Luke 2:1-20 God can be in the most unusual places

“In an old city bar, that’s never too far, from the places that gather,

the dreams that have been

In the safety of night, with its old neon light,

it beckons to stranger, and they always come in.”

            Some of you might know these words. For those who do not know, this is the opening verse of a song appropriately titles Old City Bar. It is sung by one of my favorite music groups known as the “Trans-Siberian Orchestra.” It is a song about a young girl who is trying to get home. She has no money and she wanders through the streets of this town…she is lost. You get the imagination that the city lights are so bright that she can’t see the stars overhead. So she does the only thing she can by wishing or praying upon this old neon light. It is the light that advertises the bar.

            It sounds unusual to begin Christmas by talking about a bar, doesn’t it? It does feel a little odd as the pastor to be talking about a bar at this most sacred and Holy time of the year. When we think of bars, we think of some pretty nice ones that we may have visited on vacations or special occasions. But our song tells us that it is an old city bar. The pictures that is being painted is not a bar that appears to be too friendly. It is the kind of bar where people go to get lost from society. It is the kind of bar where people lament over missed opportunities; they drink their troubles away thinking about what could have been rather than what could be.

This is the kind of bar where suspicion of strangers is expected and accepted. This is the place where people come to get lost in their sorrows…to get lost from the world: a hectic job, or not having a job, the stresses of life and everything that comes with it. Interesting thought; they are getting lost from the world where the girl outside is trying to find her way back home…back into her world. Nevertheless, this bar is not necessarily the place where one would find comfort, a smile, or a helping hand.

It does feel a little odd speaking of this bar because this is the time of the year…THE special night of the year when we gather to hear the story of Jesus’ birth. We all have heard this story many times. We might even be able to recite by heart. It is the story of Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem to be registered. It was time for Jesus to be born and there was no place for them at the Inn. We hear the wonderful words of how he was wrapped in bamds of cloth (we have always heard the term swaddling cloth) she laid him in the manger. It is a story that brings us great joy and comfort on this night.

BUT, there are a few things we need to remember in this truly blessed story. Jesus was not born in the place that may be considered “traditional”  in his time. He was not born in a nice room, a hospital room, or even a double sweet at the Sheraton Inn. Jesus was born in an animal shelter. He was born in the barn where the animals lived because there was no room for this couple who travelled so far. There were no doctors, rabbis, Pharisees, or Sadducees present to bless the child. There were cows, goats, mules…and I would imagine some of them may not have been to friendly knowing they would be giving up their space for this new family.

That is not the only part of the story. The story of Jesus’ birth does not end with just being born. The shepherds were in the fields and tending to their flocks. Shepherds are not the cleanest of people. They spend lots of time in the field with sheep. They are loners and probably have not taken baths for some time. They sleep out in the open often; always being vigilant that their sheep don’t run off. While they are doing their job this angel appears. Not just one, but a whole army of angels are there to back this one angel up and tell them the story of Jesus. This angel tells them to go and see this wonderful child; and they went.

            This is why it ma it may seem strange talking about this old city bar on Christmas Eve. The song has a child come into the bar and convince the bartender to take all the cash that was in the register and go outside and speak to the girl. After the discussion, he calls for a cab and sends her home. She is no longer lost and trying to get home. Now she has the ability to get home to her family. This child then disappears. The impression is that the child is an angel.

            These two stories tell us something about God. God shows up in some of the most unexpected places. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth in the form of a baby, not as a grown up or a bolt of lightning. God’s only son came to earth in human form. Not in a palace with festivals, banquets, or with fine linens; Jesus came to earth in a stable and wrapped in bands of cloth, with the animals as witnesses to this most sacred and Holy moment. God’s messengers summoned the shepherds who were in the fields; not the kings, rabbis, or religious leaders. The angels came to some of the most unlikely people to call them to be witnesses to this Holy Birth.

            We, too, can be included in the unlikely people that the angels call to be witnesses to the moment. We all have made mistakes in our lives. We have all fallen short of God’s glory at some time in our lives. We are broken sinners living in a broken world. Yet the angel of the Lord comes to us this night to call us all to be witnesses to the birth of Jesus Christ who has come to save the world; to save you and me from our brokenness. We are called to witness this Holy night with wonder, awe, and thanksgiving and we are called to share this Good News just as the shepherds shared what they saw with Mary.

            Jesus’ birth is the bigger story of how God loved a people so much that he sent his Son into the world to be among us. It is the witness of God’s loving act of not wanting us to be alone or separated from God. Jesus’ birth is God being compassionate and graceful to show us and teach us about God’s never failing love. God teaches us to love and forgive, to show mercy and grace for one another AND for ourselves. This is the night we celebrate God’s love in the form of a child being born…the Son of God being born into this world.

            There are other times we see God in this world as well. We have seen God come into the unusual places of the world. God came into the world to help the people of the Phillipines after the typhoon. God comes into the world when we rally around one another after disasters to provide comfort and aid, after violent tragedies when we help families and one another cope in the aftermath, when we welcome new little ones into our families, and when we have to say goodbye to our loved ones. Two days ago, I met a couple from Germany. The husband told me of the teacher who saved his life in Germany by helping him flee the approaching Russian Army, never to see his mother again. God was present in that place. We see God’s presence when we as the body of Christ come together to help one another in our congregation, in our community, and in our world.

            Tonight we are a witness to the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. We have seen this child and know that God is in the world. God’s word is now in us…it is in our heads and in our hearts this night and every night. May God’s word be in our words and our actions; may we share God’s love, hope and grace with others and may God use us to bring God to some unlikely places. Thanks be to God: AMEN

Matthew 3:1-12 Prepare...what is John really saying?

So, last week I said welcome to Advent. I said that this was the season of preparation. I even asked how do we prepare for the season? On facebook there has been a great discussion about the advent candles. The question was posed as to what each candle means, what was the origin of the advent wreath and people are wanting more information about the wreath. It is understood that the advent wreath began in the 1800’s by a pastor (not sure what denomination) and it started in the home.

Then the question began about what each candle means. When that question was posed, there were some joking answers. One person named the four candles John, Paul, George, and Ringo. The more serious answers held that the four candles stood for love, peace, joy, and hope. Well, that makes sense, doesn’t it? Those are all the things that God is for so it would make sense that this is what they mean.

There is only one problem: if this is what the candles mean, then why do we have this reading of the Gospel for today? Our reading from Matthew is about John. It is about this guy who is being followed by many. He has got the outrageous clothes on; the burlap bag and he eats bugs. If that isn’t enough, he is telling all these people to “repent for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” That does not sound too happy to me. It is actually an indictment. John is making a scathing statement against everyone. When I hear the word repent and John yelling it to people, I want to start to feel guilty about something.

