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My heart beats for love. I want to be different. I want to be who I am called to be. WORTHY and LOVED!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Joy to the World! - Isaiah 52: 7-10

We have arrived! For the past four weeks we have been accompanying the Biblical characters on a joinery that mirrors our own to discovering the Christ Child in the manger. Not everyone has arrived - next week we will conclude our sermon series with the wise men arriving to adore Christ with gifts - but we, ourselves, have arrived anew this day.

We are not the only people making a journey. This scripture passage, one of my favorites, was written to the Jewish people who had once been taken captivity by Babylon, this is their triumphant song as they return to Jerusalem, to rebuild their lives together and the city they worshipped God in. Their hearts were filled with joy for what the Lord had redeemed them from. And now they were propelled into life with this message of hope and redemption.

We are a people of haste. We are constantly moving as fast as possible, often trying to get from point a to point b. When I worked at Hershey Medical Center, the first thing that we were told was to walk slowly, but with purpose, because people who walk fast in the hospital are generally going to an emergency, sometimes leading them to be the bearer of news that loved ones do not want to hear. When was the last time that you saw someone running with good news of great joy to share? When is the last time that someone shared good news with you at all?

Friends, if anyone should be running to bring good news, it should be us! The people forever marked by the gift that was given to us in the Christ Child - the one whom brings peace, and will bring peace again. The one who brings salvation, is continually saving us, and will come again to bring salvation to the world. Yet, often we are blocked from sharing this good news, either by our own fear or our own desire to keep it to ourselves, afraid that if we share it, the meaning will be diminished. However, Jesus is not a thing - that when divided each person gets a smaller piece. And Jesus is not like us - only able to be authentically attentive and loving to a finite number of people. Jesus is the son of God, and the son of man! The light of the world, whose glory shines for all.

In the Gospel of John, we do not get the nativity story as we know it, but we get the statement that Jesus was the Word with God before the beginning of time, and “in him was life, and that life was the light of all of humanity. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Jesus, the light of the world, should shine through us in word and deed that proclaims joy. It should be like the old hymn, “Go Tell it on the Mountain”. For what we have to share is holy and timeless - God has given us the greatest gift imaginable in the birth of Jesus Christ.

In the 4th Century, the date of December 25th was chosen to be the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. There is no way of knowing the exact date of Christ’s birth. Some feel that this date was first selected to counter act the Pagan celebration of the winter solstice. In the old Julian calendar - December 24th and 25th was the longest night of the year. After this night daylight began to shine longer. The winter solcite celebrate the end of the darkness and the victory of the sun and the light it shined over the darkness. Perhaps this was the reason December 24th and 25th were selected to celebrate the birth of Christ more then any other reason - for the heavens in and of themselves were declaring the truth of the Gospel - that Jesus was the the light of the world, for all people. And that through him God’s light would defeat the darkness of sin and death. Truly we have good news to share! Our God reigns over the darkness and bring us light.

Is this not news that is worthy of us proclaiming it through shouting? Does this news not bring hope to a world that is engulfed in so much darkness? We have spent the last four weeks during Advent preparing our hearts to welcome Christ into this world, but we have also been preparing our entire beings for the light that we are called to bear as followers of Christ. For some day, Christ will return in all of his glory, and will join us praising God. At that time all darkness will be gone from this earth. But as we eagerly await the second coming of Christ, we are called to be bearers of his glory now. We are called to shine light into the dark places, and to rebuild that which darkness has destroyed.

Even for those who truly believe that God has redeemed their life and will redeem this world, this message of joy can be hard to share at times. We can get so caught up in our own darkness and despair that we forget all that God has done for us, and all that God has gifted us with. We can begin to take the gift of Jesus Christ for granted. We no longer thank God for the comfort he Holy One extends to us or the salvation that has been offered to us through Jesus Christ.

But even when our light seems to flicker as we face the darkness, it can never go out. Even when times are difficult, we can never really loose the joy we found at the manger. Because Christ has defeated the darkness. Even when we do not feel up to the task or worthy of the message we have to share, we are still expected to run to bring others the good news of Jesus Christ. Because the gift that has been given to us is meant to be shared, in all times and circumstances. Like the Jewish people who returned from exile, we have a task before us, a story to share, and a joyful song to sing. For our God reigns! Amen! Amen! Amen!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas Eve Homely - The Manager

Christmas is a time where a lot of people give and receive gifts. While visiting with a friend this week, she informed me that her mother had placed a ban on candles coming into their home - not because she didn’t like them, but because she had received so many as gifts over the years at Christmas, that they needed to be used before others took their place. Some Christian parents teach their children that we receive gifts because the Wise Man first gave gifts to the Christ Child, and this is true, but above all Christmas celebrates the time when God gave us a gift in Jesus Christ - son of God and son of Man.

Jesus wasn’t born in a hospital, or even the home where many children were born during that time period. He was born in a stable, a cave often located underneath the home where the animals lived. Often this is referred to as humble circumstances - those not befitting him as King and Lord. This humility serves as a reminder to us, even today, that Christ is not compelled to be who we want him to be or to show up the ways that we want him to show up. He comes in his own time and in his own way.

Sometimes, when Christ shows up in our lives, we are lucky enough to be told about it so we notice in a profound way, like the Shepherds who were greeted by the Angel’s singing. The Shepherd’s were so moved, that they risked their very lively hood, leaving their job, to go and see for themselves this child who had come to save them. Perhaps the Shepherds thought that this meant that this child would grow up to lead an army against Rome. Perhaps they thought that he would become the next great ruler. But it is a safe guess that they did not expect that Christ had come to reconcile them to God, saving their very souls.

Christ not only came in humble circumstances, lying in a manger, but had his birth first announced to humble people - shepherds. Those who didn’t own their own land, and often had tense relationships with the neighbors they used land from to feed their sheep. People who were looked down upon by society, often looking and smelling as if they did not have a place themselves to lay their heads, from spending time under the elements caring for their sheep. These humble people, low ranked by their own society, the first to see hear of the birth of the Christ child, were who Jesus identified himself with as well. For Jesus is often referred to as the good shepherd, the one who cares for us, his flock.

