“This is my beloved son”

"This is my beloved son"

RUMC 1/13/12

 

"This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."

The first two chapters of Matthew have all been leading up to this moment. The lineage, the angels, the journey, the stable, the star, the wise men, even the baptism all leading up to God's proclamation. In fact one could say that the history of salvation, even the history of creation has been leading up to this moment when the voice of the father, and the power of the holy spirit would join with the waters of baptism in pronouncing the son to be God incarnate.

Strangely enough, this story almost didn't happen. Jesus showed up in the wilderness of Judea for baptism.  At first John refused saying, "You should be baptizing me."  True enough, but Jesus insists that he be baptized, "so that all righteousness might be fulfilled."

When John stopped arguing and started baptizing, amazing things happened.

·        The spirit descended - like a dove

·        The voice of God himself

·        The confirmation "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased"

 

Let's take each of those separately.

 

First, the spirit descended from heaven like a dove. It wasn't a dove.  It was the spirit.  Matthew says it hovers like a dove, just as the same spirit hovered across the face of the waters at creation.  It was the same spirit that came upon such Old Testament giants as Joshua, the judges, David, Saul, and the prophets.  In this story, the spirit is not just present.  It is visibly present.  It not only descends on Jesus it visibly descends.  The real presence of the Holy Spirit was a real witness to all creation that this was indeed God in the flesh.  In Jesus, the spirit of the lord is indeed come to preach good news and proclaim the day of the Lord.

 

Second, there is the voice.  Do you suppose it was like James Earl Jones?  Or was it more like Fran Dresher?  I know what God's voice sounds like in my heart; I just wonder what it sounds like to our ears.  There is another issue here.  That is, who heard the voice? In Matthew, the message is one of announcing or introducing Jesus to the crowd and by extension to us. "This is my beloved son."  In Mark and Luke, the quote is "YOU are my beloved son." As though it was a message to Jesus and others may or may not have heard it. Regardless of who heard it, this was an actual voice that produced sound waves.  I don't know what it sounded like, but it is yet another affirmation of the reality and power of the incarnation.

 

Finally there is the message itself.  We're going to take the announcement out of Matthew as it is, and not worry about Mark and Luke today.  But I think the same argument could be made with them.  

"This is my beloved son."  In the first two chapters of Matthew, Jesus has been called every name in the book. He has been called "the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, Jesus, Emmanuel, king of the Jews, Nazarene, and the Lord, and John the Baptist calls him "the one who is mightier than I." The voice at baptism tops all of those names, all of those titles, and goes beyond them.  After his baptism, after the Holy Spirit came upon him, the voice of God speaks from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

This is the title that makes sense of all the rest.

v Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one.  He is the Son of God.

v  Jesus is not only

o   the royal son of King David

o   and not only the fulfillment of Abraham's blessing

o   Even more is the Son of God.

v  Jesus is not only savior. Jesus is, as the Nicene Creed says, "The only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds; God of God; Light of Light; Very God of Very God; Begotten, not made; Being of one substance with the Father," and for this reason, he bears the name Emmanuel. God with us.

v He is not only king of the Jews, but he is also, as Son of the Creator, Lord of the Universe.

Whatever else is said of Jesus must be measured against God's declaration at baptism that "Jesus is his beloved Son, with whom God is well pleased."

 

That, however, is not the best news. The best news is that we can share in that. 

·        By baptism, we too can experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

·        By baptism, we too can experience the assuring and confirming voice of God in our lives.

·        In our baptism, we experience God's voice… (maybe not with the same audible voice- maybe in more a still small voice) 

·        In baptism, we feel God's grace washing over us declaring, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." "This is my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased"

The word translated "well pleased" here means to be delighted- to bring great joy. The passage harkens back to Isaiah 42:1 "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One, in whom my soul delights!"  God's delight in his servant echoes through the pages of scripture until we hear it again here at the baptism of Jesus, and yet again at our own baptisms.

How can that be?  Look at us.  How can God be pleased with us?  I understand how God is pleased with Jesus.  But, us?  How can God be pleased with THIS… or this?

Let me tell you…

Two things please God.