So what is it that John is saying? Is he telling us to stop sinning? Is he telling us to pay attention to what we are doing? Is he telling us that what we are doing is wrong and not what God had in mind for us? The simple answer to that is yes. See, this word repent has a bigger meaning than just stop doing something. This word is associated with sin. For instance, if we commit sin…we are acting in a way that is a turning away from God. Sin is always assuming that God is over there and I am going to do something over here that God might not see. So we can describe it as turning away from God; doing something that is in the dark rather than in the light in front of God.

If sin is turning away from God then what is the opposite of turning away? It would be to turn back toward God. Repentance is turning back toward God. It is literally turning back around knowing that God knows what you have done and bringing it to God to seek forgiveness for that turning away. Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? But there is a catch to all this. Look at the source who is telling us to repent. It is this guy who is often described as “the voice crying out in the wilderness.” He is not dressed well, but he has a message. His message is being heard because many people are listening to him…even Herod listens to this mangy, dirty guy.

The catch is that John’s message is not just some stuff that he decided to say one day. John brings an important message. It is a message that has been repeated throughout the Old Testament. We hear it in Isaiah that we read today; “a shoot shall come from the branch of Jesse…” We also hear this coming of whom Elijah sent in the book of Malachi. John knows his scripture. John is not crying out for the sake of crying out. He brings an important message from God himself.

There is another catch to all this fuss that John makes. John says to “prepare the way of the Lord, for the kingdom of heaven draws near.” This is important stuff, because up till now John’s followers were just the common folk. Now he has got the Pharisees and the Sadducees listening to him. They are on the river bank listening. Remember who they are? They are the scholars; one group believes in resurrection and the others don’t. These are groups of people who study God’s law, they live by the Law, and they hold others accountable to the laws of Moses and the five books of the bible. John is telling them that this repentance is much bigger than just saying I am sorry. This repentance is meant for everyone! It is more than turning around. John is telling everyone that the Lord is coming and “you are not going to believe what is going to happen.” He is telling them that they are not going to know which way is up or down, left or right because the Lord is going to do something radical and we better be ready. I like to call it: “radical re-orientation.” As in “turn your whole body in the direction of God and not just your shoulders, but your eyes, your whole body…your mind, body and most of all your heart.

That is why this reading is so important to this time of season. In order for us to greet the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ child we have to be oriented in a way that we can receive this news and be a witness to God in the flesh here on earth. It is when our hearts and minds are turned toward the promises, the love, the joy, the peace, and the hope of Jesus, God’s Son coming into the world, we can be open to the all the blessings of God. We can experience and witness God’s grace for us and share all these blessings with others.

The bottom line is that Advent helps to put the Christ in Christmas. Advent leads us into the story of Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel and her meeting with Elizabeth. Advent leads takes us through the moment when Mary’s soul magnifies the Lord and gives thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon her. Advent prepares us for the moment when Joseph and Mary begin their life together. Advent helps us to be a witness to all this and more. It helps us examine ourselves and our lives; to open our hearts to the love of God in our lives…in the form of an infant. It helps us to realize that this preparation this “radical re-orientation” toward God is something that God calls us to do daily.

So let us prepare the way for OUR Lord and savior, because the kingdom of heaven draws near. AMEN

Matthew 24: 36-44 Welcome to Advent

Theologian and writer Frederick Buechner wrote in his book, Whistling in the Dark, “The house lights go off and the footlights come. Even the chattiest stop chatting as they wait in the darkness for the curtain to rise. In the orchestra pit, the violin bows are poised. The conductor has raised his baton.

            In the silence of a midwinter dusk there is far off in the deeps of it somewhere a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen.

            You walk up the steps to the front door. The empty windows at either side of it tell you nothing, or almost nothing. For a second, you catch a whiff in the air of some fragrance that reminds you of a place you’ve never been and a time you have no words for. You are aware of the beating of your heart.

            The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.

            The Salvation Army Santa Claus clangs his bell. The sidewalks are so crowded you can hardly move. Exhaust fumes are the chief fragrance in the air, and everybody is as bundled against any sense of what all the fuss is really about as they are bundled up against the wind chill factor.

            But if you concentrate just for an instant, far off in the deeps of yourself somewhere you can feel the beating of your heart. For all its madness and lost-ness, not to mention your own, you can hear the world itself holding its breath…its called Advent.” Those are beautiful words for a special time in the life of the church.

            Welcome to the New Year in the church cycle. One could say Happy New Year! As we begin this New Year in the life of the church, we come to a new focus in our Gospel readings. Last year, much of the focus came from the Gospel of Luke. Welcome to the Gospel of Matthew…and of course welcome to Advent. Advent is the time of the year where we talk about waiting and watching! We hear words and phrases lilke: “make ready, prepare the way, and creating space.” So much of our culture is focused on “pushing ahead, going for the Gold, and trying to make it to that end Goal (whatever the goal is). Our society fixates on instantaneous results. We all get caught up in wanting things to work immediately that we have gotten away from believing that something must be wrong if we have to wait for something…for anything.

            Advent is a time of preparation, making ready for the coming of the infant Jesus. So, how do we prepare, how do we make ready? For some, preparation is making sure the house is clean, shopping is done, menus made up, lists made, and plans confirmed. My wife and I found out how one of our sons prepared. Justin is an EMT/firefighter and one night he called us. Things did not sound right so my wife asked “where are you?” He said, “I am in the trunk of a car.” My wife began looking panicked thinking something horrible had happened! The look on her face was priceless when he continued “I am waiting for the instructor to come and grade how he was able to take his pulse in a confined area. We got several calls like that “I am in a closet and they are coming by to check how I put in an IV. He was preparing to be able to do what he would be called to do in the field.

            That is one way of preparation. How is it for us Christians? How do we prepare? It is not like a semester of school. We don’t get a syllabus that tells us what to read, when papers are due, and the dates of exams. For Christians, preparation is an ongoing process.

Being a Christian is an ongoing process. Living a Christian lifestyle doesn’t come with an begin and end date. There is no expiration date. We do have an instruction manual in scripture, church, and our friends in faith. But our Gospel text reminds us that when Jesus comes, we do not know. We don’t know the time or the hour AND he will come like a thief in the night, totally by surprise and unexpectedly, surprisingly.

Through the examples in our reading, we see that there is no way of predicting, planning, or guessing when Jesus will come. So how do you live the Christian life when you don’t know the end is near? For that matter, how do you live with the remaining 23 days left in Advent before Christmas?

