Come all ye shepherds – see, consider, and share the Good News

Good Christmas morning to you all.  Welcome to St. Paul’s.  How many of you were also at the services here last night (note that I was presiding in Junction City)?  Let’s hear a little more about where we’ve come from to be here gathered in Christ’s name this morning (discussion).

DECEMBER 25.  As some of you know, the winter solstice occurred this past week, a moment for us in the northern hemisphere when the sun in lowest in the sky because of the tilt and orbit of earth.  This occurrence essentially marks the darkest day of the year - the shortest day and longest night.  Across various cultures, there are special traditions that mark this time when we’re furthest from the sun and we begin to anticipate the return of more light into our daily routines as we tilt back toward its radiant, warm beams.  Soltice ceremonies have included the initiation of the season of light and the worship of son gods.  About 50 years before the birth of Jesus, Julius Caesar, in what came to be known as the Julian calendar, marked December 25 as the occasion of the winter solstice.  And, by the 2^nd Century in Roman culture, there was an annual festival on Dec 25 to honor Sol Invictus (invincible sun). 

Now, whether or not our Christmas celebration was intentionally placed on December 25 to challenge or co-opt such pagan celebration is a matter of debate.  It’s not clear from the earliest writings we know of in our tradition (e.g., Paul’s letters and the Gospel of Mark, neither of which present birth narratives for Jesus) that the specifics of Jesus’s birth were of any concern; rather, the emphasis is on his ministry, teachings, death, and resurrection.  As interest grew in elaborating on the nature of who/what Jesus was, more attention was paid to a birth narrative that would emphasize an evolving understanding of Christ.  It wasn’t until the mid-4^th Century – three hundred years after the blessed birth - that we find references to birthdates of either December 25 (in the western regions) or January 6 (in the east).  Some Christian theologians have said that December 25 was eventually favored because it is nine months after when tradition says Jesus was conceived. 

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: Over time, the Western (Roman) tradition overshadowed the Eastern traditions and most Christians (the Greek Orthodox and Armenians being the main exception) now observe Christmas on December 25, Epiphany on January 6 (also a reflection on part of the Nativity story), and the twelve days between as the “12 Days of Christmas” (known also as Christmastide or even Yuletide, harkening back to Celtic solstice observances).  The important point here is that Christmas doesn’t end today (like Easter doesn’t end on Easter Sunday), we celebrate it for twelve more days.  So, yes, you can leave those trees and decorations up for almost two more weeks!

WHAT MIGHT WE HEAR IN TODAY’S READINGS:

Isaiah 62:6-12

• (v12) They shall be called, "The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD"; and you shall be called, "Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.
• (v10) Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples.
• Historical context is more tribal re: chosen people (Israel) will soon be out of exile and lead by God victoriously back into their iconic center of Jerusalem
• Yet, we might also hear that we are not forsaken and that we are to prepare our church as a place of hospitality, removing obstacles from the path of exiled travelers and seekers, and raise a clear flag of welcome

Psalm 97

•  with potentially frightening and militant imagery, in direct contrast to the tender image of God in the form of a vulnerable baby (from Christmas Eve), we’re reminded that our God is mighty and ultimately victorious over all evil and darkness in the world
• (v11) “Light has sprung up for the righteous, * and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.”

Titus 3:4-7

• Perhaps the key word is “but” in verse 4: “God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of [our works]… but according to his mercy…
• Our salvation comes from God who came to be like one of us so that we’ve had a model to become more like God

Luke 2:(1-7) 8-20

• Perhaps you heard this read last night as well – this morning, we focus on verses 8-20
• Shepherds: Kind David began his life as a lowly shepherd; they were considered unsavory and dirty; near bottom of the social classes
• Angels – not just one saying do not be afraid, but a multitude offering glory to God
• When they show up unexpectedly, this rag-tag group from the fields with their enthusiastic witness and desire to ‘see’, Mary treasurers their words and ponders their meaning (a faithful response of discernment, not dismissiveness)
• Then, almost as quickly as they rushed in, the shepherds now go back at as our essentially our first evangelists of the Good News

Themes:

• supernatural messages into our daily routine
• delightful belief and action-oriented curiosity
• dwelling on meaning and significance
• (Sam Portaro from Brightest and Best) “Those who lingered around the manger in Bethlehem knew somehow that God was present, that a powerful reconciliation was beginning, a gap bridged between what has been and is yet to be."
• enthusiastic sharing of the Good News 

 QUESTIONS (for discussion): 

1. Who might our contemporary shepherds be? 
2. How should we be prepared to receive them and discern with them? 
3. As they head back out into the world, what do we want to help them be able to articulate with enthusiasm?

