The Excellent Way: In the Spirit

Isaiah 43:1-12; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-18, 21-22
January 13, 2013
© 2013

 

I.                In 313CE the Roman Emperor Constantine claimed to have converted from paganism to Christianity, and in 340 CE he made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. However sincere he may or may not have been, he saw Christianity through the lens of empire building. He had his soldiers “baptized” by marching his army along a river as priests used tree branches to fling water over them, so they were now officially Christians. In that atmosphere, the spiritual fervor and strength of the Church declined precipitously. In response, a revival movement began, but they had no illusions that the Empire could ever nurture authentic spiritual vitality. Many people with spiritual passion withdrew to desert communities where they not only pursued their own spiritual lives, but also instructed and encouraged spiritually alert pilgrims who came seeking advice. We know them today as the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Abbas and Ammas). They left us both their own writings as well as legends, some of which seem rather fantastic but often point to an important spiritual truth. Abbas Lot and Joseph is one of my favorites.

Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, “Abba, as far as I can I say my little office, I  fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?” Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, “If you will, you can become all flame.” (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers; tr. Benedicta Ward, SLG; Cistertian Publications,1975; p. 103)

A.           Whatever Abba Lot saw when Abba Joseph lifted his flaming hands, it was a sign that God was present with him in a remarkably immediate way. Throughout the Bible, both Testaments, fire is a sign of God’s presence, from Moses’ burning bush to the tongues of fire at Pentecost. This week you might want to make a list of the many others as we start talking about the Holy Spirit.

B.            Ephesians 1:14 says that the Holy Spirit is God’s pledge of our inheritance of redemption. The idea is repeated in Ephesians 4:30 and 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5. Having the Holy Spirit living in us now is God’s pledge we’ll be in God’s direct presence in the resurrection to eternal life.

C.            Like Abba Lot and Abba Joseph, I aspire to become spiritually all flame. For me, I understand that as a prayer life of total intimacy with Jesus. I encourage you to think about your spiritual dreams and aspirations during these weeks when we are thinking about the Holy Spirit.

II.            The Holy Spirit plays an important role in the account of Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:15-18, 21-22. As you listen for the Holy Spirit, remember that Luke is not presenting systematic, abstract theology but is describing the free work of a divine person. In both Hebrew and Greek the same word can mean breath, wind and spirit, which the New Testament writers often use in plays on words that we miss in English. John 3:8 gives us a feel for this when Jesus said to Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John the Baptizer’s preaching attracted a large following.

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

A.           In Luke 1:15, the angel tells Zechariah that John the Baptizer will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. And while Luke is clear that Jesus was the Son of God from his conception and as a child, something new happened when the Holy Spirit descended on him at his baptism. The one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit received the Holy Spirit just as he launched his public ministry. Along with the voice of the Father from heaven, this was the presence and power of God for the redemptive ministry Jesus was about to undertake. Jesus did nothing on his own. Everything he did was at the direction of the Father and empowered by the Spirit.

B.            Isaiah 43 is God’s promise to the people of Israel, and not to individuals and is not usually considered to be particularly messianic. Nevertheless, for God to call the community of faith by name and claim them as belonging to God, is echoed in the voice of the Father at Jesus’ baptism. “You are my Son.” The voice of the Father also told Jesus he was the beloved who please the Father, again echoing Isaiah 43 where God tells Israel they are precious and created for God’s glory.

C.            Our own baptisms also echo Isaiah 43. In the tangible drama of baptism, God assures us that we belong to God who created and redeemed us, who loves us and protects us, who honors and values us. Passing through water and fire points to baptism and the Holy Spirit.

III.       Luke makes a very specific point that Jesus was praying when he had been baptized and the Holy Spirit descended upon him. George Hendry taught theology at Princeton Seminary for 24 years. “To take the measure of other theologians, he would read what they had to say about prayer. If a theologian took prayer seriously, Hendry took that theologian seriously, even if he had theological objections. ‘Prayer is the life line of theology,’ Hendry said.” (Christian Century, December 12, 2012, p. 8)

A.           Luke gives more emphasis to Jesus’ prayer life than the other Gospels, but he does not tell us what Jesus was praying when he had been baptized. I don’t know if Jesus specifically asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit, but I suspect he was praying to have whatever he was going to need for his ministry, and he received the Holy Spirit.