So let’s talk reality. For most of us, it is impossible to just stop everything and wait. I would suggest that would be a really bad interpretation of our reading. It’s not about how fast or slow we do things. It’s not even about changing what we are doing. I would say that it is how we live out that time. Are we watchful, vigilant, deliberate, and intentional in witnessing to the promises that have been given to us? Do we live in confidence that what God promised Abraham, Noah, and David will happen o do we hedge our bets and try to live in both worlds; with one foot trying to follow Jesus and the other foot trying to be “successful” in the world as it is and the way society measures success?

Before my wife went to seminary, our son, the EMT that I just spoke of really thought that seminary students wore robes like the monks and chanted all day long; living the life of a monk. He went to visit her one day on the campus and was surprised to find people walking around in jeans. In fact, he said to his mother “they look just like me. I never thought that they would wear jeans.” That was the moment that he learned that Christians and pastors look just like everyone else. We live in the real world and we hold onto the promises given to us by our God as we go about our daily lives.

Maybe the real challenge to us as people of faith is believing in the promise that God has made to us. With so many things out of our control, unexpected events, it is a challenge to hold onto God’s promises. With the tragedy in the Phillipines, the fire that killed the priest in Ocean City and devastated the people of faith in that community, the loss of jobs, illnesses, and the death of a loved one; all these things take us back and threaten any semblance of order we’d imagined we created for ourselves.

No matter what your darkest, deepest fear, we hold onto the promise of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. We have been created for more that fear because of Jesus, the Son of Man and the Son of God whose coming birth we anticipate, has promised to come always to be both with us and for us.

The promise does not insulate us from an uncertain future, But it does promise that we will not face that future alone. And if we believe this to be true, we will live our lives in such a way that as we go about the business of the Lord’s work, we will live in assurance and with a peace that truly “passes all understanding.”

As the days grow shorter and the darkness grows, we light our advent candles each week to remind us that we do not face the darkness alone, we do not live in fear and isolation, but give thanks because the light of the world has come, shining in the darkness to illumine our lives and lead us forth in courage, confidence, and dare I say…joy!

So welcome to Advent, a time of preparation of the mind, body, and spirit. As we prepare for this season with Christmas parties, parades, shopping, music, baking and all that comes with it. May we all hold onto God’s promises and prepare ourselves because it truly is a blessed journey: thanks be to God. AMEN!

Luke 21:5-19 "I will give you the words"... There is hope.

So this Sunday’s readings are so cheery aren’t they? Malachi speaks of the fiery burning when all evildoers and the arrogant will become stubble. Our second reading talks about staying away from believers who are idle, and now Jesus, in our Gospel talks about people being persecuted, jailed and even killed because of his name…so this is a great Sunday to be a Christian and hear these words. Don’t they make you happy?

There is nothing like a good story of destruction is there? Remember the movies Towering Inferno, Dante’s Peak, Earthquake, and the Poseidon Adventure. Many of us went to the movies, spent our $10 or more dollars and sat and watched a good adventure movie. All these movies began with nice calm scenes. Then it happened, a natural disaster would occur and we are glued to the movie screen to see how they would get out of that situation. Some of these movies won some big awards.

This is no movie, though. This is not something that we pay our $10 to see how it comes out. This is the bible! This is something more serious because these are Jesus words. This is important stuff that we are hearing. Jesus is telling us that there will not be one stone left unturned; in fact, all the stones with be “thrown down.” Jesus is warning us that things are going to happen and they are not the good things. He is telling us that there will be people coming to tell us tales and trying to lead us astray. He speaks of us hearing about wars and insurrections, persecutions, famines, earthquakes, imprisonment.

It is a bleak picture that Jesus paints, isn’t it? I mean, it sounds like we have heard these words before. We have heard them in the Omen movies from the ‘70’s, we heard them in a movie that always scared me when I was a youth called the “Late, Great, Planet Earth.” I bet that some of our thoughts might go right to the book of Revelation and all the stories from that book of scripture. The biggest difference is that this is Jesus, the Son of God, telling us that these things are going to happen. So, this carries a lot more weight than just the words of a Prophet.

It would be easy for our minds to immediately go to this picture of destruction and gloom. I am going to ask you think about this word, destruction, for just a moment. Using all the words that we have heard the Son of God uses in his description. This word destruction and the images that come with it can make us anxious, if not down-right scared. It paints such a bleak picture that we might not want to think about tomorrow or a future; we might end up just wanting to know like the disciples, “when will all this happen?”

Now that you have that picture, I want you to think of something entirely different. I am going to ask you to think about the concept of Hope. Jesus is telling the people not to worry about when this will happen. Jesus response is to say not to listen to those who come and say they are someone that they are not. He tells people to be aware. He does not say go hunting to see if people are making these claims. Jesus does not say to seek out and persecute or attack people. Jesus is telling them to be aware. Believe it or not, that is part of hope. Jesus goes on to tell the people “do not be terrified.” He is telling them not to worry about this stuff that is going to happen.

Basically, what Jesus is telling the people not to sit and wait around for these events to occur. Think about it, I can tell you from this standpoint that I would sit around and wait for the end to come. I can tell you that because I actually did it. When I was in high school and the movie, “The Late Great Planet Earth” came out, I was terrified. I sat around all summer that year after watching it; I waited for the end. I would hear the AIR Raid alarm from the elementary school going off at noontime and think that was the end. It was not until my oldest brother got married that summer and I spoke to the pastor that was marrying them. I asked him about the movie and he told me that it was just a movie. We talked a little more and I felt better; I wasn’t totally convinced but I got tired or waiting for the end.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I believe that this scripture is telling us a more important story about hope. Because despite all these things that Jesus tells us will happen [by the way, he does not tells us when they will happen] Jesus tells us the most important words deep within this Gospel. Jesus says, I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” Jesus is telling the disciples, listeners, and even us “you don’t need to worry because I am going to give you the words…” Jesus, the Son of God, will not abandon us because we will have the words.

Jesus is talking about the listeners, disciples, and even us using our words to witness. He is talking about witnessing God in the world, witnessing the love of God, the grace of God, and the compassion that God has for us in this world. Jesus is giving us the words of God’s relationship with the people of Jesus’ time and God’s relationship with us in this world. I do believe that we have all seen God in this world; we have seen God’s work in the world and we have seen God’s mercy, love, and compassion in the world. We have seen God’s love in the birth of children, the hugs of family and friends, and we have seen God’s love displayed for us on the cross…the sign that once meant ridicule and shame that has now become the display of God’s gracious act of forgiveness and love for broken people.

 We have seen God’s presence with one another. When we forgive one another or seek forgiveness from one another, when we help someone who is in need [whether it be through prayer, food, clothing, shelter], or just spending time together God is present and whether we know it or not, God is with all of us at these times.

