before Elizabeth and Mary could sit down for a good talk over a cup of tea, something strange happened: the child in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy in recognition of Mary’s unborn child. This is part of last week’s story o f John the Baptizer…but it’s Mary’s story as well.
Whatever else she might have been, Mary turned out to be a remarkable person. An unwed mother. Joseph’s fiancée, wife, and the mother of his children. The Orthodox Church calls her Theotokos: God-bearer. The mother of the Savior. In today’s passage, Mary proved herself to be quite an exceptional individual: a prophet in her own right, one favored by God, a woman unafraid to testify about the goodness of God, one with the words of explain why, in the face of her unorthodox circumstances, she should find the words to rejoice. And what words she finds:
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Rejoice should be our word for today. I have a friend who is fond of selecting a word for each sermon, and asking his congregation to respond with “Amen” each time he uses that word. I think that way he can be sure that no one falls asleep. I’m going to give you a pass on that, but I do think it is important for us to think carefully about the meaning of this special work.
To rejoice is to celebrate, to take joy in, to find one’s heart uplifted by that in which we rejoice. We can all find a reason to rejoice in the Christmas season and the promised return of Jesus. The birth of a baby is generally an occasion for rejoicing in the family. Weddings, graduations, promotions, all great occasions for rejoicing. Mary, once her family and Joseph had accepted her pregnancy, had plenty of reason to rejoice in the new life she was carrying, and in the potential this son of God’s and Mary’s had to change the world. Even before she had a chance to share her rejoicing with Elizabeth, John was doing it for the two of them. Happy news: the savior was soon to arrive!
The Bible tells us to rejoice continually, and in all circumstances…in the words of Paul, “again I say, rejoice!” But what, I wonder, are we to make of the days when it’s not so easy to rejoice? When Joseph first heard the news of Mary’s pregnancy, was he able to rejoice? When Mary’s parents heard of her pregnancy and feared for their contract with Joseph, did they rejoice? When the neighbors began to ask questions, seeing Mary’s swelling belly and knowing that the wedding had not yet taken place, was there room for rejoicing? When her father went to the market to work and found a neighbor there, collecting taxes to feed the Roman oppressors, was there rejoicing there? It becomes a very difficult word, something very hard to do, this rejoicing.
Think about your own lives, your own families. Where is it easy to rejoice? Where do you find the rejoicing hard? I’m going home this Christmas to spend time with my father, who is mourning the death of his wife this year. He’s having a hard time thinking of a reason to rejoice this year; in fact, he’s told me a couple of times he wishes he could just skip Christmas this year. Are you dreading travel? Fearing the arrival of the post-Christmas credit card bills? Anxious about having anything to put under the tree? Sleepless over a friend or family member overseas? We find ourselves living our faith in a most practical way when we are able to rejoice, to find joy, celebrate and find our spirits uplifted in the midst of the circumstances that most seem to defy rejoicing.
Mary’s song of praise in today’s lesson is called the “Magnificat,” after the first line: My soul magnifies the Lord. She speaks of what God has done for her in choosing her to be Jesus’ mother. She proclaims herself to be his “lowly servant,” and certainly we know of nothing special about her before the angel’s visit. She rejoices in God’s favor, and declares that “all generations shall call [her] blessed,” not a very modest thought, to be sure, but she has very little reason to be modest at this point. She has plenty of reason for rejoicing, for not only has an angel delivered to her the good news that she would bear God’s own Son, but she knows that God’s Son, the Messiah, will come and change the world.
Mary goes on in this praise hymn to prophesy about what God will do in this Savior that is coming, and we have to have a little grammar lesson before we go forward. The Greek verbs used here are translated using the past tense, but have instead the sense that these are things God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in Jesus: turn the world upside down, giving privilege to the deprived and depriving the privileged, care for those in need, and continue to show God’s favor to Israel, as God has promised.
This praise of Mary’s, this rejoicing, flies in the face of the circumstances around her. One wonders if her neighbors talked, because everyone knew there had not yet been any wedding festivities. They might have been muttering about town about that flighty young girl, and the way she and Joseph have gotten a little ahead of themselves. Life was not easy, and perhaps she worried about the Romans and the crucifixions she had heard about. Maybe her family had problems with money, or another child in trouble. There could have been sickness in the family. There certainly was a degree of political unrest and a sense of a fragile peace, bought mostly by the Jews as victims of Rome.
Mary’s rejoicing defies logic. To quote that venerable old gentleman, Ebenezer Scrooge, John’s stirring in Elizabeth’s womb might have been nothing more than indigestion: a crumb of cheese, a spot of mustard, a bit of underdone potato. Elizabeth herself might well have wondered how a child would change her life, and Zechariah’s, coming so long after they’d given up hope. Zechariah’s service at the Temple contradicted the Roman emperor’s desire to be worshiped as a god…their position in the community might be considered tenuous.
But our rejoicing is at its best when it defies logic, when, like our faith, it states a conviction in that which we can’t see, can’t prove, but know to be true. And so Mary rejoices: the Lord has always looked after his people, still does, and always will. Despite Exodus and Exile, enslavement and poverty, flood and famine, despotic rulers and human greed, God has always loved God’s people, and always sought their good.
Even today, with back to back to back storms of snow and ice, God has, does, and will love his people and seek their good. Despite wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite unrest in Pakistan and Palestine, God has, does, and will love his people and seek their good. Despite sickness and death, despite debt and fear, despite school and work and Christmas shopping and all the other events that cause our stress levels and blood pressure to rise, God has, does, and will love his people and seek their good. Are you sensing a trend yet?
This is our reason to rejoice, to celebrate, to lift up our hearts: because our God always has loved us and sought our good. God always does love us and seek our good. God always will love us and seek our good. It’s that simple. In Advent, as we celebrate the light of Christ that breaks into the world’s darkness, we light candles to remind us of Jesus, the Light of the World. The first candle was for peace, the second for hope, and today’s candle is something special: the pink candle, for joy. And why should we not feel joy? In the midst of our darkness, be it the dark of 4 am when we really should be sleeping, the never-quite-dark-enough of a hospital room as we keep vigil, or the dark storm clouds overhead, God loves us…forever. And so even in the midst of our darkness, even in the strangest and most painful and least comprehensible moments of our lives, God is there, loving us.
This is what Mary knew: her world was no place to be an unwed mother. It was no place to be a pregnant teenager. It was no place to be a follower of any God besides the Roman Emperor. It was no place to do anything but keep your head down and try to be as inoffensive as possible. It was certainly no place to stand out. But Mary had no choice: into the darkness of an occupied Israel, into the darkness brought about by centuries of oppression by one nation after another, into the darkness of human lives that couldn’t find a way to reach God, God found a way to reach us.