Perhaps, like the sheep a shepherd cares after, we do not fully realize all that Christ’s birth means for us or all of the ways that Jesus looks after us as our shepherd. That is why we visit this story anew each year, to be reminded of the gift that we have received in the birth of Jesus Christ. And to remember the gift we received in his sacrificial death on the cross and his Resurrection. For the humble beginnings of his life foretold so much. Jesus, being born in Bethlehem, “The city of Bread” and being placed in a manger, the troughs that animals came to be fed at. We are people who cannot live by bread alone, so we come to Christ to meet our needs that are vital to our very being. When we hunger for hope, faith, and joy - Christ feeds us. When we are starving for love and something to fill our deepest longings, Christ provides. When we ache for forgiveness and reconciliation, Christ invites us to the table. For Christ is the bread of Life that gives us more then we can ever ask for.

The Shepherds had no idea who they were bringing adoration to when they met the Christ child in the manager. They simply knew that they were told great things about him and then sought him out themselves. Friends, who are the people in your life simply waiting to hear about the Christ child so they can be in relationship with him? Who are the people in your life who are in need of meeting the bread of life? Invite them to come. For the manger is for everyone. For it holds the greatest gift of all. Amen.

Christmas Worship

Since August the Worship Committee at church has been batting around the question of what to do about Christmas being on a Sunday. Do we have both a Christmas Eve and Sunday service? Do we just have one? What times will they be? The list goes on and on. Their questions were accompanied by those in the congregation - do we really need two services? Will I be willing to go to two services? How will a service on Christmas disrupt my family's traditions. Amongst all of the questions and proposed answers, very little thought was given to my family's traditions, or what shifting services and times would mean for me as the pastor. Including any thought really by myself. I simply do what I need to do as the Pastor, which includes leading worship. My philosophy was even if we elected to not have a service on Sunday I still needed to be here, prepared, incase any visitors showed up, as our sign out front said that we would have service.
But today, on Christmas Eve, it really hit me what family traditions are being given up entirely or shifted around to accommodate me. This is the first Christmas Eve, ever, that I will not make it to my home church's Candle Light service. Last year, I wasn't able to be there for the whole thing, but I was there for sermon and the lighting of the candles - driving over after the service at the church I serve. This is the first Christmas Eve that my family - mom, dad, and brothers - will not be unwrapping gifts from one another following that service. I'm actually not entirely sure when that will take place now. Tomorrow will be the first Christmas my brothers and I do not watch A Charlie Brown's Christmas together prior to opening gifts. It will also be the first time we do not open gifts in the morning, followed by an early afternoon meal. Everything has changed. No tradition really has remained untouched.
As someone deeply rooted in tradition, that is upsetting. Some of these events are amongst my favorite child hood memories. But times have changed, and my vocation does not allow me to be present on some of the days that matter most as a family. Thankfully, my family has shifted what we are doing, and will continue to do so in the coming years as I prepare to move farther away. But that doesn't mean that I do not mourn what is changing.
Truly, a lot is changing. Christmas doesn't entirely feel like Christmas this year. The only decorations I have in the house are a stocking for Marty and a window cling Christmas tree on the front window. Instead of wrapping presents I have been packing boxes, leaving the house feeling empty. Instead of baking I have been eating out, as I am trying to limit the amount of grocery items I buy before the move. The themes of Advent - preparing and waiting - have taken on a whole new meaning in the midst of moving. But coupled with the loss of traditions and perhaps even the lack of snow on the ground, I just am not in the Christmas spirit.
I raed an article this week posted by another of my clergy friends, about this lack of spirit. This lack of tradition and re-rooting on one's life that comes with being a clergy. While I cognitively knew that going into this call, I did not feel it until this year, a year when many clergy are feeling the strain between tradition and expectation of the call. I would encourage you, next time you are thinking about all of the things that you have to give up to go to Church on Sunday (Christmas Day) or what you will need to shit around that you think about the clergy and what this means for them, as well. For accepting the call and loving the job, does not mean that at times, we do not struggle with the same questions as well.

Shifting Blame

This week I had to go to the Post Office to mail some Christmas gifts. While there, I overheard one of the postal workers and a man discussing his lost package. Essentially the root of their discussion was the fact that a man had a package that was delivered to the post office, but when he came to pick it up with his slip and his id, they told him that someone had already picked up that particular package with the slip. However, that wasn't entirely possible since he had the slip with him.
Instead of admitting that they had made a mistake, or even saying that they were sorry, the postal employee just kept telling him how someone from that address or someone having that slip must have picked up the package. The man's response was that no one else lived at that address, as it was a home he lived in alone, and no one else could have had the slip since he had it in his possession now.
This went on for several minutes, and I could feel myself becoming more and more disappointed in the postal service, as it seemed that all this man wanted was clear direction as to what to do next and an apology. After he left, without either of these things or a package, two other postal workers applauded the first for the way she handled the situation - there were just too many things that could have went wrong - the package being misfiled, mishandled, mislabeled, misdelivered. And to say that they were sorry, without really knowing what happened, would make them liable, as an apology is an admission of guilt.
We live in a culture that is marked by two types of people - those that refuse to say that they are sorry and expect any blame, and those who except blame that is no theirs to bear. Seemingly gone are the people who say they are sorry when they are at fault and lead others to become better people by accepting their apologies and seeking reconciliation and forgiveness when others are at fault. We have been so consumed about protecting ourselves or protecting others that the art of apology is long gone.
As a pastor, I cannot help but wonder how this spills over into people's spiritual life. Has our culture of protecting one's self made it impossible for people to seek reconciliation with God? If we cannot say we are sorry to each other, cannot admit our own guilt, can we do so to God? My guess is probably not. We are so conditioned to be unapologetic or over apologetic that we probably display this same behavior with God. Which breaks my heart. Have we so forgotten who we are and whose we are that we taint our relationships with one another beyond repair? I pray that this is not the case, and that we begin to say we are sorry and truly mean it when we are to blame, instead of making excuses or blaming others. And I pray that when someone else is to blame that we allow them to say they are sorry instead of taking the blame away from them and onto ourselves, preventing them from growing in Christ.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Rules

