Sermon: Are We Listening?

Lectionary: Advent 4(C)
Text: Luke 1:39-55

Visitation

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Which means that at least for this hour, no matter what activities are going on outside of these walls, Christmas is still coming, but it isn’t quite here yet.

The signs of Christmas are everywhere, however. From the glittering lights to the window displays to the impossibly busy schedules and appointments to be kept, one cannot escape the anticipation of Christmas.

Another sign, especially in a household with children and grandchildren, may be the increasing count of gift-wrapped items under the tree. There are small boxes, medium boxes, large boxes, wrapped cylinders and awkwardly shaped items. With each additional item, the anticipation increases. Christmas is almost here, but not yet. We know Christmas is coming, but we must wait just a little while longer.

One of the key challenges I face, running a retail store, is finding boxes for odd shaped items – mostly pottery pieces. When we order and receive these items, we don’t receive them boxed individually. They come in shipping boxes, with boxes inside holding multiple pieces each. Then when a customer wants an item boxed and wrapped, we must sleuth out a box that is approximately the correct size and shape. Sometimes though, we end up having to build boxes from other boxes, or from larger sheets of cardboard that we cut apart and reassemble.

As I was thinking about today’s gospel text and the overall Lucan gospel from where it comes, I was struck by the irony of trying to fit gifts into boxes when the entire gospel message is about God not fitting into the boxes of human expectations of who God is.

On the other hand, putting gifts into boxes is a perfect metaphor of what humankind has been trying to do with God throughout history. We want a God who fits our understanding and expectations. We want a God that works according to our wishes and desires. We want a God who favors who we like and acts against those we don’t like. In short, we want a God we can control. We want a God that stays out of our lives until we need God to fix something. And then God can go back into the box.

(Cats love boxes, but even most cats can’t be forced into a box against their will.)[1]

Throughout most of history, human societies have had expectations about how God communicates to them. Humans developed systems and hierarchies of religions: religious traditions, ceremonies, rituals, and established roles to mediate deities’ communication to us and back.

In the opening chapter of Luke, we read about a priest named Zechariah. His pedigree is impeccable, traced back to Aaron, the original high priest of Israel. He is described as ministering to God at the temple, mediating between the people and God. If anyone should receive a message from God, it is Zechariah. And in fact, he does, but his response is that which doubts God’s power, and as a result is rendered unable to speak.

When the same messenger of God, Gabriel, announces an unanticipated and unexplainable pregnancy to Mary, she has questions, but she accepts that God can work outside of normal human experiences and even outside the normal laws of biology.

From the very beginning, the God found in our Bible often reverses human expectations. A younger child often becomes the one chosen to lead and carry on the promise of God’s blessings: among them, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David. While the society and literature is patriarchal, women are not always passive. Many feature prominently and there are several instances where they play a critical role in allowing the people to survive. This includes the Hebrew midwives in Egypt who saved their male infants, Miriam who saved Moses, the woman of Jericho who hid the spies, Deborah the judge and leader, Hannah who gave up her child Samuel to God, and Bathsheba who was the kingmaker for Solomon.

The gospel of Luke begins with a reversal. The expected communicator for God, Zechariah, is rendered speechless. Instead, prophecies and blessings are pronounced through the mouths of Elizabeth and Mary. Elizabeth is the first human individual (with help from her own unborn prophet John) to recognize Christ in Mary’s womb.

In response Mary’s opens her mouth to praise God. Whether or not she spoke the actual words of the Magnificat is debatable, but we can accept it as reflecting the kind of young woman Mary was. The Magnificat may have been composed following the pattern of Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel. Like Hannah, the mother of Samuel, Mary’s faith and strength of character reflected the attributes of the God they worshiped and served. While they were both humans and with all our shared weaknesses, they exhibited a unique steadfastness and determination to see justice worked out among their people. As a result, they were chosen by God to bear children that would go on to do great things. Samuel would go on to lead the Israelites and anoint their first two kings. And Jesus would become the Savior of all people.

But perhaps even Mary could not see how expansive and broad the gospel of Jesus Christ would be. The Magnificat ends with.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
⁵⁵ just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever. (Luke 1:54-55 CEB)

In the Magnificat, the promise of the Messiah, the Savior, is still found in a box limited to Israel and Abraham’s descendants. But when the Christmas story does come around, when Jesus’ birth is announced by angels to the shepherds, one of the angels says, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people.” (Luke 2:10)

In Luke’s gospel account, the first announcement of Jesus’ birth is not in royal chambers, not in the sanctum of the temple, not to nobles, not to priests, but to shepherds – laborers – in the fields. They were the first evangelists for and about Jesus. And the gospel they receive from the angel is not limited to just their tribe and nation. It is for all people: Jews certainly, but also for Romans and Greeks, for citizens and non-citizens, slaves and free, men and women, young and old.

God isn’t limited to communicating through what humans think are proper and established channels. God does indeed speak through priests and prophets, through pastors and theologians. God does speak through Christian churches and communities.

But what the Advent and Christmas stories tells us is that we should not try to place God in a box. Women were not the usual and expected spokespersons for God, but they are who God used to communicate the impending arrival of Jesus Christ. Shepherds were not expected to be apostles and evangelists, but that is who God used to announce Jesus’ birth.

Do we miss some of what God is trying to communicate to us because we limit the channels through which we hope to hear from God? We might, in theory, believe that God can speak outside of scripture, outside of pastors, outside of churches, and even outside of Christianity. But how open are we to hearing from outside the normal, established, and expected channels?

The gospel is a message that was first given to those in the margins, received by them, and spread by those in the margins. To tame, domesticate, and defang the subversive and dangerous power of self-sacrificing love, the established powers took the gospel and placed it into boxes that they could control. And so, it has continued to this present day.