First when people come to him in faith. That is absolutely the ONLY requirement for baptism. Faith. You don't have to know anything. You don't have to be able to pass any tests. You don't have to be a superstar. You just need faith and God will delight in you. God will be pleased with you.

You need to know, if you don't already, that neither faith nor Baptism will make you perfect.  But faith is mighty important.

In April 1988, the evening news reported on a photographer who was a skydiver.  He had jumped from a plane along with numerous other skydivers and filmed the group as they fell and opened their parachutes.  On the film shown on the telecast, as the final skydiver opened his chute, the picture went berserk.  The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without a parachute for himself. Until he reached for the absent ripcord and realized he was freefalling without a parachute… Until that point, the jump probably seemed exciting and fun.  Suddenly it wasn't.

Life without faith in God may be exciting and fun for a while, but if we fail to strap on the parachute of faith the fun goes away in the blink of an eye.

We come to God in faith, and God is delighted. When we are baptized with that baptism of faith, God says, "You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased."

 

The second thing that pleases God is a servant heart. Remember in Isaiah 42. God is pouring his delight upon his servant.  In Jesus' baptism, God pours out his delight on the one who would become servant of all, and lay down his life for all.  

v He doesn't delight on the observers. The ones who take a seat and wait for others to do the work of the kingdom.  

v  He doesn't delight in the preachers who tell others what to do but fail to do it themselves. 

v He doesn't delight in those who believe themselves to be so important- that they never have time to do the kingdom work.  

God is pouring his delight upon his servant.  The one who lays down their time, their love, their labor, their strength, and even their lives for the God who makes all things new.  God delights when the baptismal waters bring life to our servant spirits and drip off our newly baptized heads in the form of acts of love and justice and servanthood.

 

God delights in you when you come to baptism in faith and walk away as a servant.

God delights in you when you have the heart of faith and the hands of a servant.

 

As you, renew your baptism today. Remember-

·        Remember it is God's love for you that brings you here. The gift of FAITH.

·        And remember that is God's love for the least and lost that sends you out. SERVANTHOOD

 

I pray that you will hear those wonderful words. 

·        You are my beloved son in you I am well pleased.<<<xxxx>>>

·        You are my beloved daughter in you I am well pleased. <<xxxxx>>>

AMEN

 

This is the water of creation, the water of the Red Sea, the water that sprang forth from the rock, the water of the Jordan, the water of Mary's womb, the water that became wine, the water of  the calmed storm.  It is living water.  The water of life itself.

 

It is the water that cleanses you from sin, it is the water that brings you life,  it is the water of baptism, the water of new life. 

 

Come renew your baptism.  I invite you to come touch the water, feel the water.

In the bottom of the bowl, you will find some stones.  Help yourself to a stone.  Put it in your pocket or purse, and every time you feel it let it remind you of the life of faith a service to which you are called by Christ in Baptism.

 

Spend some time at the altar rail on the way up or on the way back to your seat, and give thanks for the life of faith and service to which God calls you.

 

If you have never been baptized, come to me and we can celebrate your baptism today too.. 

 

Come and remember your baptism!!

Journey week #5

Journey week #5

12/30/12

 

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?  Some did.  Others might not have…but that is kind of the nature of Christmas isn't it?  It is full of surprises.  Some good, others disappointing.

Even our study of the Christmas Journey has been like that.  There have been some really neat things like seeing pictures of some of these places we have heard about…We remember learning about Nazareth and Sepphoris and how Mary was a poor girl that may have lived in a cave.

We remember learning about Bethlehem, both ancient and modern, and how it means "field of bread".  We know now that it is now surrounded by the wall of separation.

We remember learning about Mary's visit to Elizabeth just 6 miles from Bethlehem and the song she sang.

In addition, we remember Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, through famous places like the valley of Jezreel, and Jacobs' well and the difficulty of that journey.

·        In this last week if you were in the study, you may have been surprised to find out that there probably wasn't an inn or an innkeeper in the Christmas story?  The word that has been translated "inn" is actually a guest room.  Since Bethlehem was Joseph's hometown it is much more likely that there was no room in the guest room of the family home, so they fixed up the garage or basement for them.  The stable was essentially the family garage.  Alternatively, since it was almost certainly a cave stable, you might think of it as fixing up the basement for the newlywed couple.  That's a surprise isn't it?