I like rules a lot. There is a rather popular saying that states that rules are meant to be broken, but I disagree. In my recent introduction to my new parish I stated something that I believe with my whole heart - I love the Untied Methodist Church, I love order, and I love rules. Because once I know what boundaries the rules set, we can creatively live into them and do amazing things. But if we don't know the rules, then we spend too much time guessing what they are and worried that we are doing something wrong.
There are a lot of rules in the United Methodist Church - a whole book of them in fact called the Discipline, which is reexamined every four years. I might not always agree with all of the rules, and I can actively work to change some of them, but until they change I need to abide by them. Because they mark who I am and how I can live into this vocation that I've been called into.
Today, I was struck by a comment that was made that no one ever follows the rules, and that is okay. This comment was made about the church. And I'm still trying to sort out how I feel about it. My initial thought was, why even have the rule if you intend for it to be broken - that in fact makes it not be a rule, but a mere suggestion. We would have been better off not calling something a standard or a rule, but simply giving people a list and say pick the five of these that appeal to you the most to follow. But the more I dwelt on this statement, the more I realized that it was a statement on the life of the church as a whole.
I once read somewhere that the church is loosing members, not because the requirements are too strict, but because they are too laxed. We are used to having rules and requirements in other areas of life. Serving in a college town, one of the first the come to mind is the Greek system. There are a lot of different things that people go through and abide by in order to pledge their allegiance to the Greek system - but when people emerge they are truly loyal to the system as a whole and specifically their fraternity or sorority. In other things that are important to us in life, we follow the rules and regulations. I knew how many credits I needed and what grades I needed to achieve in order to earn my degree. These were not suggestions. They meant something and had to be followed.
Yet, the church is afraid of being this strict, of making demands or setting rules. Perhaps this is because live in the tension of God's justice and mercy.These are all well and good things, but we still serve a God of order and rules. Lots of rules in fact. Some Christians like to mis-preach Paul and say that Jesus came so that none of the laws in the Hebrew Scriptures matter any more. But that isn't how I read Paul. Jesus came so we can be redeemed if and when we fall short from living up to God's standards and rules. However, this does not mean that we should purposely set out to break the rules or that they do not matter - for God gave them to us for a reason, to help us become the best creation bearing God's image that we could possibly be.
For some reason the church doesn't like to preach this message. Instead we preach grace and forgiveness which is only one attribute of the Godhead, albeit and important one. There is grace when we fall short, but we need to at least try. Rules are not meant to be purposely disobeyed or dismissed under the guise of never being able to live up to them. This is selling ourselves short as the beloved of God and sells the Church short as the bride of Christ. We are too timid at times with stating who we are, what we believe, and the rules that we need to live into as the people of God because we are afraid of blocking people from God or (more accurately at times) scaring people away so our numbers decrease. But this is like saying that we do not believe in our own rules because they do not matter. It is like saying that we can do better without the perimeters set by God and the Church, which often causes us to run amuck. What would happen if we tried to intentionally live into the rules with our entire being, instead of selling ourselves short by saying that they rules are unattainable and that everyone breaks them so we should be allowed to as well? What if we rethought what rules mean in our lives in order to see what we can get out of them instead of how they prohibit us? And what if we made the rules intentionally difficult to live into, so we couldn't do so without God? Could we possibly turn around the decline in the importance of organized religion in our country, if only we would see the Church as being worthy of having rules to be followed, like anything else that is important to us?

Non-Traditional Path

As someone who loves tradition and rules (look for an upcoming post on this topic), I find it humorous that most of my life I have sought out the path that is non-traditional. Paths that were not traveled by many other people, and hence were rarely companioned by people with similar experiences. Some examples include:
- Leaving Sunday School in 9th Grade to Teach while all of my friends stayed in class.
- Leaving my home church while I was in high school to attend a church different from my parents, but that I loved and grew at.
- Transferring colleges after my first year.
- Graduating college a semester early, after working extremely hard to earn two majors and three minors associated with my degree.
- Serving a church four hours away from my seminary, by choice.
- And now, most recently, preparing for a mid-year, appointment change.

These are just a few examples. I raise them not to suggest that no one else has ever experienced these things, or other non-traditional paths, but simply to point out that they are not the road most commonly traveled. I often wonder why I go down the non-traditional path so often, and what I missed by going on the rocky path. Did I miss companionship by not staying at school for my last semester? What different experiences could I have gained if I wouldn't have spent my last year of seminary splitting time between a church and school, which were a considerable distant apart?
If I do not catch myself, I can end up spending too much time playing the "what if" game, instead of appreciating the paths I have been led have resulted in where I am today. Yes, at times I wish I would have done things a bit more conventionally, if for no other reason then to have more people who could identify with what I experienced, but that simply is not who I am. I am not a person who does things the easy or expected way. Something that I must honor instead of dwelling in what might have been. I also need to remember that while the non-traditional path has difficulties that accompany it, so does the traditional path. Neither is better, or less challenging, then the other. Both simply cause us to go on the journey to who we are today and who we will travel on to be in the future.

NAC

In June the Annual Conference launched a campaign called NAC or "New Annual Conference". The crux of the campaign was to convince the members that as two annual conferences have merged, now is the time to rethink who we are and how we do ministry. In other words, now is the time to change.
However, it would seem that we simply refer to NAC and what it stands for when it is convent. When we want others to change their ways of thinking or being, not using it as a tool to reassess and change ourselves.
Change is a tricky thing. Often even those who are enticed by change, do not want to undertake the hard work of changing themselves. To paraphrase a thought that was once shared with me - no one really likes to change, they just like the thought of change.
Being new in ministry means that everything is constantly changing for me. Each day I experience something new, something that impacts my ministry now as much as it will impact it in the future. And that can be scary at times. I am in a time that is marked by transition. I can only imagine how much more frightening change is during times that are to marked by stability. So when we aren't living into being NAC as much as I would like us to be, when we only use the acronym to get others to change as we still stick to our old ways, I am reminded that changes is hard work, and requires much grace and patience. May we all be a little more patient, and show a little more grace in the midst of risking change.