Christians frequently speak about the impossibility of placing God in a box. Yet that is what we do, because that is what we want.

Churches have silenced women, and many still do. Churches frequently privilege the voices of those with wealth and status. Those on the margins are often “ministry targets” that are patronized, rather than voices that need to be heard.

Have we neutered the gospel by making it more comfortable for us? What do the voices in the margins say? Do we even know where to go to hear those voices? Can we listen without patronizing? Can we hear what God is speaking through communities and voices that are not like ours? Through voices that don’t belong to our tribe? Through voices that may not express the same faith, beliefs, or perhaps none at all?

We think we know what the gospel is. But do we really? If we haven’t taken the time to listen to those in the margins, to those who are victimized and oppressed, from those who aren’t like us, how can we be certain that what we think is the gospel is really the gospel to their ears?

During these final days of Advent and through the upcoming Christmas season, perhaps we should take to heart the saying, “Talk less, listen more.” Maybe we should take time to listen for the gospel found in unexpected places and spoken through nontraditional channels.

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[1] Random 3 a.m. thought, while working on this sermon with a cat sitting next to me.

Sermon: Joy and Judgment

Lectionary: Advent 3(C)
Texts: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18

John the Baptist preaching in the desert

During this season, we wish one another “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” or if you are on the other side of the pond, “Happy Christmas.” It almost seems impolite during this period to feel and express anything other than gaiety and happiness.

But for Christians who walk through the season of Advent, we are reminded that there is much wrong in the world, even when stores put cheery songs on repeat, where sparkling decorations and lights line the windows and streets, where parties and merriment fill our calendars.

We are halfway through this journey through the season of Advent. And today we remember joy. The difference in the color of the candle reminds us that there is a moment that defies the sentiment of the rest of the season. Joy can be experienced when darkness sems ever pressing against us, when ever present despair threatens to suffocate, and when dark clouds seem to obscure our vision.

Complicating this discussion of joy is another word that is usually seen as synonymous: happiness. Although superficially joy and happiness might appear to be the same thing and experienced in the same way, psychologists explain that there is a difference. Yes, they have similar properties, but there are significant differences. Cynthia Vinney, a psychologist writes in an article, “You can be happy but not joyous and vice versa.” (Vinney, 2024) In the same piece, she quotes several other psychologists.

“Joy is a deep primary emotion individuals experience when they feel truly connected in relationships, are in alignment with their values, and/or have a sense of meaning and purpose,” Lindsey Rae Ackerman, LMFT, vice president of Clinical Services at Clear Behavioral Health, explains. (Vinney, 2024)

A complex emotion, joy signals pleasure but can also come with “a combination of grief and gratitude,” says Daniel Boscaljon, PhD, cofounder of Alchemy of Love. “Joy is the ability to affirm the goodness of life even in the midst of sorrow.” (Vinney, 2024)

Conversely, happiness is “an emotional state that can occur through momentary experiences and is often dependent on external factors such as an achievement or gaining material satisfaction.” (Vinney, 2024)

The article continues to compare joy and happiness. Omitting further detail, the basic idea is that “happiness and joy are both pleasurable, but happiness is short-term, spontaneous, and tends to be linked to external factors. Joy is more long-term and tends to be linked to intrinsic factors.” (Vinney, 2024) Or in my words, happiness is mostly a reaction to what happens to you, whereas joy appears to be something you can choose and cultivate in your inner being.

Lending additional support to the concept that happiness is determined by outside factors is recent research into happiness. (Jade Wu, 2023) (Jennings, 2024) We have probably heard often a saying, “Money can’t buy happiness.” But the research shows that, in fact, there is a correlation between having money and self-reports of happiness. The usual caveats for research and statistics apply: correlation does not mean causation, it is based on self-reports, and the very definition of “happiness” is ambiguous.

Having covered some of the contemporary ideas about joy and happiness, we now turn to our scripture readings.

The Old Testament reading from Zephaniah is a conclusion to an oracle of judgment against Jerusalem. The portion we heard is where God promises to restore Israel and Jerusalem. In this restored community, false, violent, and boastful speech will be replaced by humility. Acts of selfishness and acts to gain and preserve power over others will be replaced by justice. The community rejoices because they no longer fear God’s judgment on their sins.

In our psalm reading from Isaiah, the lection omitted the first verse which once again alludes to God turning away from judgment against the nations, including Israel, and restoring Judah. The cause for God’s judgment against the nations is once again, injustice and oppression of the powerful against the vulnerable and powerless. An oracle about the “root of Jesse” arising to restore the nations is found immediately before the reading we heard. The result of God’s restoration of God’s community is joy, once more.

Our New Testament reading was from Philippians. This epistle is sometimes referred to as one of Paul’s prison epistles, since there is good consensus that Paul probably wrote this letter from a prison pit in Rome. This epistle exudes joy with nearly every verse. It is evidence that joy is something that cannot be diminished or destroyed by external circumstances. The writing is an exhortation to imitate Christ and Christ’s way of relating to and treating people. One of its messages seems to be that how you treat one another directly affects joy. When you are in right relationship with one another and with God, you grow joy. This message is really quite similar to what the Old Testament prophets spoke to their audiences.

And then we come to the gospel reading. The last verse included in our reading says, “With many other words John appealed to them, proclaiming good news to the people.” (Luke 3:18 CEB). The words John the Baptizer spoke to the people don’t really sound much like good news, but once we understand the context and patterns of prior prophetic oracles, we can understand how John’s words of judgment were seen and received as good news. John was preaching judgment as a necessary precursor to restoration of the community and its relationships with one another and with God.