·        Similarly, the manger was probably not a wooden box as we envision it.  Wood was a precious commodity in that part of the country.  More likely, it was a stone feeding trough.  Wade told me if I wanted to be authentic next year and have a stone manger, I had to carry it in myself.  Therefore, I think we'll stick with the wooden one.

·        Then there are the wise men.  There are a few surprises there. 

o   How about, they likely came only 600 miles from modern day Iraq.  If they were on camels that is only a 3 week journey.   Like across Iowa twice.  I always thought it took months for them to get there. 

o   Additionally there may not have been three.  There are three gifts, but the Bible doesn't say there were three Magi.

o   Finally, a Magi is not a king.  They were more like scientists or college professors, they spent their life studying the stars and interpreting what their movements meant.  Frankly more like astrologers than kings.

You can read more about all of this in the book that we have been using.

 

However, today I want to talk about the angels.    What's so surprising about angels?  Well, first of all this is the 4^th time we see angels in this story.  (One each at Mary's, Joseph's, and Zechariah's annunciation and now to the shepherds)  Nowhere in the Bible do angels appear more often than in the Christmas story.  Angels are messengers.  Messengers from God to people.  God had been trying to get his message of good news and great joy across for 5000 years.  His message kept getting lost somewhere in the spam filter of our brains.  This time God was just bound and determined that we would get the message. 

So far, God's message has appeared to a respected, but skeptical Jewish priest (Zechariah) and a poor little girl named Mary.  God's message came to a down-to-earth, common, Jewish laborer (Joseph), and if you count the message to the wise men, it appeared to a bunch of foreigners with their heads in the stars (the Magi).  God used a mass marketing advertising campaign before Jesus was ever born to make sure that, if not everybody, at least somebody was listening.

 Today we read of perhaps the most spectacular angel message of all-- this is the Super bowl commercial of angel messages. 

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  ⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.¹⁰But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  ¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.'  ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!'

 

Let's look at the angel's message, because I think it will tell us something important about God, something essential to understanding Jesus, and something fundamental to understanding what it means to be a disciple of the newborn king.

 

1.     First, we have to understand the audience.  Good advertising is always directed at a particular audience.  There were in that region- around Bethlehem- Shepherds.  Now shepherds were among the lowest class of workers in Israel.  The only thing lower would have been someone who had an unclean job like swineherd or picking up dead carcasses or tax collector.  Shepherds were dirty, smelly, perhaps a little rough around the edges-- but they were also, for the most part, humble, honest people.  Notice it was not just to regular shepherds that the message was directed.  "There was in that region shepherds out in their fields keeping their watch over their flocks by night."  This was the night shift of shepherds.  Talk about the lowest of the low.  These guys are the underlings that worked for the shepherds who went to be with their families after a hard day in the field.  It was to these second-class shepherds that the angel's message came.

 

2.     The first thing the angel said was "don't be afraid for behold."  This must have been quite a shock to the shepherds.  "Don't be afraid for behold." 

I was interested in the combination of Greek words here because they are so vivid and active.  .  The root of the word "to be fearing" is connected to the word to flee.  In other words, don't be running away like a frightened lamb.  The word for "behold" means, "be perceiving," "reflecting on", "really soaking in the sight".  The angel said, "Do not be fleeing but be seeing" Don't be fleeing, be seeing!

 

3.     What did he want the shepherds to see?  He wanted them to see "good news of great joy."  It is news of great joy, not great fear.  How long do you suppose it had been since these lowest of low, night shift shepherds had heard good news?  As we look back on 2012 how long has it been since we have heard good news.

a.     There isn't much good happening in Washington, or Cairo, or Jerusalem.

b.      There is Newtown Connecticut, the Trayvon/Martin case, and the Colorado shootings.

c.      There is Hurricane Sandy, gas prices and Jerry Sandusky. 

d.     There is the death of American icons Whitney Houston, Norman Schwarzkopf, and Joe Paterno.

A person just gets beaten down by all the bad news.  When you are already on the bottom of the social ladder like the night shift shepherds, there isn't very far to go down, but that doesn't make the darkness any easier.  We are all ready for some good news aren't we?  I for one would like to be able to watch the news without being afraid of what bad thing has happened today. 