My point is that God does not call us to sit around and just wait for the end. God calls us to be active in the world. God calls us to testify…to be witnesses to God’s love for us and our love for God. God does give us the words through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We have the words and actions of Jesus Christ as our teacher in helping neighbors; we have his words and actions in not judging others but leaving that up to God. We have Jesus’ words in proclaiming God as a loving God who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. We have God’s promise that we are not left alone, but it is God who is always with us in our good times and in our struggles.

Friends in Christ, God has given us some of the words and actions in proclaiming God as creator of all that God has made. We have been given the words to witness the God of Israel who baptizes and calls God’s children beloved. Just last week we witnessed to God’s faithfulness by making commitments to God in our faithfulness in giving to the ministries of this church and for that we can all say amen to God! We are witness to God’s love through the sacrifice of God’s only son of the cross, and we have been given the words to show others that they are worthy of God’s love. On this day that the Lord has made, may we all continue our witness in our words and our actions to the love and promises of Almighty God: AMEN!

Luke 20: 17-38 The God of the Living

            Did you ever feel like you are being tested? I don’t mean like getting a blood test or an x-ray. I am talking about question tests like the ones we had or are getting in our school days. I remember spending hours the night before this big test. I had my brothers helping me. Our high Biology teacher had us make up this chart. It was the size of a grocery bag that was cut on the sides so it was as long as two grocery bags and we had to make this chart and fill in the blanks. So, to me, this chart was huge. Again I spent hour preparing for this test.

            Can you imagine how Jesus felt? In our Gospel reading today, Jesus is tested once more. He is constantly being tested; tested with questions and situations. Everyone that asks him a question gives him a choice…it’s either this or that, or the question of which one. Today is no different. The Sadducee is posing a test question to Jesus. This widow does what is according to the law; she marries and no children so the brother takes her as a wife. They work through this family of seven brothers. They finally get to the question: whose will she be when she dies and goes to heaven?

            First we have to clear something up. How do we know Jesus was being tested? Because our scripture tells us that Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection. So this is clearly a test question. This testing always seems, at least to me, relentless. As a reader of scripture, part of me wants to say STOP with the testing already and just believe. That would be the easy way, wouldn’t it? I mean, stop the testing already and just believe. But it is not that simple; because if it were that simple then we would not have this book about Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit now would we?

            As much as I want to say “just believe” I know that I cannot because I, too have had this same question. I had this question as a child and as an adult. I can say that I have asked the question of a spouse who is widowed and then remarries…what happens when all get to heaven? I can only picture an awkward moment of when the widow and the seven brothers get together in heaven…I can picture them all together until one of the brothers says, Ummm, what are we supposed to do now? Awkward situation to say the least.

            But Jesus does not get caught up in this answer. Jesus proceeds to teach them what happens when we get to heaven. Jesus teaches the Sadducees and us that marriage to one another is something that happens here on earth. He realizes that the time here on this earth is but a fleeting moment in the kingdom of God. Jesus knows and tells us that the earthly will parish, in all the things we associate with our earthly beings even marriage. This is a bitter pill to swallow; we want to think that everything will last forever. We want to believe it because it makes us who we are. It is our lives and experiences, our loves found and loves lost, our mentors and colleagues, our friendships and partnerships…it is our marriages and our relationships. All those things help make us who we are. IT is the combination of all those things, and our jobs that help make us who we are today.

Remember that question asked of many famous people or we say it to our friends and family, “if I could change one thing in my life, I would not change a thing.’ Of course, some of us would want to change the little mistakes or even some big ones. The point that I am making is that we are defined in this earthly world by all these things; job, spouse, level of income, social status, and the list goes on and on. Jesus is telling us something different here. Jesus tells us that we are defined by a whole different set of markers when we get to the eternal kingdom.

Jesus tells us that we are defined as children of the resurrection. That is it, no more, no less. It means that we belong to God and no one else. We belong to the eternal God who calls us to the banquet that has no end. We are no longer held to the earthly confines of the world we live but are set free from the markers that hold us here on this earth. We live in a broken world and that is nothing new. What is new is that Jesus tells us the Good News that we don’t have to worry when we get to God’s eternal Kingdom. We don’t have to worry about status, income, or even marriage; because God has taken care of all of that.

God has provided the eternal kingdom so that we are free from the earthly and so that we can rejoice in God’s resurrection of God’s only son on the cross. Jesus suffering and death was for all of us so that we don’t have to bear the burden of this broken world. However, we can rejoice in that God has defeated death and the grave in hopes that we all shall be resurrected to life everlasting.

Jesus makes this final statement that God is the God of the living. What does that mean for us? Who is God if God is for the living? It means that God is a part of our lives and God wants to be a part of our lives, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. God wants us to live our lives according to God’s law and God’s promises. This God of the living means that God does not abandon us in times of struggle, but is with us always laughing and crying with us. God shares our ups and downs, and God uses us through the gift of one another to help each other out and support one another. This God of the living means that knows that we all have value and gifts to share with one another. God of the living means that we do not have to fear death and what appears to be the last because God of the living has something greater in store for us and that is the promise of resurrection.

So what does all this have to do with us? This is truly Good News in that we don’t have to worry about heaven. This question about the seven grooms and the widow has everything to do with us. This Good News is all about what is it that makes us who we are; knowing the answer that it is God who makes us who we are. We celebrate this day that the Lord has made; we celebrate that we come here this morning to Worship the God who promises forgiveness, love, mercy, and compassion. We celebrate that God created us, gave us friends and family to care for and support, and put strangers in our lives to care for and walk with in their time of need and that may be there for us in our time of need.

Next Sunday, we will gather once again in celebration of God who created us and this good earth. We will celebrate the blessings that God has given us through our jobs and our families and the ability to give back to God what was God’s in the first place. Next week we will celebrate what our scripture talk about over 2000 times in the bible. We will celebrate our “first fruits” of our labor for the year to come. Our consecration Sunday will be a day of celebration and our commitment to the ministries of this church for the coming year. It is a time to celebrate that we are all together giving thanks and praise for the gift of the Living GOD: AMEN!

Luke 6: 20-31 Luke's Beatitudes...much different than Matthew's

            Does anyone know what this symbol on the forehead stands for (The “L” on the forehead); and do you know what the “L” stood for? That’s right, LOSER! We have winners and losers in sports, if you don’t get your way you are called a “poor Loser,” and then there is the general term LOSER as in “oh, so and so is such a loser.”

            Listen to this portion of today’s Gospel reading, “Blessed are you who are poor, blessed are you who are hungry. It surely does not sound like us, because we are dressed nicely, we have these visitors with us today who are doing good work in this world and trying to make their lives better so this could not possibly mean us, right?