B.            Acts 8 says that Peter and John prayed that the new Samaritan disciples would receive the Holy Spirit. We need to understand that the Church was still very young, and things are just starting to unfold and not make sweeping principles out of their experiences. I am sure we can recognize in those new Samaritan disciples our own experience of not being aware of the Holy Spirit. I would also conclude that praying for the Holy Spirit to be present and active is not just acceptable but good.

C.            Luke 11:13 concludes Jesus’ teaching on prayer that is close to what Matthew included in the Sermon on the Mount, with a very Lucian emphasis on the Holy Spirit. “If you … know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more with the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Would you like the Holy Spirit to be more active in you? Jesus says, “Go ahead and ask! The Father will joyfully give you the Spirit.”

IV.      While we can’t know specifically what Jesus was praying when he had been baptized and the Holy Spirit descended upon him, we can confidently pray to receive the Holy Spirit to purify us, be present in us and powerful through us. Romans 8:23 says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” So the Holy Spirit not only responds to what we pray, but recasts our prayers to be in congruent harmony with the will of the Father.

A.           A central significance of baptism is the cleansing of water that assures us that Jesus has washed our sin away. Fire also purifies, here burning chaff, elsewhere refining precious metals. Chaff burning fire may not sound like “good news” at first, but deep inside we all long to be rid of spiritual contaminants in ourselves and in our world. Getting pure may not be fun, but being pure is wonderful! So pray that the Holy Spirit will purify you.

B.             When Jesus was baptized, he identified himself with us – broken, sinful humans. When we are baptized, we identify with Jesus, the beloved Son well pleasing to the Father. The Holy Spirit lives within us so that God is always present. As we pray, the Holy Spirit sharpens our awareness of the presence of God in the ordinariness of our lives.

C.            Luke’s Gospel especially presents Jesus, not as a super hero with super powers, but as a human totally empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ insights into people were from sensitivity to the Spirit. Jesus got his direction from the promptings of the Spirit. Jesus did his miracles by the release of the Spirit. When you pray for the power of the Holy Spirit, rather than expecting something spectacular, expect to be aware of the pain and joy in other people to whom you can extend the love of Jesus. Expect to be nudged, sometimes without being fully aware at the time, toward people and situations in which you can represent the grace of Christ.

 

Pray for the Holy Spirit to purify you, be present in you and powerful through you.

They’re Coming to the Brightness of Your Dawn

Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
January 6, 2013
© 2013

 

I.                Decorations stored away for another year? Back to work and back to school? Getting back to “normal?” For many centuries, for much of the Church, today – Epiphany – is the main event! “Epiphany” means unveiling, revealing, appearance or manifestation. It celebrates that Jesus is revealed as the Son of God and savior to the Gentiles, as represented by the Magi. Epiphany is about the mission of the Church to proclaim Jesus to all people everywhere. The Magi of Epiphany show us that surprising people come to the brightness of Christ’s dawn.

A.           The poet Christian Wiman is one such surprising person. He recently resigned as the editor of Poetry magazine to join the faculty of Yale Divinity School’s Institute of Sacred Music. In an interview, he told Christianity Today magazine how a serious cancer diagnosis at age 39 was a spiritual awakening for him. He was raised as a Southern Baptist, but all that just evaporated in the blast of modernism and secularism to which we was exposed in college. Then about 10 years ago he fell into an abyss of despair. “The encroaching darkness demanded that the light I felt burning in me acquire a more durable form.” One Sunday he and his wife wandered into a church. “I don’t think it’s quite accurate to say that I had a conversion or even a ‘return’ to Christianity. I was just finally able to assent to the faith that had long been latent within me. My [writing] is still full of anguish and even unbelief, but I hope it’s also much more open to simple joy. I began to realize there was an enormous contingent of people out there who were starved for new ways of feeling and articulating their experiences of God. I knew that I believed, but I was not at all clear on what I believed. I have come to realize that the real question is how not what. I want to be taken over by God. I do feel that some people are called to unbelief – or what looks like unbelief – in order that faith may take new forms.” (January 2013, www.christianitytoday.com)

B.            Another poet, T. S. Eliot, also had an unconventional conversion experience, also at the age of 39. From a vague association with the Universalists of his New England background, T. S. Eliot was baptized as an Anglican and took British citizenship in 1927. He described the depth of this conversation in his poem Journey of the Magi that reflects on the Wise Men.