As a related aside, I do think that John truly believed that judgment would look much like how earlier destruction and exiles of Israel occurred. Based on the categories of people that asked John, “What should we do?”, John believed all of humanity was under judgment – from those that had only a meager amount to call their own, to those who were taking advantage of their position of power and privilege, to those who through their official powers were abusing and oppressing other people – all were under God’s judgment.

But Jesus’ life and words showed the world something different about judgment. In the Gospel of John (not the Baptizer) chapter 3, we read the following,

¹⁷ God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him isn’t judged; whoever doesn’t believe in him is already judged, because they don’t believe in the name of God’s only Son.

¹⁹ “This is the basis for judgment: The light came into the world, and people loved darkness more than the light, for their actions are evil. ²⁰ All who do wicked things hate the light and don’t come to the light for fear that their actions will be exposed to the light. ²¹ Whoever does the truth comes to the light so that it can be seen that their actions were done in God. (John 3:17-21)

What we find here is that God is not like Santa Claus in the song Santa Claus is Coming to Town. In that song are found words,

He's making a list and checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness' sake

The God that Jesus came to show isn’t like that. Humanity does their own judging. We already know when things are right or wrong with one another in the community. (Paul, in Romans chapter 1, agrees with John.) Jesus sets the example and standard for how to relate to one another, how to think about fellow human beings, and how to treat one another in love. Being afraid of God and judgment is a natural consequence of consistently and intentionally living against Jesus’ standard.

Conversely, those who are following the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit to live according to Christ’s pattern will naturally come to the light. There is no judgment against those who live in the light. Those who live in the light have nothing to hide. Communities that strive to live to Christ’s standard have nothing to be ashamed of. There is naturally no fear of being found out. There is no judgment and that leads to joy.

As I often do, I want to emphasize the collective and communal aspects of what we have heard so far.

John (the Baptizer) was not just speaking against individual wrongdoing, but also against collective sins. When he exhorts, “Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same,” (Luke 3:11) he is speaking about our natural tendency to acquire and hoard. We fear that we might not have enough, so we try to ensure our own security by acquiring more than we need. When faced with needs of others, we excuse our not giving by thinking things like, “They don’t deserve it,” or, “I might need it more later,” or, “Someone else can help.” Self-preservation is a collective sin. It doesn’t matter how little or how much one has, it is a temptation that most of us succumb to.

When John says, “Collect no more than you are authorized to collect,” (Luke 3:13) he is speaking to the same tendency as before, but also to the temptation to take shortcuts, take advantage of loopholes, and bend rules to benefit oneself. We might excuse this with words like, “I work hard; I deserve it,” or, “No one will know,” or, “Everyone else is doing it.”

When John says, “Don’t cheat or harass anyone, and be satisfied with your pay,” (Luke 3:14) he is still speaking to the same human temptation to succumb to self-preservation, but also to self-aggrandizement. Those who have official powers can abuse the authority granted them to put others down and to belittle others to make oneself feel better about themselves. Same sort of excuses could be made to justify these actions. But additional excuses are also available, such as, “It’s legal,” or, “It’s not unlawful.”

When the entire community, a society, and a nation operates under principles of self-preservation, the ability to have and experience joy is diminished across the board. Conversely, when communities operate with compassion, love, and justice for all as their guiding principles, it increases the capacity for all to have joy.

The Season of Advent is one, a time for repentance. It is a time to look within, both individually and collectively, to return our vision toward Christ and to recommit ourselves to follow Christ more completely. But this is just not change in our philosophical or theological outlook, but a call to action. Can we be better at “letting go” of our desire for security and self-preservation? Can we be better at giving things away to those who are in need? Can we be better at doing what we can to change and reform systems that favor the already-wealthy, powerful and privileged? Can we be better at bringing justice to all and not favoring or disfavoring people based on their position in society?

When we work toward a more just community, society, and nation, we know that we are working toward bringing the good news, the gospel, to all. And in doing so, we know that there is no judgment against that. Whatever may be happening externally, joy and peace and hope infuses this kind of community.

The passage from Philippians continues,

⁸ From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. ⁹ Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

We cultivate joy by becoming more Christlike – through activities of love, compassion, and justice. When we are doing this as individuals and as faith communities, no matter what the world throws at us, together with Paul we can live joy-filled lives no matter what circumstances we face.

References

Jade Wu, P. (2023, November 10). Can Money Really Buy Happiness? Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-savvy-psychologist/202106/can-money-really-buy-happiness

Jennings, J. (2024, February 12). Does Money Buy Happiness? Actually, Yes. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnjennings/2024/02/12/money-buys-happiness-after-all/

Vinney, C. (2024, October 30). Experts Reveal the One Key Difference Between Joy and Happiness. Retrieved from Very Well Mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/joy-vs-happiness-8724682

 

 

 

Sermon: Hope in Darkness

Lectionary: Advent 1(C)
Texts: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-36

I recently saw someone observe that Thanksgiving should be moved to October, when Canada has their holiday of the same name. Why? It could help spread out the number of preparations and activities that too often collide together. We might get a bit more breathing room. Instead of many folks traveling twice with only a few short weeks between, it could ease the burden of travel.

Some might object that, “Well, Thanksgiving isn’t a real holiday.” And it often does seem that way. I’m old enough to recall that even in my own lifetime, Thanksgiving was treated as a proper holiday, even by major retailers. We would get newspapers stuffed with Thanksgiving sales.

But no more. First, who gets the massive Sunday newspapers with inches-high stack of ads? And businesses, especially conglomerates and big boxes, realized that Christmas is a much more effective motivator for people to open their wallets and take out plastic to tap and swipe. Thanksgiving has become a day of gorging and watching football (okay, I don’t watch, but I hear many do). And then it’s off to continue the frantic preparation for Christmas with Black Friday sales.

