Christmas 2015: This is our story

Christmas 2015

This is a story that we know well—the Christmas story---in fact, many people of all faiths know this story, or at least parts of it.  Is there anything new to hear?  What does it mean for us as individuals, and as a community, in the year 2015? Can Mary, Joseph, the angels, and the shepherds tell us anything that we do not already know?

Let’s begin with those workers who live on the margins, the low men on society’s totem pole, the shepherds.  They are the first to hear this good news that redemption and light, that God’s very self, is born into the world.  Not only are they the first to hear it, but they are the ones entrusted with sharing this good news.  They are the ones encouraged to come near to God---invited into the birth if you will.  Much of the world may have seen them as everyday laborers, those on the fringe, but God uses them in a most important way to be part of this salvation story of ours.  Without them, no one will know, no one will mark this event.  We would not be here tonight, gathered to hear this story one more time, if it weren’t for the shepherds. Maybe tonight we are called to see ourselves as one of this ragtag bunch---this common laborer whom God uses—despite our weaknesses, despite our status or reputation, despite the rough edges of our humanity---God uses these shepherds, God uses us, to tell our story so that others may know and come and see.  God invites us to take part in our Savior’s birth into our world.

The angels, of course, have a slightly higher status---they are the LORD’s messengers after all.  They are so shiny and bright; and apparently, they can sing pretty well. These are not your everyday laborers like the shepherds.  Maybe tonight those among us who have some status in our communities, some influence with others, those among us who have the ability to use our words and our presence to help others to understand---people like teachers, parents, community leaders, supervisors and CEOs---maybe tonight we can identify with those who are charged to use our gifts to spread the good news---especially with others who may be overlooked or frightened or uncertain if they belong.  God uses these messengers, these communicators, to gather others in, bring others to this salvation party and invite them to participate in our Savior’s birth into our world.

Okay, so what do we do with Joseph?  We don’t know much about him.  How can we relate to Joseph?  First of all, Joseph may be quiet and kind of “under the radar,” but he’s obedient.  Joseph’s strength is his trust that God leads him in the right direction---even in a risky direction.  Joseph certainly had the opportunity to walk away from this entire situation---everyone would have understood---but through the angel Gabriel, God asked Joseph to take this risk with God.  And Joseph said yes.  Joseph, in his quiet, obedient way---risked everything he was and everything he had in order to live into God’s call for him—and incidentally, God’s call to the world.  Even though God’s request of Joseph didn’t really make any sense; it didn’t seem plausible; it was pretty outrageous, Joseph said yes.  And Joseph’s yes led to the protection and care of Mary and Jesus---granting them both security and shelter and a future.  Maybe tonight, we are called to see ourselves as the one who trusts in the dream enough to take the risk.  The one who is called to protect, to secure, and to shelter so that others are granted a present and a future.  God uses those who have a quiet, obedient strength to take part in our Savior’s birth into our world.

And then there’s Mary.  For a long time, Mary wasn’t really useful to me.  As a young person, I was taught she was perfect, blameless, submissive.  I don’t know how well you know me, but if you know me at all, you know I am none of those things.  Even though Mary is the woman in this story, for much of my life, I couldn’t identify with her.  But, I no longer believe Mary was perfect; she was human.  Nowhere in Scripture are we told Mary is divine; she is simply human. Like all of us, I am certain she made mistakes, lost her temper, became annoyed with her children, her husband, her neighbors.  But, she was also extraordinary. Not because she was without fault or blameless, but  simply because she said yes.  Like Joseph, she risked her all, her everything, and she responded to God’s call to hand over her life to God’s control and for God’s dream……and Mary said yes.

I wonder how Mary was formed? how she was empowered and equipped to say yes?  What kind of prayer, study, fellowship and service shaped and formed her so that she was open to this request? Nadia Bolz Weber writes: “Mary is what it looks like to believe we already are who God believes we are.” Tonight, maybe we are called to consider how we are making ourselves available to the movement and messengers of God.  Can we live in such ways that when the angels arrive we might be ready to hear and respond to God’s call to participate in this great salvation story of ours---mine, yours, and all of God’s people, all of God’s Creation?  God uses those who are not perfect, but those who are prepared, to take part in our Savior’s birth into our world.

Tonight as we hear this wonderful story of God’s overwhelming and redemptive love yet again---we are invited to place ourselves into the scene.  We are called to not only find our “role” in this great script of Salvation that is ours, but we are also asked to learn our lines, know our blocking, hear our cues.  To prepare ourselves. For we are nothing less than midwives of the Kingdom of God into this world.  As the German mystic Meister Eckart said: We are all called to be mothers of God – for God is always waiting to be born.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;  cast out our sin, and enter in, 
be born in us today.

Advent 2 c: Will there be room?

Malachi 3:1-4; Canticle 15; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

This reading from Luke’s Gospel today is frontloaded with names of the ancient world’s rulers and powers.  For those first disciples listening to Luke’s version of the Good News of Jesus, they are being reminded just who is in charge.  Who has the power.  To whom they are to obey: “Emperor Tiberius, Pontius Pilate Governor of Judea, Herod ruler of Galilee, Philip ruler of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Annas and Caiaphas, high priests of the temple.”