          If it wasn't' obvious already with the message coming to the lowest of the low, the angel says it is for all people.  Not just the rich or just the poor, not just the priests and Pharisees, not even just the Jews or just the Christians.  This is good news for all people everywhere!

4.     The good news is "He is here!"  God is born among us as Savior, messiah and lord.  "To you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the lord."  A Savior, Messiah and Lord.  I don't know about you, but I could use a savior.  I need someone to save me from a life of complete narcissism focused on wanting "more, more, more." I need someone to save me from screwing up my marriage.  I need someone to save me from being the worst person I can be. I need someone to save me from my guilt and shame, from hopelessness and despair, from fear and death.  I need someone to save me from my self-centeredness, self-absorption, resentfulness, bitterness.  I need someone to save me so I can be loving and seek justice and offer compassion.  Don't we all need someone to save us from the ugliness of our shared human condition?  Don't we all need a Savior to make us the people God wants us to be?

I don't know about you but I could use a divine king or messiah to lead me out of the brokenness that is in me and deliver me some healing and hope not only to myself, but to those around me and around the world.  Don't we all need a messiah?

Don't we need a Lord, a good God to show us something other than the cold gray walls of the prisons we have built for ourselves?  Someone to live for, someone to honor and obey and serve?  Don't we all need a Lord?

We need a savior, a messiah, and lord.  The angels said, "To you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is the messiah and the lord."

 

5.     13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 
14 'Glory to God in the highest heaven,    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!'

 

This is the tag line at the end of the commercial.  It is God's tag line saying, "I'm God, and I approve this message"

 

We started looking in this angel passage for something important about God, something essential to understanding Jesus, and something fundamental to understanding what it means to be a disciple of the newborn king.  What have we learned?

 

First, what do we learn about God.  The consistent lesson through all of the Christmas story—in fact all of scripture is God's message is intended for ALL people.  God's message that came to the lowliest of the low shepherds also came to men and women, wealthy and poor, religious, non-religious, and even people who followed other religions like the Magi.  The angels say "to you and to all people."  To all people and to you.  No matter who you are, no matter what kind of life you live, no matter how religious you are or are not, no matter what you have done or used to do, no matter what family problems you have, or how you have hurt your loved ones, no matter what you think in the dark quiet corners of your heart; God's message of love for you reaches out from God's heart to yours.  To you and to all people…

Second, what do we learn about Jesus?  What does the angel say?  "A savior who is Christ the Lord."  The good news of great joy is that we have a savior who is Christ the Lord.  A SAVIOR who saves us from our past and our present sin, guilt and shame.  A Savior that brings forgiveness of sin and hope for a better relationship with God.

The angel also calls Jesus, CHRIST (which in Greek is the messiah) who comes to loosen the grip of sin in our lives.  He comes to beat the powerful hold of evil in our hearts.  The angel tells the shepherds and all people that the Christ may come riding on a donkey instead of a white horse, in a stable rather than a palace, but he still offers us the hope of a life free of the power of sin.

 

Finally, the angel points to the fundamental nature of Christian discipleship.  God's message is good news of great joy… Jesus brings salvation and hope… but none of that means a thing unless we make Jesus LORD of our lives, king of our days and ruler of our nights.  Yes, he was born in a stable; no, he doesn't have all the trappings of worldly authority and power.  But as disciples of the Lord of Life we must submit ourselves to the humble baby king, and give ourselves to the one who broke the silent night with the cry that brought salvation and hope to all who will humbly bow before his manger, his cross and his throne.  

 

Are you willing?  How badly do you want salvation?  How much do you need hope?  

Are you willing?  Willing to lay your sins down for the one who was laid down in a humble manger for your salvation?

Are you willing?  Willing to lay your life before the one who laid his life down to free you from the death grip that sin has on your heart?

Are you willing?  Willing to bow in humble adoration and submission before the King of Creation, the Lord of life, the babe of Bethlehem?

Are you willing?  Let's use this time of singing Away In A Manger to say "yes."  Yes, Lord.  Starting today I am willing to call you my savior, My Christ My  Lord.

As we sing, as we pray, you are welcome to join me at the altar rail or in your seat to give thanks, worship him, and to lay your life before him.  Let us sing. 