But enter Advent. The Season of Advent. It is not just a day. Not just a short extended weekend holiday. It is a season.

I grew up in the part of the Christian world that had no idea what Advent was. After Thanksgiving, it was suddenly Christmas. We would immediately switch to Christmas songs (which did include Advent songs, but we didn’t know that). Sermons were often a series on various Christmas topics.

In recent years, churches like I grew up in have learned that there are these four weeks called Advent, but frequently they are still treated more like a countdown to Christmas (like Advent calendars with treats inside), instead of what the Advent season is intended to convey.

Some of you know this about me, but others probably don’t. And that is, one of my hobbies is tabletop role-playing games, where a group of people come together and basically play a version of grown-up imagine and pretend.

Now, it might seem almost trite, but I think one way of better understanding and experiencing Advent is to imagine and pretend that we don’t know about Christmas. It hasn’t happened yet. On this first Sunday of Advent, the texts we read tell us that things in the world are not going so well. We have promises that they won’t go on forever, but we don’t know when God will appear. We live in the in-between time. What are we doing?

In this season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is too easy to skip over the difficulties of life and what is happening around the world, in this nation, in our communities, and in our families, and jump straight ahead to the miracle of Christmas. However, the season of Advent tells us to pause, wait, and think. It invites us in to take on the roles of those whose tomorrow is uncertain, who face food and housing insecurities, who might be unsure of their status with governing authorities, and who might be fearful of having their families torn apart by circumstances and policies outside of their control. We are invited to contemplate their fears and longing and empathize with them.

For most of us here, who live in relative comfort and security, I don’t think we fully understand what anticipation and hope for a better future means. I don’t think we fully appreciate what deliverance from this life means. For most of us, the status quo is not that bad. As we experience the Advent season, we are invited to imagine a life and an entire community that is uncertain, uncomfortable, and fearful. We are invited to read Advent texts. Do they offer something different than what we normally hear? Can we hear hope, deliverance, salvation, and assurance differently?

Hope, deliverance, salvation, and assurance are not merely spiritual longings. They are not primarily about individuals. It is not primarily about me, an individual person, being saved so that someday I can go to heaven. It is about what is happening in the larger community and the world.

On this first Sunday of Advent, our text includes,

²⁵ … On the earth, there will be dismay among nations in their confusion over the roaring of the sea and surging waves. ²⁶ The planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken, causing people to faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. (Luke 21:25-26 CEB)

We don’t commonly hear or use the word “foreboding”. Its definitions include “an omen, prediction, or presentiment especially of coming evil,” “a feeling that something very bad is going to happen soon,” and “a sense of evil to come.” This is the kind of time into which Advent speaks most clearly.

The reading continues, however,

²⁷ Then they will see the Human One coming on a cloud with power and great splendor. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.” (Luke 21:27-28)

Verse 27 is often interpreted as the Second Coming event. But verse 28 indicates that whatever the Human One’s (or Son of Man’s) coming is, is still a sign for the future, a portent. Redemption is near, but it is not yet.

Jesus continues with a parable,

²⁹ … “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰ When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. ³¹ In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that God’s kingdom is near. ³² I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until everything has happened. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away. (Luke 21:29-33)

The season of Advent is a look back to Jesus’ time here on earth during the first century CE. It is also a look forward to Jesus’ anticipated return to earth at an unknown time in the future.

The readers and hearers of Jesus’ words in Luke would have thought most of it to have been fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE. The remaining piece would have been the return of Jesus, which they fully expected to occur in their lifetime. Yet here we are two-thousand years from that time.

The reading from Luke concluded with the following words from Jesus:

³⁴ “Take care that your hearts aren’t dulled by drinking parties, drunkenness, and the anxieties of day-to-day life. Don’t let that day fall upon you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. It will come upon everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Stay alert at all times, praying that you are strong enough to escape everything that is about to happen and to stand before the Human One.” (Luke 21:34-36)

The exhortation here is to remain alert and be prepared for Jesus to return.

Returning to my growing up years, one of the central theological themes driven home was “to be ready” and “be prepared.” Implied and emphasized, again, was for me as an individual to be personally ready through a personal relationship with Jesus. The repetition and emphasis gave rise to the sense that because the message was repeated, it must be difficult to get ready and remain prepared. An unspoken fear was always present with the question, “I am really prepared?” I’m sure invoking fear was not the intent, but that was what I experienced.

Now though, I realize that these words of Jesus were never directed to an individual person, but to a community of the faithful. There is something about having others to rely on, others to help keep watch, others to pick another up when one falls, that is heartening and hopeful. Being ready and prepared is not a solo effort; it is a team undertaking. I think that the modern idea of salvation as a solely individual decision, consumed with one’s personal relationship to Jesus, is a distortion of the good news of the kingdom of God. What I see in the Christian scriptures is salvation and life in Christ as teamwork, not an individual undertaking.

Therefore, Jesus speaks to his community. His admonition to his community is, one, to not become so comfortable with how the world carries on that we become dulled to the hope that is found in him. And two, conversely, don’t become so anxious about what is happening in the world that we lose hope that is fond in him. Together as a community, we can help one another remain alert yet not anxious.

Returning to the experience of role-playing games, when playing the game, it is often a bad idea to run off and try to face challenges alone. A few bad dice rolls and your character could fall, die, or experience some other bad thing from which they cannot return. But having other members of the group around you means they can resuscitate you, they can help take the hits so you aren’t taking all of them alone, they can fill in your weak areas with their strengths, they can take watch while you take some needed rest, and so on. It makes survival and achieving success much more likely.

