From Nazareth to Bethlehem
Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were very old, had never had kids and it didn’t look they ever would. One day, an angel shows up and tells Zechariah that he would have a son, and that he should name that son John. God’s done this before – to Abraham and Sarah. Then God had told Abraham that, through his descendants, God was going to bless the world. Now, this time, with Zechariah and Elizabeth, the messenger says that their son John was going to be the promised prophetic voice that was going to get God’s people ready to meet their Lord when he came to rule from Jerusalem – the king whose kingdom would be forever, who would be a fulfilment of that promise to Abraham, to be the one through whom God would bless all the world. Jerusalem was currently being ruled by the Romans. It’s governed by this nasty narcissistic king, Herod, under the Emperor, Caesar Augustus. The Jewish people wanted nothing more than to get rid of Herod, get out from under Caesar, and live freely, govern themselves on their own land. So the news of this herald, John, is huge. The king they’re all waiting for is about to come, everything is about to change! And here’s how it happens. God’s messenger next goes to a tiny little out of the way town called Nazareth, to a young, engaged girl named Mary. Mary is told that she is going to conceive, and her child will inherit the throne of his ancestor David – he will be called God’s son and will rule forever. Amazingly, even though this would turn her world completely upside down, even though this was extremely dangerous for her, Mary agrees and accepts this news. Immediately she travels down toward Bethlehem to visit her relative Elizabeth, the one who’s pregnant with John. When she arrives the two of them joyfully greet one another and this amazing moment happens: Jesus is called “Lord” for the first time by Elizabeth – the first person anywhere to confess him as Lord, and it is Elizabeth. And Mary sings a prophecy of Jesus – she sings that her own change in status (a poor girl from a poor town, now exalted to mother of the coming king) points toward God’s work in Jesus - that he will turn the world on its head – tearing down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly, feeding the hungry while letting the rich go away empty. These two women are the first people to announce this gospel, to shout and sing about the coming birth of the Messiah. And toward the end of the story – it is women, again, who are the first to tell of Jesus’ resurrection. She stays with Elizabeth for 3 months before returning to Nazareth. It would seem she told her fiancée, Joseph of Bethlehem, the news during this time and that he then accompanied her back to Nazareth. While Mary, I’m sure, was preparing to have her baby and planning her wedding with Joseph, the political climate shows itself. The Emperor, Caesar Augustus, decides that the census should be invented and so orders that everyone go get registered so he can collect taxes. And the poor peasants must immediately spring to their feet and take care of this errand. But Mary is nine-months pregnant (which for those of you who don’t know, is when the baby comes), and Joseph, it would seem, has his taxable assets (probably his eventual inheritance of his father’s property or business) 10 long hiking days away in Bethlehem. But when Rome says go – you go. This is when I imagine Mary talking to the not-quite-yet born child and saying something like: okay, I’m ready for you to cast down the mighty now – get us out of this hike to Bethlehem. 9-months pregnant traveling 80 miles would not be a welcome thing even in the most luxurious car…but how about walking, riding a donkey, or a horse, or even if there was a cart. And part of the journey was traveling the mountains. The journey, for sure, wasn’t easy. And then arriving, they find their privacy for labor and delivery with the animals, in what was probably more akin to a modern-day garage than a stable – the part connected to the house for the animals to be parked in at night. The guestroom may have been full – or perhaps just not private enough, but they found a place to deliver the savior of the world – a humble place in the city where his ancestor David was also born. The humble king, like his ancestor David would be born in Bethlehem, and would find his throne in nearby Jerusalem – this time with a crown of thorns and a seat on a cross. In him who lives again, who sits on the throne forever, through his kingdom that continues in his followers, the humble and lowly find their worth, the hungry are fed. Our pride is scattered to make room for the humble king, and for his kingdom of hope, peace, joy, and love.
