Do not be afraid

Do not be afraid

Do not be afraid

I have called you by name

I will save you

I will be with you

Do not be afraid—I am with you!

For I am the Lord your God

 [from Isaiah 43:1-7]

Fear not [AKJV]

Do not fear [NRSV]

Do not be afraid [GNB]

I wonder what comes into your mind when you hear those words.

Maybe you think of Mary and the words of the angel

Or the shepherds, with angels again saying: don’t be afraid.

Or maybe it is some time in your life, when those words came to mind.

Some time when fear threatened to overwhelm you

But the presence of God with you enabled you to continue.

There is a beautiful hymn that begins: [words on screen]

I will come to you in the silence,

I will lift you from all your fear.

You will hear my voice, I claim you as my choice,

be still and know I am here.

I am hope for all who are hopeless,

I am eyes for all who long to see.

In the shadows of the night, I will be your light,

come and rest in me.

Refrain:

Do not be afraid, I am with you,

I have called you each by name.

Come and follow me, I will bring you home;

I love you and you are mine.

© David Haas, 1991

As One Voice, vol.II

When we baptise, these words are spoken to the one being baptised:

N and N,

for you Jesus Christ has come,
has lived, has suffered;
for you he endured the agony of Gethsemane
and the darkness of Calvary;
for you he uttered the cry, ‘It is accomplished!’
For you he triumphed over death;
for you he prays at God’s right hand;
for you, N,
even before you were born.
In baptism the word of the apostle is confirmed;
‘We love, because God first loved us.’

That is true not only for the person being baptised, but for each one of us, baptised or not!

[Words on screen]

I am strength for all the despairing,

healing for the ones who dwell in shame.

All the blind will see, the lame will all run free,

and all will know my name.

Refrain:

Do not be afraid, I am with you,

I have called you each by name.

Come and follow me, I will bring you home;

I love you and you are mine.

....

In the gospel reading we heard the story of the Baptism of Jesus.

After all the people had been baptized, Jesus also was baptized …. heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.” [Luke 3: 21-22]

This passage from Luke’s gospel tells us who Jesus is. Son of God.

“… Jesus says, “we’ll do things God’s way. I’ll go down. With you. Where you are. In the deep. In the dark. Where all your hard stuff is swirling around. Where there’s the danger you could drown, the danger you could get lost and succumb to your despair. That’s where I’ll go, a sibling in your own flesh. That’s where I’ll always be. That’s how you’ll know that God is not against you. That’s how you’ll know you’re not alone.”  http://sicutlocutusest.com/2016/01/08/the-one-down-god-sermon-for-the-feast-of-the-baptism-of-jesus/

[Words on screen]

I am the Word that leads all to freedom.

I am the peace the world cannot give.

I will call your name, embracing all your pain,

stand up, now walk, and live!

Refrain:

Do not be afraid, I am with you,

I have called you each by name.

Come and follow me, I will bring you home;

I love you and you are mine.

It can be hard sometimes to remember that we are precious to God, loved and known and named,

forgiven and free.

It can be hard to remember

when you are being ridiculed for your weight,

when you are being ignored because of your age,

when you are being called names because of your faith

when the news is about floods and fires

when politicians speak of terrorism

when we watch people die of malnutrition while we throw out food

it can be hard to remember who we are and to whom we belong

  

Isaiah reminds us:

That we are created by God,

To bring God glory

Being one of Gods people can sometimes seem difficult,

Am I good enough?

Have I prayed correctly?

Am I living out my faith properly?

I don’t know how much of my life brings glory to God.

But I do know that my living in fear and shame isn’t what God has planned for me, or any of you.

Do not be afraid

I have called you by name

I will save you

I will be with you

Do not be afraid—I am with you!

For I am the Lord your God

 [From Isaiah 43:1-7]

 In Baptism you are named and claimed by God

In baptism we are all reminded of how much we are loved by God

Even before we knew it, God loved us!

We take some time to reflect and rest in God’s love.

Where is the Good news?

“With many other encouraging words, he told the Good News to the people.” Luke 3: 18

The good news?

being called a snake,
threatened with unquenchable fire
judgement

Where is the good news in this?

When people were coming to John, to listen, to be baptised, the country was close to a crisis situation.

