Matthew 4:12-23 Turning Toward God is a daily practice

            So Christmas, is now becoming a distant memory right. We are a month away from Christmas and so it is now relegated to that place in our memories of a warm time when family was together, opening presents, and having a wonderful memory. For the most part it is that warm and fuzzy time of the year. Just think, there are only 11 more months till we get that warm, fuzzy feeling again…you're welcome for the reminder.

            Our Gospel reading for today can be related to a memory. It may not be that warm fuzzy feeling, but there is a memory all the same. John is arrested and in jail; Jesus is down at the Sea of Galilee. He made his home there. He has moved out of his parent’s home and is on his own. I wonder if he had a waterfront view, but I guess that is for another time. So he is all moved in…and we don’t know how long he has been there; but we know what it is like when you move to a new area. You start meeting people and making friends.

            With Jesus, were not so sure if he started making friends but Jesus has something to say. He starts telling people to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Where have we heard that before? We heard it right before Jesus was baptized. John was going around telling people and the Pharisees “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Jesus is saying the same thing that John was saying. I guess it really is the year to hear things twice.

            I think we need to look at this phrase “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” I think this word “repent” is a misunderstood word. Typically, when we have heard the word repent, we tend to think of one act that we have done and apologize. That’s it, we are taught that repenting for that one act is repentence. So we end up having to repent for each mistake or wrong that we have done. The problem is that we can tend to make mistake after mistake and so this repentence continues. It can become a real pain.

            This word repent is not about apologizing for each individual act. The repenting that John and Jesus talks about is VERY different. This word repent is talking about more than just seeking for forgiveness for one particular instance.

            This word “repent” would be best described as a turning around. The act of repenting does mean that the listeners…and we the readers…do seek forgiveness from the mistakes we make and come with repentant hearts to the cross seeking forgiveness. But it also means turning away from those acts. For example, let’s say you really liked your friends. You like them so much that you will do quite anything to be with your friends. In fact, you like your friends and want to be with them so much that your family time suffers because of being with your friends. It may sound like a childish example but we adults are not immune to it. So, You miss out of family dinners…not thinking about how the family feels…and then having to apologize. Here is another example. You like the people you work with and some of them may be trash talking faith in Jesus and in God. They ask you this question “you’re not one of those Holy Rollers, Are you?”

            Those questions and situations may cause you to respond in a way that God is not hoping you will respond. Repentance calls you to think about what you are doing. This turning around that Jesus is proclaiming calls you to think about your actions before you act. Jesus is calling you to think about other people’s feelings and the consequences of our actions. In the case of the family, maybe God is calling us to say that our family loves us so much that the AND I don’t want to be separated and so I am going to spend time with my family. In the situation of  whether someone wants to know if you ARE a “Holy Roller” maybe God is calling you to respond about how you feel about Jesus Christ…God…and the blessings in your life.

            The point is that Jesus is calling us all to look at our behavior; the good and the bad. Jesus is calling us to take stock in our lives; not just one instance here or there, but the whole part of our lives. This is all about changing our future actions and what our actions and reactions will be in the future. There is a saying about diets. “diets are fads” and do you know why? Because they are supposed to last until you reach your goal weight and then they end. Once you reach that goal weight, you stop the diet and the weight eventually comes back. I know this from personal experience. But in order for the weight to stay off, your whole life has to change; you have to take what you have learned through the process and change your way of thinking. So that your new eating habits take root in your brain and your actions change and you begin new habits. It is the same with diabetes, quitting smoking, and with addictions.

            But the same is also true with our faith and this whole concept of repentance. If we turn our lives toward God and away from things that can get us in trouble OR participate in things that distract us from God and our faith THEN we, too, will have to think about our actions, responses, and consequences. What Jesus is calling us to is a changing of our lives from this moment on. That is a pretty tall order! And we may want to say, but I have turned to God and I don’t need to turn any more…my turning is done.

            I would love to and have thought that. But I also learned that this turning toward God is a constant process. I will give you an example. In our scripture, Jesus calls two fishermen and then two more. Well, I have fished a couple of times in my life, but I am not a fisherman. For these four it was their business. Well, I have to adjust my life…I have to turn toward the Gospel to see that this does not apply only to fishermen. I have to look at where Jesus is. He is in Galilee; it is the land of the gentiles. This is a Good Jewish boy. The one that God sent to the Jewish people to save them and here he is in the land of people who may not know God because until then the people were in darkness, as our Gospel says, and now they have seen this great light. Turning away from this darkness means that I need to see the light.