In the form of an angel, God sent good news. In the pregnancy of an unwed teenager, God sent good news. In the form of an infant named Jesus, God sent good news. And the news is this: Rejoice. Rejoice continually, and in all things because God always has, always does, and always will love his people. In the darkness, there is God’s love. In our aloneness, Christ is always with us. In our pain and suffering, in our doubt and confusion, in our mourning and loss, God is always reaching out to us—there is always room for rejoicing.
Many hundreds of years ago, God spoke hope into the world. God broadened the boundaries of his people and welcomed everyone in. God sent God’s Son, Jesus Christ, to be the good news that would help us to rejoice always, and to share with us the holy mystery of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. He’s come once, and he is coming again. So let us truly rejoice!
Text: Luke 1:39-55
Title: Rejoice? For What?
You know, sometimes I wonder what Mary’s family must have thought about this pregnancy of hers. Would her father have wanted the wedding to take place right away? Were all her relatives out to get Joseph, thinking he was the father? Were they disappointed in her for failing to honor her betrothal and not staying chaste until her wedding night? How hard was it for them to believe that the Holy Spirit had overshadowed this ordinary young woman, and made her mother to the Messiah?
She was just a girl. Young, perhaps a little silly…or maybe she was the somber type. Who knows? We know very little about who she was, and would have known nothing at all had it not been for an extraordinary intervention in her life. Mary is mostly a mystery to us.
What we know is this: many hundreds of years ago, Mary was forced to go to her fiancé with a confession: she was pregnant. Joseph knew the child wasn’t his, and would have been well within his rights to not only ruin her reputation in town, but also to censure upon her family. Instead, he chose to stay with her, to live out her pregnancy and then begin their lives as a married couple. There must have been something special about Mary that she inspired this extraordinary loyalty and kindness from Joseph. Of course, history has proven him to be extraordinary as well.
The pregnant Mary went to visit with her older cousin Elizabeth, who herself is pregnant, a miracle in itself. Elizabeth and Zechariah have been the only people in the world at the time who could understand what Mary was going through: while their child may have been conceived in the ordinary fashion, it took divine intervention for this couple, long past the age of child-bearing, to get their long-awaited son. An angelic messenger gave them the good news…so perhaps Mary thought that Elizabeth would be able to hear her own story.
Before Elizabeth and Mary could sit down for a good talk over a cup of tea, something strange happened: the child in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy in recognition of Mary’s unborn child. This is part of last week’s story o f John the Baptizer…but it’s Mary’s story as well.
Whatever else she might have been, Mary turned out to be a remarkable person. An unwed mother. Joseph’s fiancée, wife, and the mother of his children. The Orthodox Church calls her Theotokos: God-bearer. The mother of the Savior. In today’s passage, Mary proved herself to be quite an exceptional individual: a prophet in her own right, one favored by God, a woman unafraid to testify about the goodness of God, one with the words of explain why, in the face of her unorthodox circumstances, she should find the words to rejoice. And what words she finds:
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Rejoice should be our word for today. I have a friend who is fond of selecting a word for each sermon, and asking his congregation to respond with “Amen” each time he uses that word. I think that way he can be sure that no one falls asleep. I’m going to give you a pass on that, but I do think it is important for us to think carefully about the meaning of this special work.
To rejoice is to celebrate, to take joy in, to find one’s heart uplifted by that in which we rejoice. We can all find a reason to rejoice in the Christmas season and the promised return of Jesus. The birth of a baby is generally an occasion for rejoicing in the family. Weddings, graduations, promotions, all great occasions for rejoicing. Mary, once her family and Joseph had accepted her pregnancy, had plenty of reason to rejoice in the new life she was carrying, and in the potential this son of God’s and Mary’s had to change the world. Even before she had a chance to share her rejoicing with Elizabeth, John was doing it for the two of them. Happy news: the savior was soon to arrive!
The Bible tells us to rejoice continually, and in all circumstances…in the words of Paul, “again I say, rejoice!” But what, I wonder, are we to make of the days when it’s not so easy to rejoice? When Joseph first heard the news of Mary’s pregnancy, was he able to rejoice? When Mary’s parents heard of her pregnancy and feared for their contract with Joseph, did they rejoice? When the neighbors began to ask questions, seeing Mary’s swelling belly and knowing that the wedding had not yet taken place, was there room for rejoicing? When her father went to the market to work and found a neighbor there, collecting taxes to feed the Roman oppressors, was there rejoicing there? It becomes a very difficult word, something very hard to do, this rejoicing.
Think about your own lives, your own families. Where is it easy to rejoice? Where do you find the rejoicing hard? I’m going home this Christmas to spend time with my father, who is mourning the death of his wife this year. He’s having a hard time thinking of a reason to rejoice this year; in fact, he’s told me a couple of times he wishes he could just skip Christmas this year. Are you dreading travel? Fearing the arrival of the post-Christmas credit card bills? Anxious about having anything to put under the tree? Sleepless over a friend or family member overseas? We find ourselves living our faith in a most practical way when we are able to rejoice, to find joy, celebrate and find our spirits uplifted in the midst of the circumstances that most seem to defy rejoicing.
Mary’s song of praise in today’s lesson is called the “Magnificat,” after the first line: My soul magnifies the Lord. She speaks of what God has done for her in choosing her to be Jesus’ mother. She proclaims herself to be his “lowly servant,” and certainly we know of nothing special about her before the angel’s visit. She rejoices in God’s favor, and declares that “all generations shall call [her] blessed,” not a very modest thought, to be sure, but she has very little reason to be modest at this point. She has plenty of reason for rejoicing, for not only has an angel delivered to her the good news that she would bear God’s own Son, but she knows that God’s Son, the Messiah, will come and change the world.
Mary goes on in this praise hymn to prophesy about what God will do in this Savior that is coming, and we have to have a little grammar lesson before we go forward. The Greek verbs used here are translated using the past tense, but have instead the sense that these are things God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in Jesus: turn the world upside down, giving privilege to the deprived and depriving the privileged, care for those in need, and continue to show God’s favor to Israel, as God has promised.
This praise of Mary’s, this rejoicing, flies in the face of the circumstances around her. One wonders if her neighbors talked, because everyone knew there had not yet been any wedding festivities. They might have been muttering about town about that flighty young girl, and the way she and Joseph have gotten a little ahead of themselves. Life was not easy, and perhaps she worried about the Romans and the crucifixions she had heard about. Maybe her family had problems with money, or another child in trouble. There could have been sickness in the family. There certainly was a degree of political unrest and a sense of a fragile peace, bought mostly by the Jews as victims of Rome.