Let's conclude with some words from Pope St. Leo I (Leo the Great).  Leo was a leader at a time that the church faced great challenges of adaptation and survival during the increasing disintegration of the Roman empire.  He sought to preserve unity, integrity, and fidelity of the universal church.  He’s even said to have personally thwarted attacks from invading barbarians, including when he approached Attila the Hun, successfully convincing Attila not to invade Italy.  These words are from one of his sermons about Christmas:

Dearly beloved, today our Savior was born; let us rejoice!  This is not season for sadness – it is the birthday of Life!  It is a life that annihilates the fear of death; a life that brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness. 

Nobody is an outsider to this happiness; we all have common cause for rejoicing.  Our Lord, the victor over sin and death, finding no one free from guilt, has come to free us all….

In the fullness of time, chosen in the unfathomable depths of God’s wisdom, the Son of God took on himself our human nature in order to reconcile us with our Creator… clothed not in his own majesty, but in our weakness.  In Christ majesty has taken on humility….

That is why at the birth of our Lord the angels sang for joy: ‘Glory to God in the highest,’ and proclaimed the message ‘peace to his people on earth’.  For they see the heavenly Jerusalem being constructed out of all the nations of the world….

Let us throw off our old nature and all its habits… we have come to birth in Christ….

Christian, acknowledge your own dignity; and now that you share in God’s own nature… Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member.

From: Celebrating the Seasons: Daily spiritual readings for the Christian year. (Norwich, U.K.: Canterbury Press, 1999) p. 48.

AMEN. 

We’re keeping the light on for you

Welcome to Christmas Eve services at Church of the Covenant.  Who here is visiting, having traveled to get here?  Who lives here in the Junction City area, but hasn’t been to this church in a while? 

When you hear “Nativity scene”, how many of you hear soft Christmas music, perhaps “Silent Night,” playing in the background and see a Hallmark image of carefully placed, clean people, neatly robed all calmly gathered around what looks like a little crib… star suspended silently in the night sky above; perhaps an angel hovering near; grandfatherly shepherds gathered to one side and three exotically dressed guys bearing gifts from the other side; and animals sitting well behaved?  How many of you find peace and comfort in this scene as I’ve described it?

I don’t want any of us to lose that image – carefully suspended as it is in many of our earliest memories of calming Christmas times past.  And… on this holy night, I’d like us to follow the invitation of the Holy Spirit to look deeper into this scene and consider anew what is going on there… and what is going on inside us.  Even if a bit uncomfortable at first, imagining the scene in a more edgy, realistic way, might actually offer deeper comfort to those who need light in the darkness these days.

ILLUSTRATION: a moving video from December 2010 of a church’s ‘flash mob’ at the South Bay Galleria, Redondo Beach, CA (http://youtu.be/Vnt7euRF5Pg) in which their powerful harmony of voices, coming from escalators and all around, resonate throughout the three-story atrium center court singing a medley of hymns, arresting shoppers in awe, and ends with a quiet surprise of Mary and Joseph, in period dress, holding their live baby emerging in the middle of the crowd in the center of the ground floor during the final hymn as wide-eyed children seem to instinctively kneel at the sight of the holy family.

What does this scene, at first sentimental and then more challenging as we consider it, say to us about darkness and light and the in-breaking of Christ into our very busy, and sometimes very empty, lives? 

DISCUSSION POINTS: bright mall / consumerism; anxiety and entitled materialism, or the fear and shame of the lack of ‘stuff’; a darkness that sometimes underlies our desperate search for satisfaction; an unexpected interruption and a scene that shakes us, like a snow globe, into a moment of wonder and awe

Without boring you with too much historical detail, let me just say that the choice of this date as the remembrance of the birth of our Lord was very intentional, although the specific reasons are a matter of scholarly speculation.  In fact, stories of the birth of Jesus don’t seem to particularly important in our earliest traditions – neither of the earliest writings we’ve found, those attributed to Paul and those attributed to Mark, even mention it.  Over a hundred years after the life and death of Jesus, an early church scholar finally proposed that Jesus might have been born in the springtime.  As interest grew in elaborating on the nature of who/what Jesus was, more attention was paid to a birth narrative that would emphasize an evolving understanding of Christ.
It wasn’t until the mid-4^th Century – three hundred years after the blessed birth - that we find references to birthdates of either December 25 or January 6.  Over time, the Western (Roman) tradition overshadowed the Eastern traditions and most Christians now observe the twelve days of Christmas beginning on December 25 and ending with Epiphany on January 6 (which is the date that many Greek Orthodox and Armenian Christians still observe as the birth date of Jesus). 