Journey #4 12/23/12

The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem!

After four weeks of studying this story, we finally come to the part that most people call “the Christmas story.”  They might say that everything before this was setting the stage.  In musical terms, they might say that all that came before was prelude.

They may be right, because even as Mary and Joseph travel this road from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the whole story of God’s acting for humanity is laid out before us.

I was taught that Mary and Joseph likely took an eastern route from Nazareth along the Jordan River to Bethlehem.  This would have been the safer route, skirting the territory of the Samaritans and it would have been an easier route in some ways.

Adam Hamilton along with some scholars suggests that they would have taken the more direct route because, even though it went through the heart of Samaritan territory, with Mary 9 months pregnant they would have taken the shortest route possible.

If that is correct, the journey would have headed south from Nazareth.  As they left Nazareth by the south way and descended from the hills, how could they not admire the beauty of God’s creation?  The valley is called the Jezreel valley.  Jezreel comes from the Hebrew word that means “God sows” reminding us that God has in his wonderful power sowed the seeds of creation.  God in his wonderful grace planted humanity in this creation to flourish and take care of it.

 During these first two days of the journey, they would have walked through the valley that was at the heart of many great Biblical events. The valley is bound on the East by the Jordan River-- on the other side is the wilderness in which the Israelites wondered for 40 years.  On the West, it was bordered by Mount Carmel the sight of Elisha’s famous showdown with the priest’s of Baal.  On the south was Mount Gilboa, the sight of King Saul’s death.

The Jezreel valley was the site of many battles fought as the Israelites moved into the Promised Land.  The Bible tells us that this is the site of the victory of Gideon, against the Midianites, the Amalekiltes, and the Children of the East.  Later it was the location at which the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines.  It is the area that Jehu confrontation with Jezebel which ended with Jezebel being thrown out the window and eaten by dogs.

 

Through this valley of wars, Mary bears the child that we will know as the prince of peace.  As they journeyed through Jezreel, they may have passed Megiddo, also called Armageddon.  Armageddon is the expected location for the final battle at which this child, the prince of peace, will destroy the prince of darkness and establish God’s rule forever.

As they ascended the Mountains of Gilboa, they would have passed thousands of olive trees.  From which came the oils of anointing used by the high priest to anoint every king in Israel’s history.  This olive oil would later be used by the disciples to heal the sick, by Mary Magdalene to anoint Jesus’ feet, and was brought by the women on Easter morning to anoint the body of Jesus.  In fact, Messiah means, “Anointed one.”

Passing through the mountains would have been a slow, difficult 2-3day trip.  They would probably have spent the night near the spring that provided water for the father of the faith, Abraham.

Another night was probably near Sychar and the ancient city of Shechem the location of Jacob’s well where Jacob settled after making up with his brother Esau.  This is also the well where Jesus would meet the Samaritan woman and offer her “living water.”

Finally, as they head toward Jerusalem they encounter the most difficult part of the journey.  The hills get steeper.  The fertile valleys are gone.  You can imagine Mary saying, “I don’t think I can go any further.”  And Joseph reassuring her, “We’re almost there dear.  Just a little further.”

On the 9^th or 10^th day, they would have crested a hill and seen Jerusalem laid out before them.  This was the city of David, and it was dominated by the temple the symbol of God’s very presence in Israel.  Of course, this would not be the last journey to Jerusalem.  There would be others and of course.  There would be one very bad one when Mary would come to stand at the foot of the cross, as the child she carried on this journey, would hang as a grown man for the sins of the world.

From Jerusalem, it was only 6 miles, another hour and a half, to Bethlehem.  The last leg of the trip went through the arid and rocky hills of the Judean countryside.  Until on the 10^th day, they arrived in Bethlehem.

For Mary and Joseph the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was a hardship and a nuisance.  They were just enduring the hardship of living in an occupied country, pushed around by the whims of by the Caesars and the Governors.  They could not see what was to come of it.

They couldn’t yet see the angel choir singing “Glory to God.”

They couldn’t imagine the shepherds rushing to the stable to see the baby.

They did not know that the Magi were already beginning their journey to pay homage to the little king.

