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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, January 22, 2012

Running from God - Jonah 3: 1-5, 10

The story of Jonah is epic. Jonah is a prophet of the Lord who had much fame in Israel. He enjoyed the prestige and status of being one called out from the chosen people. Then the Lord disturbed his comfort by commanding him to go and give a message to the people of Nineveh, who had a reputation of being some of the worst people throughout the land. Jonah was so set against giving a message from the Lord, especially one about their destruction, to this particular set of people, and so upset with the Lord from not giving him a task to do that better portrayed his status, that he ran. He ran the opposite direction of where he was commanded to go, and for his disobedience, God put him inside the belly of a whale for three days. When Jonah was spit up the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, commanding him to go to Nineveh and preach against them.

To say that Jonah’s attempt at preaching was weak, would be an understatement. While there are definitely times and places for short sermons, Jonah’s one sentence came more from his apathy about the message and the people then anything else. In fact, Jonah didn’t even preach anything the first third of his way across Nineveh. Only on the second leg of his journey did he begin to proclaim, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” One sentence, with no mention of God or why the city would be overthrown, simply repeated over and over again. And yet, a great thing happened. The people of Nineveh began to believe in God and believe in the one-sentence prophecy with such intensity that they began to fast, from the person of least importance in the city the whole way up to the king. Everyone. God saw their act of good faith and was so moved that God changed God’s mind.

What our scripture lesson today leaves out is the fact that Jonah went on to get upset with God all over again for not destroying Nineveh. He craved for the Lord’s wrath to fall upon them. He was angry at God for showing mercy and compassion. By the end of the book of Jonah, there isn’t really any resolution of Jonah’s anger. We are simply left with God trying to teach him a lesson.

Many of us have grown up with fairy tales - and not the Grimm or original Hans Christen Anderson versions. We have grown up with the sanitized Disney-esqe versions where there is clearly defined good and bad and not much in between. We cheer for the hero and boo at the bad guys. It’s classic. But with the story of Jonah things are not that simple. It’s hard to tell who the good guys and the bad guys really are. At one moment we are cheering for Jonah and the next we are wondering how he could be so cruel. In fact, Jonah is the only prophet in the BIble who does not even give the people he is ministering to a chance. Generally the message the prophet brings is a call to repentance as a path to salvation, but Jonah’s message is uncompromising, simply stating that impending doom is on its way.

While I may not agree with Jonah’s message or lack of compassion, I do understand Jonah’s sense of urgency. If his time in the whale taught him anything it was that he didn’t have much time left and he had to act now. This past week at the Bishop’s retreat I had the opportunity to hear Mike Slaughter speak. Mike is the pastor of the 4th largest church in the denomination. He entered into the parish, which was smaller then our church, at the age of 27. 33 years later he hasn’t left that church, because he has helped it grow to close to 4,000 people in worship each weekend. Mike entered into this church with a message that he has not stopped having for all that years that have followed. “I’m almost dead. I don’t have time to play church.” As the members started to see the truth of this statement in their own life, they began to make their hopes and dreams for the church of Jesus Christ become a reality now, instead of putting them off for later.

Often it is easier for us to live into the urgency of our message when it is about someone else. When we tell someone else to repent. When we point out how God is going to punish another group of people. But what Jonah failed to realize that his message was just as much for himself as anyone else. After he proclaimed his message, he waited around until the day, the day of destruction, waiting to see the event of the people being overthrown. But a funny thing happened. The people weren’t overthrown, but Jonah’s life was. Jonah had to confront God that day and wrestle with the worst parts of himself - the parts that wanted to see the prophecy of destruction become a reality. The part that was full of hatred and not compassion. The part that actually didn’t want to see the Nineveites change. Jonah had the worst part of himself overthrown, and while the story doesn’t have a clear ending, we can hope that ended in Jonah’s repentance.

Sometimes we are like Jonah. We look down of those that are less then us - those that have less then us materially, those who do not make as much money as us, those who do not speak our language, those who are not at the same place spiritually, the list goes on. We look down from our place of comfort, and condemn then. The sad thing about Jonah, is that he seemed to forget all about the whale, shortly after being spit up. He forgot what it was like to be uncomfortable, without God, and forgotten. As soon as he resolved to go forward with the prophetic message, he slipped right back into the role of having power and prestige as a prophet.