Daniela Bertol (New York) 

Ok. So, why December 25?  No one can yet say for sure – it’s a matter of debate. Some suggest that it was chosen so that a Christian celebration would overtake the pagan celebrations on this date.  Others have said that December 25 became favored because it's nine months after church tradition observes the conception of Jesus.  What is clear is that the winter solstice that we’ve observed this week, the moment marking the darkest time of the year (shortest day / longest night), has endured as a special observance among various cultures in the northern hemisphere.  About 50 years before the birth of Jesus, Julius Caesar, in what came to be known as the Julian calendar, marked December 25 as the occasion of this winter solstice.  It’s the longest night - a time we begin to anticipate the return of more light into our daily routines as we tilt back toward its radiant, warm beams.  Over time, this date marked the worship of son gods, the initiation of the season of light, etc.. 

Tonight, we’re invited to consider where we experience darkness in our lives… perhaps even deep darkness.  Perhaps the darkness is a source of sorrow or fear. Perhaps it’s a place where there’s no longer warmth, only cold indifference.  Tonight, all may not seem particularly calm or peaceful.  

http://kazuya-akimoto.com/chiaroscuro2004/blackpetals.htm

Tonight, amid the darkness, we’re invited to listen to the labored breathing and birthing pains and of Mary, to see sweat drip from Joseph’s brow with both worry and wonder on his face as he tries to comfort her, and to hear the sounds of the curious barnyard animals as they approach the feeding tough and we smell their warm breath as they draw closer to us sniffing curiously through the darkness.  
Mary and Joseph are away from home – visitors in a town not their own.  No one has extended them hospitality this important evening.  They’re about to give birth to God-knows-who here in this dingy, smelly barn. Both Mary and Joseph, in their own separate encounters with the divine, have been told to name their soon-to-arrive child, Jesus – Joshua / Yeshua: “For he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:20-21) and “he will be great… and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).  
In the stress and strain of this moment in this strange place, perhaps neither of them are focused on what these words might mean. In order to keep their newborn off the dirt, they’re going to place him into a trough which has been holding animal feed.
Is this the Hallmark scene we have in mind?  What do you perceive when you imagine them in the middle court of this enormous shopping mall?
Yet, to paraphrase a popular adage attributed to a 17^th Century Theologian (Thomas Fuller), it’s darkest before a new day dawns.
God, in all of God’s creative majesty, has humbled himself, stripped himself of so much, and come down to them – to us – as a tender, vulnerable child.  Yes, this child will one day mature and surprise us with his life of prophetic teachings and his counter-cultural ministry of loving the least among us and healing ills that otherwise interfere with our communion. Tonight, however, we can imagine him crying and struggling, gasping on the new air in his lungs, totally dependent on his human parents – on us – for protection, feeding, and care. 

Our tradition celebrates that it is precisely at this moment of real vulnerability, amid the darkness and a visceral mess in less-than-ideal circumstances in an awkward situation and a strange place, to a humble rural couple, that divine light comes to us… and this is good news! 
God comes to us where we are, as we are.
There’s amazing grace in remembering that God comes to us like this – chooses to come to us amid darkness and messiness in our lives, acknowledging our hopes and fears and assuring us that we need not fear.
In our hymns tonight, we hear:

“…yet in thy dark streets shineth the ever lasting Light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” (Hymn 79 / O little town of Bethlehem)

“…and to the earth, it gave great light… it continued both day and night.” (Hymn 109 / The first Nowell)

“Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.” (Hymn 111 / Silent night)

“Joy to the world!  The Lord is come… let every heart prepare him room…” (Hymn 100 / Joy to the world)

In our readings tonight from the Word of God and the Gospel of our Lord, we’re assured:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all…” (Titus 2:11)

“…the glory of the Lord shone around them…. Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day… a Savior...” (Luke 2:9-11)

Imagine the Nativity scene again.  Where are you/we in the scene?  How do you relate to what’s really going through this scene?  How is this house – Church of the Covenant – a modern model of hosting those who are seeking good news – the radiance of hope - and those who are birthing new life and growing with Christ?  What will you do as you go forth again into the world from here?

Darkness. 

Literally or figuratively…

Perhaps you’re visiting from far away or just wandering a bit in your journey away from home. 

Perhaps you’ve felt like a shepherd from the far fields – viewed with suspicion or contempt by those who don’t understand your way life (it’s lonely and dirty work). 

Perhaps you’ve been told before that there’s no room for you or hospitality has been withheld from you in a time of need.

Perhaps you’re hungry and seeking real sustenance.

Perhaps you’ve been praying for, waiting for, an angel – or any sign from heaven - to relieve your fear and assure you that all shall be well, all manner of things will be well (ref. Julian of Norwich).

Emerging light.

Tonight, amid the cold darkness outside, we’re reminded that the Light of the world has come to us will never leave us.  We’ve been assured that with Jesus is born life and light for all people – light that shines in the darkness and it not overcome by it. (John 1:4-5)


Tonight, our hunger can be met as we feast on the bread of heaven and drink again from the cup of salvation in communion with Christ and with our brothers and sisters gathered in his name.

