a pearl downunder: advent 4

Showing posts with label advent 4. Show all posts

Saturday, 22 December 2018

Infecting the World

In the Christmas story, a combination of Luke and Matthew, we usually hear about Mary and the angel Gabriel,

Mary visiting Elizabeth,

Mary singing, then

Mary and Joseph travelling for the census, and

the baby being placed in a manger.

All from Luke’s gospel.

We don’t hear from Matthew, until we get to the coming of the Magi, and the young family fleeing to Egypt.

But today, we hear about the birth from Matthew’s gospel. You can see why Luke predominates our Christmas storytelling, so much more action.

A little background on the rituals surrounding marriage at this time. Mary and Joseph's betrothal is much more of a contract than what we consider engagement to be, it was as if they were married just not yet living together. Marriage was a two-stage process, the first stage the promise and pledge, the second stage the celebration and moving in together.[i]

What is a righteous man to do? He finds his wife is pregnant with a child that he knows is not his. Joseph sees only two options, to dissolve the marriage quietly or to publicly accuse Mary. The second option, of publicly accusing her would lead to her death and Joseph would have a hand in the killing. To dissolve the marriage quietly means Joseph has not participated directly in her death, but it leaves her in a very vulnerable position.[ii]

Joseph hadn't considered the third possibility, it was such an absurd thought, that no righteous man would. Joseph didn't consider the possibility of protecting Mary, and her child, and raising the child as his own.

That is,

until the dream,

when an angel appeared to Joseph and explained to him that Mary was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit and this child would save people from their sins.

The passage we heard this morning is the entire birth narrative in the gospel of Matthew. No shepherds, no journey to Bethlehem, no stable and manger. Matthew does tell of the coming of the wise men, but this passage is all we hear about his birth.

When we read the biblical text is important to note who is the named, who speaks, and who acts in the scene.

Mary is barely mentioned, and the verbs are passive. It seems that the action is happening around her:

– Mary had been engaged to Joseph

– she was found to be with child

Joseph gets a little more airplay, but he doesn't speak.

The speaking is done by the Angel.

I wonder how Joseph felt. Matthew records what was going on in Joseph’s head, but what about his heart and his gut. I imagine a sense of betrayal, disbelief, anger. How could she do this to me? What about our future? But then, for Joseph, there is still a future. He can either publicly or privately divorce Mary, but without Joseph she has no future.

I wonder when has God intervened in your life?

When has God sent a Joseph to you, or an angel?

In my experience it can be difficult to see where God is active in our lives at the time.

Just as we think about Mary having a choice, in Luke’s gospel anyway, Joseph also had a choice. He could leave Mary to the whims of the community, or he could marry her and protect her and the child.

Jesus was born, our text today says nothing of the place, there is no manger, and no angels singing at his birth. Jesus was born in scandalous circumstances. Yet, Jesus was born, out of God’s love.

A quote: ‘Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love’[iii]

I wonder what the world would look like if we there was a conspiracy of love,

if we looked at problems differently, and responded differently?

If we decided that love would win the day

Love like the love Jesus shows for each one of us.

What if we were obedient to God,

to the nudging of the Spirit within us,

to say hello,

to ring a friend,

to help a stranger?

What if love, rather than fear was the base for our response.

What are some alternatives for our living?

One idea that I like, that sounds completely crazy, is from a short story by Robert Fulghum.

“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon.

A happiness weapon.

A beauty bomb.

And every time a crisis developed,

we would launch one.

It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination.” ― Robert Fulghum

During advent, we focus on themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

These are things we can’t drop down to Woolies or Coles and put in our shopping trolley. These come from within us, from our relationship with God through Jesus.

But there are things we can do to increase Hope and Peace and Joy and Love in the world.

To start with, we can be people who do not strip Hope and Peace and Joy and Love from others.

By Not making fun of people

Not judging people

Not Assuming we know what is best for someone else

We can enhance Hope and Peace and Joy and Love in the world, by nurturing it in our own lives, and being sources of Hope and Peace and Joy and Love for those we meet.

By treating people with dignity and respect

By listening

Offering a smile, a welcoming wave.

In what ways can we be like Joseph, open to the nudges of the Holy Spirit,

Willing to take a chance, to do the life-giving, if unconventional thing.

In what ways can we infect the world with Hope and Peace and Joy and Love?