… were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

C.            Much of our popular Christmas imagery conflates Matthew 2:1-12 with Luke 2. We will do well to pay careful attention to get the distinct message of each. The shepherds and the Magi were not together at the manger. The shepherds saw no star, the Magi heard no angel chorus. The star seems only to have appeared at the beginning and end of their journey. Though Isaiah mentions kings and camels, Matthew does not.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,²asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:⁶‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

II.            The Magi, who seemed to have little if any knowledge of Hebrew Scripture are the ones who come to the light of Jesus, while the High Priests, Scribes and even Herod, who had thorough access to the prophetic witness, miss him entirely.

A.           Herod seems to be the one who most believed the prophets. Matthew doesn’t say that the Magi went to see Herod, only that they came to Jerusalem asking for the child born king of the Jews. Everyone in town knew they were there and what they were asking. They knew Herod would feel threatened, even by a baby who might claim his throne, though he was 70. Everyone was afraid of how Herod would respond. He figured this could be the Messiah, so the prophets could identify the birthplace. As much as he believed the prophets, he foolishly thought he could alter God’s plan and kill this infant Messiah.

B.            The Chief Priests and Scribes almost slip by unnoticed. They were devoted to teaching the hope of Messiah. When Herod asked were the Messiah was to be born, I’d think they would wonder if Messiah might have come. “Are all our hopes for our people for many centuries about to be fulfilled?” They know all the right information, but the hope of Messiah had died in them.

C.            Herod and the Chief Priests and Scribes may be like some of the people we know who have been wounded or numbed by the church. They know and may even believe all the right things, but do not come to Christ. But surprising people come to the brightness of Christ’s dawn.

III.       Few people would be more surprising to come to Jesus than the Magi. They practiced astrological arts which were resoundingly condemned by the Hebrew Scriptures. Coming from the East, they could have been from Persia (Iraq), Babylon (Iran) or Arabia. Not only were they foreigners, those were empires who had oppressed Jews in captivity.

A.           Acts 17:11 commends the Bereans for examining the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true. The Bible is our sole inspired, authoritative, reliable source for faith and life in Christ. But God is bigger yet and uses unconventional means to draw surprising people to Christ, just as a mysterious star brought the Magi to the child Jesus. Of course, they were actually directed to Bethlehem from Jerusalem, not by Herod but by Micah.

B.            We might compare the Magi to some of today’s seekers who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. They are the rapidly growing 16% that the survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life identified as “unaffiliated” or whose religious identity was “none.” Rather than writing them off or wringing our hands, the experience of the Magi encourages us to think they might be more attracted to Jesus than church folk. Surprising people come to the brightness of Christ’s dawn.

IV.      I have read many books and attended any number of workshops, and seminars on evangelism and church growth designed to teach how to reach these “unaffiliated nones,” who are concentrated and growing among those in their forties and younger. I have gained a lot of valuable and practical insights and strategies. I have observed congregations who soar when they apply them, and others who crash. Some who soar seem shallow, and some who crash seem solid. Some deserve to soar or crash. If I could get all crashers to soar and put it in a book or seminar, I’d become wealthy.

A.           In Ephesians 3:1-12 Paul puts this in perspective. Surprising people, for Paul this was Gentiles, perceive the mystery of Christ, and the rich variety of the wisdom of God is made known, not just among humans but among the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

B.            So the Magi would tell us not to focus too much on techniques and methods for reaching the “unaffiliated nones” but to pay enough attention to the brightness of Christ’s dawn that we are drawn to him ourselves. That way we can avoid becoming like the Chief Priests and Scribes who had all the right information but missed the wonder of welcoming the Messiah.

C.            The Magi would also tell us to pay attention to the surprising people who will come to the brightness of Christ’s dawn. Those who know nothing about the Bible or Jesus, who don’t know what to do or how to act in church, who have no sense of religious duty are most likely to come to the brightness of Christ’s dawn and not to a program or a preacher. Hospitality is far more than a friendly welcome. It includes the most surprising people, not to reach them, but to love them, listen to them, learn from them.