Even in Jonah’s arrogance and unhappiness, God did a new thing. Jonah despite himself, was successful. Sometimes we dwell too much on numbers, but sometimes we do not honestly look at then enough. Jonah by all measures was successful - he had an entire city come to genuine repentance so the Lord saved them. Yet, that wasn’t what Jonah wanted. We sometimes are like Jonah. We pray time and time again to God to help us grow as a congregation - but grow how. Grow in our love for God? Grow in the number of people we lead to Christ? And what is that growing causes us to be uncomfortable - what if it means that we have to give up some of our desires and replace them with God’s? What if it means that we cannot keep doing things the way we always have? What if it means hard work that we may never see the fruit of in our lifetime? Are we still going to want to be successful, by God’s standards, or will be we all too quickly become angry like Jonah?

Brothers and sisters, churches today are filled with Jonah’s. People who proclaim the destruction of others without taking a hard look at themselves. People who are caught up in their prestige and power, while lacking an attitude of compassion and mercy. People who are so worried about preserving themselves that they lack a sense of urgency when it comes to bringing hope to others. People who ignore God’s message the first time and then only accept it the second time on their own terms. People who are surprised and sulk when God saves others and does a new things, instead of people who celebrate with the redeemed.

What churched need are people who believe in God sized visions. People who will not settle for the status quo and who are willing to take risks for the Kingdom of God. People who live with the urgency that their lives are short, yet they will be measured for eternity by what they did for the Kingdom of God while they were alive. People who will stop playing church and be the church, bringing not a message like Jonah’s of destruction and dismay, but a message of hope to the world in need.

Let me tell you a bit more about Gingemsburg Church. Gingemsburg is located in a farming community, similar to ours, 16 miles from Dayton. When Rev. Slaughter arrived he was told that the church had reached its potential, and all he had to do was maintain it so he could be moved on to a bigger and better church. But Mike had a different vision. He told the supervisor that he had a vision where the 32 people at that church would become a 3,000 person church that would be diverse, and that would change the world. And he was laughed at. But God gave him a prophetic message that would not let him go. Along the way to having this message of God’s become a reality, people became upset. People left the church because it wasn’t about them any more, it was about changing the community they served for the Kingdom. There were many people like Jonah who sat in the corner, refusing to be part of the movement, simply sulking over what the church once was, instead of celebraing that God was calling the people to be part of a new thing. But for those who got the vision and loved all the people who came through their doors and more importantly, loved the wider community, they were transformed like the Nineveites. They were transformed from people who lived for themselves to people who began to truly know God, not just know about God, and be part of something greater then themselves. And the church is still growing today, making people committed disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Church, we have enough Jonah’s. Enough nay-sayers who live for themselves and whose messages of prophecy are more about destruction then hope. What we need is a few modern prophets who see potential and hope. A few good people who are willing to step outside of their comfort zones and live lives that are abandoned to the mission of God and who will not be surprised when God does a new thing marked by compassion, mercy and grace. People who will live into the great mandate to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Who will you be? Will you be Jonah, sulking when things change or do not go your way, or will you be one of the new breed of prophets, excited when entire cities turn their hearts to the Lord?

Sunday, January 15, 2012

The Call of the Lord - 1 Sam 3: 1-20

When was the last time that someone asked you to do something for them? Perhaps it was to run an errand for them, or watch their children. Maybe it an invitation to simply spend time with them, or something else entirely. What was your response - did you do what that person asked you to do? What was your process behind deciding how to respond? And how quickly did you respond?

A lot of us feel that Christianity is expressed by doing things for others, both when they ask and when the do not. And to a certain extent this is true, when it is coupled with a discerning spirit. But today’s scripture passage reminds us that the true mark of our faith is how we respond to what God asks us to do.