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Mary's Visit to Elizabeth The interaction between Mary and Elizabeth is such an important moment in the story of Jesus’ birth. Elizabeth is likely the first person Mary told about her pregnancy, and, just to recap, Elizabeth’s pregnancy is a miraculous one as well. In both cases a messenger from God gave special instruction that these children would be a team to usher in the kingdom of God on earth. Elizabeth and Zechariah were childless and Elizabeth was said to be barren, with both of them, as the scriptures say “getting on in years” – but one day a messenger from God came to Zechariah while he was taking his turn serving in the temple. The messenger proclaimed the child to come and told Zechariah to name him John, and that he was going to be a herald of the messiah, to prepare the people for their Lord. But when Zechariah heard this he, perhaps, scoffed, because when he questioned Gabriel, the messenger, on how this was possible, he was struck mute until his son John was born and named. And, as we read a couple weeks ago, Mary, too, was visited by Gabriel and told of her own coming pregnancy, that her son was to be given the throne of his ancestor David, that he would have the never-ending kingdom and would be called the Son of God. And he let her in on the miracle of Elizabeth being already 6-months pregnant. The next sentence of Luke’s gospel has Mary going hastily to a town in Judea to see Elizabeth. It's more than notable that Mary and Elizabeth are the ones carrying the scenes forward. Joseph has zero lines in the story, and Zechariah is at the moment struck mute. In an age where the importance is usually put on men, the story of God’s coming among us begins with these two women. God knows, if you want something done right, put the ladies in charge. As soon as Mary speaks, Elizabeth tells her, Elizabeth’s child leaps for joy! “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” (Luke 1:42-43) Already, the first person to proclaim Jesus as Lord is Elizabeth. A very important moment in the gospel, a most important moment in the story of the Savior’s birth – and Elizabeth gets the honor. Much later, at the empty tomb, it is again the women who will first tell the story of God’s amazing work in Jesus. Next is Mary’s turn to talk about the work of God in Jesus – and with words borrowed from Hannah in 1 Samuel, and words that echo the most terrifying proclamation of the prophets and psalmists, Mary describes the work of God. Most notably: [God] 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. “In Mary’s Magnificat we find a picture of a God who has a heart for the underdog and is concerned about people who have been made to feel like nobodies. Those are the one God lifts up. This is the character of the God proclaimed in the Scriptures. That is the character of God’s Son.” (Hamilton, p. 77). "The Magnificat is a powerful reminder of an important dimension of God’s character and of God’s calling on the lives of God’s people. God cares for those who have been made to feel small by others and those who have nothing. God uses people to [fill the] hungry. And God calls those who, in the eyes of the world, have been successful, to humble ourselves, to lift others up, and to bless and help those in need." (Hamilton, p. 78-79). In our own preparations for Christmas, how are we joining God in the kingdom Jesus set in motion? Do we share a gospel that shows the equality and justice of a world where the hungry are fed by the act of sending the rich away empty? Are the lowly lifted up by the bringing down of the powerful, do we more fully realize the worth of our neighbor, and see the image of God – neither above nor below another – in all our fellow humans? In our book (and video) Hamilton shares some ideas of Christmas giving that have been transformative for some congregations and people, and that have been one way of living into the ethos of the Magnificat. However we choose to live this out, we do so because we recognize that our salvation is inextricably tied up in our neighbor’s. God’s kingdom is realized when all come together to build a world of peace, joy, and love – where all are seen with the dignity of image of God, beloved child God. Jesus came that all might be saved – the rich from their wealth, the poor from their hunger – and his method is that we do this together. Mary and Elizabeth are powerful women in this story, and they display the revolutionary nature of the kingdom of God coming to the world. It’s not through the powerful and mighty that God delivers the world, but through the child of a poor girl from Nazareth and first proclaimed by a formerly barren woman with a miracle baby; through this child of Mary who would grow to be a humble yet revolutionary teacher, die on a cross, rise from the dead, and lead generations of his followers to bring in the everlasting and radically equalizing kingdom of God on earth. *Our resource this advent, which I quote a couple times, is Adam Hamilton's The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem. Abingdon Press, 2021.
Joseph of Bethlehem
Not much is told about Joseph of Bethlehem. He’s not written down in history, nor does he have any lines – at all – in the gospels. Even still, he does play an important role in Jesus’ life. Joseph, Matthew tells us, was a righteous man. Now, I think Matthew put that description in an odd spot – perhaps to make us consider what righteousness really means – something Jesus certainly does throughout his ministry and confrontation with the temple leaders. Where Matthew writes of Joseph’s righteousness, actually, that righteousness was going to lead him to cast Mary (and therefore Jesus) aside, even if quietly. But Joseph has another character trait going for him that God uses to save the story – AND that resolves the tension of a righteous man being one who would cast aside a young woman and the savior of the earth. Joseph of Bethlehem was a believer of dreams. He undoubtedly knew the stories of his ancestor, Joseph Son of Jacob (Israel) of the Old Testament– the one with the many-colored coat. When Joseph of the Old Testament listened to and followed his dream, and when he interpreted and believed the dreams of others, God used him for extraordinary things – to preserve and multiply his people. Joseph of Bethlehem knew his Bible well, and he, like his namesake, was a believer of dreams. Matthew calls Joseph a righteous man. Joseph’s true righteousness is in his obedience to the disruptive Word of God that he experiences in his dream. His true righteousness is that he believes - even when the word is hard to believe, or is inconvenient. He