Tonight, in this house, as the lights come up, look around you and see your family in Christ.  Really look at each other in this Christmas light.  Resolve anew to care for one another as Jesus cares for us – extending extraordinary hospitality, particularly to strangers; nourishing and healing each other as we’ve been taught how to do; and bolding going forth to proclaim Good News to others in search of light and life.

I invite you to close your eyes so that it’s really dark for a few moments.  Take a deep breath.  Imagine the reality of this Nativity in your own life. 


God is coming to you - a light piercing through even the distance and darkness of this winter solstice…


Jesus is being born - a flame of hope that continues burning even when worldly circumstances are otherwise very dim…


His Holy Spirit is within us – giving us enough light to see hope through any darkness and to witness to the perpetual birth forgiveness, redemption and salvation.


“Son of God, love’s pure light.  Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace.”  


Christ our savior is born.

AMEN.

Bearing the Good News

Good morning, good people of St. Paul’s.  It’s delightful to once again share the fourth Sunday of Advent with you (some of you might recall that I preached here this time last year).  Last year on this Sunday, I spoke about “what’s in a name” regarding ‘Emmanuel’, exploring the implications of ‘God is with us.’  And, we were invited to reconsider Mary’s pregnancy and the birth of our Lord in a more gritty realistic manner, particularly from Joseph’s perspective (Matthew 1:18-25). 

This year on this Sunday, we’re once again hearing about our Lord’s conception, but more from Mary’s perspective this time (Luke 1:26-38).  Whereas last year we considered the meaning of Emmanuel (God is with us), this year, we’re invited to consider the implications of bearing God through us – carrying the blessed nature of our creator within ourselves and collectively bearing God’s creative and restorative potential as this church family. 

We received news last week of Fr. Tom’s plan to retire in six months.  To some, this news was a surprising annunciation.  To others, this was expected news, albeit they might not have expected it to happen at this time in this way.  Whatever the case, as we prepare to celebrate our rectors ministry with us over these next six months, we’re also being called into a birthing process – our collective labor will be about discerning God’s plan for our family for this next generation.  It will be a process that will take more than six month, even more than nine months if we honor it well… we are being called to discern anew over the next year (at least) what can be birthed in this place in God’s name.

Today’s lectionary readings and pregnant (pardon the pun) with material for reflection that can be helpful to us.  In today’s Gospel lesson (Luke 1:26-38), we hear of two intertwined pregnancies that are both rooted in ancient tradition and ancestry as well as foretelling of a new age dawning.  Luke’s writing begins with the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist who (in the spirit of Elijah) will prepare the way for our Lord.   An angel appears to Zechariah and tells him that his prayers have been answered and that Elizabeth, his aging barren wife, will indeed bear a child who will be filled with the Holy Spirit and will lead people to turn their lives around and come back to the Lord.  No doubt both parents are both troubled and delighted by this news. How is this possible?  We weren’t expecting this to happen now?  This is going to change everything.  Elizabeth comments that this birth will restore her place within their society – she will be redeemed as fertile and life-bearing.

Six months later, the life of one of Elizabeth’s relatives, Mary, a rural woman engaged to a carpenter, is disrupted by an unexpected announcement from an angel with an announcement that still a bit shocking and hard to believe… and, I imagine, might be hard for any of us to accept readily were we in her position.  Although not aged and barren like her relative Elizabeth, we’re told that Mary has yet to consummate her marriage and yet is told by this angel that she will soon become pregnant by God - “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be both will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). 

This morning, I’m drawn to focus on the arch in these ten verses in the Gospel lesson that are deceptively succinct in their summation of part of our journey as faithful believers: Luke 1: 28-38.  In the course of these ten verses, we’re invited to recognize God’s action toward us, our discernment about the implications of this, and our response.  This three-part process – God’s initiative, our discernment about it, and our response – is relevant to us personally as we consider our responses to God’s work in our lives at home as well as to us corporately as we imagine our responsibilities to God’s work in our church… specifically here at St. Paul’s as we move into our future as bearers of the Good News in Manhattan.

The Annunciation, by Henry Ossawa Tanner (oil) c.1898

First, God’s messenger (Gabriel) initiates contact with Mary – breaking through her day-to-day existence in a startling way and presenting her with a godly announcement that is perplexing.  We can imagine that Mary is a faithful person.  She probably prays ‘to’ God on a regular basis and worships God routinely as is her cultural custom.  But on this particular day, God breaks through well-worn routine and presents her with a divine opportunity to participate in God’s creation anew.  While few, if any of us, can relate to the sudden manifestation of an angel in our lives bringing such news Mary received, can’t we all relate to those moments when we’re suddenly, stunningly aware of God’s presence – an experience of something we see, hear, or feel that takes our breath away for a moment.  Time is suspended momentarily and we experience a delicious disorientation that we can feel in our body?  Or, perhaps it’s news that we receive that radically challenges our preconceived plans for the future and challenges us to re-conceive God’s plans.