One of my favorite events that the annual conference holds is called God’s Call. There are two events held every year, one for teens and another for adults, but both with the purpose to help people discern what God is calling them to. While the original aim may have been to help people who are called into ordained ministry, as the event has evolved over the years, so has the understanding that God calls us in a variety of ways to different ministries in and beyond the walls of the church. Through this event, and others like it, I have been blessed to hear hundreds of people’s call stories - their personal narratives about God calling them and pursuing them relentlessly. While each story is unique, almost all have one thing in common, resistance. As relentlessly as God pursued a person for a specific task, with that same passion did people resist God, creating excuses or trying to ignore the call on their life. One gentleman told me that he knew that he was being called for over twenty years, but was too sacred to respond, so he just ignored God.

If the story of the call on Samuel’s life teaches us anything, it is God will not be ignored. Samuel was a young boy whom his mother had hoped and prayed for during her years of infertility. While crying out to God, she promised that if he would only give her a child that she would commit the boy back to the service of the Lord. And that is what she did. When Samuel was old enough she took him to live at the temple with the priest Eli. But even with all of those years of living at the temple, Samuel did not recognize the voice of the Lord.

Samuel heard a voice call out to him after he had went to his mat to sleep for the night. “Samuel, Samuel!” And like an eager servant, he ran to the one he thought was calling him, the priest he served, Eli. I imagine that Eli was not as eager as Samuel to have his sleep interrupted. I can picture him rolling on to his other side, waving his hand, as he said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” Then it happened a second time. Samuel, might have thought that the old man was testing him, or had forgotten that he had called him, so he rushed in a second time, declaring that he had heard Eli calling his name. Again Eli dismissed him. Finally, the third time, even through his sleepy haze, Eli was able to discern who was truly calling out the boy’s name, God. He told Samuel to stay where he was next time the voice called, knowing that there certainly would be a next time, and tell the Lord to speak, for his servant was listening.

Time and time again I’ve had people tell me that they wish God would speak to them in an audible voice. Call out their name and give them instructions. But when God speaks to you, do you know that it is God, or do you mistake it for someone else? Do you respond to the voice of God by saying that you, God’s servant, are listening, or do you ignore the voice of God?

Last week during the Covenant renewal service, we affirmed the following statement together, “Christ has many services to be done. Some are more easy and honorable, others are more difficult and disgraceful. Some are suitable to our inclinations and interests, others are contrary to both. In some we may please Christ and please ourselves. But then there are other works where we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves. It is necessary, therefore, that we consider what it means to be a servant of Christ.”The truth is, often God calls us to do thing that we would rather not do, because we our task to be easy and covenant, and God does not settle for the simple plans or the easy way out. No, God’s dreams for the Kingdom of God and our role in it, are much larger then what is easy. But they are the best.

Samuel was only a young boy, but God gave him a difficult task - Samuel was to deliver the news to his mentor, Eli, that God was doing something new and he and his house were not part of the plan. In fact, Samuel had to tell the one whom we loved like a father that his family would be perished forever for their sins against the Divine. Samuel couldn’t fall back asleep after God spoke to him, because he was so troubled by the words. So he lay there until morning, fearing what he had to tell Eli. But even through Samuel would rather have not heard the message and rather not have relayed it Eli, he did so. Samuel responded to his hard task with the grace of a servant. Are we willing to do the same? Or do we hide from the message of God, fearing what it will cost us more then we fear God?

We have much to learn from this story. Calls are not simple. They often ask us to set ourselves aside as we seek to serve God in the way we are called. While the story of Samuel was about one call in particular, the book of 1 Samuel reminds us that he was called upon by the Lord time and time again. We, too, rarely have only one call from God. Instead, we have a series of calls, or calls within calls, that emerge. I wish I could say that it gets easier to respond to calls as time goes on, but I’m not sure that it does. Even when we trust God, we often resist the call of the Lord when we are asked to do something that we would rather not do. But perhaps that is the true mark of a servant of Christ, the ability to do what we may not want to, trusting that it is for the glory of the Kingdom of God.