            In our daily modern lives, we have seen so many things. We have seen the invention of telephones, cell phones, computers, many of us watched three men travel to the moon, land, walk around, and then come home. We see medical breakthroughs in the treatment of cancers and other diseases. Our world has changed from that time of Jesus and this Gospel. Each one of these things that I mentioned can cause us to turn toward God and the Good News that Jesus brings into the world that we are loved and blessed. These things can cause us to take stock in our lives and to keep us centered in God’s love and the teachings of Jesus Words and actions to know that God is present in this world and active.

            Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near. Those are the words that God wants us to hear. Know that there is another way in the world. It is not an easy way, but it is a way that tells us that we always have a place to go in times of joy and in times of sorrow. It is a place where we can lay our burdens at the foot of the cross of forgiveness and it is the joy of an empty tomb and the praise of resurrection.

            Jesus does not promise that his call is an easy one. His call of turning toward the Gospel does promise that we are not alone. God gave us the gift of one another to go through this together and share our joys and struggles…to help one another and celebrate together God’s blessings. Thanks be to God! 

John 1:29-44...How would you respond to Jesus Question and Invitation?

            Okay, so last week, we talked about the baptism of Jesus through Matthew’s Gospel. Today much of what I said about John being number 2 is right here in John’s Gospel. The quick review is John witnessing the fact that Jesus, the one who will take away the sin of the world is now at the river to be baptized. Apparently, this is so important in our lives that we need to hear this two weeks in a row. I agree that it is important to hear twice because it drives the point home as to who Jesus is and what Jesus will do in this world; both with us and for us.

            There is something added in this Gospel reading this morning. It is a gift, two gifts actually, that many of us might not see as gifts. Wouldn’t it be fun to spend the entire service looking for this gift? No need to worry, I won’t put us all through that. This gift comes after John has witnessed to us, the readers, exactly what he saw and testified to. Two disciples begin to follow Jesus. They have no names at this point but they begin to follow. Jesus turns and asks them “what are you looking for?” I know it may sound a little ridiculous but think about that question, what are you looking for?

            You might be asking me or saying to yourself “how is that a gift?” Think about it for a moment. Here is this guy that John calls “the lamb of God” and God’s Holy Spirit has just descended on him like a dove, the day before. You have heard all this spoken…you might have even heard the words “this is my Son with whom I am well pleased.” So you see this guy the next day and HE asks you “what are you looking for?” This is your big chance. This is your chance to ask the questions about God and this new “rock star” that is in town. What are you going to say.

            It might be like this one time when I was two feet away from this icon of a Nascar driver. His name was Sterling Marlin and I was two feet away from him. He and everyone at the racing shop stopped waited for me to ask for his autograph walked out the door and all the employees were laughing because rather than ask the question I always wanted to ask a driver, I walked away terrified. I even said to my brother “That was stupid and they are gonna laugh at this one.” I was still in the room and said it loud enough for all to hear.

            Believe it or not this question is important. It is important because the Son of God wants to know what they are looking for. Jesus is calling them to think about what it is that they are looking for. Although it does not say this in our scripture, the question is extremely general. It is almost a setup question like: What are you looking for…the bathroom, a good hotel, peace and tranquility, someone to take away your sins, someone to tell you that you are loved. This question is very vague.

            This is why the question of what are you looking for is a part of who we are as Christians. Jesus’ questions calls us to search our hearts because at any given moment this question could have a very different answer. At one time, it could be that we are looking for a God who will forgive our sins. It could be that we are looking for a God to take away pain in our lives or in the lives of friends. It could be that we are looking for a job, the strength to make it through tough times; that we are looking for a sign from God that we are loved or making a difference in the world.