Mary’s rejoicing defies logic. To quote that venerable old gentleman, Ebenezer Scrooge, John’s stirring in Elizabeth’s womb might have been nothing more than indigestion: a crumb of cheese, a spot of mustard, a bit of underdone potato. Elizabeth herself might well have wondered how a child would change her life, and Zechariah’s, coming so long after they’d given up hope. Zechariah’s service at the Temple contradicted the Roman emperor’s desire to be worshiped as a god…their position in the community might be considered tenuous.
But our rejoicing is at its best when it defies logic, when, like our faith, it states a conviction in that which we can’t see, can’t prove, but know to be true. And so Mary rejoices: the Lord has always looked after his people, still does, and always will. Despite Exodus and Exile, enslavement and poverty, flood and famine, despotic rulers and human greed, God has always loved God’s people, and always sought their good.
Even today, with back to back to back storms of snow and ice, God has, does, and will love his people and seek their good. Despite wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite unrest in Pakistan and Palestine, God has, does, and will love his people and seek their good. Despite sickness and death, despite debt and fear, despite school and work and Christmas shopping and all the other events that cause our stress levels and blood pressure to rise, God has, does, and will love his people and seek their good. Are you sensing a trend yet?
This is our reason to rejoice, to celebrate, to lift up our hearts: because our God always has loved us and sought our good. God always does love us and seek our good. God always will love us and seek our good. It’s that simple. In Advent, as we celebrate the light of Christ that breaks into the world’s darkness, we light candles to remind us of Jesus, the Light of the World. The first candle was for peace, the second for hope, and today’s candle is something special: the pink candle, for joy. And why should we not feel joy? In the midst of our darkness, be it the dark of 4 am when we really should be sleeping, the never-quite-dark-enough of a hospital room as we keep vigil, or the dark storm clouds overhead, God loves us…forever. And so even in the midst of our darkness, even in the strangest and most painful and least comprehensible moments of our lives, God is there, loving us.
This is what Mary knew: her world was no place to be an unwed mother. It was no place to be a pregnant teenager. It was no place to be a follower of any God besides the Roman Emperor. It was no place to do anything but keep your head down and try to be as inoffensive as possible. It was certainly no place to stand out. But Mary had no choice: into the darkness of an occupied Israel, into the darkness brought about by centuries of oppression by one nation after another, into the darkness of human lives that couldn’t find a way to reach God, God found a way to reach us.
In the form of an angel, God sent good news. In the pregnancy of an unwed teenager, God sent good news. In the form of an infant named Jesus, God sent good news. And the news is this: Rejoice. Rejoice continually, and in all things because God always has, always does, and always will love his people. In the darkness, there is God’s love. In our aloneness, Christ is always with us. In our pain and suffering, in our doubt and confusion, in our mourning and loss, God is always reaching out to us—there is always room for rejoicing.
Many hundreds of years ago, God spoke hope into the world. God broadened the boundaries of his people and welcomed everyone in. God sent God’s Son, Jesus Christ, to be the good news that would help us to rejoice always, and to share with us the holy mystery of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. He’s come once, and he is coming again. So let us truly rejoice!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Friday Five Rejoice! Edition
From Mother Laura:
Can you believe that in two days we'll be halfway through Advent? Gaudete Sunday: pink candle on the advent wreath, rose vestments for those who have them, concerts and pageants in many congregations. Time to rejoice!
Rejoice in the nearness of Christ's coming, yes, but also in the many gifts of the pregnant waiting time when the world (in the northern hemisphere, at least) spins ever deeper into sweet, fertile darkness.
What makes you rejoice about:
1. Waiting?
2. Darkness?
3. Winter?
4. Advent?
5. Jesus' coming?
Can you believe that in two days we'll be halfway through Advent? Gaudete Sunday: pink candle on the advent wreath, rose vestments for those who have them, concerts and pageants in many congregations. Time to rejoice!
Rejoice in the nearness of Christ's coming, yes, but also in the many gifts of the pregnant waiting time when the world (in the northern hemisphere, at least) spins ever deeper into sweet, fertile darkness.
What makes you rejoice about:
1. Waiting?
Knowing it will end...I am not a patient person! But there is a kind of pleasing anticipation to the season that gives us time to reflect both on Christ's coming as an infant, and his coming again. Plue, there's plenty of time to make Christmas cookies!
2. Darkness?
Knowing it will end...I'm sensing a theme here! I have never been one to feel darkness as a safe place. Perhaps what makes me rejoice most in the darkness is the light: ambient light from the stars and streetlights at night, the candles in the sanctuary on Christmas Eve...
3. Winter?
Snow! I love cooler weather. Here on the Crystal Coast, we rarely get snow in any amount, but I love wearing sweaters and blue jeans, curling up in my chair with a book, a blanket, and the dog, flannel sheets on the bed and a great heavy comforter.
4. Advent?
See #1, in part. Advent is the season in which I make myself (and whomever else I can influense in Bibly study groups, through preaching, etc) slow down...really think about what we're about. Giving gifts is great fun, and a long-standing family tradition. But there's more to this time than shopping, or even my beloved baking. As Christians, it behooves us (I love to use that word!) to think about what Christ's coming means for us, then and again.
5. Jesus' coming?
Bring it on, I'm ready.
I hear a lot of end-times theology, and I don't agree with a conventional definition of "soon". Truth be told, I don't much worry about it; either I'll go and be with God, or Jesus will come get me. I tend to think of "soon" as a relative term: is it our time or geologic time or what?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Love Feast Liturgy
Spoiler alert: if you are attending worship with us at Ann Street, don't read this! You will have to come worship with us to get coffee or hot cocoa and Christmas cookies!
A Contemporary Service Love Feast
Ann Street UMC
December 23, 2007
Invitation to the Love Feast:
In the earliest days of the Church, Christians gathered to share meals, putting together their resources so that all might feast at the table and share Communion together. Over time, the celebration of Communion became the community meal. In the 16th century, a group of Christians called Moravians resurrected the practice of sharing food together in worship, sharing a simple meal together with songs and prayers as a reminder of God’s goodness and their fellowship.
Tonight, we meet to celebrate Christ’s coming, his relationship with us, and our relationships with one another as the Body of Christ. We will share our own songs, our own prayers, and our own feast, and leave with candlelight, reminding us of the Light of Christ that has come into the world to illuminate our darkness.
Song: “Here I Am to Worship”
Prayer:
Almighty God, you created us as your people, and promise that you always love us. You sent Christ into the world to live with us, to be one of us, to eat and drink and laugh and pray and love as we do, so that we might know the truth of your promise in Emmanuel: God with us.