Curious Twelve

1 Samuel 2:18-21,26; Luke 2:41-52
December 30, 2012
© 2012

 

I.                During my years of youth ministry, we typically used vans to get to and from weekend retreats, summer camps and mission trips. From New Jersey we went as far as Maine and Michigan, so were in close proximity to each other for a lot of hours. “Nurture notes” were a longstanding tradition for these events. All were expected to write a brief note affirming each person in the group. These were distributed just before getting in the vans to head home. As nurture notes were read, people expressed verbal thanks and further affirmation to each other. They recounted special experiences they had shared. They started singing songs that had been favorites of the event. Whether as a youth or an adult, how many of you have had that kind of experience? Yes, really raise your hands!

A.           Now I want you to go back a couple of thousand years and imagine the pilgrims returning to Galilee after the Passover festival. That’s the setting for the story of 12 year old Jesus in Luke 2:41-52. Like Mary’s visit to Elizabeth that we talked about last Sunday, the distance is about 75 miles. A group of pilgrims would cover less than 10 miles a day. The men would go ahead with the gear and set up camp. Then the women and children would arrive towards evening. With the packing up and getting organized, the first day of returning home would probably cover about 5 miles, which could be walked in a couple of hours by unencumbered adults.

B.            Now every year [Jesus] parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. ⁴³When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” ⁴⁹He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

II.            This is the only incident from Jesus’ childhood recorded in any of the Gospels, but that didn’t stop others from inventing some very creative stories to satisfy their curiosity.

A.           The Quran (5:110) says, “O Jesus, Son of Mary! Call to mind My favour upon thee and upon thy mother, when I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, that thou shouldest speak to men in the cradle. … Thou didst create of clay the figure of a bird, by My leave, and didst breathe into it, and by My leave it became a bird.”

B.            The best known of the imaginary stories of Jesus as a child come from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which was written by Gnostic heretics in the 3^rd century to suggest that Jesus was not a flesh and blood human. It has this story about Jesus creating birds from mud and making them live. It adds that when another boy splashed the mud puddles, Jesus cursed him and he withered up and died. He raised to life a boy who was killed falling from a roof and healed his brother James when he was bitten by a snake. He stretched a piece of wood that was too short for a project Joseph was building in his shop.

C.            Assorted other legends also sprang up later. On their way to Egypt after the visit of the Magi, the Holy Family stayed in a cave populated by a herd of dragons, who fell down and adored the baby Jesus. A sorcerer had turned a man into a mule, and when Mary put the baby Jesus on the mule’s back, it turned back into the man. People were healed of leprosy by washing in baby Jesus’ bathwater.

III.       All of these legends about Jesus’ childhood ascribe supernatural power to Jesus, a sort of Superboy. Luke points us in a different direction. Just as God’s greatness was hidden in Jesus’ ordinary childhood, God’s greatness floods our ordinary lives with light.

A.           When Jesus asserted that he must be in his Father’s house, his parents did not understand. Of course, they knew the extraordinary circumstances of his birth, but they had been living as an ordinary family for 12 years. Jesus undoubtedly called Joseph “Abba” and Mary “Amma.” But when he spoke of being in his Father’s house they knew he wasn’t talking about Joseph. Mary was the quintessential Mom, expressing her anxiety for her child and appealing to Dad for support. “Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.”

B.            Some have suggested that Jesus’ response rebuked Mary and Joseph for not recognizing his divinity. That strikes me as heading in the direction of some of those legends that dismiss Jesus’ humanity. Rather, I think Jesus was a typical, ordinary 12 year old. Now he was bar mitzvah, a son of the covenant and part of the adult community. That may be why Mary and Joseph assumed he was in the group of travelers. He had certainly gone to Jerusalem with the women and children. Joseph might have thought he was still most comfortable there. But now he was eligible to be with the men, and Mary might have expected he wanted to be with them. But with the teachers at the Temple, he had his first chance at an adult experience. He was thoroughly engrossed. He lost track of time. He wasn’t thinking about his parents. When they came looking for him, he expected them to recognize what was obvious to him. “Didn’t you know I must be in my Father’s house? Where else would I be?” Our New Testament theology (Hebrews 4:15) tells us that Jesus was without sin. I would conclude from that that for Jesus to be an ordinary 12 year old was not sinful.