            This question of what are you looking for is a gift from Jesus, the Son of God. It is a gift because God understands through Jesus Christ that this is a tough world. It is not easy living in a world where situations are changing constantly. Society wants you to do one thing to be part of the crowd or rebel against something; wants you influence your decisions and get you to be on one side or the other; purchase this or that so that your life can be complete. Jesus is giving us the gift, through this question of really searching our hearts for the subject of this question. He is calling us to be intentional about what we think about so that we can block out the society and culture issues to reveal what is in our hearts.

            The second gift of this passage is the disciple’s response and Jesus’ response. It is kind of funny, when you think about it, that they respond with “Rabbi, where are you staying?” That is an odd answer to a question. But listen to Jesus’ response. He does not indicate where he is staying. He does not say that he is staying at the local Howard Johnsons, Holiday Inn, or give them an address. Jesus response to them is “Come and See.” He is offering an invitation. Notice he does not put any requirements on them like “stay behind me because I am the star” or walk two feet to the left and behind. He invites them to come along. Walk with me and you will see.

            That too is a gift. They can’t answer the first question and when they answer with a question, no one laughs or thinks these two disciples are awkward; they are invited to go along by the one who takes away the sin of the world. That is pretty powerful because here is this all important person who is going to do these things to help the world out inviting them to go along. I cannot even begin to imagine how they felt at the moment. I would think they would be stunned! Don’t you?!

            Friends in Christ, maybe we don’t feel so stunned. Maybe we think “oh that’s nice” but it is not enough to be stunned, shocked or surprised, or even excited. Maybe it is because we have become so de-sensitized to everything that goes on in the world that we don’t even think about these questions in our scripture; our hearts can become dark and clouded because of the world. BUT WE SHOULD be shocked, surprised and excited because these questions are asked of us every week. It is important to hear Jesus words of “what are you looking for” every day.

Jesus asks that of us in this scripture. What are you looking for? Jesus thinks enough of you and me to ask us, what are you looking for? Jesus wants to know what we are all looking for. Think deep down in our hearts about that question every day and search for what we feel is most important in our lives; so we are taking the time to give back to God what truly lies within our hearts. That we do not let the things that can darken our hearts remain but that we can open our hears so that, the light of Christ will always be in our hearts and at the center of our hearts.

There is another reason to be excited, shocked, and surprised at these gifts. Just as Jesus said to the disciples “come and see” we, too, are invited to come and see. We are invited to begin the journey with Christ. We are invited to see the “lamb of God” in action; taking away the sin of the world. We are invited to share the love that God has for us in the relationship that Jesus shares with us all. We are invited to see the healing, the struggles and the love poured out for us and with us. We are invited to “come and see” the love of God and the forgiveness for us in the bread and wine that is Jesus body and blood; at this, the Lord’s Table.

Today we celebrate a man who heard the call of “what are you looking for.” He was looking for the right to be treated like any other person; with respect and dignity. He was looking for the world to treat him and his brothers and sisters with the same dignity as any other man or woman. He searched deep within his heart looking for God’s guidance. He answered Jesus’ invitation to come and see and held the light of God’s love within his heart.  He wrote these words that are now etched in stone at his memorial; “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hatred, only love can do that.” When we hear Jesus, the son of God ask “what are you looking for” will we look to the light of Christ within our hearts and what will be our response? When we receive the invitation to “come and see” will we also invite others to come and see: AMEN

Matthew 2: 1-12 What's it all about...Power!

            Today we are celebrating Epiphany, that moment when the “Three Wise Men” arrive at the home to see the young child, Jesus Christ. It took them twelve days to get there. Ya know, I never knew that until I was in my late 20’s. I thought everyone showed up at the same time the night he was born. I mean, that is how it is shown on television specials and in songs.  I used to literally think, they go into the stable, the baby is born, Angels get the shepherds, the wise men show up and everything is wrapped up in this one night. That is how I always thought that it went. So I am sitting in this church on a Christmas Eve and all the sudden I hear that it took the wise men 12 days to show up. That was the first time I started wondering “what else don’t I know about this story?”

            This story of Jesus birth that comes from the Gospel of Matthew has a lot of things that just seem “unbelievable” in it. We heard the story on Christmas Eve as our Gospel of Luke tells us. It is the beautiful story with the angels singing “Glory be to God in the highest heaven…” Matthew’s story is quite different. There is the beautiful story that tells of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Side note: Christ is not Jesus’ last name. In this Gospel of Matthew is where we see Jesus’ calling is to be THE CHRIST and I will cover more of that over the course of the year. In Matthew’s Gospel, the story of Jesus, Immanuel, brings with it a struggle from the moment he was born.