            Listen to these words a little closer. “Blessed are YOU who ARE POOR. Blessed are you who are hungry.” You may have heard something like these words before. There is one difference in what you remember and what you hear today; and that difference is that Matthew’s Gospel says “blessed are those that are poor in spirit.” This is Luke’s Gospel. Luke is not talking about people who are poor in spirit. Luke is talking about those who are physically poor. Luke goes on to write “blessed are those who are hungry NOW.” That is not in Matthew’s Gospel either. Luke is talking about people who do not have food; people who are going hungry. It may not sound like our situation.

            Yet, here is Jesus telling them that they are blessed. That does not make a whole lot of sense, does it? Why are they the blessed ones? I mean you and I have worked hard to get where we are. Many of us have struggled and had some lean years. Many of us have had the Ramen noodles as a main staple, lived off hot dogs for a while, or made tomato soup with ketchup and hot water just to make ends meet. Does that mean we may have been blessed then but are blessed no longer? Have we lost our blessing? Did we do something wrong?

            The truth is that “no,” we have not lost any blessings. This reading is about those who are poor and hungry. Jesus is showing us who God speaks to and for; God lifts up those who are the underdog of society. God lifts up those people that may be considered “losers” in society during Jesus’ time. Jesus tells us that God gives God’s love and blessings to those who do not have a voice in the world and those whom society just brushes to the side. God lifts up people who need food to survive one more day; they are the people looking for one more place to find food and shelter. They are the people wondering where their next meal will come from. They have to compete against one another for everything they have got in hopes that they can get just a little more because their lives depend on it.

            Our society tells us who these people are. If you believe what you see on television and read in the news and hear on the radio, you know these people. These people are referred to as lazy, worthless, bums, freeloaders, and those are just a few names.

            The reality of our Gospel reading tells us something very different about these people. Jesus tells us that ALL God’s children are worthy of God’s love and God’s grace. God’s love is not only for the comfortable; that it is also for those who struggle, for those who are physically hungry, for those who worry about their jobs, families, shelter…God’s love does not know ethnic, economic, or social bounds. God’s love and grace is for all of us.

            While this reading can make us all uncomfortable, and I hope it does, it also points out one important thing that makes this even more uncomfortable is that Jesus says woe to those who are rich and who are full. Jesus is telling us that it is what we do with the blessings that we have been given that makes a difference. While we may not be wealthy as we would like, some of us may not have to worry about our next meal, we might live comfortably paying our bills; Jesus is talking about the people who are struggling to get by; where their lives depend on the next meal. Where just having a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and band-aids means that a child will miss less days of school; where a meal once a month means the family will have enough to eat for a few extra days.

            Friends in Christ, we know what Jesus means in his blessings of the poor and hungry. We see it in our own community. Through the blessings of Community Partners and our ministries with Glade Valley, we know that people are in need of help and that need is growing with the reduction in the Food Stamp program. People will need more help with getting food and the answer that I hear repeatedly in the media is “let the churches step up to the plate,” as if the churches aren’t doing anything. The beauty of Jesus’ blessings this morning is that Jesus knows that we who are not the poor or hungry are, literally, the hands and feet of God’s blessings in giving back what was not ours but Gods; and that, brothers and sisters, is where the blessings of the cross comes together.

            The Good News of Jesus’ words is to hold onto and share with others God’s teachings of love and compassion. We are called to share with one another all of God’s blessings that we all have been given. God teaches us through these words of Jesus that it is God’s love that will sustain us through good times and through struggles. It is God who puts us on this earth to help one another because we are all in need of God’s love. It is God’s call to us that when there is someone without food or shelter or clothing, we are called to help God’s children.

            So what does this all have to do with All Saints Day? This is the day we celebrate all who have gone on in the faith before us. We celebrate those who began Jesus’ Church, we celebrate the leaders who brought us the creeds, and we celebrate our loved ones who taught us of God’s love; the ones who showed us God’s love by being loved; and we commit to helping the youngest of God’s children know Christ and God’s love. God calls us to be the saints of God’s love, mercy, and compassion in this community and to God’s creation: AMEN

Reformation Sunday

            This is a great day in the life of our church. This is the day that we celebrate the birth of the Lutheran Church. So it is a great day! Amen?!

            I think it is important to hear the story that we usually save for confirmation because let’s face it, many of us have either not been through confirmation or it has been quite a while ago. Our church came about by a man walking along a road in a thunderstorm. His father worked hard, spent years in the mines so that his children could have a good life; a life filled with education because education, back then was for the elite. This father wanted the best for his son named Martin. So Martin was going to go to university and become a lawyer. Martin was a good Catholic who went to mass and did all that was expected.

            It wasn’t until that day in the storm walking home that he began to fear God, lightning striking the tree next to him and that is when it happened; Martin fell to his knees and promised that if God would stop this wrath and fear that he would become a monk. He would give his life over to God. And so it was that he became a monk. He used all his learning as a child to follow “the way” and often felt convicted by God. He spent his early years in the monastery feeling the wrath of God. He felt convicted in his humanity and felt that God was punishing him for every little thing. He would spend so much time in confession that the priests were getting annoyed with him.

            His mentor set out to work with Luther and began to show him a different side of God. His mentor began changing Luther’s thinking that God was not a God of vengeance and fear, but a God of love. Slowly, Martin’s did see God as a God of salvation and forgiveness. This carried and sustained Luther. Martin Luther began challenging what he was taught and what the church held as sacred: relics, confessions, the saints, and yes even the power of the pope. Luther went on to make his famous stand in defense of his writings. This stand and his writings became known as the “reformation” in the church. The people who followed Luther became known as Evangelicals and split from the Catholic church.

            This story is important for a number of reasons. This is the day that we Lutherans hold to be the day that our church was born. It is the day when Luther published his 95 theses and nailed them to the door of the church…by the way, some might say (and one author has) that this was the beginning of social media. So here we have the blessing and the curse; blessing of church and curse of social media. There is more to this day then just the posting of a document on the door of a church.

            This Reformation Day is the day we recognize that when the Word of God became available to everyone. You see, in Luther’s time, the bible was only reserved for the priests. The services were in Latin (even in Germany). People could not just go to Borders book store and get a bible. You had to go to the priests for the bible to be “properly” interpreted. Most people could not even read and as I said earlier, only the educated were able to attend schools and learn to read. Most everyone else was left to fend for themselves, disease was running rampant and mortality rates were extremely high. Many were lead to believe that if they got sick that God was punishing them for something they did or even did not do.

            This reformation is important because it opened this door to the Word of God. No longer did the people have to go to the priest, because Luther translated scripture into German so that people could read the bible in their own language.