Advent does lead to Christmas. And it leads to the return of Christ. Advent is a time of preparation. Yes, we can prepare to celebrate Christmas. But it is also a time when we as a community of believers take stock of the spiritual path we are on. It is time to review how we are doing together to manifest the kingdom of God among the community in which we live. Are we hopeful people? Do our actions reveal our hope? Do we express concerns about what is happening around us without succumbing to anxiety? Do we act upon these concerns, bringing people into the kingdom of God, and be a beacon of hope in the world?

The season of Advent is not just a countdown to Christmas. It is a time for us to be reminded that the world is not how things are supposed to be. The world is not the kingdom of God and never will be. The time is coming when the world will be recreated into something new. But we live in the in-between time. As a community, we prepare for that new kingdom by practicing what it will, at least partially, look like when the kingdom principles are lived out among us. In this in-between time we look forward to the kingdom by living hope. We live justice. We live righteousness. Not to be saved, but because we are already saved, delivered, and redeemed. We live a life that is both alert and awake to the realities of this world, yet not succumbing to anxiety and fear.

At the beginning of today’s worship, we lit the candle of hope. I believe that the light of hope is not a solitary flicker, but one that is meant to spread to all who are in community, as we walk the way of Christ together and encourage one another. We do not travel the journey of redemption and salvation as solo travelers. We do this in community with fellow travelers on the same journey.

May we be people of hope. May hope be not just spiritual aspiration, but a way of life that is seen by all around us. May that be the attraction to the kingdom and to Jesus Christ.

Sermon: Awake in Hope

Lectionary: Advent 1(B)

Texts

• Isaiah 64:1-9
• Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
• 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
• Mark 13:24-37

Introduction

Back in October and November, my social media feeds were inundated with advertising for all sorts of Advent calendars, for kids to adults, for humans and pets. Traditional chocolate ones, cookies, tea, coffee, wine, beer, liquor, cosmetics, socks, candles, dog treats, cat treats, and probably dozens and hundreds more that I haven’t seen. Now that we are in December, all those ads have stopped. Because clearly, if you haven’t gotten your Advent calendar already, it’s too late.

The Advent season is a time for waiting and preparing? But for what, or whom, really? The popular mind and the Advent calendar market at least gets the waiting and counting down part of Advent.

In the broader world, the timeframe occupied by Advent is a time of preparing for Christmas. And we do that through decorating, cleaning, shopping, cooking, baking, traveling, and so on to create a memorable and meaningful Christmas celebration. Is that the purpose of Advent – to prepare for the best celebratory event we can manage?

Perhaps Advent is a time to prepare and wait for Christ? But what exactly does that mean? Are we again preparing to celebrate the remembrance of the arrival of baby Jesus? The activities of Advent lead toward the remembrance and celebration of Christmas, so its primary focus might appear to be that.

The theme for today, the first Sunday of Advent, is hope. What are we hoping for? What fulfillment of hope are we waiting for?

And finally, there is the admonition to “keep awake” in our gospel reading. In what way do waiting and keeping awake help explain Advent and hope?

Prayers of Lament and Deliverance

The reading from Isaiah and the reading from Psalms both contain words that look back to God’s powerful acts in the past and a longing, and even demands, for God to re-enact similar great works to bring about salvation in the present time. Both are literarily categorized as laments, and their liturgical function was quite likely as prayers. The lament in Isaiah was written in the context of the Babylonian exile of the southern tribe of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Psalm lament was most likely written in the context of the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel.

In light of destruction and devastation suffered by a community, these laments raise up cries for God to act like he did in their long-ago historical memories. Both question where God is and why he has allowed this destruction and suffering to come to his people. Although the Isaiah lament contains a brief mention of the people’s sin, both laments place most or all of the responsibility on God. Both end with call to God for him to act and restore and save his people. Although not explicitly stated in the texts, both laments end with an implied confidence and hope that God will act.

The gospel text in Mark was also formed and read within a community that was probably experiencing some degree of intermittent persecution and suffering from within their own Jewish community and outside from the Roman empire. They too, are longing for deliverance and salvation.

Our Context is Different

That is what makes this set of Advent readings difficult for us to understand. Even though we likely have difficulties and challenges, none of us are likely facing truly existential challenges. We have a life that is mostly comfortable, and challenges we face, we generally don’t have too much trouble handling.

I think that if we are truly honest, many of us really don’t need God’s intervention. We are content with how things are, and we don’t really need or want God to intervene and shake things up.

Yet in places around the world, people and communities are facing dire challenges to their very existence. Some are more well known and publicized than others. Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine are among a few that immediately come to mind. Much closer to home, we remember the very recent landslide and loss of life and property in Wrangell. Right here at home, even next door to where we are meeting today, Humanity in Progress exists only because there are those within our very community who find meeting their basic needs a challenge.

Deep within us, even though our immediate circumstances may be quite comfortable, we know that there is something wrong with this world. Even though there are enough resources to take care of everyone, the dominant powers are unable and unwilling to do what it takes to care for all. Many of us have bought into the philosophies and priorities of the dominant powers and, even if we don’t overtly recognize it, we subconsciously divide people into who we think are “more-deserving” and “less-deserving”.

Keeping Awake

Perhaps one part of incorporating “keep awake” into our lives this Advent is to become more intentional about how we view and judge the world around us. Throughout scripture God is described as not showing partiality and those who follow God are also to be impartial in their dealings with others.[1] Maybe we are the ones who need the “breaking through” of God into our lives to reveal our hypocrisies and correct our partialities.

Another element of “keeping awake” may be to reawaken us to the reality that disasters and suffering can easily befall any of us. What is our response when something terrible upends our lives? One line of thought, common in some circles, is to accept whatever happens stoically and even be thankful[2] because “all things work together for good for those who love God”.[3]

If you want to do that, great. That is your choice. But don’t if it is only because you were taught that is the “proper Christian response” to tragedy and suffering.