Privilege and Perspective

Privilege. As the occupy movement continues, with the slogan "We are the 99%", I cannot help but think about privilege. Occupy Wall Street and the movements that have followed has awakened America to the idea that 1% of the country uses its greed and privilege to harm the majority, either intentionally or unintentionally. I would like to preface what I am going to say next with this: I believe the Occupy movement is necessary for real change to happen within the economic and political structure within the United States and I fully support it. However...
... we often forget in America that even those of us who struggle are privileged in comparison to most of the world. We allow our own social location in comparison to our peers color how we see the world. And that disturbs me.
Recently, in the class I am taking, a classmate of mine made a very hurtful comment to me in the guise of speaking for God. A very dangerous thing. But what was perhaps more dangerous was the fact that she didn't recognize that the perspective she shared came from her social location, which is very different from mine. Not only are we quite a few years apart, but she is a stay at home mom in one of the richest counties in the United States. I am a pastor. We worship in different denominations, which have very different ideas about how God speaks to creation, including humans. She has lived in one place most of her life. I am itinerant by vocation. By not taking all of this into account, her comment came across as a judgment not only of me, but of my vocation as well.
If nothing else, the Occupy movement reminds those in the 99% of two things. First, we are privileged as well, even if we cannot always admit that when we compare ourselves to others. Secondly, the 99% is diverse, being composed of men and women, rich and poor, different races and ethnicity, people of different political backgrounds, people of all ages. People with different spiritual beliefs. People with different stories to tell and events that have made them who they are today. And that is why it is so hard to define the agenda of the Occupy Movement - out of respect for the diversity of what people bring with them as they identify themselves with the 99%. Perhaps spiritual leaders have something to learn from this as well. Before we make off the cuff remarks that have the potential to hurt people, we need to respect how we are both the same and different from other people, even those whom we consider to be like us. For God has created us to be vastly different, which colors our perspective.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Journey to Bethlehem - Luke 2:1-7

I have often remarked that I am in the season of my life that is brimming with babies and weddings. To put a figure behind that - I currently have seven friends that are pregnant and three have delivered in the past six months. One of my friends is finishing up her last year at seminary and was planning to go before the Board of Ordained Ministry later this year to pursue her dream of ordination. However, the date of the BOOM interviews was within a month of her due date - too close for the doctors comfort or hers, so she will put her dream on hold for one year so she does not have to risk traveling such a great distance from her doctors and those who will care for her, when her baby boy’s birth is imminent.

Through my friends’ pregnancies, I have learned many things. I have learned what happens each trimester and the risks that can accompany them. I learned how a community reacts and surrounds you with love when your baby is born pre-maturely. And that you are not supposed to travel more then two and a half hours away from your doctor during the last trimester of the pregnancy. And I still have so much that I am learning.

Mary did a lot of traveling during her pregnancy with the Christ-child. Each step on the journey being as unexpected and unpredictable as the last. The first trimester was filled with fears and companionship as she spent three months with her cousin Elizabeth, her mentor and possibly the only other person who could understand what she was feeling and going through at the time. During this time she also told Joseph, faced his rejection and anger, and then was embraced by his acceptance following a dream where the Lord told him that he should take her as his wife.

The second-trimester was filled with hurried preparations. Joseph’s room for his family with Mary, which was to be built on to his family’s home, was left unfinished as he accompanied Mary back to Nazareth for wedding preparations. Having the wedding where the bride had grown up was not unusual, but staying with her family after the wedding instead of moving into the room the husband had constructed during the engagement on his family’s home, certainly was. But Joseph and Mary stayed with her family, probably so she could have the support of her mother during the pregnancy and have the aid of a midwife she knew when it came to deliver.

Traditionally during the year long engagement, wedding preparations would be made, but during Mary’s second trimester the preparations for the wedding were rushed, and it was probably a quiet affair, in order to minimize she shame. By this point had she told her family that she was pregnant with God’s child? If so, did they believe her, or did they assume, that she and Joseph had gotten pregnant during the engagement period, like so many other young couples during the time. What did the neighbors say? Did they expect the wedding was rushed because Mary was pregnant? Was she starting to show? And what did Mary think about the unexpected pace of the wedding preparations and how did she feel about being pregnant on her wedding day?

During the third trimester, Joseph settled into life in Nazareth with his bride and the child growing inside of her. However, during the ninth month of Mary’s pregnancy, their lives were disturbed by the unexpected again. Roman soldiers entered into Nazareth and announced the emperor’s decree that every Jewish family must return to the husband’s hometown to be counted. More then likely this meant that every family must return to where the husband held property or would hold his family property one day for tax purposes. As the family was required to travel with the father or husband, Mary had to travel with Joseph to Bethlehem, it was required by law. Suddenly, all that they had worked to avoid - the strenuous travel for Mary back to Bethlehem, being away from her mother and being away from the midwives she knew, growing up in Nazareth - was pushed aside as they prepared for the ten day trip back to Bethlehem. For they had to do what the Romans told them to do, as people in an occupied country, even though Mary and Joseph were not Roman citizens themselves.

Imagine that you are Mary - nine month pregnant and very uncomfortable, facing a new fear, that she would be away from her family when she delivered. Since it was a ten day journey one-way, she had no idea who would be with her to help her deliver this baby, as women often aided women and men did not help with such matters, as it would make them ritualistically unclean. Would you still be declaring the prophetic words in the Magnificent? Or would you be crying out to God, trying to figure out why this was happening to you?

When was the last time that you were so angry with God that all you could do was weep? When was the last time your life’s journey did not go the way you planned, leaving you deeply uncomfortable and frustrated? When was the last time your journey was beyond your control?