chooses to believe Mary; he chooses to believe the child and the visions are from God. He chooses to stay, to name Jesus, which is an act of adoption, and to keep believing the dreams – even when his dreams lead to fleeing as a refugee to Egypt while Herod seeks Jesus’ life, even when they then lead to him going back, re-starting in Nazareth after that Herod is out of the picture. Joseph is a humble worker, a carpenter, whose righteousness, even greatness, is in his servant-nature. Caring for Mary, listening to God, protecting Jesus, and always ready to completely change directions when God calls him. Joseph’s righteousness is his desire to show mercy, to seek good for others, serving as best he can, and listening even when the voice of God is a disruptive, life-changing word. His righteousness is in his choosing to believe the story of another, to believe what Mary said was true, to believe the messengers and dreams, in choosing to believe and listen for God’s direction in his life. He was a humble carpenter, who didn’t seek greatness, but yet showed himself to be great by serving others and serving God. Jesus once told his followers, “The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matt 23)” and “the least among all of you is the greatest. (Luke 9).” Perhaps he was thinking of a lesson Joseph, the carpenter of Bethlehem, had taught him in his youth when he said this. It’s easy to see Mary in some of Jesus’ most passionate preaching. I wonder where we see Joseph. Jesus’ stories of merciful fathers of prodigal sons? His addressing of God with the intimacy of Abba? Or his lessons on greatness? Today we remember Joseph’s role in bringing God’s kingdom into the world: that of the earthly father of the Messiah. He helped raise the child that would teach the world of God’s love, die on a cross, and rise from the dead so we would know God’s presence in our lives. Joseph was called to be a father to the Savior who calls us, as his body – the body of Christ – to keep showing and telling the world of God’s presence and love. Mary of Nazareth
Grace and Peace to you, and Blessed Advent. Today we begin our series with a reflection on Mary of Nazareth. There are a couple of really cool details about Mary’s backstory, her hometown and some of the archaeological history that we would certainly miss on a quick read of the story. They don’t change the story at all, but actually highlight and help us dive into the story more fully. Mary grew up in a town called Nazareth, in Galilee. Nazareth, at that time was a pretty small, poor town. It’s estimated that about 100-400 people lived there. There was—well, still is—a spring there. That source of water is why there is a town there at all. But nearby Nazareth there’s a town called Sepphoris. Sepphoris was a much bigger city—30,000 people at that time, with lots of wealth and culture, big buildings, and art. It sounds like a pretty nice place. But Mary—she was from Nazareth, where the people lived in poverty. Sepphoris had some nice buildings and homes at the time, but in Nazareth the most of the people lived in limestone caves. Did I say caves? Yes, in that day, in that part of the world, limestone was nice for building because, actually, you could just scrape and dig yourself out a nice cave. Want a window? Just start scraping! Need another bedroom? You know the drill. It wasn’t fancy, but it was home, and it was affordable. If you had a bit of wealth, you might use this method for your basement but then put a nice upstairs living space on, too. But that wasn’t Nazareth. Nazareth, though is a nice Biblical, Hebrew name. It comes from the word for “shoot”, or “branch.” It’s that word in Isaiah chapter 11, “A shoot shall come up from the stump of Jesse, a branch (netzer) shall grow out of his roots…” It’s a name that points to new life from a cut-down people. It points to the hoped-for Messiah, the king who shall be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…” That’s a very fitting name for the hometown of the Messiah—even if the town itself was not much to speak of. So Mary’s background is growing up in this small, poor town with a great hopeful name, right next to that large wealthy one. I wonder the relationship between the peoples of both those towns. It makes me hear her song later in the gospel with a new appreciation for her faith, her dream of the coming Messiah, and to hear her son quote Isaiah at the beginning of his ministry, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” How influential she was, her background, her upbringing and experiences, on her son, Jesus, the Christ. Truly, Mary is an amazing person in the story of Jesus. Just take her conversation with the angel Gabriel today for example. In her day life expectancy was not all that long, especially for the poorer of people, such as those who would be living in Nazareth. As such women were not usually educated, married very early in life, and expected to have and raise children—even as often as a goal of one child each year. Of course, births are a dangerous thing, and I imagine the infant survival rate was not as it is now, either. She was engaged—which women often were around the age of 13-15, for about a year before the marriage ceremony. And before her wedding she is met by a messenger of God—who tells her that now she is going to conceive. A very risky thing to do before one has found a home and seen as respectable. Actually, that kind of thing could be punishable by stoning. The faith, conviction, and trust of Mary is astounding. Her answer to Gabriel is “Here I am, let it be with me according to your word.” She said yes even though young women pregnant by someone other than their betrothed were to be stoned to death. She said yes even though some women died in childbirth. She said yes even though Joseph could call off the marriage. She said yes even though she could be an unwed mother—with all the stigma and hardships that come with it. But she said, yes. And then she gave her all to Jesus. Carrying him in her womb, giving birth, nourishing him with her very self. Holding him, teaching him, instilling in him faith in God as he grew up. Thirty-some years after she gave birth to him she feared for him stood by him, wept as he was put to death on a cross. Astounding. “Here I am.” Mary said. This advent, may our journey of faith open our hearts to all the ways we, too, can say “Here I am.” Where God calls us, may we, inspired by Mary, with the same hope in God’s kingdom coming through Jesus, say “Here I am, the servant of the Lord.” Blessed Advent. Let Justice roll down like waters…and Righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
