"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." This is the first verse of John's gospel, the reading we heard on Christmas day as well as the reading for this coming Sunday. The Christmas carols have stopped playing on the radio. The Christmas decorations in stores have been picked over at the after-Christmas sales and are starting to be replaced with Valentine's Day merchandise (yes, I saw cards and candy). Homes are cleaning and tidying after presents were opened and families went home. It is difficult for us (at least for me) to remember that we are still in the Christmas season. Today is the 5th day, the day of five golden rings, or the day that reminds us of the first five books of the bible called the "Pentateuch", or the "law".
In addition to the stores and the radio stations stopping with the Christmas celebrations the second we pass December 25, we also have our New Year's celebration smack dab in the middle of our Christmas season. I often think back over the previous year with wonder and amazement. Where did the time go? How do you measure a year? (The Rent song, "Seasons of Love" plays over in my head, sometimes annoyingly over and over...) I look forward to the next year with anticipation of what is in store. And into this time of transition from one year to another we have the words from John's prologue.
John's Christmas story is a short little verse, found in John 1.14 - "and the Word became flesh and lived among us..." God has entered our human story, incarnate in bone and flesh, cell and sinew. God did something brand new - coming into the world in a way the world had never experienced God before. God had most certainly been doing new things: creating the universe through the Word. Creating light to shine in the darkness. Calling John the Baptist to tell about Christ's coming so that the world might be ready. Revealing all of God's grace and truth in a human being. This is a text full of new things!
From the very beginning God has been doing new things. And God continues to do new things! The Word did become incarnate in Jesus Christ, however the Word continues to become incarnate through God's children. The Word becomes incarnate in you when you show love to another human being. The Word becomes incarnate when we are God's presence in the community, when we nurture children in faith, when we provide a place to belong, when we show compassion to those in need. The Word becomes incarnate when we point to God, as John pointed to Jesus. The Word becomes incarnate when we show grace or mercy to others. Looking back over the past year it is exciting to see how God became incarnate through you and through me. It also makes me anticipate the great mystery of the next year:
What new thing will God do?
30 December 2010
20 December 2010
Christ is coming!?!?
Christ is coming!! An exclamation shouted out with joy because Christ is coming - that means hope, love, joy, peace, family, good food, presents, and warm fuzzies are also coming because baby Jesus is in a manger and what could be cuter than that?
Christ is coming?? An interrogative barely whispered because Christ is coming - that means despair, hate, sadness, distress, broken relationships, hunger, poverty, and dread are also coming because Jesus Christ is on the cross and what could be more atrocious than that?
We heard last Sunday that the hope, love, joy, and peace that Christ brings into the world are often found in the places we least expect them, like on the cross. Which is why it is such an exciting thing to say, "Christ is coming!!" But, if you're like me, you may look around and really truly wonder, "Christ is coming??" How could God be here? In the midst of the terrible suffering of people who not only suffered through an earthquake but now contracted cholera? In the midst of terrified women and children who are trafficked across borders in exchange for drugs or money? In the midst of broken systems and imperfect people and in the midst of kings who slaughter all the boys under age two?
Sunday's gospel lesson comes from Matthew 2.13-23 and includes the two verses called "The Massacre of the Infants". Matthew's gospel tells quite a different story than the one we are used to hearing. Instead of shepherds in the quiet night seeing angels proclaim Jesus' birth, we are told only that an angel came to Joseph and told him to marry Mary, who was pregnant, and to name the child Jesus. The story goes on to tell us that when some magi came to King Herod (the regional king) where the king of the Jews had been born, for they had observed a star, he became afraid and killed all the boys under two.
The king whose birth was announced to bring peace to earth in Luke's gospel is the same king whose birth announcement was a death sentence in Matthew's gospel. While there is little historical evidence of the massacre actually happening, the truth of the story remains: Jesus' kingship was threatening to those in power, for, as Mary sang, "God humbles the proud but lifts up the lowly."
These two accounts of Jesus' birth at first seem quite contrary. One account of peace and harmony, one account of murder and discord. I know that Christ has come to bring hope, love, joy, and peace. In Matthew's gospel, however, Christ's coming seems to bring just the opposite. So I am left wondering:
Perhaps the main reason for Christ's coming was not so that God would prevent bad things from happening - sin does, after all, seem to rule this earthly life. Perhaps the main reason for Christ's coming was so that God would be with all of creation during times full of strife, war, hatred, violence, and suffering. This is a mystery of faith, and because of faith I can still shout and proclaim with great joy and hope in God's future:
Christ is coming!?!?
Christ is coming?? An interrogative barely whispered because Christ is coming - that means despair, hate, sadness, distress, broken relationships, hunger, poverty, and dread are also coming because Jesus Christ is on the cross and what could be more atrocious than that?
We heard last Sunday that the hope, love, joy, and peace that Christ brings into the world are often found in the places we least expect them, like on the cross. Which is why it is such an exciting thing to say, "Christ is coming!!" But, if you're like me, you may look around and really truly wonder, "Christ is coming??" How could God be here? In the midst of the terrible suffering of people who not only suffered through an earthquake but now contracted cholera? In the midst of terrified women and children who are trafficked across borders in exchange for drugs or money? In the midst of broken systems and imperfect people and in the midst of kings who slaughter all the boys under age two?