The path that Mary and Joseph would have taken from Nazareth to Bethlehem was long and was marked by much Biblical history that they would have known. The well of Jacob where he wrestled with the angel. Where God appeared to Abraham and made a covenant with him and his descendants. Passing by the area where Joseph, the son or Jacob, was buried. Where Joshua set up the ark of the covenant. They walked where the prophets walked. And took the same steps as the Babylon army that took the people of Jerusalem and Judea into captivity as they destroyed the temple. The same path that the freed people returned to as they rebuilt the temple, years later. Was any of this on Mary and Joseph’s mind during their journey?

After a few days, the path Mary and Joseph followed would have become very taxing, as it curved back and forth, up and down. By day seven the journey would be the hardest and Mary had to be wondering how much longer she could go. Perhaps her soul cried out with that of the Psalmist, “O how long O Lord”

When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem she went into labor at some point - it may have been right upon their arrival. It may have been several hours or days later. Tradition typically says that Mary and Joseph sought out room in an inn, which they were unable to find due to the amount of people in Bethlehem. This is very plausible. But remember that this was Joseph’s home town - the place where his family lived. Did his family not have room for them either? The Greek work the Gospel of Luke uses to describe the inn was kataluma, which also means guest room. Typically each home had a guest room that could accommodate six to eight adults, but during this time it would have been crowded. Beneath the typical home was a stable for the animals. Perhaps Joseph’s family offered them the stable for privacy that they would not have been able to have in the guest room, and to keep everyone else from becoming ritualistically unclean during the birth.

Friends, this was not the journey Mary would have chosen to take for her life. Impregnated by God. Facing shame and gossip. A rushed marriage after an engagement that almost fell apart until God intervened. And traveling when her due date was almost upon her ten days away from everything that she knew and loved, because the government demanded it of her. Mary’s journey was hard.

We like Mary face times in our lives where nothing goes like we planned and when life is hard. When life is nothing close to how we imagined it to be. From this point on, Mary’s life probably won’t be as she imagined it either - running from King Herod who wishes to kill her child, to watching her son do amazing things in his time of ministry, while also being ridiculed, to finally, standing inches away from her son as he died on the cross for a crime that he did not commit. Life is over-flowing, at times, with the unexpected and unwanted. During those times of intense disappointment and confusion, it is hard to remember that God is with us. God not only goes through these difficult times with us, but redeems the moments for the glory of the Kingdom of God.

Sometimes our sight becomes so focused or blocked that we cannot see the bigger picture. As Mary sat on the birthing stool and the contractions became closer and more intense, she did not see the star above the barn, hear the voices of the angels singing, or hear the foot steps of the Shepherd’s running to see the Messiah. She could not know that men from far off lands were traveling for years to simply see her child. She just knew that it was hard and God was with her.

During those time along our journeys where everything seems to be going wrong, we need to trust in God even more. During those times when we cannot perceive what each step of the journey will look like or what is waiting for us at the end of the path, we must venture on with courage and hope. Trusting, in the words of a popular praise and worship song, “that though this sorrow may last through the night, the joy comes with the morning.” For our difficult journeys, will never be the totality of our journey, or the end of our story, for God can redeem anything for the glory of the Kingdom of God. Amen.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Mary and Elizabeth - Luke 1: 39-56

Throughout our lives, there are of being mentored or being a mentor to someone else. When I think back on some of the people who mentored me over the years, I’m not sure if I can even begin to put words to why our relationships were special to me, why I still carry the lessons I learned through them with me to this day. Each of them was nothing short of a scared relationship, a holy space where God was present.

I have to believe that Mary had that type of sacred mentor relationship with Elizabeth. Mary was significantly younger then her cousin Elizabeth. Yet, shortly after being told by the angel Gabrielle that she was chosen to carry the incarnation of God, she set out to see the one other person who could possibly understand the complex nature of being impregnated by the Lord, her cousin Elizabeth.

Mary presumably didn’t even tell her parents that she was pregnant before heading off to see Elizabeth. Maybe she simply told them that she had head that Elizabeth was pregnant. Her family was probably close relationally to Elizabeth. They would have known her plight of years of heartache associated with not being able to conceive and probably having miscarriages. And Mary’s family would also know how old Elizabeth was, well past childbearing years, well past the years that many during that time even were expected to live. So they let Mary go, go to celebrate with Elizabeth, but also to look after this dear family members in a situation that no one really thought would ever be possible.

So Mary set out on the nine-day journey. She probably traveled with pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, as it was beyond where she would be stopping to see Elizabeth, and it was unsafe for young women to travel this far alone. Nine days of walking dusty roads and not being able to think about anything other then the biggest secret that she had ever kept – that she was pregnant. She was pregnant and she never knew a man.

How desperately Mary must have needed someone to understand what she was going through. But even in her most desperate moment, God fulfilled Mary’s needs and blessed her with so much more. Before she could even tell Elizabeth that she was pregnant, Elizabeth had prophetic words burst from her mouth to shower over Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Mary wouldn’t have been showing her pregnancy yet, but Elizabeth knew for her own child, the child whom she had desperately wanted for so many years, leapt within her as Mary approached. At a time when Mary was in need of support and grace, she got something so much more – a word of prophecy spoken over her. A word of encouragement, which told her who she was in the eyes of God and what a blessing she would be to the nations as mother of the Lord. Elizabeth was the first person in the gospels to call Jesus the Lord. Elizabeth knew who Jesus would be before he ever was born, before Mary even revealed to her that she was with child. She knew. And the miracle child within her knew, too. Elizabeth’s words of prophesy freed Mary to set aside her worries associated with the secret she was carrying and sing her own prophecy, which we now call the Magnificent. Elizabeth’s words freed Mary to embrace who she was called to be by the Lord and feel joy about the pregnancy for the first time.