The prophet Amos was a shepherd and a fig-tree farmer that lived along the boarder of Northern Israel and Southern Judah. He lived at a time when the Israel was rather prosperous. King Jeroboam II was the ruler, and he won lots of battles, gained new territories and generated lots of wealth. All things a good king does, right? But, in the eyes of the prophets, he was one of the worst Kings ever. His wealth led to apathy, he allowed idol worship, and that led to injustice and the neglect of the poor. Like many nations before it—and after—its prosperity has been gained on the backs of others. In order for those with it to have wealth, there were so many who lived without dignity or autonomy but served and were used by people and systems which benefitted the powerful. Amos had enough of it and felt his call from God to go speak a word to the powerful. That word sounded harsh. Very harsh. And it was. Yet, to the ones neglected, to those trampled under the wheels of oppression, those harsh words were a comfort, they were dignifying, they were liberating. At the beginning of the Bible God takes this formless, void expanse and creates a beautiful world of diversity and order, a world teeming with abundance and life. A world where every human is honored as an image, a co-creator, a beloved child of God. It should be no secret that the way we’ve built our society, even the way we organized our church, preferences people based on things such as skin color, or conformity to established norms, and not by things such as the content of their character, let alone by their standing and value as human beings. I say that it should be no secret, yet I myself am still only beginning to wake to what this really looks like in this world where I have only ever been white, and male, and middle class, cis-gendered, and “normal, normal, normal… Let me tell you a story about Jesus. One sabbath day Jesus was going through some grainfields, talking with, teaching, some people. These people were hungry, and on this, the sabbath, had nowhere to head for a meal. Actually, it was likely that these particular people rarely had a place to go get a meal, whatever the day. Then they took some of the grain. And the Pharisees (the one’s running the temple) saw and came out to put a stop to this. Jesus was put in the position of defending the rules of the faith or these hungry people. Choosing between hungry people and a societal system that let these hungry people stay hungry that day, Jesus stood up for the hungry people. Next, Jesus was teaching at the synagogue. And there in his Bible study was a man with a withered hand—very likely poor, unemployed because he couldn’t use his hand, and looked down upon. The Pharisees watched Jesus to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Jesus knew, but he called the man over. Then Jesus, continuing his Bible study, said “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” He looked at everyone dead in the eye, especially the pharisees. Then he had the man stretch out his hand, and it was cured. And the pharisees were furious, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. Right after those things—probably frustrated by people’s lack of compassion and perpetuation of injustice—Jesus went off on his own. To cool off I think, but it says to pray upon a mountain. When he came back down he started talking to the same crowd of people he was feeding, and healing, and helping—you know, and getting flack for it from the church. He looked at all these downtrodden, needful, hungry, hurt, and overlooked people and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” And then, I imagine him looking over his shoulder to speak to the ones deriding him for helping people: 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. Let Justice roll down like waters…and Righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. We, probably always, will build and organize society in ways that lead to unjust treatment of others. No system is perfect. But this institutional, or systemic, way of ignoring or pushing portions of the population into categories of “less”—racism a chief example—is so insidious that it doesn’t even take into account your personal views or any of your personal bias. It works its way on a societal and structural level such that if you’re one of the “in crowd” or helped by the system, you would not have to give much thought to it at all—you might even be completely unaware of its effects. That’s why we need prophets like Amos, and Jesus, to get our attention. They wake us up to these systems which create comfort, security and wealth for some exactly by oppressing others. When we examine our society and our church; when we hear the voices of those we’ve never before given much attention to, and we notice that we are not living yet in the kingdom that Jesus invited us into… that can hurt—it can sound harsh, just like Amos’ words. When our world is not a reflection of the kingdom we long for, when I have been awarded privilege at the expense of others. That is not okay! Amos’ call is to let justice roll down like water: Water is as destructive as it is cleansing. As people who begin our calling at the waters of baptism, we are called into a life of being washed toward justice. Justice, like water, requires the death of unjust systems, actions, and words. And justice, like water, makes all things new. At the beginning of the Bible God takes this formless, void expanse and creates a beautiful world, a world of diversity and order, a world teeming with abundance and life. A world where every human is honored as an image, a co-creator, a beloved child of God. Jesus is taking us there again. That’s where we’re headed. It comes as we keep that view in sight, as we strive to let Justice roll down like waters…and Righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. It comes as we let the love of God in Christ Jesus change our hearts and open our eyes to the ways we can stand up for our neighbors—the ways we can tear down oppressive and neglectful systems and move toward a more just, more loving society. Not as a way of earning God’s love, or achieving our salvation. But because Jesus is bringing his kingdom. And we want in on that kingdom even now. Let God’s kingdom come on earth as in heaven, Let Justice roll down like waters…and Righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. in us, for this place and all the world. And let that lead us forward in our little mission: to Reach Out, Share Christ with All Grace and Peace be with you today from our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