Next, Mary is perplexed and ponders.  Indeed, we can easily imagine she is initially a bit anxious or fearful.  It’s one thing to domesticate God within our own rituals and routines – comfortably conforming God to specific times and places in our lives; going along subconsciously presuming that God is accessible to us when and how we need God to be.  But when God breaks through our routine and reveals divine opportunity to us in unexpected/unpredicted ways – particularly if God manifests in a shocking display of power – we should be perplexed, perhaps even fearful of what this might mean.  Our exemplar Mary doesn’t stop there, however.  She ponders and even questions “how can this be?”  Whether we imagine that this was an instantaneous response on her part or that it took her some time, that she engages with the holy presence in discernment is vitally instructive.  In a time and way of living that seems faster and faster, seemingly more and more expectant of instant response, relief, and gratification, what does it take for us to be able to ponder and question?  What room is created within and around us for new birth when we’re able to open up, as initially perplexing as it might be, to discerning new possibilities with God?

Annunciation, by Chris Ofili (bronze) 2006

Third, Mary offers herself – makes herself readily available to God, and both surrenders to being a godly servant as well as steps-up to boldly proclaim the Good News (ref: Canticle 15, the Song of Mary known as the Magnificat; Luke 1:46-55).  Some will say that Mary is immediately humble before the Lord, has quickly remembered what God has done for her people (as revealed in the ‘Song of Mary’ attributed to her), and readily submits to God’s well.  Others might imagine that she struggled to comprehend and accept the implications of what she was hearing and eventually resolved to move forward faithfully, not fully knowing what all this might mean, but trusting in God’s ultimate intentions.  Whatever the case, she said ‘yes’ to God’s invitation into the divinely creative and redemptive process.  ‘Yes’ she would be a vessel.  ‘Yes’ she would accept her blessings.  ‘Yes’ -  as troubling as the labor might be, she agrees to give birth to new life in God’s name.  What are we to hear in this that is relevant to our own lives?   Maybe we hear the angel’s reassurance ‘do not be afraid’ as not only calming us in the initial moments of unexpected news, but also as a charge for our expected subsequent response/action.  Move forward without fear, knowing that we are blessed and that God is with us.   

There is a fourth thing to consider here… the angel departed / the angel left her to do the work.  Having presented Mary with the startling news and invitation to a divine opportunity, and seeing that Mary remembered God’s faithfulness and that she had discerned to accept the call, the angel leaves / doesn’t stick around (visibly) to her through the challenges ahead.  Indeed, it can sometimes seem that almost immediately after we’ve decided to move forward in our godly mission, we encounter challenges and discomfort that might raise questions about whether God is still with us – we have many stories of our ancestors struggling like this and often losing sight of the faith and confidence that initially fueled their initiative.  This Christmas, let’s re-fuel our hearts with the promise perceived through the nativity scene – God come to us amid a holy mess in order to redeem, restore, and rebuild.  And, as we move forward in faith, personally and as a church community, let’s expect birthing pains in the process of bearing the Good News anew.

As we journey through this final week of Advent toward the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, let’s ponder, on these silent and holy nights, any startling news or disruptive announcements in our own lives.  Let’s be honest about our feelings – astonishment, wonder, ‘how could this be’, etc.  Let’s pray to God and consider anew what has been planted within us, individually and collectively that is to be born with God’s help in due time.  Let us remember that God has never left us, nor will our Lord ever abandon us.  This doesn’t mean that the road ahead will always be easy.  But, we can move forward assured that God is forever with us in our mission as a people gathered in Christ’s name.

AMEN.

BLESSING:  “May the God who brings heaven close to earth give truth to our judgment and flame [light] to our longing that our hearts might be read to be born again in love; and the blessing of God…” (from Prayers for an Inclusive Church by Steven Shakespeare)

Repent! See Santa Clause [and other stuff] anew!

Good morning good folk of St. David’s.  Welcome to the second Sunday of Advent.  I’ve been told to observe strict time boundaries around my homily in order to keep us on schedule with all three services this morning, so let’s dive right into one of the main themes this morning. Repent! 

This morning’s lectionary readings are words written to people in exile and captivity… people who suffer under oppressive regimes and who are yearning for comfort, restoration and justice.  They called our ancestors, and call us still, among other things, to prepare for the coming of the messiah by essentially changing our mind and our course in life: making straight and level any crooked and uneven pathways (Isaiah 40:3-4); turning our hearts toward God (Psalm 85:8); cleaning away blemishes and striving for peace (2 Peter 3:9,14); and confessing our sins, repenting, and being baptized into new life (Mark 1:4-5).  