            This struggle that is created is the struggle of power. This little-bitty baby born in a crib is more powerful than any king on earth; because this little baby is the Son of God; son of the God who created the heavens and the earth. This is the Son of the God who delivered Noah and his family from the flood, the God who delivered his people from captivity in Egypt. So This God is powerful and this child is special. This amount of power did not go over well with Herod. Another side note: Herod  was the family name and there were a bunch of Herods. This was the Father of them all. This was “Herod the Great.” This guy was so power hungry that he would and did have his own brother killed because the brother was a threat to his power. So this Herod did not want anyone taking his power.

            Herod was so concerned about losing his power that he had heard about this special child being born. He heard what was being said it he was not happy. In fact, he was so concerned about this child that he ordered what can and is often called the “slaughter of the innocence.” I encourage you to read the account of Jesus’ birth in this Gospel.

            I tell you all this to bring you to this point of where we are today. Today, the wise men have travelled so far to see this child. They have been following the star for days and now they are in the town of Jerusalem and ask to see the boy King. That sets everyone off …and even gets Herod worried. So begins this struggle. Herod starts worrying that there is a threat to his power, a threat to the land that he was given by Rome; a threat that he cannot do what he wants, when he wants, and no one is going to tell him otherwise.

This threat means that his armies become unstable, he loses his authority, and no one will listen to him or give him the respect he believes is required. There would be no more bowing down to him and worshipping him but that everyone will look to the “NEW GUY” or kid for all the answers. There won’t be any statues to Herod BUT they might even start building statues to this new person. That would be downright UNACCEPTABLE! Who knew that this one little bitty baby, born in a barn would cause so much trouble?

The Good this is that this is exactly what happened. This birth of Jesus did upset the world. This child came into the world and brought God’s light into the world. It would be a light of responsibility. A light of understanding that it IS God who created the heavens and the earth and it the God of Israel who delivered a people out of slavery AND that it is this God who is mightier than earthly kings.

This child…this light that comes into the world is also a light showing Mercy, Grace, and love. Jesus coming into this world brings the truth that God loves us; so much that he sent a son to walk with us so that we KNOW we are not alone. God walks with us through this world when there is pain and mourning and joy. The light that is Jesus shows God’s mercy in showing us that we can always turn to God…not as a crutch to make mistakes and say “God must forgive me.” But as our partner to say “there is another way” to help us learn from our mistakes so that we try not to make the same mistakes twice. This light that is Christ came into the world to show us the mercy in forgiveness; that when we come to God with repentant hearts asking for forgiveness, we hear the words “this is my body given for you…this is my blood shed for you.”

The light of Jesus the Christ that comes into the world brings us the gift of grace; the grace to know that we are loved by God. The grace to forgive one another, whether it is through mistakes or difference of opinion, and work together in the kingdom of God. It is the ability to share that grace with others and bring the light of God’s grace to others.

This birth of our Lord, Jesus changes our world. It turns things upside down for us. I don’t know about you but I always like to be in control of my life. I am sure we all at one time or another thought of ourselves as islands; invincible. We had control over everything we did, we have the power to do things; control our time, our jobs, social life. Yet Jesus comes into our lives and sets our lives on its ear. For example, Some of you might have thought you’d be single and all the sudden, God puts someone in your life that changes that. You might have thought you were stuck in your career and then a job opportunity comes up. You might have thought you were alone. Then a friends calls and helps you through a tough time or shares a moment of joy with you. A moment where you wonder if God is punishing you for something and then you hear God’s words of love for you.

Jesus has a funny way of shedding God’s light on our lives. Thank God that Jesus did come into this world to show us all the gift of love and mercy. Thank God in this season of light we now have the Son of God walking with us through this tough world. I would even say thank you to God who brings light and turns our world upside down with these most radical gifts of love, mercy, and forgiveness for a world so hungry with power and control.

May we give ourselves…our lives, our hearts, our minds over to the light of the world, Jesus the Christ: AMEN!

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!