Sunday's gospel lesson comes from Matthew 2.13-23 and includes the two verses called "The Massacre of the Infants". Matthew's gospel tells quite a different story than the one we are used to hearing. Instead of shepherds in the quiet night seeing angels proclaim Jesus' birth, we are told only that an angel came to Joseph and told him to marry Mary, who was pregnant, and to name the child Jesus. The story goes on to tell us that when some magi came to King Herod (the regional king) where the king of the Jews had been born, for they had observed a star, he became afraid and killed all the boys under two.
The king whose birth was announced to bring peace to earth in Luke's gospel is the same king whose birth announcement was a death sentence in Matthew's gospel. While there is little historical evidence of the massacre actually happening, the truth of the story remains: Jesus' kingship was threatening to those in power, for, as Mary sang, "God humbles the proud but lifts up the lowly."
These two accounts of Jesus' birth at first seem quite contrary. One account of peace and harmony, one account of murder and discord. I know that Christ has come to bring hope, love, joy, and peace. In Matthew's gospel, however, Christ's coming seems to bring just the opposite. So I am left wondering:
Perhaps the main reason for Christ's coming was not so that God would prevent bad things from happening - sin does, after all, seem to rule this earthly life. Perhaps the main reason for Christ's coming was so that God would be with all of creation during times full of strife, war, hatred, violence, and suffering. This is a mystery of faith, and because of faith I can still shout and proclaim with great joy and hope in God's future:
Christ is coming!?!?
02 December 2010
What are you waiting for?
The second Sunday in Advent is the love Sunday and our Isaiah text is 11.1-10. This chapter is the source of the well known wolf living with the lamb, the Peaceable Kingdom. It is also the source of the prophecy of a leader who will come from the house of Jesse (King David's father) and who will be the leader of leaders, judging all with righteousness and equity. In addition to our Isaiah text, our Advent candle is the Love candle this week, after our hope candle last week.
I'm not sure about your holiday traditions, but in my family we inevitably share stories from Christmases and times past. We do this as a country as well, thinking about the 'good old days' when our economy was strong, shoppers were adorning the bottom of their Christmas trees with extravagant presents, and families were strong and together. This is what the prophet Isaiah is getting at when he speaks of the stump of Jesse. When Jesse's son David was king of Israel, all was well. The country was unified, the military was strong and successful, and people were relatively faithful to God. After David, however, the country started to go downhill, the economy was worsening, their military power was getting less, and then the country split in two.
Isaiah is recalling the 'good old days' and foretelling of a time when a leader greater even than King David would come to rule. Can you imagine the excitement? The excitement of a leader, stronger, more powerful, more wise, and more faithful than even their best king, who would finally do right by Israel? Except that king didn't come. There was a new king shortly after Isaiah's prophecy, but he proved to be no better than the many who had come before him. So Israel waited. And waited. Until, one day an angel appeared to a meek and lowly teenage girl and informed her that she would bear a son, God's son. This king took Israel by surprise. In fact, it was so much of a surprise that no one but lowly shepherds came to his birth. Who would expect the best king Israel had seen to be born in a stable? Who would expect God to show God's power through an infant - the meekest of all?
And yet God's love is so great that God did exactly that. The ruler of the nations becoming an infant to save the world. Unfortunately even after Jesus came and died our world seems to be in shambles. So we continue to wait for that leader who will come and bring everlasting peace. We wait for that leader who will judge with righteousness and equity. We wait and wait and wait to see God's love - in us, in others, in the meek and lowly of the earth. We long for the day when peace will finally come and all will live together in harmony. Emmanuel - God with us - has come, is coming, and will come. We live now in the mystery of waiting, anticipating that glorious day of Emmanuel coming again to bring God's kingdom. For what are you most excited this Advent season?
I'm not sure about your holiday traditions, but in my family we inevitably share stories from Christmases and times past. We do this as a country as well, thinking about the 'good old days' when our economy was strong, shoppers were adorning the bottom of their Christmas trees with extravagant presents, and families were strong and together. This is what the prophet Isaiah is getting at when he speaks of the stump of Jesse. When Jesse's son David was king of Israel, all was well. The country was unified, the military was strong and successful, and people were relatively faithful to God. After David, however, the country started to go downhill, the economy was worsening, their military power was getting less, and then the country split in two.
Isaiah is recalling the 'good old days' and foretelling of a time when a leader greater even than King David would come to rule. Can you imagine the excitement? The excitement of a leader, stronger, more powerful, more wise, and more faithful than even their best king, who would finally do right by Israel? Except that king didn't come. There was a new king shortly after Isaiah's prophecy, but he proved to be no better than the many who had come before him. So Israel waited. And waited. Until, one day an angel appeared to a meek and lowly teenage girl and informed her that she would bear a son, God's son. This king took Israel by surprise. In fact, it was so much of a surprise that no one but lowly shepherds came to his birth. Who would expect the best king Israel had seen to be born in a stable? Who would expect God to show God's power through an infant - the meekest of all?
And yet God's love is so great that God did exactly that. The ruler of the nations becoming an infant to save the world. Unfortunately even after Jesus came and died our world seems to be in shambles. So we continue to wait for that leader who will come and bring everlasting peace. We wait for that leader who will judge with righteousness and equity. We wait and wait and wait to see God's love - in us, in others, in the meek and lowly of the earth. We long for the day when peace will finally come and all will live together in harmony. Emmanuel - God with us - has come, is coming, and will come. We live now in the mystery of waiting, anticipating that glorious day of Emmanuel coming again to bring God's kingdom. For what are you most excited this Advent season?
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