            That is why this reading from the Gospel of John is so important on this day. Jesus says that if we “continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Those important words because who was able to know Jesus words in Luther’s time? If the bible was only for those who could interpret the Latin scripture, then how could anyone know Jesus’ words? Luther took this verse seriously in that the Word of God needed to be made available so that everyone could follow in Jesus’ Word. I mean, it makes sense that in order to know Jesus’ word we need to know what that Word is, don’t we?

            Knowing Jesus’ words are important but also carry a responsibility. We know that Jesus’ Words teach us and tell us to do many things. He teaches us about loving our neighbor, praying for one another, help out those who are in need, in prison, give our coats to someone in need, and feed the poor, help to find shelter, to live our lives knowing that God’s judgement is the only thing that matters…that it is not for us to judge others; that is left to God. That is the responsibility that we all have is to care for one another as best we can because each and every one of us is precious in God’s eyes. Every one of us is God’s creation and God’s creation is Good.

            But there is also this word truth that is in our Gospel reading today. Philosiphers have written about truth, the word “truth” is the most talked about word when it comes to relationships and responsibilities; this word is argued over in court hearings, philosophical arguments, who did what to whom, when did it happen,  we search for truth when reporting the news. This word “truth” can start arguments, wars, end relationships, and destroy lives. All because of this small word.

            In today’s Gospel we hear that the “truth will set us free.” So here is some truth. We live in a broken world. It is a world where we are told to live by fear. Fear that this will end, there will not be enough, and you better get for yourself or someone might take what you want. It is a society that basis its concerns on fear and scarcity. Jesus tells us that anyone who has sinned is a slave to sin. That is a relief! I mean, at least Jesus acknowledges that sin is appealing and it is somewhat easy to do what you want over what is right and just.

            However, Jesus tells us that truth is more important. It is the truth in knowing that even though we are a slave to sin, because let’s face it, we all have sinned at one time or another, The Son of God makes us free. Jesus sets us free so that we don’t have to be a slave to sin. We have the teachings and actions of God’s only Son, Jesus,  to go into our part of the world to love our neighbor, to feed our neighbor, to give one another a helping hand, to pray and live in community with one another and through our words and our actions, share God’s message that, although we might be slaves to sin, Jesus Christ went to the cross and died and was raised so that we are not captive to sin or death.

            That is where our responsibility comes in. We are responsible for our words and our actions. It is not easy to live out who Jesus calls us to be. Sometimes it seems better to do what is easy and not worry about consequences. Living the life of a disciple of Christ is hard. It is difficult, especially at this time. We have talked about the fact that numbers in all denominations of church attendance is declining. While that may be true in numbers, what is also true is that we celebrate who is here. We celebrate that the body of Christ is gathered to worship God and celebrate this day that changed the world as they knew it and created the Lutheran church.

            Through this reformation many things changed. It was not just the church that changed. Cities began developing schools, the Community started storing up funds to help people in need and so many other changes came out of this monk nailing the 95 theses to the door of the church.

            (Chapel) So what does that mean for us today? Today, our world is changing again. In a few short moments we will be receiving two new disciples of Christ. Today, the body of Christ will grow by two young disciples. Their parents will make promises to God to bring them to the Lord’s table and to place scripture in their hands. We will all make promises to help this family in their journey of faith. It is truly a day of celebration in that this church will be “re-formed” into the new body of Christ. We will also be changed in that one of God’s disciples has decided to become a member through a re-affirmation of baptism. God will remind him of the precious blessings and gift that he is and is called to be doing God’s work here on earth.

            So today, let us celebrate the monk whom God used to show us God’s word and God’s truth that we are loved and cared for; let us celebrate that God has given us the ability to do God’s work here on earth…thanks be to God.

(Woodsboro) So what does that mean for us today? Today our world is changing again. It is changing so rapidly that things that took months to make, now take minutes. There is so much information available that we often get inundated with having to make choices. But the one thing that does not change is God’s constant love. God’s love is forgiving, filled with grace, and is available to all. It is God’s truth of love, forgiveness, mercy, and abundant grace that is the truth that we need to hear, know, and celebrate.

            So let’s celebrate that monk whom God used to show us  God’s word and love are never failing; and let us celebrate who God calls us to be and what God calls us to do in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our words and in our actions, this day and forevermore. AMEN

A look at society and, maybe, ourselves.

The following is an excerpt from an article that will be published in the Woodsboro Times which will be available in November. My hope is that this portion of the article will speak to you in some way,shape, or form. Although this is not the full article, the portions excluded are basic information about the pastor as this is an introductory article.

Where do we go From Here?

Recently, I had lunch with a parishioner. In our conversation he made this statement, “Pastor, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes for anything.” It was a profound statement and one that I could chuckle about. However, I have been thinking for some time about what it means to be a pastor in this time in our history.

            It is not easy being a pastor in today’s culture. Everywhere I turn I hear of people fighting; they are fighting about what they believe to be theirs, who has the right to this or that, which political party is the “right” or the “wrong” party. I hear the people who have access to the airwaves pointing fingers and using other groups of people as the product of their anger. We hear of shootings that are senseless and people continue to argue about who is “right” and who is “wrong” while innocent people are dying.

            Much of this fighting has led to people in a state of constant anger. Someone is always angry because they did not get their way and this creates more anger. This constant state of anger is not healthy for us as individuals or collectively as a community, because it keeps us constantly looking for something or someone else to be the focus of our anger and distrust. Part of what happens is that we don’t trust anyone; not our elected officials, not our law enforcement, not our community leaders, and not our neighbors.

            As a pastor in the church of Jesus Christ, I find myself asking the question, “where is grace?” Where is the grace to have a disagreement and put personal views aside? Where is the grace to seek forgiveness from and for one another so that anger does not win the day? We spend so much time worrying about who got something they did or did not deserve that sometimes I don’t think we could see grace if it stared us in the face.

            I want to be clear on the grace that I am talking about. I am talking about God’s grace. It is that grace that was displayed for us by the God who created us, “the earth, sea, and all that is in them.” It is that grace that is given to us despite our brokenness when God calls us to seek forgiveness and know that we are valued and cared for and that is God’s grace.  It is the grace of forgiveness, love, and mercy.

            This grace did not come cheap. It came at the expense of God’s only Son sacrificed on a cross for you and for me. Imagine your only child being sacrificed for many other people. It may be something we cannot even begin to imagine. Yet, God did just that; gave up a Son for all of our sake to know that we are loved and valued. When we live our lives using the thought that “God must forgive me because of Jesus on the cross” then we cheapen God’s grace that has been given to us. Yes, that grace was freely given and offered to us all, not at the expense of a “get out of jail, Free” card.