C.            Yes, Luke tells us that those who heard Jesus were “amazed at his understand and answers.” But Luke does not suggest that this was supernatural, but rather Jesus’ emerging awareness of his own unique identity. Luke completely avoided the extraordinary exploits of the legendary stories. For Luke, Jesus was the embodiment of the greatness of God in a very ordinary 12 year old boy.

IV.      Last week we saw that Mary’s Magnificat was an improvisation on Hannah’s song when she gave Samuel for a life of service to the Lord. Luke again connects the child Jesus with the child Samuel when he wrote that “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.” I can’t help but ask how anyone would know if they or anyone else was increasing in favor with the Lord.

A.           Ambition for political, economic or even religious power disqualifies for spiritual leadership. Nevertheless, some humble folk have been remarkable public leaders: Moses and David, Deborah and Esther, Barnabas and Timothy, Benedict and Francis, Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa. But more often than not, spiritual giants are like Anna and Simeon who got a glimpse of God’s redemption when Joseph and Mary came to dedicate the infant Jesus at the Temple. Just as God’s greatness was hidden in Jesus’ ordinary childhood, God’s greatness floods our ordinary lives with light.

B.             If 12 year old Jesus was increasing in divine favor, I ask myself, how is a 66 year old Norm increasing in God’s favor? Or how is my granddaughter Elizabeth, who just turned 6 this week, increasing in God’s favor? The spiritual life is not a competition sport! It is not about who is ahead. It is about being in process with God right where you are right now, wherever that is.

C.            A Jewish tradition has grown out of the Talmud, which is commentary on the Law of Moses, and says that in every generation 36 righteous people “greet the Shechinah” – God’s glorious presence. The Hebrew for 36 is lamed vav, and these 36 people are called Lamed Vavniks. They are also called Tzaddikim or Nistarim which means “concealed ones.” The legend says that at all times 36 humble, righteous people keep the world from coming to an end with their prayers. No one knows who the Lamed Vavniks are. They themselves do not know that they are Lamed Vavniks, nor do they know who any of the other Lamed Vavniks are. Their spiritual responsibility is monumental, because the tradition is that if there are not enough qualified people to make up the 36, the world will end in disaster. Thus, everyone should act as though they were a Lamed Vavnik and lead holy, humble lives of prayer for the sake of all humanity. Throughout history since biblical times, God has worked through small, hidden remnants of faithful but ordinary people. As ordinary as you may feel, who knows, you may be a Christian Lamed Vavnik!

Magnify the Minuscule

Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:39-45
December 23, 2012
© 2012

 

I.                The Sunday after September 11, 2001 like many preachers, I tried to explain the greatest destruction and loss of civilian life on American soil since the burning of Atlanta and Sherman’s March to the Sea in the Civil War. Of course, nothing any of us could say would restore a sense of sanity and security in those days when it seemed the world had lost its moorings. I encouraged people to ration their news consumption to one or two brief times a day – just enough to stay informed without letting relentless repetition beat your heart into desolation.

A.           Violent mass killings such as took place in Newtown, Connecticut just over a week ago evoke a similar sense of humanity adrift in chaos. By relentlessly rehearsing and analyzing recent similar events on top of the political brinksmanship surrounding the fiscal cliff, commentators contribute to our perception of our world out of control.

B.            When studying German in high school, I read Wolfgang Borchert’s 1946 play Drauẞen vor der Tür.  Beckmann, the main character, is a German soldier returning home after World War II, only his home and wife and parents are gone. In a rather nightmarish state, he encounters an assortment of dreamlike characters who futilely try to reconnect him with a stable, secure reality. I have frequently thought of Beckmann as I have watched the parents leave funerals in Newtown, Connecticut.

C.            Psalm 11:3 asks, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Thankfully, it doesn’t stop there or answer “nothing.” The very next verse assures us that “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.” This is God’s word to us on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The world may seem chaotic, but God sees and is at work. Both Micah and Mary assure us that when the world seems to have lost its moorings, Jesus appears from apparent insignificance.

II.            Today’s call of the Prophet Micah (5:2-5a) is an Advent favorite and the inspiration for O Little Town of Bethlehem, which we sang last week. It is an oracle of encouragement at a time when, to the people of Judah, the world seemed to have lost its moorings. Micah and Isaiah were contemporaries late in the 8^th century BCE. The opening of Micah 4 and Isaiah 2 are almost identical. Both of them are filled with messianic hope that the New Testament writers saw as pointing to Jesus, which is why Isaiah and Micah are prominent in Advent.