They couldn’t imagine the crowds thronging around him, the sick pressing him for healing, the crowds calling out, and “Jesus save us?“

If they had known of the journey Jesus would take on the other end of his life; the journey to Jerusalem and the journey to the cross, then the journey of the first Christmas would have been too much to bear.

They certainly could not imagine that 2000 years later we would spend 5 weeks studying their story and seeking to make it our own story.

They couldn’t see any of that.  Yet they made the journey.  Step by dusty step they faithfully made their way to Bethlehem.  Why, because Caesar said they had to?  Maybe.  But did you ever think that maybe Caesar was part of a bigger plan too.  Just like Abraham, and Moses, and Joshua and David and Jeremiah and Elisha and Mary and Joseph and you and me.

The Christmas story is not about what happened 2100 years ago on a silent night in the little town of Bethlehem.  The story of God’s incarnation does not begin with the angel’s annunciation to Mary.  The story of Emmanuel does not begin with Joseph’s faithfulness.  

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the climax of the saga God’s continuing efforts to be in relationship with people.  Coming to be with us as a baby is the absolute clearest way God could say “I am with you” which is what God has been telling his people through all of history.  Abraham, “have faith, for I am with you.”  Isaac, “have faith, for I am with you.”  Jacob, “have faith, for I am with you.”  Moses, “have faith, for I am with you.”  Wonderers through the wilderness, “have faith, for I am with you.”  Joshua and Samuel, “have faith, for I am with you.”  Saul and David, “have faith, for I am with you.”  Isaiah, Jeremiah, Haggai and Zechariah, “have faith, for I am with you.”

Mary and Joseph- even though I am asking you to believe the almost impossible.  Even though you will have to sacrifice everything.  Even though you can’t see how this is going to end, “have faith, for I am with you.”

Peter, Paul, and all the Christians through the ages, “have faith, for I am with you.”

People of Reinbeck, even when the world is filled with school shootings, and suicide bombers, and lunatic dictators, even as we know Christian brothers and sisters gather in Palestinian held Bethlehem under the watchful eye of Arab guards with machine guns, the Christmas message is, “have  faith, for I am with you.”

Even as Christians around the world are forbidden to worship on Christmas Eve, Christians in Nigeria are killed, and the faithful in China are imprisoned for their faith, the Christmas message is, “have faith, for I am with you.”

Even as the nation faces the so-called fiscal cliff, and our trusted leaders demonstrate abject selfishness and failure of vision and leadership, the Christmas message is, “have faith, for I am with you.”

Even as the doctors say “it is cancer,” or MS, macular degeneration, or diabetes, or heart failure, or depression… the Christmas message is, “have faith, for I am with you.”

Even as your aging parents say hurtful things to you, your spouse betrays you, your children's lives swirl around the proverbial drain, the Christmas message is, “have  faith, for I am with you.”

Even as your finances are a mess, your job is less secure, and your future is far from certain, the Christmas message is, “have faith, for I am with you.”

Jesus did not come to this earth in a vacuum.  He came to an underage girl from a poor family, in an occupied corner of the world, under the weight of brutal taxation in a stable among those who would fear him and try to kill him.  And in the midst of that, the Christmas message was still, “have faith, for I am with you.”

It is not a new message.  It is not the kind of message that gets put up in lights or is tweeted and retweeted but is the most fundamental message of God’s work in history.  It is the most fundamental message of the Christmas story.  It is the most important message we could hear and share this Christmas.

 “Have faith, for God is with you.”  Immanuel.

Journey Week 3 Sunday message 12/16/12

Journey Week 3 Sunday message

If you were scared and in trouble, what would you do?  Where would you go?  To whom would you talk?

Mary was scared and in trouble.  She had the strangest experience when an angel came to talk to her.  The angel told her that she would get pregnant even though she was a virgin, and she would be the mother of the messiah.

She was scared and in trouble.

·        Can you imagine being 14 and trying to get your parents to believe this kind of story?  I can imagine Mary’s dad responding with something like, why can't’ you just once, tell us the truth.

·        Can you imagine trying to convince your fiancé?  I’m sure she imagined Joseph just going ballistic when he found out.

·        Can you imagine knowing that, if no one believed you, you might be stoned?