God is the God of calls. We have seen time and time again that God has called his people to step outside of their comfort zone - Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, the Disciples, Paul, the list goes on and on. Sometimes we have an experience like Paul on the road to Damasuc where it is impossible to ignore the voice of God. Other times we have calls like Samuels, which can cause delayed recognition that God is calling us and speaking to us by name. But no matter what the call, there will be two components. First, a nudge by God. This may come in the form of a direct task, “Go and do this in-particular” other times it will simply be a leading, where we cannot see the next step until we take the first one. But no matter what the nudge feels like or it says, it will be able to be tested by scripture and other faithful Christians. Secondly, God’s call for us will involve our name. What our call is, is not for anyone else to do. Our call is specific to us, because God cares for us as individuals and knows us intimately enough to give us a personalized task or mission.

A lot of my friends have told me stories about growing up and being able to discern how much trouble they were in for something. If their parents called them by their name or nickname and asked them to do something, they should do it. But if their parents had to tell them to do something again, and had to call them by their whole name, boy were they in trouble. Does God have to call you by your full name in order for you to pay attention? Or do you respect and love God enough to do what you are called to do the first time?

There are going to be times when we do not know how to respond to God’s call in our life. Just as Samuel needed Eli to tell hi that the voice calling him was in fact the Lord’s, as well as instructions on how he should respond, so do we need Christian companions at times to help us discern the voice and call of God. We are called to hold each other accountable, which at times means we need to ask each other the hard questions about how we are responding to the call of God in our own lives and rebuking each other when we turn away from our call by taking the easy way out.

God is the God of continual new beginnings and unrelenting calls in our lives. But God will not be ignored, brothers and sisters, and we should not sit by the side if those in our midst are ignoring God’s call or struggling to live into it. We are community because we support each other, especially in times that are challenging, which most times of calling are. We gather together to help each other test our calls and live them out. We hold each other accountable as a sign of love. And we remind each other that while God’s calls are not always easy, they are indeed our calls, not to be lived out by anyone else, for the glory of the Kingdom.

What has God been calling you to do? How have you been responding to God? Has your answer been yes, but you haven’t taken any action to fulfill your call? Have you been seeking to live into your call but need support? Or have you simply been ignoring God, hoping that the call would go away, or thinking that God mis-spoke and what God has called you to do is really a task for someone else? And how have you been supporting each other in your calls as the body of Christ? Have you been holding others accountable, or do you shy away, knowing that if you hold someone else accountable that they will hold you accountable in return?

The apostle Paul reminded the communities in Corinth and Ephesus that all are called to do something in the body of Christ - some teachers, some apostles, others pastors. Some prophets, some who work miracles, and others who have the gift of healing. Some who work on administration others who are evangelists. We are all called, but we must be discerning enough to hear God’s voice and bold enough in our love for the Lord to respond to God’s call on our lives, in the hope that God is doing a new and powerful thing through us. How will you respond?

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Baptized by the Holy Spirit - Mark 1: 4-11

We are a country that prides itself on the idea of doing everything yourself and pulling yourself up by your own boot straps. We rarely acknowledge the people who have come before us. The ones who have shouted, “prepare the way.” The ones who quiet whispers of encouragement have given us the strength to go after our dreams, and the ones who silently had tilled the soil so we can forge ahead, reaping the benefits of their labor.

Recently, while reflecting upon 1 Corinthians I was struck by the statement made by the apostle Paul that “I planted the seed, Appolos watered it, but God made it grow.” Sometimes this verse is summarized as some plant, some water, other harvest, but God gives the increase. I like to plant and harvest, but watering sometimes is hard. Watering is in that waiting time, the time when you don’t really get to see the benefit of all of your hard work and at times you just continue to do what you are doing, running the risk of forgetting its purpose in the first place.

If I had to describe John the Baptist in terms of Pauls’s statement, he would not have even been included. John was the one who prepared the ground so the seeds of truth could even be planted. Often a thankless task. John was the one who proclaimed, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” He tilled the land so Jesus could come and plant and reap the harvest.