As Christmas approaches and we rejoice in Jesus’ coming 2000 years ago, help us remember the holy mystery of his sacrificial love: Jesus was born, and lived and taught among us. Jesus died, and was resurrected, so that we too may be resurrected into eternal life. Jesus is coming again, and no darkness of this world can hide the light of your love for all people.
Let your light shine in us and through us, so that we may know your love ourselves and be agents of your love to others, sharing the grace and mercy that you so freely give, and living in gratitude for the gift of Jesus Christ, and all the ways you reach out to draw us to you. Amen.
Lighting of the Advent Candles (with appropriate text/words)abbreviated Isaiah; have all repeat one verse, themes of candles: Peace, Hope, Joy, ??
Song: UMH 211, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” v.5-7 with antiphons
Our Savior, you give sight to the blind and set the prisoners free. Release us from our captivity and show us new life with you.
Come, and set us free into everlasting life with you.
O Come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free,
And conquer deaths deep misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
You are the true God, who spoke light into darkness, and saw that it was good. Bring light into our darkened lives.
Come, and shine your light on us.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thy justice here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Jesus, you are the Redeemer of all people, your creation. By your Spirit, help us to find peace and unity from our divided hearts and lands.
Come, and deliver us whom you created and love.
O come, Desire of nations bind
All peoples in one heart and mind.
From dust thou brought us to life;
Deliver us from earthly strife.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
Bible Lesson: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Invitation to Table Fellowship:
The traditional Love Feast is a time to share prayers and testimonies of God’s presence. As we eat and drink and celebrate together, enjoy time to talk with your table-mates. You may want to share a favorite Christmas story or memory, or to remember a time when you felt close to God. (possibly make up some cards with discussion starters for each table)
Blessing: UMH 602 “Be Present at Our Table Lord”
In introducing, make connection between Moravian practice and John Wesley: this is a way for us to feel connected beyond ourselves, to those who have gone before us in the faith.
Serve coffee and cookies while worship team sings; then allow 10-15 minutes for conversation around tables. Worship team will come down to share table fellowship.
Song: “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”
Prayer
As we transition from table talk to singing and lessons, this prayer will allow time for people to share joys and concerns.
Scripture: Luke 2:1-7
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Song: Ben sings “O Holy Night”
Scripture: Luke 2: 8-20
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Song: Ben sings “Welcome to Our World”
Song: UMH 218 “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”
Scripture: John 1:1-5, 10-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Brief Meditation and/or Prayer: may reflect on any/all of the scripture passages, or even one of the hymns
Song: #251 “Joy to the World”
Dismissal with Blessing
copyright 2007, Rev. Anne Walker Sims
A Contemporary Service Love Feast
Ann Street UMC
December 23, 2007
Invitation to the Love Feast:
In the earliest days of the Church, Christians gathered to share meals, putting together their resources so that all might feast at the table and share Communion together. Over time, the celebration of Communion became the community meal. In the 16th century, a group of Christians called Moravians resurrected the practice of sharing food together in worship, sharing a simple meal together with songs and prayers as a reminder of God’s goodness and their fellowship.
Tonight, we meet to celebrate Christ’s coming, his relationship with us, and our relationships with one another as the Body of Christ. We will share our own songs, our own prayers, and our own feast, and leave with candlelight, reminding us of the Light of Christ that has come into the world to illuminate our darkness.
Song: “Here I Am to Worship”
Prayer:
Almighty God, you created us as your people, and promise that you always love us. You sent Christ into the world to live with us, to be one of us, to eat and drink and laugh and pray and love as we do, so that we might know the truth of your promise in Emmanuel: God with us.
As Christmas approaches and we rejoice in Jesus’ coming 2000 years ago, help us remember the holy mystery of his sacrificial love: Jesus was born, and lived and taught among us. Jesus died, and was resurrected, so that we too may be resurrected into eternal life. Jesus is coming again, and no darkness of this world can hide the light of your love for all people.
Let your light shine in us and through us, so that we may know your love ourselves and be agents of your love to others, sharing the grace and mercy that you so freely give, and living in gratitude for the gift of Jesus Christ, and all the ways you reach out to draw us to you. Amen.
Lighting of the Advent Candles (with appropriate text/words)abbreviated Isaiah; have all repeat one verse, themes of candles: Peace, Hope, Joy, ??
Song: UMH 211, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” v.5-7 with antiphons
Our Savior, you give sight to the blind and set the prisoners free. Release us from our captivity and show us new life with you.
Come, and set us free into everlasting life with you.
O Come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free,
And conquer deaths deep misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
You are the true God, who spoke light into darkness, and saw that it was good. Bring light into our darkened lives.
Come, and shine your light on us.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thy justice here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Jesus, you are the Redeemer of all people, your creation. By your Spirit, help us to find peace and unity from our divided hearts and lands.
Come, and deliver us whom you created and love.
O come, Desire of nations bind
All peoples in one heart and mind.
From dust thou brought us to life;
Deliver us from earthly strife.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
Bible Lesson: Isaiah 9:2, 6-7
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Invitation to Table Fellowship:
The traditional Love Feast is a time to share prayers and testimonies of God’s presence. As we eat and drink and celebrate together, enjoy time to talk with your table-mates. You may want to share a favorite Christmas story or memory, or to remember a time when you felt close to God. (possibly make up some cards with discussion starters for each table)
Blessing: UMH 602 “Be Present at Our Table Lord”
In introducing, make connection between Moravian practice and John Wesley: this is a way for us to feel connected beyond ourselves, to those who have gone before us in the faith.
Serve coffee and cookies while worship team sings; then allow 10-15 minutes for conversation around tables. Worship team will come down to share table fellowship.
Song: “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us”
Prayer
As we transition from table talk to singing and lessons, this prayer will allow time for people to share joys and concerns.
Scripture: Luke 2:1-7
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Song: Ben sings “O Holy Night”
Scripture: Luke 2: 8-20
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Song: Ben sings “Welcome to Our World”
Song: UMH 218 “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”
Scripture: John 1:1-5, 10-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Brief Meditation and/or Prayer: may reflect on any/all of the scripture passages, or even one of the hymns
Song: #251 “Joy to the World”
Dismissal with Blessing
copyright 2007, Rev. Anne Walker Sims
Monday, December 10, 2007
Poetry Party: It's been a while!
Royal and regal
Grandmother ruled the house,
my mother's mother.
She ruled the family, and the church,
iron fist in velvet glove,
and heart of pure gold.
Her love was fierce
and sometimes frightening.
And yet, I miss her.
My father's mother is with us still,
In body but not in mind.
She was the indulgent one,
the tender one,
the easy one.
Now I do not know her.
I have missed her for years.