·        Can you imagine the prospect of giving birth when 1 out of 20 births resulted in maternal death?  Not to mention all the other possible complications.  Not to mention just the sheer pain.  That would be scary for anyone, even if you weren’t 14 years old.

My guess is that Mary was scared, really scared.  So scared that I can’t imagine that she told anyone.  After all, maybe it wasn’t true.  Maybe the angel was wrong.  Maybe she misunderstood.  I think Mary probably kept this as a secret.

Because the angel mentioned Elizabeth, however, perhaps Mary thought Elizabeth was the only person in the world who might understand.  Mary just HAD to talk to Elizabeth

Remember that the angel told Mary that Elizabeth was 6 months with child.  We read in Luke chapter one the story of Elizabeth’s child who would grow up to be John the Baptist.  Elizabeth and Zechariah were unable to have children.  When Zechariah was serving in the temple, an angel came to him and told him that Elizabeth would bear a child.  Zechariah didn’t believe the angel so the angel struck him speechless until after the baby was born.  Zechariah came out and of course could not explain what they angel said.  But Elizabeth did, indeed, become pregnant and was in her 6^th month.

.  Mary HAD to see Elizabeth, but it just wasn’t as easy as telling her mom, “I'm going over to Elizabeth’s house for a while.”  Because Elizabeth lived in Ein Kerem, a little village on the edge of Jerusalem.  By air, it is about 80 miles from Nazareth to Ein Kerem.  By foot, going around Samaria, because the Jews didn’t travel in Samaria, it was a lot longer.  It may have taken a week or even longer.  Somehow, Mary convinced her parents to let her go, or maybe she ran away, I don’t know.  Somehow, she finds herself on the road to Ein Kerem.

Can you imagine how long that trip must have seemed?  She was not only worried, and scared and embarrassed; she was also hot, and dusty, and tired.  As you approach Ein Kerem today,  you might first stop at Mary’s spring.  Some Christians say that this is the place where May met Elizabeth.  Up the hill, however, there is a church called the church of the visitation.  In the courtyard of the church, you find this very cool statue commemorating Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth.

 When the two pregnant women met, a strange thing happened.  The baby inside of Elizabeth jumped, or maybe it kicked.  But it wasn’t just a normal kick.  Something was different.  Elizabeth would have been used to kicks to the bladder and jabs in the ribs.  There was something special about this, however.  When the baby kicked, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she delivered a message from God.  That message was ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”  The Plaques behind the statue say those words 42 times in 42 different languages.     This passage is actually the inspiration for the Hail Mary which is often used by our Catholic brothers and sisters.

Hail Mary Full of Grace. Our Lord is with thee. 

Blessed art thou among women.

Blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus…

That is a strange thing to say… do you suppose Mary felt blessed at that moment?  Let’s see… we said worried, scared, embarrassed, hot, dusty, and tired.  I don’t see blessed in there.  At that moment, I just don’t think Mary felt very blessed,  

We  normally think of "blessed" as lucky.  If we have everything we need and some of what we want, we consider ourselves blessed.

It might be food, or housing, or money, or material things, or family, or friendships, or spiritual blessings.  If we have what we need and some of what we want, we consider ourselves blessed.

So how is Mary blessed?  Mary was poor, pregnant, afraid she had lost the respect of her friends, the trust of her parents, the love of her fiancé, she might be killed, and on top of that, she wasn’t sure that she wasn’t going crazy!  In our sense of the word blessed, Mary was not very blessed.  Elizabeth was saying something different, however. 

 Biblical blessing has to do with God’s grace resting upon a person or people as they are in relationship to God, and as they participate God’s plan.  You know like, blessed to be a blessing.

When Elizabeth says you are blessed, your child is blessed, and by the way, in case you didn’t hear me the first time, you are blessed, she is telling Mary that God is with her- God is working in her.  Elizabeth is saying, Mary you are part of God’s plan.

You see being blessed is this sense has nothing to do with what we have … being blessed is all about what we offer.  When we are in relationship to God, we are blessed.  When we offer ourselves to God to participate In God’s plan, we are blessed.  When God works in us to use us to accomplish God’s will, we are blessed.  We are blessed.  And we become living blessings.