God also gave Mary and Elizabeth another gift that they could not have expected from their relationship, that of companionship. For who else outside of these two women could understand their anxieties and restlessness. Elizabeth had been in hiding from her community for the first two trimesters of her pregnancy, probably because she expected a miscarriage like so many times before. She didn’t want to go through that public disgrace again. In a culture that counted blessings by what happened to you in this present world, not having any offspring was seen as the ultimate curse from God. Elizabeth knew that people looked at her with those pitied looks for so many years; just wondering how she or her husband had sinned that God had not blessed them with offspring. But it wasn’t sin at all; it was God’s timing. God saved Elizabeth’s pregnancy for a time when she could share it with Mary. When she and her young cousin could come together and share all they were feeling about being part of circumstances beyond their control, and in the words of one author, “expecting the unexpected children”. It was during this time that they were able to reach out to each other and having compassion for each other along the journey marked by uncertainty.

Mary and Elizabeth are often portrayed in art pieces as passive. Elizabeth doesn’t even get mentioned in the standard nativity play, and yet Mary and Elizabeth, together, in relationship, play a huge part in our own Christian stories. They were prophets. Mary told the gospel story in her Magnificent before Jesus was even born, saying who Jesus would be as the incarnation of God on this earth and what he would stand for, what his ministry would be about. Elizabeth was the first person to identify Jesus as Lord. Mary and Elizabeth sang songs of joy that foretold what we believe today and who we are to be as we seek to live lives of discipleship. They risked their reputations and their very beings to carry two children that the world never could have expected – the Messiah and the one who would prepare his way. And they modeled what it looks like to sit with another person, waiting and preparing for the unexpected.

Advent gives us time to remember was we prepare. Last week Jennifer challenged us to give one dollar to the United Methodist Student Sunday offering for every person who has mentored us, who has made a difference in our lives. I hope that you truly took time to think of those people and to remember what they have done for you. To realize how many people have walked life’s journey with you – showing you compassion, modeling humility, teaching you lessons that have shaped who you are today. These people who were brought to your mind, brothers and sisters, are your Elizabeth’s. Those people who have made a difference in your life that you may not even be able to put into words.

Advent also reminds us that this season of waiting is never passive. We actively wait together. We are in relationship as we wait. For some of you, this is your time to be someone else’s Elizabeth - you may not know why you are in someone’s life or what you have to offer them, but waiting with someone requires trust – trust that God will give you the words to say and that the God that has brought you this far in life by giving you the gift of other people, will now give you the strength to extend yourself in love to someone else.

Who are your Elizabeth’s and whom are you called to be Elizabeth to? I challenge you over the coming week to take time to praise God for the people who have mentored you throughout your life. For those who have passed on from this world – do something to honor their memory. For those who are alive, tell them thank you and express what they have meant to you, tell them what they have taught you and what strength they modeled for you. I also challenge you to be in pray, asking God if you are called to be someone’s mentor – offering another the gift you have receive. You may not think that you have much to offer or that you are good enough, but set aside your doubts and truly listen to hear if God is calling you to be in a sacred relationship with someone else. Does someone’s face or name come to your mind? How can you companion them along their journey with compassion? Part of what makes mentor relationships so special, so holy, is that we do not know until we come together and start to share our stories, why God has placed us in each others lives. But when we follow God’s prompting, and come together for even a season, it will be a blessed time. May it be so in your life – as God blessed you with mentoring relationships, and uses you to bless others as a mentor. God might just be trying to bless you more then you ever could have desired or expected. Amen.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Companion for the Journey: Joseph of Bethlehem - Matthew 1: 18-24

When I was little, my brothers and I were privileged to be cared for one day a week by an elderly couple who became like another set of grandparents for us. I have many fond memories of our time at their home, but one of the things I remember most was learning how to put together puzzles. Located instead of the toy room was the man’s table that he used to put together thousand piece jigsaw puzzles. After dinner, sometimes, he would let us gather around the table, lit by a desk lamp so we could see better, and we would try to find the pieces that would fit together, eventually revealing a beautiful picture.

When I think of some of the great narratives about Jesus’ life, I think back to those jigsaw puzzles. Especially with stories like that of Jesus’ birth and death, which have details scattered across the various gospels, I think the church has a tendency to be as impatient as I was as a young child with those puzzles. Instead of trying to find the pieces that fit together, sometimes I would simply shove two pieces together until the cardboard started to bend. While I felt a sense of accomplishment in that moment, for sure enough there were two pieces that were together, that did not mean that the pieces actually went together or would form the picture in its full beauty.

Last week we heard about the Angel of the Lord, Gabrielle, coming to announce to Mary that she was pregnant with the son of God, who was to be called Jesus. Today’s story takes place in the gospel of Matthew, in Bethlehem, some distance from Nazareth. This is important for several reasons. First, it reminds us that Mary’s engagement to Joseph was long distance. He did not reside in Nazareth with Mary, so the marriage was probably arranged by family members. Second, Joseph had to find out about Mary’s pregnancy by some oral means. More then likely, Mary told Joseph herself when she traveled to see her cousin Elizabeth, as she lived only four miles from Bethlehem.

Imagine that you are Joseph. Your marriage has been arranged to a girl from another town. Possibly someone whom you did not know very well. While she was visiting her elderly cousin four miles from you, you are summoned to come and meet her there. While visiting she gives you news that you never expected to hear – she is pregnant, and she is claiming she has still never known a man and the child is the Lord’s. This probably made no sense to you. Even though you grew up in a town known for David, the one whom God had helped do the impossible, the things that did not make sense, like slaying the giant Goliath with only a sling shot and a stone. Even though you had been told that the Messiah would come from one of their own, from the house of David. But these are probably not your first thoughts when you are told that the woman whom you are to spend the rest of your life with is pregnant, and it is not your child.

Imagine wrestling with this information. What will you do? Who will you tell? The scriptures say that Mary should be stoned to death for having a child by another man while engaged to you. But you don’t want her to die. If you tell your family, tell your friends, word will get around Bethlehem – its not that big of a town with only 500 -1,000 people living in it – and she will be executed. But you can’t marry her either. Not when she broke your trust, broke the promise you made to each other through your engagement. They were essentially married to each other by law – all that was left was the ceremony, consummation of the marriage, and starting a life together. Now what?