John appeared in the wilderness with a message that sounded like that of the prophets of old. It had been quite some time since the people had encountered a prophet, yet here he was preaching a baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins. The prophets from the scriptures that the people would have known continually told them the same thing: they had screwed up, but God had prepared a way for them to repent and be forgiven. John told the people that he was not the way to repentance and forgiveness, he was simply the messenger for one who was more powerful who would come after him. One whom he was not unworthy to touch the feet of. One who would not need to baptize with water as John did, for this one who was coming would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

John wold have more then likely known his cousin Jesus. He would have heard the stories his mother told him about her womb leaping for joy at the sheer sound of the voice of the mother of the Christ child. But I wonder if John really knew that Jesus, his cousin, was the Messiah before he showed up to be baptized by John in the Jordan. For as Jesus approached the Jordan River the heavens tore open and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove as God proclaimed, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

The words that were spoken over Jesus are spoken over each of us at the waters of baptism as well. We might not hear an audible voice or have the Holy Spirit descend upon us like a dove, but God proclaims that we are the children of God, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

And most of us have a John in our life. Someone who has prepared the way for us to go to the waters of baptism, accepting that we are part of the body of Christ, redeemed, forgiveness, and sent on a mission. We might not all know our John’s by name but they were there. For those of us who were baptized as infants, we would have many more John’s in our life who would teach us about the faith, those who would exemplify what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, sharing the love of God.

There are many faithful servants of the Lord who have impacted my life. Countless Sunday School teachers, patient acolyte trainers, Youth group leaders, parents of friends, people praying for me, people who taught me about missions, United Methodist Women who adopted me into their fold early on, the list is endless. I have only recently began to think about them one by one and give thanks for what they did, and especially praise God for all of the silent things they did on my behalf that I never knew about.

The question begs to be asked - who are the John’s in your life? Who are the people who prepared the way for your walk of faith? Recently, for United Methodist Student Sunday, one of the women at my former parish stood up and asked everyone to give one dollar to this special offering for everyone who taught them something in life - everyone who impacted them. When she put out this call for a tangible figure, it caused the congregation, including myself, to pause and really consider who has taught us something - anything in life - that was worth learning. Now I am asking you something similar, who are the people who have taught you something about the faith?

Being part of the body of Christ means that we also serve as Johns for other people. We are the ones who lift each other up in prayer and tech the children about the faith. We are the ones who lead by example and till the ground so others can come to know Christ. A thankless task at times, it is also vital. It calls us for self-examination. I truly believe that John had to wrestle with himself before he was able to go out and call others to repentance. He had to honestly ask himself if he lived a life that would draw others to repentance - if he himself had repented and turned around to a new life. You are someone’s John the Baptist, whether you realize it or not. Someone is looking up to you to learn about the faith. Maybe someone in this congregation. Maybe a family member. Maybe someone in the community. Maybe someone whom you don’t even know, but who recognizes something different about you. Are you living a life that is worthy of being their John? In other words, have you examined your own heart and are you striving to grow in your own relationship with Christ? Yes, there will be times that we stumble along the way, but have you repented of those times and learned from them? Are you living into the truth that you are tilling the ground for the seeds of other’s faith?

Today we have a lot to celebrate. In a few moments we are going to take part in the Wesley Covenant Service. This was adapted from a prayer written by John Welsey for the renewal of life. While the first Covenant Renewal Service was held in August, Methodists now traditionally have this service at the beginning of the new year. Admits our time of making personal resolutions in the spirit of hope that the new year brings, now is our opportunity to renew the covenant made at our baptism before God. It is paired with the celebration of the baptism of Jesus, so we are reminded that we, too, were baptized into the body of Christ and called God’s beloved. As we remember the vows made at our baptism, either by us or on our behalf, and as we renew our covenant with the Lord this day, let us also remember those who made this time possible. Those who have made it possible for us to be at this place in our faith journey today, for none of us have come this far alone. We are not a people who pride themselves on self-reliant or stand-alone faith.