A.           Isaiah was highly educated from a royal family with access to palace and Temple. Micah was from among the subsistence farmers. The kings of Judah imposed a tax on them that cut into what they needed to survive. To pay the tax, farmers moved from food crops to cash crops, which impaired the nutrition of the families. The kings also drafted young adult sons for the army and daughters for palace service. This reduced the labor available to raise crops just when they needed to raise more to pay taxes. In addition, the kings of Judah were not free monarchs but vassals of the Assyrian Empire, which confiscated land and conscripted the brightest and best youth. No wonder Micah and Isaiah cried for justice for the poor.

B.            Today’s call of the prophet is from the second half of Micah which turns from pronouncing God’s judgment on the wealthy and powerful to promising that God will bring a better day for the weak and poor. Micah says that their present tribulations were actually the birth pangs of that new day (5:3). The day is coming when God will turn everything upside down. What seems weak and insignificant now will someday be on top with strength.

C.            Bethlehem is the sign of that great reversal. Just as God brought the great King David from that little clan of Judah, God will one day bring, from little Bethlehem, the one who is to rule Israel, whose origin is from ancient days. The one of peace who shall feed his flock. That both Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels pointedly place Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem affirms that when the world seems to have lost if moorings, Jesus appears from apparent insignificance.

III.       Monica sang Mary’s Magnificat this morning. The beautiful poetry and music help us absorb the radical reversal in Mary’s song. Mary and Micah have the same message. The day is coming when God will bring down the wealthy, proud and powerful. The day is coming when God will exalt the lowly, the poor and the hungry. Luke 1:39-45 is clear that Mary did not sing her Magnificat on the stage of a great opera house or concert hall but in the lowly home of her relative Elizabeth. When the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of the Messiah, he told her that her aged, barren relative Elizabeth was also expecting a child.

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, ⁴⁰where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit ⁴²and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? ⁴⁴For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

A.           Mary’s Magnificat came in this private moment between two pregnant women. Some scholars have questioned whether a peasant girl such as Mary could have composed such eloquent poetry on the spot and suggest Luke added it later. Others have reacted to that skepticism by ascribing the Magnificat to a miraculous inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Both of these hypotheses underestimate a young woman without formal education. I have a hypothesis that I think is both more plausible and respectful. I am quite sure Mary knew Hannah’s song from 1 Samuel 2 and saw herself in Hannah. The parallels are obvious and striking. The distance from Mary’s home in Nazareth to Elizabeth’s in the Judean hills would be at least 75 miles. If Mary walked 15 miles a day (which would be optimistic), she would take at least 5 days to walk to Elizabeth’s. To have 5 days of solitary walking to meditate on Hannah’s song after her conversation with the Angel Gabriel, seems plenty of time for the Holy Spirit to have guided Mary in improvising on Hannah’s song to compose the Magnificat, by the time she got to Elizabeth.

B.            For scholars to discount this possibility is not only insult Mary, but to also the miss the very point of the Magnificat, that God is working through lowly and unexpected people. Here is the real meaning of Christmas. God intentionally chose to send the long awaited Messiah through a young peasant woman who lived in an obscure village in Galilee to give birth in another tiny town in Judea. God intentionally chose that the Messiah would be identified with the weak, the poor, the broken and the hungry. From her meditation on Hannah’s Song, the Holy Spirit inspired Mary’s exultant praise to the God who scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts, brings down the powerful from their thrones and sends the rich away empty. Mary herself was one of the lowly people on whom God had looked with favor, poured out great mercy and filled with good things.

C.            Advent is the season of waiting. Tomorrow evening our wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus ends, Christmas begins, and we rejoice that Jesus was born. But even as we come to the conclusion of Advent, we are reminded that we are still waiting for the completion of the great reversal of Mary’s Magnificat that the birth of her son Jesus would set in motion. Mary and Micah both assure us that though we continue to wait, the reversal is already happening among the lowly people and places if we will just look. When the world seems to have lost its moorings, Jesus appears from apparent insignificance.