This story is so ripe with good news! I mean, really, The full, intimate love of God is on display in these passages. It’s in how God talks about Isarel’s struggles. It’s in God sharing with Moses, and with us, God’s name. And it’s in God’s determination to use Moses for God’s work. Fist. not in order of the story but in order of our discussion, just what we talked about a few minutes ago… God’s intimacy in giving the people God’s name: I AM—or who was and is and is to come Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh I AM who I AM Yahweh—Adonai—The LORD The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob The God of promise, and hope, and blessing. God gives us a name and says that God will be forevermore known. In a name, God gives us a story to know God by. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is that one who promises, blesses, and gives hope. God is that one who wants to bless all the world through God’s people, through this family. And God is the one that, powerfully, makes that work happen in these people’s little lives. Next, look at how God talks about Israel’s struggles. God is near and knows God’s people. Then, as well as now. Take a look at the trio of words God uses. I see, I hear, and I know. A lot has happened to God’s people at this point. Things were really good when Jacob’s son Joseph started helping Pharaoh run Egypt during a famine. But generations had past and the current Pharoah didn’t even recognize that all these Hebrews, Jacob’s descendants, were a good people to have around. Instead, Pharoah started feeling threatened that there were so many of them and started doing atrocious things to these people to make sure that he stayed in power and that only “true” Egyptians remained the upper class. It’s not unlike some of the ways our own Western civilization has treated others through the years. So, many and some more generations pass and its so bad that God has to step in to renew these promises of hope and blessing to the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That is, Moses’ family. So God meets with Moses in this burning bush and assures him that God has seen. Yes, I see you, and I have seen you—all the hurt and pain and trauma and heartache, all the questions and struggles you’ve faced. I see you. God has not been absent from God’s people. God sees, and has seen. Their suffering, your suffering, God sees it. Then, God says, I have heard… God hears their cries—absolutely God has God’s ear on those people and their cries. The first cry God hears in the Bible is back in Genesis when Cain killed his brother Able—with the blood of Able crying out to God from the ground. When humans are distressed, oppressed, when we do not treat our neighbors like another person made in the image of God, and they cry out—you can absolutely be certain that God hears those cries. So, God assure Moses, I have heard their groaning under their oppressors. I’ve seen, I’ve heard, and… And God knows…God knows, fully knows, the hardships each of us face. God knows well the suffering of God’s people. And so, now, God has come to rescue. First, God is gives us a story and a name. God is the God of promise and blessing: the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Second, God sees and hears and knows God’s people-then and now, and always. And THIRD God’s is determined to be with us, to use us, to love us, and to love through us—stumbling, fallible little human beings… Moses tries to get out of it, knowing that he is nothing special. But God does not take no for an answer. God raises up Moses as the deliverer, as gives him what he needs—even his brother Aron as his spokesman to the people—to be what God has called Moses to be. God of promises, of hope and of blessings: of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—chooses to work in people like Moses, in people like you and me, in the person of Jesus. God used apprehensive, stuttering Moses to deliver Israel, and God chose to become humanity in Jesus Christ to save the world. God’s work to bring hope and blessing through this family, is steadfast. God’s presence with us, even to walk with us in Jesus, is everlasting. God sees, God hears, and God knows us. And God continues that work of promise and hope and blessing in Jesus, and through his church, now through YOU Today I hope you hear that same love and care that God has for God’s people in the Bible for yourself. I hope you hear that God is as much a source of promise and hope and blessing for you and for the world today. And I hope that love and promise take root in your life in way that lets you see Jesus working in the world through yourself, too. One thing you might notice as you read the Bible, or as you keep coming back to hear God’s word here, is that God always uses people to make the world a good place to be. Whether it’s Adam and Eve tilling and keeping the garden, Abraham’s descendants to bless the world, Moses to deliver the people, Jesus to show us where the love of God really leads, or YOU to keep following Jesus… God always makes the world a good place to be through people…through you. Today’s story gives us an invitation to listen. And an invitation to also be the hands and feet of God. God works through us, and through our neighbors. An illustration: You know this one….a flood’s coming and a guy stands on top of his house waiting to be rescued….a boat, a ship, and a helicopter all come by and offer to help, but the guy insists he’s waiting for God to save him. He dies and confronts God and God says “well jeez, I sent a boat, a ship, and a helicopter—what were you waiting for?!” You know this one, too: “and they said, ‘but Lord, when did we see you naked, and hungry, and thirsty, and imprisoned and offer you help?’ and he said ‘whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me”. Finally, I found these words from a song by Matthew West called “Do Something”. I’ll leave you with this verse and chorus… Matthew West, “Do Something” I woke up this morning Saw a world full of trouble now, thought How'd we ever get so far down, and How's it ever gonna turn around So I turned my eyes to Heaven I thought, "God, why don't You do something?" Well, I just couldn't bear the thought of People living in poverty Children sold into slavery The thought disgusted me So, I shook my fist at Heaven Said, "God, why don't You do something?" He said, "I did, yeah, I created you" (now listen) If not us, then who If not me and you Right now, it's time for us to do something, yeah If not now, then when Will we see an end To all this pain Oh, it's not enough to do nothing It's time for us to do something Grace and Peace from God, our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Happy Baptism Day! Happy Rally Sunday!