And then, in comes John the Baptist.  In comes John---marching right through the thicket of all these names of worldly powers and rulers---and John proclaims: I say someone else is in charge.  I proclaim that there is a greater power, another way, something else to whom we obey and listen, another One who is coming, for whom we are to prepare.  Make way, John professes, make way and prepare.  Our redemption is near.

Our redemption is near; it is time to prepare.  Prepare for the coming.  The coming of Jesus; this is what this season of Advent is all about.  Oh, I know we see preparations all around us: decorations going up, Christmas carols on the radio and over the muzak.  We get excited, and rightfully so, about casting beauty upon our buildings, our homes, and in our neighborhoods.  We attend parties and gatherings.  We buy gifts and wrap them.  We plan beautiful music and worship for Christmas celebrations.  This is all good, all right, all proper.

But, I do not think this is the preparation to which John the Baptist points us.  These “pre-Christmas” activities may be fun, important, and enjoyable, but they are not preparing the way.  What God really desires is for God’s disciples to prepare the way within themselves.  To prepare our hearts and make room in which the Christ can dwell.  Jesus is coming.  Coming to our hearts, our minds, our Spirits.  Will there be room?  room at this inn within us? 

Will we have done the hard work of reconciliation and forgiveness---sweeping out the cobwebs of irritation, animosity, and fear?  Will we have carved out those nasty, dark spots of our hearts where we have held onto our anger and woundedness instead of forgiving someone?  Will we have focused on the life and way of Jesus in such a way that our hearts are softened, our behavior transformed, and our surrender to God’s will is strengthened?

Jesus is coming.  Will there be room?  Room in our daily lives for prayer and reflection?  Room to hear, read, and discuss the Gospel with other disciples?  Time to give thanks to God?  Space in our calendars to greet our brothers and sisters just as they are, loving them simply because we belong to one another?

Jesus is coming.  It is our actions and our choices that make the paths straights.  It is our words, our systems and our policies that fill the valleys and make the mountains low.  God desires the playing field to be leveled, so that all of humanity equally might know the abundance, the grace, the compassion and the love of God. 

Yes, John the Baptist is pointing us to the way of Jesus that demands we work on our social structures, systems and political ways of being to make sure that the playing field is leveled because all people are equally worthy of having enough---enough food, enough clean water, enough shelter.  But John specifically points us to an inner conversion---an inner metanoia---the conversion of our hearts, minds, and spirits through forgiveness, repentance.  Turning away from self-preservation and retaliation and turning toward the Good News of living and seeking the common good.  The Good news of reconciliation---letting go of our practices of avoiding those who hurt us or anger us or discomfort us and embracing the Truth of Jesus---that there is no us and them, only us.  We are all bound to one another in our imago dei---the breath and image of God blown into us at our Creation.

As a church, we are in a time of discernment.  We are seeking God’s way forward for us as we desire to flourish in living out Jesus’ redeeming work, as we desire to be a community of disciples who build up other disciples.  Some may say this is a time of crisis---not simply here at Intercession---but throughout Christianity and in all denominations.  But I believe that every critical point is really an opportunity.  An opportunity to choose, to choose the life-giving way of Jesus so we and those we meet, those we find, those we seek, might know and experience the love and grace of Jesus.

It is day 340 in the year 2015; there have been 355 mass shootings in the United States since January 1^st.  Now is the time. All around us, people desire refuge.  People ache for peace.  People are seeking wholeness.  Many are searching for God, the divine, the holy. Humanity longs for a new way. Like the John the Baptist, let us march through the thicket of the world powers, and proclaim something new. Let us process through the smoke of warfare, gun violence, terrorism, economic distress, poverty, disease, and bloodshed, and let us declare something different, let us assert we know another way, another rpower, another King.  Let us---in our lives and from our lips-----proclaim Jesus. 

Jesus is coming. We are to let go of what is not of God in order to embrace more and more of Jesus.   Let go of hearts of stone and receive the hearts of flesh God gives to us---Christ dwelling within us—By this we are empowered and equipped to live as God’s people who are agents of God’s Kingdom.

If we as a community speak the authentic Word of Christ, if we live this authentic Word—putting into practice compassion, forgiveness and mercy---turning our schedules over to God---making room and space in our individual and communal lives---taking this authentic Word and these Jesus practices out into the world, then People will join us.  People will join us because this is what we all long to hear and know: God’s authentic Word of Love.  We are all hungry to see it lived out in flesh, in community---We wish to be in the presence of the HOLY.

It’s true that sometimes we can find this peace and this presence in buildings and spaces.  But any building is temporary.  No temple made of stone or wood will last.  It’s not meant to.  God’s plan for a permanent living space never included buildings.  That is, and always has been, our plan, not God’s.

From the beginning, and in the Coming of Christ, what we are promised, what is foretold, is that God will dwell with us, within humanity.  We are God’s temple.  The prophet Malachi reminds us today: the Lord is coming to the Lord’s temple.  We are called to so much more than simply preparing our buildings, our homes, our neighborhoods for the birth of Christ. As disciples, as the Beloved, we are to get ready. Prepare.  Make Room. In our hearts, our minds, our spirits. God, who has begun a good work in you, in us, God will bring this good work to completion.  Will God get what God wants?  Our hearts.  Our minds.  Our whole selves.  Jesus is coming, beloved.  Will there be room?