IV.      Fred Rogers had a very special gift of helping children understand difficult things. He was asked what adults can say to children in times of disaster. He replied, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” (http://www.fci.org/new-site/par-tragic-events.html)

A.           Sometimes the helpers are obvious. At the funeral for Sandy Hook Elementary School special education teacher Annie Murphy, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan said, “Like Jesus, Annie laid down her life for her friends. Like Jesus, Annie's life and death brings light, truth, goodness and love to a world often shrouded in darkness, evil, selfishness and death.” While I know nothing about Annie Murphy beyond what has been in the news, wherever people devote themselves to bring light, truth, goodness and love to others, Jesus’ great reversal is underway. (http://www.newstimes.com/default/article/Cardinal-compares-slain-teacher-to-Jesus-4135201.php)

B.            In this case a tragedy gave us a window into someone who would otherwise have gone unnoticed. Sometimes such people are recognized and honored publically. But more often than not, they do their transforming work in humble obscurity. They are the people of little Bethlehem. They are in the company of Mary and Micah and Jesus.

C.            As we make our transition from Advent to Christmastide tomorrow evening, be on the lookout for the lowly, obscure people in whom the transformation of Jesus is underway. When you recognize Jesus’ great reversal, join in with quiet exuberance. You never know when your humble contribution may be God’s sign to someone who is drifting that the Reign of Christ is on the move. When the noise of the season and the chaos of current events suggest the world has lost its moorings, look for Jesus to appear from apparent insignificance.

Clean Up Your Act

Malachi 3:1-5; Luke 1:68-70
December 9, 2012
© 2012

 

I.                Jesus’ birth has inspired amazing music. With the choir cantata, next Sunday’s worship will be almost all music. Mary’s Song, The Magnificat, has inspired exquisite female solos. We’ll get to that the fourth Sunday of Advent.

A.           Zechariah’s Song, The Benedictus, is not as well-known but is also powerful poetry. Zechariah and Elizabeth were an old couple with no children, though they had prayed for a child. Zechariah was a priest, and when he was on duty in the Temple, the Angel Gabriel appeared to him and said his prayers were answered, and they would have a son. Despite their prayers, Zechariah doesn’t believe it, so Gabriel tells him he will be unable to speak until the child is born. In those 9 months of silence, Zechariah ponders the redemption of God, and when the child is born and Zechariah confirms that his name is John, his silence is broken and he exclaims:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. ⁶⁹He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, ⁷⁰as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, ⁷¹that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. ⁷²Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, ⁷³the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us ⁷⁴that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. ⁷⁶And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. ⁷⁸By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, ⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

B.            On this second Sunday of Advent, Peace Sunday, Zechariah’s Song celebrates the light of God’s dawn that guides our feet into the way of peace. Starting with One Candle Is Lit, peace is woven into today’s hymns.

1.              Hail to the Lord’s Anointed: v. 3 “Before him on the mountains, shall peace, the herald go.”

2.              It Came upon the Midnight Clear: v. 1 “Peace on the earth, good will to all, from heaven’s all gracious King” v. 4 “Shall come the time foretold; when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling.”

3.              God’s Love Made Visible!: v. 1 “Joyfully pray for peace and good will.”

4.              O Come, O Come Emmanuel: v. 4 “Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.”

C.            During Advent we prepare for the appearing of Jesus by permitting him to purify us to become people of peace.

II.            In slightly different ways, all four Gospels identify John the Baptizer as the voice crying out in the wilderness from Isaiah 40:3, and without naming Malachi, they imply John was the messenger sent to prepare the way of the Lord.

A.           John’s ministry calling for repentance matched the tone of Malachi’s prophecy in contrast with the exuberance of Zechariah’s Song. Zechariah looked ahead to the completion of God’s redemptive purpose. John preached in the midst of preparing for it by rigorous purification.

B.            Zechariah looked forward to serving God without fear in holiness and righteousness. For a millennium the people of Israel had lived in fear of foreign oppressors who often restricted, diluted or prohibited their worship. John the Baptizer was fearless in the face of the criticism of the religious leaders, the hostility of the wealthy and powerful, and the violent threats of King Herod.

C.            For the Hebrews, holiness was about character, righteousness about justice. John said “bear fruit worthy of repentance.” (Luke 3:8) Those with 2 coats were to give to someone with none, and to do the same with food. (v. 11). People who had power, such as tax collectors and soldiers, were not to extort but to be content with their wages. (vv. 13-14) Compassion and justice together.