Mother, aunt, sister, friends,
I treasure you now
with gold and purple memories,
special days and laughter,
kind words and comfort.
Too soon I will miss you too...
and keep alive your memory
Gold and purple for the royalty you are,
for the place you hold in my heart.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Sermon on Matthew 3:1-12: The Last of the Old-Time Prophets
They were cousins, born just six months apart, but their lives were very different. One grew up the son of a priest; the other was raised the son of a carpenter. One was the long-awaited product of two people who thought they’d never have a child; the other’s birth was unexpected and initially not too well received. One was a prophet in the old tradition, in the mold of an Elijah, a Samuel, a Moses; the other lived a mostly unremarkable life, at least for the first three decades. One died by the whim of a hedonistic old man and a silly girl; the other was assassinated by a weak governor and the fear of his own people. One was known as a wild man; the other has a reputation of being mild-mannered, but that’s not entirely so. One was widely recognized as one who had come from God; the other was rarely acknowledged as who he really was. One was named “God is gracious”; the other’s name means “the Lord is salvation”.
The two boys had a great deal in common, as well. Their mothers were first cousins. They both were touched by God in amazing ways. Their conceptions were heralded by messages from God, by dreams and visions, by disbelief and acceptance. God chose each of their names. Their lives were marked by extraordinary gifts and the power of God, and both served Israel, God’s people, by proclaiming God’s goodness and declaring that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. They both came to the attention of both the Jewish and the secular authorities of their time, and both eventually died for their faith. These cousins were named John and Jesus.
John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, born late in their lives, after they’d given up on having a child. They came from a long line of priests and servants of God; in fact, it was during his time in the Temple that the angel appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of his son. There was no question, right from the start, that this would be a special child; his father was struck mute until he was able to confirm that against all tradition, the child would not be named after his father Zechariah nor given the name of an ancestor, but instead would be called John: God is gracious. There at John’s dedication in the Temple, everyone present heard that God had intervened in Zechariah’s, Elizabeth’s, and John’s lives. Even before that, when his mother’s cousin Mary, newly pregnant, came to visit Elizabeth, the infant John stirred in his mother’s womb in recognition that Mary’s child, too, was especially touched by God.
By the time John’s cousin, Jesus, began to make his name known among the Jews, John already had a following of committed disciples, and a reputation for being a prophet. He even looked the part: dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and honey, wandering through the wilderness with word of the Kingdom of God at hand and the coming of the Lord. John was, in fact, the last of the old-time prophets.
Back in the day, as they say, prophets of God had quite a reputation. Often they were thought to be “not quite right”, which is a polite way to say that they often behaved erratically. Once Samuel had located Saul to be the first king of Israel, Saul had to confirm that he could be a prophet: the test looks to our twenty-first century eyes like a seizure of some sort. Prophets often were people called to live apart, in the wilderness, as John did, and like Elijah who was fed by ravens during one long wilderness ramble, the prophets lived by what God provided: manna, locusts, honey. The Old Testament prophets helped people understand the will of God and often called them back to right living, to God’s word, to wholeness and holiness.
John had a message that people were ready to hear: the Lord is coming! The Kingdom of heaven is near! Repent and be baptized! The oppressed Jews looked forward eagerly to the coming Messiah, and many listened to what John had to say. His teaching was firmly anchored in their religious traditions: the prophets had long proclaimed the coming day of the Lord and the need to order one’s life after the teaching of God. John was speaking their language, and they understood what he had to say. Even baptism, that practice which earned John his nickname, the Baptist or my favorite, John the Baptizer, was not new to the Jews. Instead, it was a frequent practice used to mark atonement for sin and a renewed and purified spirit, to show that one who had been unclean was made ritually clean again.
John was an inspired preacher, one in whom could clearly be seen the power of God. After all, who would live like him, out in the wilderness? Who would dress like him, in camel’s hair carelessly belted? Who would eat like him, locusts and honey, crunchy and sweet? And his words resonated in their hearts: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John brought a forewarning: God was going to break into the world, and everything was going to change.
John was the last of the old breed, the prophets whose closeness to God drove them away from everyone else, into the wilderness, even sometimes into madness and despair. John has a last word from God: the kingdom is at hand; everything must change. Everything. Even how God communicates with his people. Even how they understood judgment and mercy, grace and hope.
The law had been smothered, abused, twisted, overanalyzed, and feared until it no longer pointed people to the graciousness of God. Well-intentioned men had tried to “help” people follow the law and to understand it, and in so doing had layered their own thoughts over it so thickly that God’s graciousness could barely be found in it. What was intended to point God’s people to God’s grace had become less a beacon showing the way, and more of a maze with a nearly impossible solution.
As the last of the Old Time Prophets, John was the people’s last hope to find God in the law and the teachings they had received. Over the centuries, these layers of interpretation had been added to the law, so that what God intended to be a reflection of his grace became an obstacle to people’s perception of the love and grace of God. This is the message of John: God is gracious, and this is why he had such strong words first for the Pharisees and Sadducees, and then for anyone who thought that resting on their Jewish heritage would guarantee them a place in heaven: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’
Hard words. Harsh words. Judging and condemning words, from the one whom God himself named, “God is gracious.” So hard to imagine, hard to understand. It’s even harder to understand how John’s message could be what God wanted him to say when we think about his cousin Jesus, just a few months younger than John. Jesus, whom God called “The Lord is salvation,” is the one we associate with God’s graciousness, and John is the one who preached repentance and salvation with fire and with brimstone.
Even though the nation of Israel knew themselves to be God’s own people, John told them that being children of Abraham was not enough; that if they relied on their heritage alone, their ethnicity, their country of origin, they will not find the way to the kingdom of heaven. The old ways don’t seem to be working, not as God intended. They were meant to help people get to know God, so that when they followed the scriptures and “hid God’s word in their hearts,” they would know God was with them. Instead, some people use the law as a checklist: done this…check. Done that…check. Love is not that complicated; we know this, and God’s love is not that complicated either. God’s people were lost and confused, and feeling separate from God at a time when they really needed to feel God’s presence. So John preached about repentance and baptized people, knowing that everything was about to change, that Jesus, his cousin, Mary’s son, would change everything. “One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.”
Jesus. Conceived by an unmarried girl and the Holy Spirit. Adopted in an act of sheer grace by Joseph, who had every right to make Mary an outcast. Raised the son of a carpenter, most likely a carpenter himself, we know very little about Jesus prior to the beginning of his public ministry, when he was about 30. And what we know then is that one of the first things Jesus did was to go to John for baptism. What did John have that Jesus didn’t? Why would Jesus do such a thing?