There are other responses that are acceptable and exemplified in scripture. Psalm 80, which we read, contains one such example.

Even though the Isaiah, Psalm, and Mark texts are in the context of community and existential challenges, our individual tragedies and misfortunes can feel existential. Just because the texts are communal doesn’t mean they cannot be read as expressing individual lament.

Praying a Lament

How might we pray a lament? Let’s read through Psalm 80 once again.

¹ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
² before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
³ Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.

The prayer begins by reminding God of who God is, what God has promised, and demands that God act according to God’s character.

⁴ O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
⁶ You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
⁷ Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.

The prayer moves to a complaint. The complaint is that God’s inaction is the cause of God’s people’s suffering and God’s reputation to be sullied in the eyes of others.

This next section includes a large portion that was skipped by the lectionary editors, but it adds important context to the psalm.

⁸ You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
⁹ You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
¹¹ it sent out its branches to the sea
and its shoots to the River.
¹² Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
¹³ The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
¹⁴ Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven and see;
have regard for this vine,
¹⁵ the stock that your right hand planted.
¹⁶ It has been burned with fire; it has been cut down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.

¹⁷ But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
¹⁸ Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
¹⁹ Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.[4]

Once again, the prayer reminds God of God’s early actions in caring for God’s people. And then it again accuses God of allowing destruction to come. It ends with a demand for God to act to restore and save.

The three parts of this lament each end with three refrains. They are similar but with small differences.

The first refrain is “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” The second refrain is similar, but changes the first line to “Restore us, O God of hosts.” The third refrain changes to “Restore us, O LORD God of hosts.” The development is from a generic “God” to “God of hosts” to the most personal “LORD God of hosts.” One might imagine the one praying moving from a lament that is within the boundaries of “proper theology”, to a developing anger that causes the prayer to start to break out from “theological boundaries”, to anguish and anger at seeming betrayal in which one’s personal and close friend has failed to act.

What this says to me is that when we are disappointed with God, it is acceptable to express our anger, rage, and disappointment. If as a community, there is something where we think God has failed to act appropriately, it is okay to step out of “proper theology” and express our feelings as a community toward God. God is not threatened by our feelings. If we sincerely believe God is as personal as our theology claims, if we sincerely believe God is as loving and caring as our theology claims, then we ought to be able to express our complaints and disappointments about God without fearing that somehow, we are violating proper boundaries.

Conclusion

If this season of Advent and reminders about waiting for God bring up memories and feelings of disappointment with God, this might be the time to allow them to be expressed. If you are facing challenges this Advent – it might be financial, it might be your health, it might be something family members are facing – it is okay to express your frustrations and anger, and demand that God act.

While we wait for Christ’s return, we are to keep awake. Depending on the season of our individual and communal lives, it might mean working to alleviate the sufferings around us. Or it might mean crying out to God to act. I believe that the key point is to remain engaged with God and God’s desires for the world. To fall asleep is to succumb to the ennui that we are powerless to make any difference, and that God too, is asleep and doesn’t care.

We are the embodiment of Christ in the world. As long as we are engaged both with the world and with God, we remain beacons of hope in the world. We keep hope awake that justice and righteousness will be restored.

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[1] Among the texts: Deuteronomy 16:19, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Job 32:21, Matthew 22:16, Acts 10:35, Romans 2:11, James 2:1, 9 and 3:17.

[2] Ephesians 5:19-20.

[3] Romans 8:28.

[4] Psalm 80 (NRSVue).

Sermon: Are You Ready?

"John the Baptist preaching in the desert"
JESUS MAFA is a response to the New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings.

Lectionary: Year C, Advent 2

Texts: Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6

Introduction

“Are you ready for Christmas?” is a common refrain heard every year as Thanksgiving draws to a close and Christmas Day approaches. On its surface the question seems to be asking if your holiday decorations are up, is your house cleaned and tidy, is your Christmas tree up, have you prepared your cooking and baking, and have you shopped for everyone on your Christmas list? You do have a Christmas list, don’t you?

But perhaps unspoken by the questioner is also an admission: I’m certainly not ready for Christmas! Sure, I’ve started and I’m working on it, but there is just so much to be done. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it all done!

We go through this tradition annually. We have tasks that are associated with preparing for Christmas.

On this Second Sunday of Advent, we have heard readings from Malachi 3 and Luke 3 where prophets are calling on their respective audiences to prepare for the coming of the Lord.

The question that kept pressing into my mind this week about the theme of preparation is, “Why do we prepare?” Or asked slightly differently, “What are we trying to achieve through preparation?”

These texts and the several commentaries and bible study helps I examined assume that preparation is necessary, but I couldn’t find that would help me get closer to figuring out the “why” of preparation.

A key reason for asking the question is that a surface reading of Malachi and Luke texts might lead the reader to think that preparation is a necessary step before judgment and being accepted into the presence of God. And that could be taken as another way of saying, salvation. But we Christians believe that salvation is something God initiates through God’s grace and mercy, and that we can’t do anything to earn or deserve it. That offers some insight into why I was perplexed when reading these texts.

Connecting to the Exodus

In our readings of the later prophetic texts, especially those that have been ascribed to prophesy the coming Messiah, in our Christ-centric interpretations of these texts, we can miss the deep connections to the Hebrew and Jewish traditions that these texts would have invoked in the minds of the earliest hearers.