            When we recognize that God’s Grace was at the cost of Jesus on the cross then we can begin to respond. How do we respond to the grace of forgiveness from God? How do we respond knowing that God saved us from our sin? Does that change how we live our lives and how we treat one another?

Where have all the people gone?

            There is something that concerns many pastors from many denominations. It is the declining numbers in worshipping attendance. There have been studies from numerous groups showing that youth are disengaging from the church. I would suggest that it is not only youth but many people are disengaging and declining to come to church. It is not only in one denomination but is across all denominations.

            As a pastor, I have heard many of the reasons. The reasons range from Sports on Sunday mornings to being bored, just don’t want to get up that early, and the list goes on and on. I have seen “YouTube” videos with titles “Why Jesus hates religion” and that list can go on and on. I am currently reading a book entitled “You Lost Me” by DavidKinnaman. Through all these reasons, videos, and books I hear a three common threads: 1) The current style of worship is outdated, 2) Church is a place of hypocrites who say one thing and do another, and 3) Scripture is outdated and does not speak to me like it should.

            These concerns are not new and they are not old. I have heard many times these concerns from parishioners as well as people who tell me why they don’t go to church. To the first thread of church being outdated, we at Woodsboro Evangelical and Chapel Lutheran Church have been in conversation about our styles of worship. As to the second thread of hypocrites being in attendance, I would answer that and say it is a true statement.

That is part of being a Christian. Not one of us is free from making mistakes in our lives. There has only been one perfect person in this world and that is none other than Jesus Christ. We don’t come to church to puff ourselves up but we come to bring our burdens to the cross. To re-energize our batteries and hear that we are loved and forgiven and that God’s promises are true and everlasting. Sometimes we may make the same mistake twice; it happens

With regard to the thread of scripture being outdated or not speaking to an individual. That, too, is why we gather on Sunday morning; it is to hear the word of God and if it does not speak to us, then begin the conversation about it, talk about it, and live out the Gospel in our actions and not just words. Sunday morning is about re-energizing our batteries to start the week and to remind us that we are part of a larger community who does care for one another and does not point the fingers.

These books, videos, and studies report a wide range of reasons why people do not attend worship. Today, parents, couples, and individuals are so overworked that, sometimes, Sunday is the only day left in the week that is not filled with some type of schedule. As a pastor, I can relate to that. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to stop and just breathe. I have worked in the private sector and understand the requirement to do more with less; to work more hours than you are paid, to take pay cuts and yet produce the same amount.

Remember there is hope. If you do not have a church I invite you to come and worship at either Woodsboro Evangelical Lutheran Church at Woodsboro at our 11 a.m. service or to Chapel Lutheran Church at 11109 Daysville Road at our 9 a.m. service. If you would like to make an appointment to speak with me, I would be happy to talk with you. I can be reached at the Parish Office (number intentionally left out for the purpose of the blog).

Increasing our Faith...What is Faith

The Apostles came up to the Master and said, “Give us more faith.” That is a pretty bold request, don’t ya think? Their demand does not appear to be too out of the ordinary, for us does it? I mean, who has not asked for more faith? Especially at this time in our history when there is so much turmoil and war or talk of war and uncertainty. You know my background. I came from two previous careers, one in the military and one as a paralegal. When it came time to discern a call to the ministry, my first response was “who me?” Are you sure God this is what you want me to do? I immediately jumped to the notion that I would need a lot of faith for this and I was not so sure I had enough to continue going to church; let alone leave my job security (what little there was) and go to seminary.

I started asking for more faith because I was not sure that I had enough. I am sure that we all have experienced that in our lives. It might not be a career change but it could be making it through an illness, finding a job, the loss of a loved one, divorce…there are any number of things that could cause you to question whether or not you have enough faith. We have all been there or are there. It is that question that we ask of ourselves every day…”Do I have enough faith to get me through this (whatever it is)?”

It is a common question because we are taught to question. After all, that is how we obtain knowledge is through the questioning of something we may not fully understand. Sounds simple doesn’t it? I want to know how to turn on the computer at home. I find the answer by going to the owner’s manual or now I find the little universal button that we associate with power and push it. We get that knowledge and now we know how to do something. We figure out how magic tricks are done and we feel more important because we know how it is done.

Faith is quite different. There are no owner’s manuals on faith. There is no instruction book on how to obtain faith. Faith is not something that you can see, touch or feel as we think in our conventional wisdom. It is not a tangible product like this pulpit or the choir members or us sitting in the pew, for now and I will come back to that in a little while. Society dictates to us how we measure things. For instance if you “get a bargain” that means you may get 10, 20, or 30% off on a product or a two for one deal. Society wants to measure everything in things you can touch feel, see. Society wants us to obtain and hold onto whatever it is for ourselves.

Faith is not like that. Jesus tells us that faith cannot be measured by a more or less. There is only faith. Even if your faith was the size of a mustard seed, poppy seed…the point that Jesus is making is that faith is faith. It is what is in your heart, your mind and your soul. He is wiping any kind of standard off the map. God does not have a scale to measure your faith because God has your heart. While there is no owner’s manual, there is a book to help us develop our faith. We all know that book that is the bible; yes that’s the book for me. This book is about God’s relationship with us and our relationship with God and with one another.

It is the story of God’s love poured out for us through carrying us through difficult times, teaching us about Our Creator and it is the book that teaches us about the immeasurable love of God. It is immeasurable in the God delivered a Son into this world and it is the same God whose only Son went to the cross, suffered and died for our sake…so that we would have faith, no matter how great or small, that we are valued; each and every one of us is God’s precious creation. The story does not end with death on the cross but continues in the Good News that Jesus was raised from the dead to show us that God will always have the last word. The story does not even end there because Jesus words to the disciples and us were and are to share the Good News of everlasting life.

A friend in Christ, Faith is not necessarily determined by what we can see, touch or feel; however, faith is observed, is touched, and is felt. When we gather to worship it is faith that brings us together to share and sing the praises for God who has delivered us from sin, death and the devil. It is our faith in God that is with us when we seek or offer forgiveness from others and from ourselves. It is faith in God and in Jesus Christ when we receive the ultimate act of forgiveness in the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. It is our faith in the God who promises everlasting life when we hand our children over to God through the gift of Baptism.

That is faith in our worship lives but what about when we walk out these doors? Faith carries us through our difficult times. Especially today when we hear the words “unemployment, divorce, illness” or words like “layoffs, sequestration, or shutdown” These are troubling and painful words yet we put our faith and trust in God who uses our congregation, friends, and family to help us through difficult times. We have faith, and faith alone, that calls us and teaches us that we help one another as much as we can; in our everyday lives.