Although the cousins have much in common, here’s where the differences really matter. John is the last of his kind, a prophet trying to use familiar language and concepts, familiar words and ideas, to convince people to repent, to rethink, to turn their lives around. In John, God is making one last attempt at doing things the “old way”, a way the Jews have a relationship with and can understand. But they don’t get it. They just don’t. Although John has many followers, so many that even Herod felt threatened and others wondered if Jesus shouldn’t just join him, he is unable to rally the nation to repentance in the way Old Testament did.
John and Jesus’ meeting marks the turning point for God and God’s people, a moment when people first have an opportunity to see that God is with them, that the Lord is salvation, that God is at once universal and personal, that God is indeed gracious. Jesus’ coming will bring into being a new way for people to have a relationship with God that is personal and individual, even as they are also corporately in relationship with God as part of the Body which is the Church. Everything changes with Jesus.
John’s preaching may be reminiscent to us of a big-city street preacher, the ones we see on TV shows and movies about New York and Chicago. You know the ones I mean: standing on the street corner with a sign saying, “The end is near.” That’s part of John’s message: the end is near. Everything must change. But we do ourselves and John a disservice if we think that’s all he had to say. John and Jesus have essentially the same message: to grow closer to God, to know that you are loved by God, you must repent and be forgiven.
John speaks that message to a world and a people where might made right, where fear and oppression were the order of the day, where preserving the established religious ways and the law as interpreted by the rabbis was upheld over the hope and grace and knowing the love of God. And the end is near for John: hope for an end to oppression, to suffering, to the abuse of power. The end is near in the coming of the Kingdom of God, which has broken into the world in Jesus Christ, who proclaimed, “Behold, I make all things new.” But the message is the same for both John and Jesus: to take part in the Kingdom of Heaven, we must examine ourselves, repent of our wrongdoing, forgive, and accept forgiveness. Then we will have heard both the last of the old-time prophets and the Son of God speak to us of grace and salvation, of peace and judgment, of forgiveness and hope.
This second week of Advent, our Advent candle stands as a symbol of hope, and despite his harsh words, that is the message brought to us by John the Baptist. He phrases it in the language of the old-time, Old Testament prophets, of whom he is the last; in language of judgment and condemnation, in words that frighten us and rightly so, for they speak of the end for those who do not repent, who do not forgive, who do not know the love and grace of God. It is hard for us to find hope in John’s preaching, yet here it is: “One who is more powerful than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.”
Past the harsh words, past the condemnation, there is hope, Advent light, the promise of Christ’s coming and of the Kingdom of Heaven. And in that kingdom, the trees bear good fruit and so are not cut down. In that heaven, the wheat is gathered into the granary and so preserved and kept. John comes at it with a sense of urgency, and rightly so: it is a matter of life and death…but let us hear, let us remember, let us cling to the hope: the Kingdom of heaven has come near! Repent, remember, and rejoice!
The two boys had a great deal in common, as well. Their mothers were first cousins. They both were touched by God in amazing ways. Their conceptions were heralded by messages from God, by dreams and visions, by disbelief and acceptance. God chose each of their names. Their lives were marked by extraordinary gifts and the power of God, and both served Israel, God’s people, by proclaiming God’s goodness and declaring that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. They both came to the attention of both the Jewish and the secular authorities of their time, and both eventually died for their faith. These cousins were named John and Jesus.
John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, born late in their lives, after they’d given up on having a child. They came from a long line of priests and servants of God; in fact, it was during his time in the Temple that the angel appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of his son. There was no question, right from the start, that this would be a special child; his father was struck mute until he was able to confirm that against all tradition, the child would not be named after his father Zechariah nor given the name of an ancestor, but instead would be called John: God is gracious. There at John’s dedication in the Temple, everyone present heard that God had intervened in Zechariah’s, Elizabeth’s, and John’s lives. Even before that, when his mother’s cousin Mary, newly pregnant, came to visit Elizabeth, the infant John stirred in his mother’s womb in recognition that Mary’s child, too, was especially touched by God.
By the time John’s cousin, Jesus, began to make his name known among the Jews, John already had a following of committed disciples, and a reputation for being a prophet. He even looked the part: dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and honey, wandering through the wilderness with word of the Kingdom of God at hand and the coming of the Lord. John was, in fact, the last of the old-time prophets.
Back in the day, as they say, prophets of God had quite a reputation. Often they were thought to be “not quite right”, which is a polite way to say that they often behaved erratically. Once Samuel had located Saul to be the first king of Israel, Saul had to confirm that he could be a prophet: the test looks to our twenty-first century eyes like a seizure of some sort. Prophets often were people called to live apart, in the wilderness, as John did, and like Elijah who was fed by ravens during one long wilderness ramble, the prophets lived by what God provided: manna, locusts, honey. The Old Testament prophets helped people understand the will of God and often called them back to right living, to God’s word, to wholeness and holiness.
John had a message that people were ready to hear: the Lord is coming! The Kingdom of heaven is near! Repent and be baptized! The oppressed Jews looked forward eagerly to the coming Messiah, and many listened to what John had to say. His teaching was firmly anchored in their religious traditions: the prophets had long proclaimed the coming day of the Lord and the need to order one’s life after the teaching of God. John was speaking their language, and they understood what he had to say. Even baptism, that practice which earned John his nickname, the Baptist or my favorite, John the Baptizer, was not new to the Jews. Instead, it was a frequent practice used to mark atonement for sin and a renewed and purified spirit, to show that one who had been unclean was made ritually clean again.
John was an inspired preacher, one in whom could clearly be seen the power of God. After all, who would live like him, out in the wilderness? Who would dress like him, in camel’s hair carelessly belted? Who would eat like him, locusts and honey, crunchy and sweet? And his words resonated in their hearts: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John brought a forewarning: God was going to break into the world, and everything was going to change.
John was the last of the old breed, the prophets whose closeness to God drove them away from everyone else, into the wilderness, even sometimes into madness and despair. John has a last word from God: the kingdom is at hand; everything must change. Everything. Even how God communicates with his people. Even how they understood judgment and mercy, grace and hope.
The law had been smothered, abused, twisted, overanalyzed, and feared until it no longer pointed people to the graciousness of God. Well-intentioned men had tried to “help” people follow the law and to understand it, and in so doing had layered their own thoughts over it so thickly that God’s graciousness could barely be found in it. What was intended to point God’s people to God’s grace had become less a beacon showing the way, and more of a maze with a nearly impossible solution.