III.       What emotions did you feel reading aloud the strong words of Malachi at the beginning of the service? How do Malachi’s words help us prepare for the appearing of Jesus this Advent, permitting him to purify us to become people of peace?

A.           Malachi may not be the prophet’s name. Malachi means “my messenger.”  He may have been a priest who was very concerned that so soon after returning from exile and reestablishing Temple worship, it had become corrupted. But Malachi was not the last of God’s messengers. The Gospels see John the Baptizer as the messenger to whom Malachi was pointing. Zechariah’s Song distinguished between the prophet who would “go before the Lord to prepare his way” (1:76) and the “mighty savior” (1:69) raised up in the house of David. When John baptized Jesus (3:21-22), God confirmed that Jesus was this mighty savior.

B.            Zechariah saw a day of serving God in holiness. Similarly, Malachi called for purifying worship in the rebuilt Temple, so their offerings could be pleasing to the Lord. Malachi called people to be faithful to God’s covenant. Zechariah saw God keeping the covenant with his people. When he wrote of sorcerers and adulterers, he addressed the tendency to add pagan practices and sometimes even pagan gods to Temple worship.

C.            Zechariah also saw a day of serving God in righteousness. Typically Hebrew, Malachi defined that righteousness as justice in relationships. He sharply criticized those who were dishonest, who took advantage of daily laborers, of widows and orphans, those who were poor and weak. He equated mistreating foreigners with disrespect for God.

IV.      I would not attempt to explain how or why, but my experience tells me the details of life connect. Back in the middle of November, I mapped out the hymns for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. I wanted the music to work with the Scripture selections for a progression from anticipation to celebration that got in all the standards (you’ll have to come Christmas Eve to get some of these) and mixed the familiar with the less known. I picked Dave and Iola Brubeck’s God’s Love Made Visible for today, having no way of knowing that Dave Brubeck would die this week. Dave Brubeck may be best known for performing Paul Desmond’s  jazz classic Take Five, written in 5/4 time. Remember that when we sing God’s Love Made Visible as our communion hymn.

A.           Dave Brubeck’s personal journey also connects to the Peace theme of this 2^nd Sunday of Advent. As a young man he was deeply disturbed by the violence of World War II. This prompted a spiritual awakening that eventually led him to Jesus as the source of real peace. Though the words were written by his wife Iola, that focus on Jesus and peace is clear in God’s Love Made Visible. Eventually, he joined the Catholic Church but said, “I didn’t convert because I wasn’t anything to convert from.” (Rediscovering Dave Brubeck, PBS) I think many of today’s spiritually hungry people would say the same thing.

B.            Our society is caught up in preparing for Christmas: shopping, decorating, baking, mailing, partying. Christmas Eve at church may even be part of preparing for opening gifts on Christmas morning. Then it’s all over, with a week’s respite before New Year’s parties and football games and income tax. The Church’s rhythm is dramatically different. Advent: four weeks of intensifying spiritual preparation and anticipation. Christmastide: 12 days of joyous celebration of God entering our human experience of birth, life and death to give us hope of resurrection to eternal life. Epiphany caps this off on January 6 as we join the Magi in awe at the glory of God revealed to us in Jesus.

C.            We’ve got 2 weeks until Christmas starts. Will you be ready? O, I don’t mean will your Christmas cards all arrive before Christmas. And I don’t mean will you have all your gifts wrapped so you don’t have to make a mad-dash shopping trip on Christmas Eve. I mean, are you prepared for the appearing of Jesus? Yes, his appearing in our Christmas worship, his appearing in the gatherings of your family and friends, his appearing as you grow in holiness in the year ahead, his appearing in your relationships with the weak and wounded people God brings across your path, his appearing as this congregation anticipates a new era a ministry with a new pastor. That requires preparation. If you haven’t taken advantage of the Advent devotionals prepared by our Worship Department, you still have time. They are a good starting place for this spiritual preparation.

1.              Use Advent for some personal evaluation. What does God want you to leave behind or what venture to embrace in the coming year?

2.              During Advent, release to God whatever threatens your inner peace, and watch for the dawn from on high to guide you into the way of peace? We prepare for the appearing of Jesus this Advent, permitting him to purify us to become people of peace.