    Faith is not some heroic act that will get your name in the paper. We can want it to be and hope it to be but the truth is that when our faith is lived out, it is done so with no news crews or paparazzi hanging outside our door. Faith guides us in our words and actions in our every day life. Faith is lived out with the purpose of knowing that it is God’s call and it is not for fame and fortune because quite frankly, fame and fortune is not the purpose for living out our faith. The purpose of living out our faith is because of the gifts that God has given to us in our daily lives; the gift of love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy and it is our response to these Gifts that we give and share with others God’s gifts with everyone else.
   I don’t know about you but I don’t know if I can move a mulberry tree. I don’t know that my faith will do that but I do know that our faith keeps Christ in our hearts, minds, and souls…even on those days when we don’t feel like it, we still have faith. I know that faith keeps us in relationship to God and with Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Faith is what holds us together as the body of Christ and sustains us as Children of God: AMEN

Revelation 12: 7-12 Michael and the angels...we play a part in this too

Revelation 12: 7-12

    I have a quiz for you. It should be easy cause there is only one question. How many of you have heard the story of how the devil came to be? I think I will be more specific; how many of you have heard the story that the devil used to be an angel in heaven. He became very powerful and at some point, he planned to go up against God with other rebel angels and God through Satan out of heaven and banished him to hell and that is how Satan came to be. If you believe that story, you are not alone. That story has been told many times over the years. It has even been used in movies.  

    There is a surprise about this story that some of us might know. This story about how Satan came to be is not in the bible. In fact, it is not in any scripture writings. This story comes from the author John Milton in his book “Paradise Lost.” This book is a classic in literature and it might be easy to think that it came from scripture. In our reading of Revelation today, it may seem that Milton’s story came right out of this reading. It would make sense being that we are hearing this story of a dragon being slayed by Michael; and this large battle taking place and Michael and all the angels knocking this dragon down to earth. That is great news that the dragon has been cast out of heaven. Heaven no longer has to worry about this accuser.

    What may seem like the bad news is that now that accuser has reached the earth. There is no other place for this dragon to go but down. unfortunately, it is not far enough down because the dragon is now here and so are we. So, have you seen any dragons lately? I have not. I mean I heard about “puff the magic dragon” and Pete’s Dragon when I was a kid, but never saw one. Our Scripture tells us that the dragon has another name; and that name is Satan...the Devil. In the Greek, the word that we have translated into Satan or evil is the word “diabolos” or “Diabolical.” We have heard these words before.

    Now we have to contend with this evil here because God has kicked evil out of heaven. There was no place for evil in heaven; there was no place for diabolical behavior among God’s kingdom in heaven. for that we can rejoice, right? Evil is defeated and we can all go home...well...not quite because that means there is evil here in this world, doesn’t it? When we begin to ask the question I asked earlier, “have you seen any dragons” the answer was a laughing “NO.” But when I ask the question, have you seen evil in the world the answer is quite different. It would probably take us about two minutes to come up with that list and we could still be writing into next week. We all are good at pointing out what we believe to be evil in the world. It seems like, through this reading, that we are left to clean up the mess. Does anyone feel like saying “thanks God” in a sarcastic way?’ I can’t say that I don’t.

    This scripture is not about where the devil or evil is. It is not even about who is left to clean up the mess. This reading from revelation is about the defeat of evil and the defeat of Satan. We hear this story of how Michael and his angels do battle with a dragon and it is defeated. This story is about a victory over what is diabolical and what is evil. We are hearing that there is no room for evil in God’s kingdom. We hear of Michael’s courageous battle against this thing that might seem to be so impossible to defeat but yet it is defeated and cast out.  

    What did Michael and his army use to cast out this strong, ferocious animal and army? It was the blood of the lamb. Imagine that, picture this “little bitty lamb” is able to defeat this animal that is portrayed in movies to be huge, fire breathing, intimidating, and unstoppable. That is quite an image isn’t it. But we know that this image of the dragon is Satan, then we must also know that this image of the little bitty lamb is none other than our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Michael and his army did not have light sabers, swords, laser beams or missiles; they had the body and blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. they had the words of his teaching, the actions of his love, and they had the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross to show us that God is the one who has the last word.

    It is this blood of the lamb who was given for you and me, but also for God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus’ sacrifice was for all people for the forgiveness of sin and brokenness. The death and resurrection of Jesus was for all of us and it was unconditional...freely given as a gift to us all; not so that we could go out and intentionally sin and then think, “God has to forgive me” but so that we live our lives in gratitude for what God has first given us. The gift of offering and/or seeking forgiveness when we say or do things that hurt one another. See, a part of this story is that victory of Sin, death, and the devil has already occurred through Christ on the cross.

    There is another part of this scripture. “Woe to the earth and the sea” says our scripture. It is that part where we say thanks God. We know that sin and evil is in this world. I have already said that we can be real good at finding it and pointing it out. The Bad news is that evil is already here in this world, we have seen it in television, our news, malls, schools...you name it we are seeing it. It feels like we are living out the part of this scripture reading that says this dragon’s “great wrath” is upon this earth; it seems to everywhere we turn, we see shootings, starvation, you name the wrath and it feels like it is here.

Just like the dragon is here on this earth there is something else that is also here; that is victory. Michael did not do all this work by himself. Michael had angels helping him out. Who do you think those angels were? I believe they were those saints who have gone before us proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. They were the faithful people of Israel who were delivered from captivity and proclaimed and worshipped the God who freed them.

So what does that mean for us? We, too, are workers in the kingdom of God. Martin Luther proclaimed that are all sinners who fall short of the Glory of God, even though we are children of God who is perfect in every way. We have the ability to rise up when we see evil and stand against evil. We have the ability to carry on what Jesus taught us in loving our neighbor and living out God’s love in our daily lives.

We also have the same weapon that Michael had...we have the blood of the lamb. That “little bitty lamb” is more powerful than we could ever imagine. This little lamb went to the cross for our sake and for all who have gone before us...to save us from sin and from ourselves. We, too have been given the gift of the body and blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; for forgiveness, compassion, grace, and mercy. When we are hurt by our actions or the actions of others, we have the gift to seek and offer forgiveness. When we see evil, we have the power to not let evil and wrath guide our lives. Each one of us has the power to work and live together as God calls us to live in grace, compassion, and mercy; for our neighbors AND for ourselves.

 Today we give thanks for Michael and all the angels who have gone before us in living and proclaiming their faith in Jesus Christ and in God. We give thanks to all those who have lived and died in the past, present, and in the future. This is a day for us, as we give thanks to all the angels, that we examine our lives and how have we lived and how do we die each day living in the faith...in our faith in God and in Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord: AMEN