Why, in this season of generally giddy and hopeful anticipation about the birth of Christ are we called to repent in preparation for our Lord’s coming? 

Advent is a season when we’re both looking back to remember God coming down from heaven and by the power of the Holy Spirit becoming incarnate from the Virgin Mary (tender and vulnerable in a feeding trough) as well as looking forward to anticipate his coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead (the heaven’s breaking open and our King coming again in great glory) (ref also: Nicene Creed).  In recent weeks as well as this week, our Gospel readings draw our attention forward to new time with clear instructions to remain awake and prepare for the second coming of our Lord… and in today’s lesson, to repent!

REPENT

In Hebrew scripture, the words נהם (naham) and  שׁוּב (shub) convey both a sense of regret and “the idea of turning back, re-tracing one’s steps in order to return to the right way.”*  The prophets used these words and concepts to address our lack of honoring our end of the covenant with God and reminding us that God forgives those who repent. I.e., when you’ve gone astray, get back on track – get right with God.

*(Achtemeier, Paul J., Ed. et al. Harper Collins Bible Dictionary Rev. Ed. (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1996) p. 924)

In the writings of the New Testament, the Greek words μετάνοια /μετανοέω   (meta-noia / noiein) are used to convey the idea that we need to be constantly changing our mind / coming to a new way of thinking.  Perhaps some of you have heard that in the Greek word translated as ‘repent’, we can also hear the “turn around” or “get a bigger mind about.”

According to the American Heritage College Dictionary (NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1993), repentance is “1. To feel remorse for self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do; be contrite…” And this is where we sometimes stop – passively just ‘feeling’ something like shame or guilt.  But the definition continues, “2. To feel such regret for past conduct as to change one’s mind regarding it… 3. To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition…”. 

So, in our call to remain awake and to repent as we prepare for the coming of our Lord, we ought to hear that feeling sorry or regretful is necessary but not sufficient for the full repentance that we’re called to as Christians.  To repent with Christ is to TURN from evil, sin, regret, shame, and guilt and RE-POSITION / RE-ORIENT our hearts and minds to good, justice, and love.

This call to repentance is the essence of John the Baptizer’s ministry. Response to this call is how we’re told that Jesus begins his prophetic and messianic ministry as an adult.  Arguably, we could say that repentance is one of the actions at the very core what it means to follow Jesus.

Repent!  Yes, I know.  Repentance can be a hard candy to swallow in this season when we’re more often encouraged to indulge our desires and wants and to focus only on the warm-n-fuzzy images of gentle folk ohhh’ing and ahhh’ing at a happy little baby in a Hallmark Christmas scene.  What are we to do?  Going around yelling ‘repent’ probably ain’t gonna move people in a constructive way.

Let me suggest a more palatable way to engage in some repentance this season – a way that doesn’t sound as harsh as one crying in the wilderness, but nonetheless invites us to change our minds and re-orient ourselves toward God.  Renew your curiosity about the true origins of the symbols that we now associate with Advent and Christmas and encourage questions among friends and family about why we use certain colors and images this time of year. This can be an inviting, indirect way of turning away from the commercialism and material and logistical stress of this season (and our contemporary lives in general) and turning toward changing of our minds about how, where, and why we devote our time, talents, and resources as Christians. 

SANTA CLAUS:

As an example, this week focus conversation on the origins of Santa Claus.  Do you know that this week, on Wednesday (Dec 6), church tradition is to remember the Feast of Saint Nicholas, the actual person who inspired our secular symbol of Santa (saint) Claus (an abbreviation of Nicholas)?  Nicholas was a bishop of Myra (in modern day Turkey) in the 4^th Century who might also have participated in the Council of Nicaea, from which the Nicene Creed emerged.  Nicholas was said to been born into wealth but spent the majority of his life exhibiting generous charity, particularly toward children (as well as sailors), seeking to relieve suffering and hunger and liberate young people from oppressive exploitation.  He’s said to have been jailed for a time by the Roman emperor at the time; but upon release went right back to his charitable work. One legend has him anonymously delivering money to the family of three young girls (through slipping it into stockings that were hung out to dry) which was used to save them from being sold into slavery/prostitution. In parts of central and northern Europe today you will find people still focused on this actual saint in their celebration of Sinterklaas, a collections of traditions that arose in the Middle Ages to honor Bishop Nicholas.  Note that it wasn’t until the 1800’s here in the U.S. that the globally popular images of Santa Claus began to take shape when an Anglican / Episcopal seminary professor is credited with crafting the poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” (more commonly known today as ‘t’was the night before Christmas’, referring to the poem’s first line) and then later a Harper’s magazine illustrator created the image of the robust, jolly fellow that evolved into the secular icon that would be popularized and promoted by commercial interests such as Macy’s and Coca-Cola. 