The people of Israel had been in slavery to Rome for many years. They remembered the stories of the exodus, the liberation from slavery to Egypt. But this time there was not to be an exodus, they were slaves in their own land.

The people were looking for one who would lead them to freedom, freedom to worship God, freedom from oppression and poverty.

When we look at what is happening in many places around the world at the moment, including on Australia, there is still poverty, oppression and fear. With the advances in communication and social media, we know a lot more about what is happening in other parts of the world.

While statistics reported on websites vary, and the number varies each year, something like 50 - 80 woman are killed in Australia each year by a current or former partner.

At a meeting on Friday we heard about some of the consequences for people who had been victims of sexual abuse while attending church schools. Another session we heard about some of the consequences for indigenous people who were in children’s homes. They were not pretty stories.   

Where is the Good news?
Where is good news in times of violence, war and addiction?
Where is good news for the lonely, the grieving and those living with chronic pain?
What is the good news we are looking for?

I doubt it is being called a snake!

John is reminding people that you can’t just say that you worship God, belong to God or believe in God – whichever way you want to express being in relationship with God. Faith isn’t just about words, faith is about action.

The good news is that the judgement separates the chaff from the grain – both from the one stalk. Judgement in this sense is not that a person is good or bad – both reside within each of us. The grain, the fruit is kept, the chaff, the refuse is destroyed.

The judgement here isn’t about your status as baptised or member or born again. The judgement is how you live.

“Do those things that prove that you have turned to God and have changed the way you think and act.” [Luke 3:8 GNB]

And of course the crowd asked: how do we do that?

Basically share what you have. If you have more than you need, share.

Tax collectors and soldiers are two groups who were outcasts in Jewish society. They were collaborators with Rome, and so despised. Tax collectors and soldiers also had the opportunity to charge extra, to ask for bribes or favours.

John doesn’t tell them to quit their jobs, but tax collectors should only take collect is required; and soldiers be content with their wages, which meant no more extortion.

I can remember when I was much younger, and very new Christian, it seemed that all that mattered was saying the ‘right’ prayer to commit my life to Jesus, and then getting other people to pray that prayer. If I could manage that, everything would be great.

The gospel however tells us that being a follower of Jesus is more than saying the ‘right’ prayer. Being true to our name of Christian is about living in a way that shows the fruit of the spirit in our lives.

I came across this quote this week:

“Religion says God will love us if we change
The Gospel says: God’s love changes us”

Are you trying to change so that you will be acceptable to God? That is a waste of time and energy. Allow God’s love to seep into your life, to wash through you, to shine in your life. Then your life will change.

Still looking for the good news in this passage?

If you have no coat and someone gives you one; that might be good news. Remembering that in this time this was written, a coat meant warmth at night as well as protection during the day.

If you have no food and someone shares their food with you; that would be good news. And there were no freezers for long term storage.

This part of the reading, about sharing our excess, reminds me of the judgement at the end of Matthews’s gospel, the story of the sheep and the goats. Jesus comes to us in other people. Would you give Jesus your spare coat if he was cold?
Give it to someone without a coat.

Just as in the time when John was preaching and Baptising, our world needs to be turned right-side-up.

Advent, the time of anticipation and expectation, a time of waiting, is also a time of renewal. A time to reconsider what is important in our lives. A time to think about where peace and joy and hope come from in our lives.

The third Sunday of advent we think about joy. Joy is no happiness quick fix; joy comes from deep within us. Paul is writing from prison when he tells the people of Philippi to rejoice.

In the midst of a world that seems bent on destruction,
where people vie for power,
where violence is the first response to every problem
where home is not a safe place for many people
where life is devalued
we have a different story to tell.

We have a story about God who decided to come in human form
to usher in a new kingdom:
where life is valued
where everyone can feel safe
where power is shared
where peace reigns

During Advent we re-hear the stories of John the Baptist,
the speech of Zechariah,
the song of Mary,
the words of the prophets.
We re-imagine a world turned right-side-up
where no-one is hungry
or cold
or living in fear.

REFLECTION:

Where do you find joy in life?

What is the good news you are longing to hear? 

are we ready?

Malachi, a short book at the end of our Old Testament, is thought to have been written about 430 BC. It is one long speech, full of warnings for the people of Israel. Malachi, as with the other prophets, calls the people of Israel to account for their sinfulness,

for despising God,
for offering less than their best,
for marrying foreign wives.