Scripture doesn’t tell us how long Joseph wrestled with the decision of what to do about his engagement to Mary – only that the angel of the Lord came to him in a dream after he resolved to dismiss her and their engagement quietly. The only logical explanation to Mary’s predicament was that she had been unfaithful to him – but as much as that angered and saddened him, as much as that cut him to his very core, he could not justify killing her. Joseph knew that if he ended the engagement quietly, and then people found out that she was pregnant, that they would assume that he had been the one to impregnate her while she was visiting Elizabeth. The shame of the pregnancy would then be his – for sleeping with someone, whom he was engaged to, then dismissing her, and not being a father to his own child – instead of Mary’s. The consequences were not as life threatening for him, but in an honor-share society, it would bring much disgrace upon him and his family. He would still owe Mary’s family the additional dowry to be paid before their wedding. He would be required by law to provide for the needs of her child, and if Mary really insisted then the law would require him to take her as his wife. Though he doubted that she would do that. This was the honorable thing to do, no matter how much shame it brought upon him and his house – to spare Mary’s life and to allow her to quietly return to her family and be consoled instead of shunned.

But God had other plans. We often think about God picking Mary to be the one to carry the Christ-child, but God just as clearly picked Joseph to be the earthly Father to Jesus, when he interrupted Joseph’s sleep one night with a dream confirming what Mary had told him – that she was carrying the Messiah. That he was still to marry her. That she did not break covenant with him. And Joseph awoke from that dream and did what God said.

I think a lot of us wish that God would intervene in our lives the way he did with Mary – sending an angel to make a direct announcement to us. Telling us what we are doing and how it will affect the world. But for most of us, I believe that God reaches out to us like Joseph. Because most of us are Joseph.

Let me explain what I mean by that. None of the words that Joseph ever said are recorded in scripture. He is barely mentioned at all. He is not mentioned again after Jesus is twelve. And yet, Joseph played a critical part in the upbringing of Jesus. He taught him his own skill – that of carpentry. Joseph was not the master carpenter, in charge of projects throughout the region. He simply worked with his hands, doing honest work, building structures such as doors and roofs fro stone houses. He would have lived by the motto – measure twice, cut once – knowing the importance of quality work that is done well the first time. A hardworking man who took pride in his trade. A humble man who was willing to risk his own personal disgrace in order to save Mary’s dignity and very life. Someone who was obedient to God even when God did not speak as clearly to him as God did to Mary, simply coming to him in a dream. He did not seek to be well known, only to serve the Lord, his God, through the work of his hands the choices he made.

When our lives end, many of us will not have the words we speak recorded in history books. But our lives, like Joseph, will have mattered. By the decisions we make about how to treat people, even when we feel that they have wronged us. By the way that we bring our children up in this world and the lessons that we teach them. By the pride we take in our work and striving to do our best in our area of skill in order to bring glory and honor to God. We may not be the people with the most power and authority in this world, but we do what we are called to do well. Not seeking the limelight. Simply seeking to serve, even if we never receive recognition or praise from others.

And God may never come and speak to us directly, as God did to Mary. But for many of us, God speaks to us through various means, if only we recognize them as a message from God. A dream, a word from a friend, a dark situation that God transformed to bring beauty, light, and clarity. In these less clear forms of communication from God we can see hope and possibilities, even if we know that it will require hard work and risk to bring to fulfillment. We are called to pray over these dreams, to sort out what is from God and what is not, and when required to act.

So most of us are like Joseph. Never going to be as well known as Mary. Never to have our words remembered throughout history. Not having God speak as directly to us. But still called. Still chosen. What is God calling you to do lately? Are you willing to risk whatever you need to in order to obey the call of the Lord or do you keep testing God, telling God that the message needs to be more clear. Are you praying for a Mary moment, while ignoring God’s speaking to you in other ways, like God did with Joseph?

I would challenge you over the coming week to write down those ways that God may be speaking to you – and the messages that God is trying to convey. Pray over them. Is there a theme developing? Is their clarity in God’s persistence that you just were not able to see before? Listen to the voice of God speaking to you in whatever way it comes, discern, and then act. Act boldly. Take risks. No matter what the cost. Live the life that Joseph did. For you life, and the decisions you make, the way you live, matter. You are called. Are you willing and able to listen? Amen.

Memorial Message for the Elk's Lodge

Today we gather together to celebrate the lives of those who have went on before us into eternity. Over the past week I have been pondering what it truly means to remember someone – to re-member. To continue to live our lives in a different way in the absence of those we care about. When we remember those whom we have lost, we are reminded that while they have died, they are still part of us gathered here, the living. They are still part of our fellowship.

We have heard today many names of those who are no longer with us in physical presence. But our memories live on. We remember not only their names, but their mannerisms. Their laughter and jokes. Their families and their duty to serve them. We remember how they loved and served those of us gathered here. We remember the good that they have done, for the Elks, for this community, and beyond. For in the words of Jack Lemmon, death ends a life, not a relationship. We still hold the memory of our relationships with those who have passed.

Relationships are complex things, with a series of moments that are both good and not so good. As a result, not all of our memories are good, and that needs to be treasured as well. For if we only hold up a small piece of a person, a single aspect of who they were instead of remember them in totality, then we are not doing their memory justice.

This past year one of my seminary classmates died. She and I did not always get along. But in the end, as a reflect on her life and my time with her, I cannot help but celebrate the moments that we disagreed just as much as the things that I treasure about her. For if I can’t remember our disagreements then I have immortalized her into something that she is not, and have tainted our relationship with false memories. Instead, I remember the good and the not so good. Was a woman of great faith, who even in her short time on this earth worshipped God with her entire being. She made a laughter that echoed and a smile that was contagious. She sang in the gospel choir at school, ushering others into God’s presence through her voice and love for God. Esquire knew who she was and fully lived into her identity as a child of God. Even though we did not always see eye to eye, and could rub each other the wrong way from time to time, I miss her.