For reference, PBS's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly offers a short video about St. Nicholas, featuring The Rev. Cn. Jim Rosenthal, an Episcopal priest and the founder of the UK/USA St. Nicholas Society.   See also, resources from the Michigan-based St. Nicholas Center.


Beyond reexamining the meaning and lessons of the life of the original Saint Nicholas, what else might you, your families, and friends discover in the earlier folklore and legends about the Advent wreath, Christmas trees with lights, and the colors we associate with this season?  What might start to happen in our hearts if we re-focused our minds on the deeper meanings and traditions around these images?  Toward what/who would our sight be refocused?

CONCLUSION:

Of course, more full and faithful repentance requires more movement of our minds and hearts than just reconsidering our points of view about Christmas imagery.  And, perhaps by beginning with deeper consideration for our beloved symbols of this season, we open ourselves to examine other places in our lives in which our attention and focus has turned away from God and begin the process turning ourselves around, re-orienting our sense of direction and purpose to better prepare ‘the way’ for ourselves, our neighbors, and God.

CLOSING VISIONING AND PRAYER: 

Advent is a season that calls us to wake-up both to our accountability before God and our hope in God’s coming to us then, now, and again at an unknown but much anticipated time.

What is that we most want to see birthed into the world / given new life?

What do we most hope for?

What are we called to do better as faithful parents and mindful midwives in this meantime of expectant pregnancy as we prepare for the second Advent / the coming again of Christ?   

Where and how this season will you repent… pause and ponder with a bigger mind… prepare the way…  turn-around, face away from your regrets…  re-consider with renewed faith and hope… and act with more charitable love?

“We thank you loving God, for you did not abandon us or stand far off, but came in awful nearness with the urgency of love…. a touch of welcome for the one thrown aside, good news of bread for the hungry and poor, a shepherd to find those who are lost…. May we who have been touched by the Word made flesh be his body for the world, his hands to bring blessing, his sense to glory, in the promise of creation restored.”**

“Wild God… whose gospel begins with a cry and a summons: take us to a pathless place where we can start again to taste creation’s gifts anew and await the Spirit’s touch; through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come.”**

**(Shakespeare, Steve. Prayers for an Inclusive Church. (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) pp. 44,147-48)

AMEN

Preparing in anticipation of ‘Christmas’, or Christ?

Some notes this week to guide preaching and discussions  about the first of Advent.

Advent videos to consider (for comparison -n- contrast):

1. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church re: 2012 Advent

2. "Advent in 2 minutes" from bustedhalo.com (a ministry of Paulist Fathers)

OPENING PRAYER:  “God of unveiled truth, faithful flame in times of darkened sun and waning moon: lift up our unknowing hearts, and waken our sleeping love to announce the coming dawn of unexpected peace; through Jesus Christ, the one who is to come. Amen.”
(from Prayers for an Inclusive Churchby Steven Shakespeare)

CONTEXT:

• Rush/hurry, pointed toward Christmas; but are we oriented toward Christ
• We’re reminded in the media of the countdown… we don’t want to miss out?
• Countdown to what?  What do we not want to miss… really?

• “Advent” (Latin “adventus” = coming; Greek “parousia” = 2^nd coming)
• Coming of Christ our King to reign in glory
• 1000 years ago / Middle Ages – still literal 2^nd coming expectation
• More traditionally a time of restraint, preparation, and penitence
• Coming of Christ to dwell in our hearts
• Contemporary focus on anticipation of the birth of Jesus (Dec 25)
• 9mos after March 25 (date of crucifixion… and conception?; ref: 14^th day of Nisan equivalent in Roman calendar)
• 4^th C. references (perhaps Roman and Germanic/Norse winter solstice fesitvals) (Roman) Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) – celebrated on Dec 25; Yule – darkest day of the year (ref: Odin / Thor’s father)


• Similar kairos time as Lent – reflection and preparation
• We’re look back at a beginning, but we’re looking forward to [imminent] future
• “already/not yet… Already Jesus has established the means through which we are drawn into relationship with God, but not yet do we live in complete communication with God.  Already the realm of God is evident, but not yet is that realm fully established” (Martin B. Copenhaver, Sr. Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, Wellesley, MA)
• Color is hue of blue, representing hopefulness (and sometimes associated with Mary)


• Arch of the messages of these four Sundays leading us to Christmas
• [Mark] there will be a 2^nd coming; don’t know when; remain awake & prepared
• [Mark] Repentance and preparation (John the Baptist)
• [year B / John] John the Baptist explains that he’s preparing for the Messiah
• [year B / Luke] the Annunciation – the call-n-response of Mary re: conceiving