One of those that is relevant to our readings today is the Exodus story. To briefly recap, the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt. God, through Moses, delivers and releases them from their oppressors. They travel to Mount Sinai. Here is the text from Exodus 19 describing their arrival at the mountain:

¹ On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. ² They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. ³ Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: ⁴ You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, ⁶ but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites… When Moses had told the words of the people to the Lord, ¹⁰ the Lord said to Moses: “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes ¹¹ and prepare for the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” (Exodus 19:1-6, 9b-11 NRSV)

Notice that the Israelites have been called out to be a “priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” The IVP Bible Background Commentary explains

“… the Israelites are identified as a ‘kingdom of priests,’ which identifies the nation as serving a priestly role among the nations, as intermediary between the peoples and God. Additionally there is a well-attested concept in the ancient Near East that a city or group of people may be freed from being subject to a king and placed in direct subjection to a deity. So Israel, freed from Egypt, is now given sacred status.”[1]

Israel was called out to mediate and demonstrate to all the rest of the world what their God was like and why their God was the most worthy of worshiping and serving.

Next note that a time of preparation is commanded because God would be coming to the people. But also note the order in which this early part of the Exodus story plays out: first God delivers and frees from oppression and bondage; God chooses a group to become God’s ambassadors and witness to the world; only then does God announce that God will be coming to meet them and that they should prepare for the event.

I believe this background is assumed in Malachi and John’s proclamations about the coming of the Lord. They are not stating that in order to be saved, you must prepare; but rather, because you are already delivered and God’s people, you ought to live as God’s ambassadors. But because you haven’t, preparations are necessary.

Individual vs. Collective

Another key sentence in interpreting the “why” of preparation is found in Luke 3:6, “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” The end goal of all the preparation is to have a group of people exemplifying the character of God on earth so that when God appears everyone on earth will recognize what a community and society of saved people looks like.

There is also another dynamic at work that can help us better understand what Malachi and John is saying.

When we prepare for, say Christmas, we think of it mostly in individual and private terms. It is our homes, our gift lists, our entertaining. We prepare out of a sense of personal obligation, because that’s simply what is done at this time of year. We do it because we don’t want to be a Grinch. Some of it might be out of sense of personal pride. We might want to be admired for it. And I suppose there might be more than a few of you that really do enjoy Christmas preparations.

But our texts for this morning were written not to individualistic society, but to a collective one – one where everything is steeped in gaining or losing honor, and the avoidance of shame. A parable from Luke 11 can help us understand this a little more.

⁵ And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. (Luke 11:5-8 NRSV)

We don’t have time to go into detail, but the summary is this: a guest has arrived at the community at a very late hour. The household where the guest arrived no longer had their daily bread. Hospitality is among the highest of values, and to not offer a minimum of bread to a guest would be highly offensive and insulting to the guest, bring dishonor and shame to not just the household but to the entire community. An actual friend in the same community would never act as the one in this parable did, because he would recognize the honor and shame potential. What he would do is immediately do what this “friend” in the parable finally does – provide everything and more needed to offer proper hospitality to the guest so that the guest will not be offended and insulted. Another example of this kind of hospitality is found in the story of Abraham and the three travelers.[2]

When we read the texts about preparation and about repentance, we need to see them as being spoken to the entire society. The continuation of today’s lection from Malachi reads,

⁵ Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:5 NRSV)

Next week’s continuation of the gospel reading in Luke 3 will have John the Baptist identifying similar societal injustices that are among the obstacles that should be cleared to make way for the Lord.

To be unprepared or underprepared then, would be to offend and insult God. To be practicing and condoning societal injustices while preparing for Christmas and the Second Advent would be to offend and insult God. To remain silent while witnessing oppression and injustice goes against the very prophetic nature of the Advent season. Our preparations for Christmas and for welcoming Christ again is to become the kind of people and society that is indistinguishable from the kind of life Jesus led and the community he fostered.

Advent is a little bit like the Exodus journey where we have already been delivered and saved, but we still need reminders to practice what it means to live a saved life among a saved community. Through annual Advent preparations for our encounters with Christ each Christmas, we are given opportunities to examine ourselves and our communities and find new valleys to fill, mountains and hills to level, crooked to make straight, and rough ways to make smooth.

Advent is not really about us, but about becoming the presence of Christ in the world.

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[1] IVP Bible Background Commentary, Old Testament, entry for Exodus 19:5-6.

[2] Genesis 18:1-15.

Advent: Joy Amidst Lament

Advent 2014 – Week 3 – Joy

• Text: Zephaniah 3
• No audio recording

Zephaniah claims to have been written during the time of Judah’s King Josiah (1:1), nearing the end of Judah’s sovereignty before exile into Babylon. This short (three chapters), prophetic book contains oracles of doom against basically the entire known world, culminating with prophecies of destruction against Judah/Jerusalem. But at the very end of the oracles, a message of restoration is given (3:9-20). This is our Advent reading for this third week.

⁹ Then I will change the speech of the peoples into pure speech,
that all of them will call on the name of the Lord
and will serve him as one.
¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush,
my daughter, my dispersed ones, will bring me offerings.
¹¹ On that day, you won’t be ashamed of all your deeds
with which you sinned against me;
then I will remove from your midst those boasting with pride.
No longer will you be haughty on my holy mountain,
¹² but I will cause a humble and powerless people to remain in your midst;
they will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
¹³ The few remaining from Israel won’t commit injustice;
they won’t tell lies;
a deceitful tongue won’t be found on their lips.
They will graze and lie down;
no one will make them afraid.
¹⁴ Rejoice, Daughter Zion! Shout, Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem.
¹⁵ The Lord has removed your judgment;
he has turned away your enemy.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
you will no longer fear evil.
¹⁶ On that day, it will be said to Jerusalem:
Don’t fear, Zion.
Don’t let your hands fall.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst—a warrior bringing victory.
He will create calm with his love;
he will rejoice over you with singing.