As the last of the Old Time Prophets, John was the people’s last hope to find God in the law and the teachings they had received. Over the centuries, these layers of interpretation had been added to the law, so that what God intended to be a reflection of his grace became an obstacle to people’s perception of the love and grace of God. This is the message of John: God is gracious, and this is why he had such strong words first for the Pharisees and Sadducees, and then for anyone who thought that resting on their Jewish heritage would guarantee them a place in heaven: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’
Hard words. Harsh words. Judging and condemning words, from the one whom God himself named, “God is gracious.” So hard to imagine, hard to understand. It’s even harder to understand how John’s message could be what God wanted him to say when we think about his cousin Jesus, just a few months younger than John. Jesus, whom God called “The Lord is salvation,” is the one we associate with God’s graciousness, and John is the one who preached repentance and salvation with fire and with brimstone.
Even though the nation of Israel knew themselves to be God’s own people, John told them that being children of Abraham was not enough; that if they relied on their heritage alone, their ethnicity, their country of origin, they will not find the way to the kingdom of heaven. The old ways don’t seem to be working, not as God intended. They were meant to help people get to know God, so that when they followed the scriptures and “hid God’s word in their hearts,” they would know God was with them. Instead, some people use the law as a checklist: done this…check. Done that…check. Love is not that complicated; we know this, and God’s love is not that complicated either. God’s people were lost and confused, and feeling separate from God at a time when they really needed to feel God’s presence. So John preached about repentance and baptized people, knowing that everything was about to change, that Jesus, his cousin, Mary’s son, would change everything. “One who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.”
Jesus. Conceived by an unmarried girl and the Holy Spirit. Adopted in an act of sheer grace by Joseph, who had every right to make Mary an outcast. Raised the son of a carpenter, most likely a carpenter himself, we know very little about Jesus prior to the beginning of his public ministry, when he was about 30. And what we know then is that one of the first things Jesus did was to go to John for baptism. What did John have that Jesus didn’t? Why would Jesus do such a thing?
Although the cousins have much in common, here’s where the differences really matter. John is the last of his kind, a prophet trying to use familiar language and concepts, familiar words and ideas, to convince people to repent, to rethink, to turn their lives around. In John, God is making one last attempt at doing things the “old way”, a way the Jews have a relationship with and can understand. But they don’t get it. They just don’t. Although John has many followers, so many that even Herod felt threatened and others wondered if Jesus shouldn’t just join him, he is unable to rally the nation to repentance in the way Old Testament did.
John and Jesus’ meeting marks the turning point for God and God’s people, a moment when people first have an opportunity to see that God is with them, that the Lord is salvation, that God is at once universal and personal, that God is indeed gracious. Jesus’ coming will bring into being a new way for people to have a relationship with God that is personal and individual, even as they are also corporately in relationship with God as part of the Body which is the Church. Everything changes with Jesus.
John’s preaching may be reminiscent to us of a big-city street preacher, the ones we see on TV shows and movies about New York and Chicago. You know the ones I mean: standing on the street corner with a sign saying, “The end is near.” That’s part of John’s message: the end is near. Everything must change. But we do ourselves and John a disservice if we think that’s all he had to say. John and Jesus have essentially the same message: to grow closer to God, to know that you are loved by God, you must repent and be forgiven.
John speaks that message to a world and a people where might made right, where fear and oppression were the order of the day, where preserving the established religious ways and the law as interpreted by the rabbis was upheld over the hope and grace and knowing the love of God. And the end is near for John: hope for an end to oppression, to suffering, to the abuse of power. The end is near in the coming of the Kingdom of God, which has broken into the world in Jesus Christ, who proclaimed, “Behold, I make all things new.” But the message is the same for both John and Jesus: to take part in the Kingdom of Heaven, we must examine ourselves, repent of our wrongdoing, forgive, and accept forgiveness. Then we will have heard both the last of the old-time prophets and the Son of God speak to us of grace and salvation, of peace and judgment, of forgiveness and hope.
This second week of Advent, our Advent candle stands as a symbol of hope, and despite his harsh words, that is the message brought to us by John the Baptist. He phrases it in the language of the old-time, Old Testament prophets, of whom he is the last; in language of judgment and condemnation, in words that frighten us and rightly so, for they speak of the end for those who do not repent, who do not forgive, who do not know the love and grace of God. It is hard for us to find hope in John’s preaching, yet here it is: “One who is more powerful than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to carry his sandals.”
Past the harsh words, past the condemnation, there is hope, Advent light, the promise of Christ’s coming and of the Kingdom of Heaven. And in that kingdom, the trees bear good fruit and so are not cut down. In that heaven, the wheat is gathered into the granary and so preserved and kept. John comes at it with a sense of urgency, and rightly so: it is a matter of life and death…but let us hear, let us remember, let us cling to the hope: the Kingdom of heaven has come near! Repent, remember, and rejoice!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday Five: Preparation, Preparation
From Sally:
This has been a difficult week for me, the death of a little six year old has overshadowed our advent preparations, and made many of us here in Downham Market look differently at Christmas. With that in mind I ask whether you are the kind of person that likes everything prepared well in advance, are you a last minute crammer, or a bit of a mixture.....
Here then is this weeks Friday 5:
1. You have a busy week, pushing out all time for preparing worship/ Sunday School lessons/ being ready for an important meeting ( or whatever equivalent your profession demands)- how do you cope?
2. You have unexpected visitors, and need to provide them with a meal- what do you do?
Three discussion topics:
3. Thinking along the lines of this weeks advent theme; repentance is an important but often neglected aspect of advent preparations.....
4. Some of the best experiences in life occur when you simply go with the flow.....
5. Details are everything, attention to the small things enables a plan to roll forward smoothly...
Bonus if you dare- how well prepared are you for Christmas this year?
This has been a difficult week for me, the death of a little six year old has overshadowed our advent preparations, and made many of us here in Downham Market look differently at Christmas. With that in mind I ask whether you are the kind of person that likes everything prepared well in advance, are you a last minute crammer, or a bit of a mixture.....
Here then is this weeks Friday 5:
1. You have a busy week, pushing out all time for preparing worship/ Sunday School lessons/ being ready for an important meeting ( or whatever equivalent your profession demands)- how do you cope?
Little sleep and minor illness (from sleep deprivation). Seriously, that's a habit I'm trying to break. Another habit I'm trying to break is being ruled by the tyranny of the urgent: I'm asking myself, about each task, is this really important? If so, it gets on my list of things to do. If not, I'm learning to say "no" on occasion.
2. You have unexpected visitors, and need to provide them with a meal- what do you do?
Take them out! It's not worth stressing myself out to feed them, when there are terrific restaurants in the area, and I don't have to clean up. Besides, that's how I get Ben to go with me to eat the food he doesn't: "but they're company, honey!"
mmm...tapas!