I love baptisms—they are so full of celebration, they mark the fundamental point of our faith, the start of our life in Christ. It’s about where we begin, it’s about the love of God for us, it’s about how are lives will unfold, wrapped in God’s love, in community and partnership with Jesus, and with his church, together the hands and feet of God, the body of Christ, God’s family. It’s a glad and joyful start, little one, you have today. We welcome our newest baptized sibling into partnership with us in the gospel, into our little family of God, this congregation, with it’s mission: “reach out, share Christ with all”, into the big family of God that is all believers. Our common mission of following Jesus, loving our neighbor, living in, and living out his love for the world. I asked their family "What do you want this little one to know about their baptism, even years from now?": They are part of this great, God-loving community (HCLC, but the Church as well). They have this family to turn to when he’s lost or unsure. To know that they are loved and supported. By us, by God. Always. As we welcome our sibling as our newest partner in the gospel, we remember and celebrate our own belovedness, our own baptisms. My favorite phrase conveying the message of baptism is said this way: you are a beloved child of God, worthy of love and respect, and capable of making a positive difference in the world. That’s what it means to be a baptized child of God. That’s also what it means for all humans, who are made in the image of God. That’s the good news and promise of baptism. That you are beloved by God. And the best part of that love, is that it’s nothing to do with what we do. It’s all God. In our Bible story today Abraham is looking to please God. He’s trying to live a good life and do the things God requires of him. Today’s story is a tough one. It’s as if God is working with him, working with Abraham, to ponder the question what does God require from us? What will make us “beloved by God, worthy of love and respect, and capable of making a positive difference in the world.” What must we do to be right and obedient in God’s eyes? Abrahams backstory…. Abraham’s story starts suddenly in the Bible when God shows up and tells Abram to leave everything—leave the land where his family was, and go to the land that I will show you. “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” And Abram’s story starts out well. He takes his wife, his nephew, and all their stuff, and he heads out. As he goes, when he gets to certain places he hears God tell him “See here? I’m going to give your descendants this land” so Abram builds an alter there and then keeps going. And so on. Abram looks to be trusting God’s promise, God’s plan. But then I think Abram starts thinking that to please God, he has to make sure this plan of God’s comes about. It starts to get a little hairy in places. When he gets to Egypt, to make sure he would be safe he gives his wife away to Pharaoh. Bad move. Later in life God reiterates the promise of descendants, but Abram and Sari are getting old and have been barren, so Abram comes up with his own idea of what he must do to please God and make God’s plan happen. That when Abram and Sarai abuse their servant and he fathers a child, Ishmael, with Haggar. Bad move. Though God keeps on working with Abram, and now Ishmael, too. After that incident, God makes sure to tell Abram that he should stop trying so hard. The descendants I’m talking about will be through your wife—you will be a father of nations, you will be a blessing to the world. Live like you’re loved, rather than like you’re trying to be loved, and God will take care of the rest. So then we get to this story about Isaac and Abraham. A story of testing. It’s as if God is testing Abraham, not just about his obedience, but on what kind of God Abraham really thinks God is. Does God require the sacrifice? The blood of firstborns? Many other cultures of Abraham’s time would have had sacrifice, even child sacrifice, as a normal—perhaps extreme—act of loyalty and devotion. Would Abraham know that his god, the God of the Bible, was different? I can’t say if he passed the test…but God revealed something about Godself, and Abraham revealed something about himself. Abraham: Recklessly devoted, but a little off on the whole understanding the love of God thing. God: absolutely devoted and loves these screw-up humans completely. So there it is. Abraham’s not perfect. And, newsflash, Isaac wont be either, nor will his kids—but God never gives up, never goes away. God works with these people, works through these imperfect people, just like God continues today to work with, within, and through us. And it all starts with God…not us. Baptism is God’s displayed act of loving us – not the other way around. God’s relationship with, God’s love for you, has nothing whatsoever to do with you—you’re worthiness, your obedience, your faith, or your works. It’s all about God. Whatever you’ve built up in your head about your own shame, or worth, or deservedness of God’s love—that’s where the story takes a turn. Abraham thought he knew what it took to be in good with God. But then…God took over and revealed the truth. Like that ram in the story, Jesus shows us what kind of sacrifice we need for God’s love and partnership. None. It’s not us that puts forth the sacrifice, but God who comes alongside us and make the sacrifice for us. God steps down, Jesus Christ comes, and himself makes the sacrifice for our love. What can you possibly do to earn God’s love? Nothing. But God gives everything! Jesus gives EVERYTHING, to show you his love. It’s from that love, it’s out of that love that we live our lives. Backpack tag says “Be loved. Be kind. Be you.” I want you all to take these and have these as a reminder of that promise. As you go into a new school year, or just step again, daily, to work and to life…we need that reminder that we are a beloved child of God, worthy of love and respect, capable of making a positive difference in the world. Our baptism, our belovenedness, puts us in partnership—with God and with one another--to make a positive difference in the world. And today we express doing with these words. Be loved. Be kind. Be you. We will stumble, we won’t be perfect. But that’s not what God requires. God calls us loved, beloved. And that is life orienting and life changing. With that love, we are meant to go out and make a positive difference in the world, to be kind. And the best way to do that, is by just being you, beloved. Know you’re loved. And be that love in the world. Beloved, Be loved. Be kind. Be you. That is who God created you to be in these waters. That is who God loves. It is tempting, when difficult things happen, to try and explain why, to point to God’s agency or motive for setting things upon us. While we can, and often do learn things from our hardships, “In God all things work for good”, It is not our main call as Christians to explain away the terrible things. In fact, I think, we tend to use this as a means to avoid wrestling with our own feelings, or acknowledging the wrongness of situation. Perhaps we feel that if we were to complain, it would show a lack of faith—show that we don’t think God is good, or in control…
But, Christianity offers us a way to lament that leads to hope. What is lament? A lament is actually praise, It is a proof of relationship, It is a type of prayer, It is participation in the pain of others It is a type of prayer: Lament in the Bible is not simply an outlet for our frustrations. It is a form of prayer. Many of the laments in the psalms are calls to action. They plead with God to pay attention to them and to act on their behalf. And, in so doing, they turn to praise—praising God for being a God of justice and righteousness, for being faithful in the past. They appeal to God for help on the grounds of God’s unfailing love. Laments bring all the pain before God. And then they turn to praise—reminding of God’s promise which we see in Christ—that death never gets the last word. That life, and goodness, and light will win. Goodness is stronger than evil; Love is stronger than hate; Light is stronger than darkness; Life is stronger than death; Our lament is our living, active, bold relationship with God. It is also our solidarity with each other, with the earth, with all who are hurting. By trusting God enough so as to share our vulnerability, we open ourselves up to the healing power of Christ—we open ourselves to the presence of the one who stands with us in lament. By crying out to God, who we know stands against the death, suffering, and pain in the world, we show our faith in the victory of Jesus Christ over death. In that faith, may God work on our hearts and make us to be bearers of Christ’s light for the world. May our lament be a path to hope, and our hope show the light of his kingdom. In lament, we bring our frustrations and grief before God, then with each small step we are able to take forward, we become Jesus’ visible presence in the world. We become the sign of God at work even amidst the trouble of the world. I love the lines from this hymn, that to me express that very thought: When the poor ones who have nothing are still giving When the thirsty pass the cup, water to share When the wounded offer others strength and healing We see God, here by our side, walking our way. Lament is not our final prayer. It is a prayer in the meantime. Because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, we know that sorrow is not how the story ends. Light is stronger than darkness; Life is stronger than death; The sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning! We lift our lament to God, and we trust in the victory of Christ over the powers of death. With shouts of “Hallelujah” we move forward, together, seeing God here, by our side, in one another, walking our way. VBS is such a fun program—or any sort of Bible Camp experience for that matter. And why is that? Is it because of the music and the games?