Mary was literally carrying the greatest gift God would ever give to humanity, himself.  And because Mary gave herself to God for that task, she was blessed and was a living blessing.

Now Mary’s response is as interesting as Elizabeth’s proclamation.  Mary replies with what we call “the Magnificat,” which we sang as part of the scripture lesson today.  My soul gives glory to my God…. There are two or three sermons just in Mary’s poem here, but let me pull out one thing.

I have always been interested in the reversals in the gospel.  Things like “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.”  Or in Luke’s beatitudes “"Blessed are you who are poor“Followed by “But woe to you who are rich.”

Another is Jesus first sermon where he is citing from Isaiah,

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    And recovery of sight for the blind,
To set the oppressed free.

A great reversal is when we discover that God’s values are just exactly inside out from the world’s values.  Where we discover that God does exactly the opposite of what we might expect.

In the Christmas story, for instance God choosing a poor little girl from Nowheresville Israel to be the mother of Christ is a reversal.  Mary sings of that in the Magnificat.

 “My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    Of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,

Do you see the reversal: the humble servant being called blessed?

She goes on

 For the Mighty One has done great things for me
    Holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    From generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    But has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    But has sent the rich away empty.

That’s the part that intrigues me.  He has brought down the rulers and lifted up the humble.  Filled the hungry and sent the rich away empty. 

The Magnificat gives us a pretty clear picture of who God is.  God is a God who turns the world on its ear by siding with the poor rather than the powerful, defending the weak rather than the rulers, choosing the hungry over those who are well nourished.

That is the nature of God.  And that is the nature of the incarnation we celebrate at Christmas.  God could have chosen to appear as a king.  He didn’t.

God could have chosen to appear as a great general.  He didn’t.

God could have chosen to appear even as the emperor of the Roman Empire.  But he didn’t.

God came to turn the expectations of the world upside down.

And God comes to turn our world upside down today.

Here we are in the middle of the Christmas shopping frenzy…  Let me ask you a question.  Think about how much you are going to spend on gifts this season. What is your gift giving budget?  Do you have that in your mind?  Now how much will you be giving to the poor?  It might be through the church or Salvation Army or something else.  How much will you be giving to bless the poor compared to how much you will be giving to those who are comparatively wealthy and really don’t NEED anything?  Most of us are probably getting a little uncomfortable right now.

Let me ask you another question

How much do you think you will spend on food this season?  Include your Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas Eve, and Christmas dinner.  Include anything you spent to host parties, bake cookies and candy, or go out to eat while you are shopping.  If you add it up, it will be more than you probably expect.  Do you have that number in your mind?  Now how much are you giving to the hungry.  Compare those numbers how much give to bless the hungry compared to how much you spend on food for those who could really benefit from skipping meal or two anyway.  Most of us are probably feeling a little more than uncomfortable right now.

Finally, if you can stand it, how much time are you spending decorating your house, shopping for and wrapping gifts, writing and mailing cards, preparing special dinners, going to holiday parties, going to special services and all the other special things you will do this Christmas.  Add up all the hours. Do you have that number in your head?  Now add up the hours that you will spend visiting someone who is lonely, comforting someone who is sick or grieving, doing an act of kindness for someone who might otherwise be forgotten, or raising money for charities that will minister to the emotional and spiritual needs of people.  I’ll even let you add in PRAYING for those people because I am pretty confident that even including praying the amount of time we spend blessing others won’t even compare to the amount of time we spend on ourselves and our celebrations.

Don’t hear me wrong.  I am not telling you NOT to celebrate Christmas.  I am asking you if you are being a blessing this Christmas season.  Are you being a blessing to those who are less fortunate than yourself?  Are you blessing those who are hungry or food insecure?  Are you blessing those who are lonely and forgotten?  Are you acting as an instrument of God for the God who sides with the least and the lost?  Are you giving your life to those who are the poor and the hungry?  Are you using this time to worship and serve the God who

Brought down rulers from their thrones
    But has lifted up the humble.
Has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty?

Some of you are… but we all have to ask ourselves if we are really being part of blessing this Christmas.

Matthew 25 offers a good way to examine our hearts. Imagine the baby in the manger miraculously speaking …

42  I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “(The babe replies), ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”

Have a blessed Christmas.