Today is especially exciting for me to be renewing my convent with the Lord for this coming year, in this new place. I am humble to know the legacy of some of the people who laid the foundation on which our ministry together can now take place. Former District Superintendents like Ed Zediers and former pastors like Howard Woodruff and Christopher Shaffer, amongst many others. I am humbled because I know that these are big shoulders for me to be standing on, but I also feel blessed to know that God has called us - you and me - together for this time to do amazing things for the Kingdom of God. I am not like the pastors whom have come before me, like you are not identical to the people of whom you stand on their shoulders in faith. We have come this far, together, as the body of Christ, starting something new that is built upon so much history and hard work of those who have come before us preparing the way. May they never be forgotten. And may we never forget that we are preparing the way for those who will come after us as well. In this spirit of hope and promise may we renew our covenant with the Lord, this day.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Journey by Starlight: The Wise Men - Matthew 2: 1-12

When I was a senior in high school I started attending a Bible Study in the home of a fellow classmate, whom I did not know. One day he simply walked up to me when we were both serving as tutors and asked if I would like to come to his house that evening for a Bible Study his mom was leading. To this day, I’m not sure what compelled me to go, but that Study was something that transformed my life, and transformed our high school. The first week I went, there were only ten or so people, a mixture of Christians from every denomination to strict atheist. Over the school year we out grew the living room in this women’s home, her home In general, and at one point were having close to 40 students meet in the youth trailer at the local church. Many years later, we still remember that study fondly. It was were many of us grew in our faith and learned about evangelism. It was were many of us learned about differences in beliefs, as we were diverse. And it is where we learned, some of us for the first time ever, that we have a gift to share.

Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth is different from Luke’s. While Luke tells us that God announced the birth of the Christ child to the humble and lowly, the Shepherds, Matthew tells us that God announced Christ’ birth to all people. Like the young man who first asked me as well as many other people to come to the Bible Study, God indiscriminately invited everyone to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. I’m sure my friend got many rejections to his offer for people to join him for Bible Study, just as many people did not respond to God’s celestial event, but some people do respond and their lives are forever changed.

Author Adam Hamilton asserts that for many of us, “our way of imaging what happened after Jesus’ birth is typically mistaken...particularly regarding the wise men.” (The Journey, 121). Let us pause to consider who the wise man really were. First, while we have just sung the song “We Three Kings”, Matthew does not describe the men as kings but as magoi, which translates in English to magician. However, they were probably not like our modern concept of magician, rather priests who study the stars, and believed that the positioning of the stars told of future events. This would make them similar to a cross between an astrologer and an astronomer.

The wise men traveled from Persia, what is now Iran, to Bethlehem. At least a four months journey and up to six months. We do not know when they started to see the star - if it appeared for a period of time before or if it did not appear until the night Christ was born. We are not even sure exactly what they saw. It may have been a star. Or a comet. Or as some scholars have recently suggested Jupiter aligning with the star Regulus and Venus, all moving in a backwards motion. Or something else entirely. But we do know that they observed something in the heavens that made them believe that a new, great king was born in Judea, and this compelled them to travel quite a distance to pay him homage.

We also know that these men were not Jewish. And they were not of humble circumstances, for they could afford to make such a long journey. They were men from a foreign land seeking truth in their own way. And God provided them with a sign that they would recognize and understand. Matthew’s gospel truly tells us that God is the God of all people and wanted everyone to have the opportunity to experience the birth of Christ! Jesus is not the King and Savior of the Jewish people, or later those who identify themselves as Christians, but everyone.

Sometimes we get so caught up in placing people into categories - good and bad, right and wrong, Christian and non-Christian, that we forget that God extends grace through Jesus Christ to all people. God does not see people through the same lens that we see them. God sees people as Beloved and worthy of being saved, even if they are not Jews or Christians. Even if they do not worship our God or even know who God is at all.

Often when we want to quote the gospel of John 14:6, saying Jesus “is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But in our haste we forget the story of the Magi, which tells a story of God deeply caring for people of different faith traditions, drawing them to God through Jesus in a unique way. The Magi were the first people who began taking the message of Christ to the ends of the world, even before Jesus gave his disciples the great commission. God went as far to coax the wise men to come meet the Christ child through something they understood and could respond to - a celestial event.