Well sure, but not just because they are music and games. Maybe it’s the novelty of it—music just a little different than the regular, and permission to run around and play while at church (or a church-related event): that certainly is unique. At VBS, or at Bible Camp, you get to connect to the stories and the lessons with so much of yourself. They didn’t just hear the Bible story in a worship setting, or read it together as a class…the story took them to various parts of the world! They learned to paint in a style that used amate, a paper made from a tree bark in Mexico—they learned about some struggles that farmers there face in growing food. They learned about sculptures from soapstone deposits in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was the place they learned about when they discussed health crises. They made pencil cases when they learned about Guatemala and how education for girls is not always a reality. The Lord’s Prayer took them around the world and engaged their creativity in making crafts. They used their bodies and voices as they sang and danced to the songs. The used relationships and teamwork on the games and simulation lessons. They read and listened to stories. They prayed and learned together. Can you think of any ability or skill, or part of themselves that wasn’t engaged? It’s the same with all our own lives, isn’t it? There is no part of us that our baptism does not apply to. There is nothing about us that does not fall under that central prayer: your kingdom come, your will be done, give us our daily bread, forgive us as we forgive. Maybe VBS is so much fun because it is a clear and short reminder of what our whole life of faith is. It isn’t just worship on Sunday morning, but it is what we do in our work; it is how we are with our family; it is how we treat all those around us; and it is how we live and advocate for God’s kingdom to be realized in ALL the world. Today our world faces many things that our faith would call us to. Many places where the we can be the hands and feet of God at work. Actually, it’s kind of a lot…and can be overwhelming. That’s why we have a body of Christ that is more than just any one of us. Each of us do not have to do all of it. Some of you may feel a tug toward Haiti, who had a devastating earthquake, a tropical storm, and fears aftershocks. Lutheran World Relief is a great organization to get connected with if you want help there. Some of you may be thinking about the wildfires in the West of our own country. Lutheran Disaster Response is taking help now for that. Afghanistan of course, has many looking for shelter and safety. And may troops to support as they arrive home. There is the ongoing pandemic, distribution of vaccines to areas of the world that are not getting them. There are likely many things in your own household and your own family to which your life of faith is calling you. No one of us can do it all. All we can do is focus on one thing at a time. As the whole body of Christ, his kingdom will indeed come. As people of faith, baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, our whole selves are caught up in the work of Jesus’ kingdom on earth. From our worship, to our play, to our work, to our creativity, to our generosity… and a VBS experience is a good reminder of that. So let this simple (as in a single thing, not something easy) exercise of our attempting to do the actions to these songs throughout worship today, be your reminder we are God’s people everywhere, and in every aspect of our lives. May that be encouragement to you as you face your days. May you feel a sense of strength and empowerment that God is with you, that Jesus sends others to help, And above all, may you be reminded that you are totally loved and adored by God. We’ve been in this bread series for many weeks now. It has been going all through the 6th chapter of John’s gospel, in order, taking it one story or perplexing phrase at a time.