Three discussion topics:
3. Thinking along the lines of this weeks advent theme; repentance is an important but often neglected aspect of advent preparations.....
It is; we can't be authentically who we are, and can't share ourselves in relationships with God and one another (which is, after all, what we're made for), unless we can concede that we are not perfect in ourselves. While as a good Methodist, I can affirm that I am "going on to perfection", my part in that work of Christ's grace is to examine myself and my life and see where I need to rethink, repent, change. Else it's "Sinner, turn, why will you die?" and that's no fun at all.
4. Some of the best experiences in life occur when you simply go with the flow.....
Did I mention part of my job is youth ministry? That's the only way to do things is to get set up as best you can, then relax and roll with it. The advice I give brides and their mothers (the rest of the wedding party's usually just along for the ride) is that we do our best right up to the big day to make sure everything's as perfect as we can manage. Then, we relax and decide that whatever doesn't go precisely according to plan is fun and amusing. Two quick anecdotes: first, I usually tell brides and grooms during the vows "Don't look at me, I'm already married!"--it makes for a good tension breaker, and can keep a little weeping from becoming sobbing. Second: at my wedding, we had two communion stations where Ben and i had the bread, and the co-officiants had the cups. We both ran out of bread at the same time, and couldn't get the attention of the other clergy to hand us some more from the altar. So I turned around, hiked up my skirt a little, and stepped on the kneeler cushion so I could reach over to get bread for Ben and for me. My only regret is that the photographer was re-loading his camera and missed it.
5. Details are everything, attention to the small things enables a plan to roll forward smoothly...
Most of the time, yes. But not all the time! And a good sense of humor and of what's most important in the grand scheme of things can take us pretty far. There's grace for everything (even the ceremony I missed last night due to calendar confusion...'course, presents don't hurt either).
Bonus if you dare- how well prepared are you for Christmas this year?
Pretty well, if you consider that I've determined that decorating is not imperative. I've got most of the shopping done, just need a few more things. Where I'm really behind is baking, but I'll get caught up next week. Or it won't get done, and that will be okay too. Baking's a part of the season that always gives me pleasure, even when I'm stressed about it.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Can't I have Advent first?
It is not even one week into December, and already the craziness is getting to me. I missed the middle schools National Junior Honor Society inductions (a bunch of my kids were inducted) because I had the wrong time. I have a busy weekend ahead of me, and of course I'm preaching. There's something every minute almost. I've already been to two Christmas parties, declined 2 more, and just got invited to another. And I don't know how many are on my calendar. I have Christmas shopping to do; I got a lot done last week but I'm not quite finished. Ben and I had the brilliant idea to pass on to Jamie the Exceptional a child's wooden table and chairs that were his when he was a child--of course they have to be sanded and painted and polyurethaned, and it's cold outside, and when we thought we would get that done I don't quite know.
Whew. What a bunch of stuff. And it's all important, and it will all get done, or not, and it will be okay either way.
What I'm trying to keep my mind and heart focused on this Advent is the miracle and mystery of Christ's coming. I'm looking at John the Baptist, and the contrast between him and Jesus. John's the last of the OT prophets, preaching confession and repentance, to be sure, tempered with judgment and condemnation. And then there's Jesus, who changes everything, who preaches repentance and redemption, laden with love and grace. As busy as I am, I keep reminding myself that it's not about me, not about my schedule, not about all the things I have to do, not about going to every Christmas party, not about what Ben calls the need to "be happy for the whole month". Instead it's about God's love, and other people, and being both gifted and giver, however I am able.
So here's to holiday peace, however we find it--in a few stolen moment blogging, a doctored cup of egg nog, listening to a favorite carol, spending time with someone you care for. Here's to Christ's coming, once two thousand years ago, and whenever he might return. Here's to love and grace and mercy, still in all-too-short supply, and to us, who are called upon, by the Spirit, to bring it into the world.
Happy Christmas, ya'll!
Whew. What a bunch of stuff. And it's all important, and it will all get done, or not, and it will be okay either way.
What I'm trying to keep my mind and heart focused on this Advent is the miracle and mystery of Christ's coming. I'm looking at John the Baptist, and the contrast between him and Jesus. John's the last of the OT prophets, preaching confession and repentance, to be sure, tempered with judgment and condemnation. And then there's Jesus, who changes everything, who preaches repentance and redemption, laden with love and grace. As busy as I am, I keep reminding myself that it's not about me, not about my schedule, not about all the things I have to do, not about going to every Christmas party, not about what Ben calls the need to "be happy for the whole month". Instead it's about God's love, and other people, and being both gifted and giver, however I am able.
So here's to holiday peace, however we find it--in a few stolen moment blogging, a doctored cup of egg nog, listening to a favorite carol, spending time with someone you care for. Here's to Christ's coming, once two thousand years ago, and whenever he might return. Here's to love and grace and mercy, still in all-too-short supply, and to us, who are called upon, by the Spirit, to bring it into the world.
Happy Christmas, ya'll!
Monday, December 3, 2007
An Ann Street Friday Five
Just for fun, here' this week's newsletter article.
An Ann Street Friday Five
Regular readers of my blog (www.storiesandfaith.blogspot.com) will notice that every week I do a little exercise called “The Friday Five”. Each Friday, five questions are posed, with themes ranging from whimsical to deeply meaningful (and sometimes both at the same time). So for a change, I thought I’d offer you a little challenge, to think of your responses to an Ann Street Friday Five (even though I know most of you get this on Thursday):
Christmas Memories
1: What is your favorite Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
2: What is your favorite Christmas cookie? (I'd love to have the recipe)
3: What ornament on your Christmas tree has the most memories attached to it?
4: Which Christmas song do you wish we sang more often?
5: Who will you miss this Christmas, and who will you see that makes your Christmas joyful?
I’ll give you my answers next week.
Happy Advent,
Anne
Anyone else who wants to play, feel free to play in the comments.
An Ann Street Friday Five
Regular readers of my blog (www.storiesandfaith.blogspot.com) will notice that every week I do a little exercise called “The Friday Five”. Each Friday, five questions are posed, with themes ranging from whimsical to deeply meaningful (and sometimes both at the same time). So for a change, I thought I’d offer you a little challenge, to think of your responses to an Ann Street Friday Five (even though I know most of you get this on Thursday):
Christmas Memories
1: What is your favorite Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
2: What is your favorite Christmas cookie? (I'd love to have the recipe)
3: What ornament on your Christmas tree has the most memories attached to it?
4: Which Christmas song do you wish we sang more often?
5: Who will you miss this Christmas, and who will you see that makes your Christmas joyful?
I’ll give you my answers next week.
Happy Advent,
Anne
Anyone else who wants to play, feel free to play in the comments.
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