¹⁸ I will remove from you those worried about the appointed feasts.
They have been a burden for her, a reproach.
¹⁹ Watch what I am about to do to all your oppressors at that time.
I will deliver the lame;
I will gather the outcast.
I will change their shame into praise and fame throughout the earth.
²⁰ At that time, I will bring all of you back,
at the time when I gather you.
I will give you fame and praise among all the neighboring peoples
when I restore your possessions and you can see them—says the Lord. (CEB)

In present day America, the Christmas season seems to begin earlier and earlier. Holiday decorations go up in retailers almost as soon as the Back-to-School sales end. Halloween and Christmas compete for attention. Thanksgiving is nearly forgotten. Part of this undoubtedly has to do with profit-motive – both Halloween and Christmas are great money-makers with Christmas being the greater of the two. But is there something underneath all that? Perhaps I’m reading more into it than there actually is, but is there perhaps a underlying, subconscious desire to extend for as long as possible the hope and joy that Christmas promises?

We listen to Christmas and winter jingles over the speakers. We take in the bright lights and the shiny tinsels and ornaments. We try to feel joy. We pretend to feel joy. Because in common vernacular, joy has come to mean cheerfulness and happiness. We are supposed to be happy, cheerful, and optimistic. To be otherwise is… unChristmas.

I am obviously generalizing, but I think we’ve all see this. America is supposed to be land of opportunity. American and her residents are supposed to be happy and optimistic. America knows her place in the world. America does not like questions; she is the answer. Americans do not like to dwell on the darker side of things. Americans do not like lament.

In my observations, American Christians are no different. In the more popular and mainstream churches, Christmas is celebrated all December. It is a time of putting on cheeriness and happiness. Even in those places where Advent is observed, it is quite often an way to merely lead into the joy of Christmas. There is very little time, if at all, dwelling on the darker side of Advent.

Advent and Christmas is not a happy, cheery, joyful time for all people. Some have lost loved ones recently or are watching loves ones on the inevitable road to death, others are experiencing life difficulties, others are going through terminal diseases. In the rest of the world people daily fear for and some lose their lives. We do these and everyone else a disservice when we skip the lament of Advent.

The Old Testament oracles revealed to their audiences that things were going to get a lot worse. According to the prophets much of what was to happen was due to the consequences of the nation’s own actions. Both the guilty and innocent were going to be caught up in the foretold judgment. Whether an individual was personally culpable or not, it was a time to lament for the nation.

But as our text reveals, all is not lost. In the midst of judgment and lament there is hope. God himself promises a restoration and a rebuilding. However hopeless present circumstances may be, however hopeless the future may appear, God says that there is an alternative future that is not dependent on human actions, but will come about because God will intervene.

It is because of God’s promises of intervention that throughout history, his people have been able to find joy and rejoice that an alternative future will come.

Advent is not Christmas. Advent is that period in the darkness where we don’t yet see the light. We don’t see the light, but we know that it will come. We long for it to come. That is Advent. It is a time in which we find joy amidst lament.

Advent is a time in which it would be well for us to join our global brothers and sisters, believers and unbelievers, in lamenting the evils and injustice of this world. We ought to spend some time in the darkness of economic, racial, and gender inequalities; the darkness of war and violence; the darkness that justifies mistreatment (aka, torture) of other human beings in the cause of expediency and security; the darkness of human trafficking…

While human happiness is dependent on present circumstances, Christian joy looks ahead to a promise of a future in which all oppression and injustice is wiped away. In the present time, as Christians participate in activities that work toward the elimination of oppression and injustices, we become the agents of joy in the world.

We lament presently. We hold on to the promise of future joy. We rejoice presently. We are bringers of joy into the world.

Let’s not skip too quickly ahead of Advent. Let’s spend some time in lament. When we learn to find joy amidst lament, our witness can become that much greater in this world.

Advent: Longing for True Justice

Advent 2014 – Week 2 – Justice

• Text: Malachi 2:17-3:5
• Discussion audio (27 minutes)

It doesn’t take much effort to realize that the world isn’t just. There are inequities and oppression everywhere, from war-torn nations to the (supposedly) most civilized.

There are two definitions for justice. The first perhaps is the most commonly recognized: it is the fair application of laws to all. But instinctively most of us recognize that laws themselves can be unjust. Thus today’s passage, especially 3:5 defines what God sees as true justice.

I will draw near to you for judgment.
I will be quick to testify against the sorcerers,
the adulterers, those swearing falsely,
against those who cheat the day laborers out of their wages
as well as oppress the widow and the orphan,
and against those who brush aside the foreigner and do not revere me,
says the Lord of heavenly forces. (CEB)

At the risk of being anachronistic, here are ways in which I reinterpret some of the above injustices:

• Sorcerers – those who manipulate people and things for their own benefit
• Adulterers – anyone who takes advantage of another
• Swearing falsely – anyone failing to keep their word to another
• Those who cheat the day laborers – anyone who fails to pay a living wage, or indirectly by failure to support policies that will provide one
• Oppress the widow and the orphan – anyone who fails to assist families in need, stigmatizes them, abuses women and children, fails to support policies that will provide for the needs of families who are unable to adequately provide for themselves, or fail to support policies that protect women and children
• Against those who brush aside the foreigner – anyone who fails to assist and protect immigrants, legal or not; anyone who sees only the letter of the law and who fail to see the injustices that have caused someone to leave their native homes

In regards to the final point, I think it is vital to note that God identifies himself with the foreigner/immigrant (“and do not revere me”). Anyone who calls themselves a Christian must identify first with the oppressed and the marginalized. To do any less is equivalent to blaspheming God.