In order to honor the men (and women) who have died, we need to be able to do two things. First, we must let their good traits, those fond memories we have, so shine through us. For in the words of Clyde Campbell, to live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die. But, secondly, we must remember them in their totality in order to live our lives in such a way that does not repeat their short-comings. We are their ambassadors for life, in the here and now. As such, we need to live our lives the best that we can. We must let their stories become part of our stories, so they will not be forgotten. We must grieve, for we long for them to still be with us, but celebrate what they have left us with.

This is a tall order for any one person to do alone. Hence, why we have gathered together today. To support each other in the endeavor to honor the dead, by living our lives fully, to the best of our abilities now. To grieve together. To celebrate together. For this gathering is a fraternal order, a brotherhood, who live life together, and so re-member together. The apostle Paul once wrote in his letter to the Romans, None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. When I read these words in Romans I cannot help but think that they are as much a statement about those who live as those who have died – none of us live to himself. We are all in this together. With the hope and promise of Jesus Christ.

That hope and promise is relayed to us time and time again in scriptures. Perhaps my favorite passage, the one that reminds me that death does not have the final victory, and life is not over once we are no longer breathing is from 1 Corinthians. It reads, Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gathering together at a memorial service is about remembering the dead, it is about assessing our lives through the lens of theirs, but more then anything it is about finding hope. Having hope does not mean that we will always be happy. It does not mean that grieving will be any easier. It simply gives us perspective, this is not the end. What gives you hope today and every day in this time of remembrance and beyond?

As I was reflecting on what to say to today, I could not help but think of what an appropriate this service comes at. The new year is coming. A time when hope is renewed and memories come like floods. It comes at a time in the life of the church where we celebrate waiting and mark our time more slowly as we reflect together. It is a reminder that love is stronger then death. More powerful then death. It reminds us that we cannot control time, including death, and demands that we ask ourselves how we will live our lives. Re-membering, living, and waiting. All simultaneously. And marked by candle light. Today we have once again lit candles, candles the celebrate time and the lives that marked it by living the fullest. And that gives me hope that life is never in vain or forgotten.

So as we strive to honor these men who have lived We know that no one and nothing can replace the lives of those who have died. But we also know that grace comes through gathering like this. To give thanks for how these men have embodied charity, justice, brotherly love, and fidelity. How they have helped to promote welfare and bring happiness to others in this room. They have, in the words of the apostle Paul, fought the good fight, finished the race of life, and kept the faith. And so much more. May our honoring of their lives not cease at the end of this ceremony, day, or year by the way we live. May it continue into eternity, until our hope is fulfilled and our waiting is over and we are united again. Love the living. Bring honor to the dead. Live life to the fullest.

Grace - A Meditation on the Attribute of God for the Wesley Foundation

Grace is one of those things that I don’t think that I will ever fully understand in this life. Last time I preached at Wesley it was on the topic of justice, and I made the comment that we want justice for other people, but grace for ourselves. But as I reflect back on that comment, I’m not sure we even know what grace is even though we want it.

There are many stories told about grace. Karen Blixen in the mid 1900s wrote a story entitled “Babit’s Feast”. Its become a classic tale, even being made into a movie that you may have seen. The story goes something like this – Babette, a woman who had lost her husband and daughter to war, showed up on the front porch of two sisters who were well-off one evening, with a simple note reading, “Babette can cook.” The sisters didn’t have any money to pay the stranger, nor did they really want to try her cooking, for she was from a different country, but they decided to let Babette stay in exchange for doing chores around the house.

Time passed, and for 12 years Babette worked for the sisters. One day a letter came announcing that she had won 10,000 francs in the lottery of her home country. The sisters tried to be happy, but their hearts were heavy for they knew that Babette would be leaving soon.

This letter corresponded with the timing of the sisters planning a party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their Father’s birth. Babette came to them and said, that since she had never asked them for anything in all the years that she would like to ask them for one thing now – to cook them a French meal for the party. The sisters agreed.

Over the next few weeks lots of items arrived for the preparations. The day of the feast, the entire town arrive and all ate. After the dinner the sisters found Babette and thanked her for the meal, saying that they would miss her when she returned to France. Babette then told them that she would not be returning to France, for she had spent every part of her money on the feast.

It took me a long time to wrap my head around where the grace was in this story until I came to understand that grace comes from the Greek word “ charios” which means gift. Grace is a generous gift of goodness, kindness, salvation, or blessing, that we can never deserve. Babette spent every bit of her money on a feast for people who paid nothing for it. She gave everything for them.

God’s grace is even more lavish then the grace that Babette showered on the town’s people. God’s grace is infinite. Grace cannot be earned – it is free of charge and has no strings attached. The parable that shows that God’s grace is endless is the Parable of the Lost Son, also known as the Parable of God’s grace. Even if we turn our backs on God, God has still given us the ultimate gift – God’s very self in Jesus Christ. God also gives us other graces – the ability to know right from wrong, the ability to seek and receive forgiveness, the choice not to give us what we deserve, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to name a few. But like the Father in the passage God always welcomes us back, no matter what we’ve done. In this particular parable, the son treats the father about as horribly as one can – by requesting his inheritance now, he is essentially telling his father that he wished that he was dead now. Yet even though the son said this, disgracing his father, and then spent his father’s wealth on thing that were not honorable, the Father still welcomed him back. Not only welcomed him back, but rejoiced with a party. The son could not earn the grace and love of his father – they were freely lavished upon him, just as God’s grace and love is freely lavished upon us.

Even though we cannot earn God’s grace, we must try to respect it. Another way to say this is that we want to love lives that reflect God’s grace to others.

Some of you may know the story of John Newton, the man who wrote “Amazing Grace”. Newton owned slave ships in the 1700s. One day while making a journey with the salves, he came across a great storm that lead to his conversion. Following that, and as he penned the song about his experience, he decided that he could not keep God’s grace to himself while denying others their freedom, so he got out of the slave trading industry.

How have you experienced God’s grace in your life? And how are you showing God’s grace to others? Remember that nothing you have done can block you from God’s grace, and none of the grace you’ve received is yours to keep and not share.