Here’s where we’ve been: First, the story of Jesus feeding a multitude. The story starts with Jesus and his disciples trying to hide away a bit from the crowds. Jesus has been among the people, healing and helping those who were sick. Now he takes his crew across the sea and heads up a mountain to sit down for a bit. But as soon as they get settled, a huge crowd appears. Jesus challenges his disciples about finding enough to feed the crowd, and they cannot imagine how they, or what they have, might be enough for such a large task. Sometimes we feel like what we have, what we are isn’t enough. For the people around Jesus who are sick, or hurt, or the like…they find that Jesus gives something that makes them enough again, makes them have value in the world—what he gives them is his kingdom; he lets them into his kingdom. So, in display of that, Jesus brings the kingdom to that crowd and feeds the multitude. In that story, we see that Jesus, the Bread of Life, sees you as whole, complete, valuable, and surely enough. What you have to contribute, however small it might seem to you, is enough in God’s eyes, and God will continue to do amazing things through little old us, with our meager offerings. Then, the second week, Jesus began explaining himself as the bread of life with the image familiar to his crowd of manna given in the wilderness. After he fed the multitudes, which was after he healed the sick, the crowds were following him relentlessly and they wanted a sign from him. He called them out that they are only following him for the food and told them about how what he gives is more than just food…he gives himself, and he is the bread of God that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. What he gives is eternal life, or a life of the ages. We explored both the quality and quantity of "Eternal Life". Jesus gives what I wanted to call an “unrelenting aliveness” that moves into unending life through himself, received in the bread and wine at His table. Eternal life, or a life of the ages, isn’t only a life that doesn’t end, but it’s also a kind of life full of meaning and purpose, a life of belonging, a life of connection, and a life with hope. It’s a “life worth living” kind of life: We heard that each week, we come to the table to hear, and taste, and experience the good news that Through this bread, in this meal, in Christ: You are given meaning…And purpose…And belonging…And connection…And hope. You are given Jesus. And in him you have a never-ending life of unrelenting aliveness. Then last week, Jesus describes himself as the bread of life come down from heaven. What does it mean that Jesus is here, giving life to the world? We paired that with the story of a tired, mad, and defeated Elijah—who after, not just one, but two, good naps and a snack prepared by an angel—was able to go on, having found his strength in God’s good gifts. Jesus came to save us tired, hungry, and thirsty people and offer himself as nourishment. And, as we said each week, we experience that presence of Jesus through the people around us who remind us to take care of ourselves, and that we matter to God, just as we are called, when we’re able, to remind others of their worth in Christ. This week is the fourth week of the bread series. Today, the words of Jesus that perplex the crowd are: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life.” We find deep meaning in these words in light of the sacrament of holy communion. Aside from our practice of communion, those words are very strange, indeed. But Jesus’ words throughout this passage are about way more than just taking communion. I find myself thinking about how when Jesus says “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood..” it describes just how fully and completely he offers himself to us. In our Proverbs reading, Lady Wisdom sets a banquet. It describes how detailed, how carefully, how precisely, all the things she does to get ready to serve this feast. She has built her house, (not just rents a site, but,) she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her animals, (that is, prepared the meat.) Think of the effort and time that goes into something like a good Texas barbeque…hours and days spent tending the wood fire to smoke that perfect brisket. That’s the kind of preparation I imagine here. She has mixed her wine, (right, she prepared all the drinks) she has also set her table (which, by the sound of it, has a lot of place settings) She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls from the highest places in the town, (inviting, everyone) How long, how much work, how much of herself did she put into this meal? How many of you know what it is to put your heart and soul into something? Maybe it’s cooking for your family or a party, or maybe it’s another kind of offering. You put your own blood, sweat, and tears into something and just hope that it’s well received. Jesus, in offering his body and blood, is like that. Providing a great gift, the gift of life, if only we would take him up on the offer. But again, it’s not just about taking communion…it’s that, too. But it’s also about being nourished, fully, in Jesus’ name. It’s being transformed by him—having his “stuff” coursing through our system and growing us up as kingdom people, as Jesus people. We wants us to be fed, nourished, and transformed by him. One image for thinking about this is of a book: a book on shelf vs. reading a book (Barclay pg. 231) When Jesus said we must drink his blood he meant that we must take his life into the very center and core of our heats. Think of it this way. Here in a bookcase is a book which someone has never read. It may be the glory and wonder of the tragedies of Shakespeare. One may have bought that book, but so long as it remains unread upon their bookshelves, it is external to them. It remains outside them. But then one day they take it down and read it. They are thrilled and fascinated and moved. The story sticks to them; the great lines remain in their memory; now when they want to, they can take that wonder out from inside themselves and remember it and think about it and feed their mind and heart upon it. Once the book was external to them, on their shelf. Now it has gotten inside them, and they can feed upon it. That is one image. But I came upon another that I found far more significant. It’s an image that I’d never be able to authentically use myself, but one that is only accessible to a mother. It was a story about mother and child. She told of the struggles and difficulty of learning to feed her child after it was born. How they both shared frustration—the baby at leaning to eat, the mother learning to nurse. This “natural” business not coming naturally at all. It moved into joy as they settled into a rhythm, became in sync with each other. And the mother’s amazement on reflecting on learning what it is to give herself away, to delight in a fullness other than her own, to be nourished by the act of nourishing. Reflecting on what it is to BECOME food. Imagine Jesus as a mother, giving her very self away to nourish her children. Hoping we learn to eat, aching when we are hungry and won’t be fed, delighting when we are fed and full, resting in her arms. Her story went on to the child’s adolescence, and a struggle with an eating disorder. How a mother aches to be able to feed her child, but cannot. Jesus pours out his flesh and blood for us. At his table, by him, we are nourished and enter into that kingdom of eternal life. He gives us his body and blood, to be transformed and grown into a strong people, kingdom people, that experience the value, connection, purpose, belonging, and hope that come with eternal life. He gives himself, and he calls us out to share him with all. May you find at the table today, the body and blood of Christ, freely given to you. May you be nourished by him, feel his love poured out to you. May you be transformed and empowered to become what you receive, his body for the life of the world. May you be filled with Jesus’ presence, and strengthened and sustained by him today and always. |
AuthorRev. Chris Sesvold is currently the pastor at Halfway Creek Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Holmen, WI. Archives
October 2021
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