And then the section we heard read this morning:

“… my messenger is coming
to prepare the way before me
The Lord who you seek will come to his temple.”

We are in the season of Advent, a time of preparation and waiting.

In the media there is lots of help in preparing for Christmas,

the number of shopping days left,
how to cook a wonderful turkey,
or what the latest trends in festive food and clothes are.

But we are not preparing for, or waiting for, Christmas Day. We are waiting for the coming of the Lord. During Advent, we prepare for the coming of Jesus – the first coming, over 2,000 years ago; and what is usually referred to as the second coming – the time when the kingdom of God will be fulfilled.

When I talk with couples preparing for marriage, I try to move beyond the wedding day. So much attention goes on dresses and cars and flowers and photos and food. But the wedding day is one day, yes it is an important day, but a wedding day does not make a marriage.

We can prepare for Christmas Day with gifts and food and family and friends and cards and decorations; there is nothing wrong with any of that. But it isn’t preparing for Christmas, for the coming of Jesus. It isn’t preparing us to make space in our lives for the Baby Jesus. It isn’t encouraging us to reflect on the place of Jesus in our lives.

Just as with a wedding, Christmas celebrations are wonderful. But it is only the start.

Christmas is when God says to us, I am searching for you. Like a cosmic game of hide and seek, where people say they can’t see God or know God. God replies, Here I am!

Prophets spoke warnings and promises. It isn’t the way we use the word prophecy in our day, when it can refer to people trying to predict the future. Biblical prophets warned people about the consequences of their action, or inaction. Prophets also reminded people of the promises of God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God who led you out of Egypt; the God who led you through the wilderness; are all common phrases, reminding the people of the faithfulness and presence of God throughout their history.

Prophets also reminded the people about the covenant of God, the promise of the rainbow, the desire for God to offer salvation for all people.

Prophets spoke warnings and promises.

The role of the messenger, which we hear about in Malachi, and in the words of Isaiah quoted by Luke, is about preparing the way.

Preparing the way for the Lord
Calling people to repentance
Cleaning and cleansing
Making the paths straight
             And smooth
                       And even
And all flesh will see the salvation of God.

Luke’s gospel from beginning to end, takes salvation for all the world – not just a few - seriously. It is a thread running through the whole gospel. “And all flesh will see the salvation of God.”

How do we prepare?

Are we ready?

Many years ago I worked for a mining company. Many of the metals we have are refined by heat and or fire. That is what smelters do, they melt metal so the impurities can be removed. If you watch a silversmith making jewellery, you may notice them burning the metal, removing any contamination.

Sin is what we call contamination in our lives. The judgement of God is about preparation, not punishment. [Anne Stewart, https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2699]

What is it that contaminates our life with God?

Being too busy to build relationships with God and Gods people?
ignoring our neighbours in need?
being self-focussed?
offering God less than our best
          selves
           time
            attitudes

What is it that contaminates our life with God?

What needs to change for us to be ready?

When we know a visitor is coming, we might clean the house, make up the bed in the spare room, set the table.

But this isn’t someone coming for a visit. God incarnate, God in the person of Jesus is moving in forever. We can’t just hide our rubbish for an hour or a few days.

Are we ready?

What do we need to do to prepare for the coming of the Lord?

I know we think of Lent as a time to think about where we need to pull our socks up and follow the example of Jesus in living sacrificially, in being better disciples.

But Advent is also a time to slow a bit, to stop and look at our lives.

Is there space for Jesus, have we crowded Jesus out of our lives with a lot of being busy? Even with church activities?

Have we become complacent, or arrogant?

Are we so used to the warnings and promises that the words wash over us?

In Malachi we hear about the one who will come as a messenger, calling people to repentance, he talks of cleaning and cleansing.

What needs to be cleaned in our lives, purges, refined?

John the Baptist is saying to us:

Get ready,
the world is about to change
the Lord is coming!

Don’t just sit there!
Be prepared to meet the one who can see through you

The one who will transform you.

Are you ready for that kind of change?

Are you ready for the cleansing?

The transformation?

Newsletter question: In what ways are you preparing for Jesus to be born anew in your life this Christmas?