• God has been faithful, loving and generous towards his people, but his people have continually turned-away and neglected the relationship
• In God’s apparent absence, we struggle and suffer and seek God to return to help (like a child crying on a playground, having lost perspective of parent, now in need)
• Creator God lovingly humbles himself and is born among us in a feeding trough (manger) on a cold dark night to rural folk
• Comes to meet us in a blessed mess (‘holy’ but probably not very ‘silent’ night)
• Expectant, but not passive waiting (ref: pregnancy and plants during winter)
• Nothing will ever be the same after this in-breaking / birth / bridge is established

LESSONS for Advent 1 - Year B:

Isaiah 64:1-9

• God has been faithful, his people have not.
• In the midst of unfaithfulness and problems, a longing for God to return
• Has God forgotten them (us)?  If he would just show his face to them again, they might believe anew.
• The prophet prays for God to come again to/among the people, but also fears what this might bring (harsh judgment vs. merciful justice)
• “tear open the heavens and come down“ (break through the distance between God and creation)
• a preamble, if you will, to our understanding of God’s coming again as Jesus

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

• another prayer of longing/yearning that God, the shepherd of Israel, will not send divine anger, but help for restoration
• 16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, * the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.
• 17 And so will we never turn away from you; * give us life, that we may call upon your Name.
• 18 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

• this is an excerpt from a letter in which Paul is pretty critical of the church in Corinth – divisions and controversies, perhaps rooted in their misuse of spiritual gifts (their gifts of “speech and knowledge” that he acknowledges in our reading this morning)
• he is reassuring them that God is faithfully with them in their waiting for Christ’s return
• he’s telling them that in the meantime, they need to return to the wellspring of their gifts for direction and reconciliation

Mark 13:24-37

• we’ve switched from Matthew to Mark
• earlier writing; Gentile audience; ‘messianic secret’ veiled/unrecognized
• like our recent readings in Matthew, near the end of the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry (between his teachings in chapters 12 and his passion in chapters 14-16)
• Jesus speaks to them about signs, lessons, and warnings (cosmic disruptions, false prophets, emergence of hope, impending persecution)
• He will come to them again an unknown time (perhaps very soon) and will gather his elect
• Apocalyptic images drawn from Isaiah (13:10, 34:4), Joel (2:10, 3:4, 4:15), Ezekiel (32:7-8), and Daniel (7:13) in which the Son of Man comes back through the clouds after trials and persecution
• remain awake, alert, and vigilant in your watch
• apostolic mission
• even nature itself will be transformed at the end of this age (ref: fig tree, an example of which elsewhere is condemned by Jesus for not bearing it’s fruit appropriate)

SOME CLOSING REFLECTIONS:

• amid the commercial crush, the bright noisy stories, the rush and stress...
• where is God?  What are we really preparing for?
• When you see the lights and the crèches, take a moment to really stop and go deeper with God this season.  There’s a tiny little light penetrating the dark.  Something profound has found us in our mess – amid a smelly, cramped feeding trough and a couple of country folk whose lives are about to be turned upside down
• Expectant, but not passive waiting (ref: pregnancy and plants during winter)

• Season of new beginnings
• Take the time to consider the bigger picture
• Reflect on who we really are and what we really yearn for 

• Repentence
• Hebrew = to return, to feel regret/sorrow
• Greek = metanoia = after/larger mind; after thought, bigger perspective
• Change course /  set new direction
• Prepare for new life in / with / through Christ 

• While we’re taking these actions, let us not forget…
• God seeks us even more (and more often) that we seek God
• God comes to us as both as a dependent child and a prince of peace
• God remains with us through the Spirit of a prophetic messiah
• God comes to us / is with us / now and forever

BLESSING:  “May the God who brings heaven close to earth give truth to our judgment and flame [light] to our longing that our hearts might be read to be born again in love; and the blessing of God…” (from Prayersfor an Inclusive Church by Steven Shakespeare)

Parable of the crude little life-saving station

Just wanted to be sure I didn't lose this one -- sooo, apropos to conversations I've been a part of lately.  Thanks, again, Tom Brackett, for bringing it back to my attention in your recent blog of your address to the Diocese of Washington.  Looking forward to joining you and others for our retreat dialogues in February.

"Parable of the crude little life-saving station (by Dr. Theodore O. Wedel)

On a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves, went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and gave of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little life-saving station grew.

Some of the members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building.

Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully because they used it as a sort of club. Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The life-saving motif still prevailed in the club’s decorations, and there was a liturgical life-boat in the room where the club’s initiations were held. About this time a large ship wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boat loads of cold, wet and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split among the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon life-saving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station. So they did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another life-saving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

Dr. Theodore O. Wedel was a former canon of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1931, he served for a time as president of the Episcopal Church. He penned this parable in 1953."  (correction - needs to be verified: Tom Chu writes, "Canon Wedel was President of the House of Deputies from 1952-61")