When the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, where Herod was located, they went to the King’s court to ask about the child that has been born king of the Jews, because they made the logical assumption that the child must be Herod’s, as he is the current king. However, Herod was not a Jew - he was an Idumean who had simply been appointed to be king of the region over the Jewish people by Rome. Herod knew this and knew he could not be the one who had a son who was born King of the Jews. In all honesty, he probably would not have wanted his own son to be declared the King of the Jews either. During Herod’s reign, he had his favorite wife, his mother, his brother-in-law, and three of his sons killed out of fear for his throne. It is not a surprise then that Herod wanted to use the Magi to know more about this one who had been born King of the Jews so he could have him killed. He summoned his advisors, who pointed him to Micah 5:2 which stated, “But you, Bethlehem Eprathat, though you are small among the clans of Judea, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Based on this clue, he sent the wise men on to Bethlehem to search for the child.

The wise men did find Jesus in Bethlehem, in a house, probably Joseph’s parents home with the additional room built on for Mary, Joseph, and their family. When the Magi finally found the child, they were overwhelmed with joy. This is the response that we saw from the Shepherd’s in Luke’s gospel as well, and it should be our response as well when we recognize who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Take a moment and reflect on what Jesus means to you. Which of the magi’s gifts - gold for kingship, frankincense for the high priesthood, and myrrh for burial of the dead (and in this case his resurrection) - point today to what Jesus means in your life? Now considering what Jesus means to you, what are you willing to give to him for his Kingdom?

I know many pastors who dislike preaching about stewardship or what membership in the Christian church means because they are fearful of driving people away. But how often do you...I....we live into the true meaning of the gifts that Christ has given us? How do we celebrate them? The reason we gave our offering away this Christmas Eve, was part of a denominational rethinking of what it would look like to give what is precious to us as an expression of joy and gratitude for the Birth of Jesus Christ and the meaning of his role in our lives. In the words of Mike Slaughter, the pastor of the second largest church in the denomination, “Christmas is not your birthday.” Yet, often we live Christmas and most other days as if it was our birthday, spending beyond our means thinking that we need something in order to bring ourselves joy. But joy can really only be found in the Christ Child, the one whom we should adore and seek to bring honor to with our entire being, including our finances. For some people struggling financially, the gift that they can give can only be small, but for many of us, we limit our giving based on what we want to give, or have to give after everything else is taken care of, or even feel that the church has earned. But what do you feel compelled to give this year, as you consider the gift of Christ?

The two largest churches in the denomination have been donating the totality of their Christmas Eve offerings for years. And for many of the seekers who find their way to their churches for Christmas Eve, this is their shining star, what attracted them the church. That a church would rethink their finances in such a way that the mission of the church to serve others, make disciples, and transform the world comes first. Many people come because of this star and stay because of the ministry that the church is doing.

There are many other stars attracting people to ministry today. When I taught my Bible Study for the Wesley Foundation, often their would be more atheists and agnostics in my group each week then Christians. They would come in for a cup of coffee and feel compelled to join us to learn more about this person who would make us so willing to give away free coffee and boundless hospitality every day. For my friend, the star was his willingness to share his faith with everyone, inviting everyone to Bible Study without fear of being judged if they rejected his offer. How are we drawing people to Christ as individuals and as Albright-Bethune United Methodist Church? What is our compelling sign that we extend to other people of Christ’s love?

Today we are celebrating Epiphany, a time in the church that marks the appearance or manifestation of the celestial event in the sky that marked the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ. This time also celebrates the appearance of Christ’s ministry through his first miracle in the gospel of John, the turning of water into wine at the wedding feast at Canaan, reminding us that Christ appears to us in many different ways to different people. I would encourage you to take time to truly think about how you are shining Christ to others, as an extension of what Christ means to you. I would also challenge you to think about how your priorities reflect what Christ means in your life, honestly. How would you like to change in the coming year? How can you be open to Christ revealing himself to you over the coming year? For each of us have the ability to serve as stars for other people, attracting them to Christ in a variety of ways, if only we would open ourselves up to allowing God to use us and if our light is a reflection of how we live into God’s gift to us each and every day. Amen.