[i] https://www.facebook.com/notthatkindofchristian/photos/a.1028878097188376/1971575006252009/?type=3&theater

[ii] [ii] Richard Swanson, Provoking the Gospel of Matthew

[iii] [i] Arland J. Hultgren, Working Preacher

Saturday, 23 December 2017

Light and Life Coming into The World and Our Lives

John 1:1-18 will be read from CEV

This is one of those readings where there is so much to say, and yet it is a reading we need to feel, to experience, more than understand.

I wonder if we listened to it being read a few times with different voices, if that would give us a greater sense of what John is speaking about.

There are images of

Light

Creation

Kindness

Grace

Word made flesh

You may be more familiar with this version:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 NRSV

We could write this as:

In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. Jesus was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without Jesus not one thing came into being. [1:1]

Everything that was created received its life from him,

and his life gave light to everyone. [1:3b-4]

Wow! What an image. Isn’t that mind-blowing?

Everything that was created received its life from him,

and his life gave light to everyone. [1:3b-4]

In Genesis we heard of God speaking the creation into being,

And here, John tells us that the Word of God, is Jesus.

And not only is the Word, Jesus, involved in creation,

Jesus also brings light,

Not like carrying a candle or a torch,

Jesus is the Light

John’s gospel begins with this poem or hymn. No word of Mary or Joseph, no shepherds or travellers from the east. John begins with an image of experiencing who Jesus is, and spends the rest of the gospel filling in some of the details.

This passage has been described as cosmic birth story, it harks back to the beginning of Genesis, and links Jesus with the story of the beginning of creation.

This all sounds wonderful, this close relationship between God and Jesus, and the close relationship between the life and light of Jesus and our own lives, yet … there is a downside[i]. Jesus being light, and dwelling with us, means we can’t hide.

We can’t pretend with God.

We can put on our ‘everything is going OK’ mask and go out into the world, where most people won’t suspect a thing.

But you can’t do that with Jesus.

And Jesus won’t let you lie to yourself.

Jesus comes bringing

life,

light,

grace

and kindness.

In the coming of Jesus, we “celebrate that God thought we were worth coming to earth for.”[ii]

Isn’t that totally awesome?!!

Here are some of the verses from a modern paraphrase:

John 1:1-18 selected verses

The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.

Everything was created through him;
    nothing—not one thing! —
    came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
    and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
    the darkness couldn’t put it out.

…..

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighbourhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

.....

We all live off his generous bounty,
        gift after gift after gift.
    We got the basics from Moses,
        and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
    This endless knowing and understanding—
        all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
    No one has ever seen God,
        not so much as a glimpse.
    This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
        who exists at the very heart of the Father,
        has made him plain as day.

What does it mean to you that “God thought we were worth coming to earth for.”[iii]

[i] Working on the sermon on John 1 and I had the thought, "Doesn't God dwelling so close to us suck? Because with the light living so close I can't overlook my faults." Caleb Suydam Facebook

[ii] https://revgalblogpals.org/2017/12/22/11th-hour-preacher-party-the-incarnation/

[iii] https://revgalblogpals.org/2017/12/22/11th-hour-preacher-party-the-incarnation/

Saturday, 20 December 2014

who is Christmas for?

Reading: Matthew 1: 1, 16 - 25

Response

The Wisdom of God:

God’s word made new.

Proclamation of the Word 1

Poor Joseph. Here he is betrothed to Mary, which is more formal than our engagement, but before they actually moved in together. I imagine Joseph is looking forward to Mary moving in with him, you see Joseph would have been much older than Mary. Joseph gets to be an adult, and head of his own family.

And then, in the midst of the planning there is unexpected news, Mary is going to have a baby.

Poor Joseph. He is very fond of Mary. What should he do?

He could follow the letter of the law; and have her killed. He is fond of Mary, so he decides to dismiss her quietly. This does not guarantee Mary’s safety.

And then in a dream, he gets this message; don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, this is a special baby. In the dream Joseph also finds out his role in the life of Jesus, he is to give the child a name, which was an act of adoption.[i]

Just like his namesake in the old testament, Joseph will continue to be guided by dreams and angels until his family is safely in Nazareth.[ii]

Sometimes it is hard for us to see a way forward, to choose between two competing options; when we allow ourselves to listen into God's dream we find a new way, a way we had never considered.

Matthews gospel begins with the genealogy, a listing of men, and a few women, leading to the birth of Jesus. It is unfortunate that modern Bibles put it in paragraph headings, because at times it appears to separate sections that belong together.

Matthew is more concerned with the birth of the Messiah, than the birth of a baby.[iii]

What does this story from Matthew have to say to us this year. This is a story of a person and family in crisis, Joseph has an almost impossible decision to make. How do we respond when we feel everyone looking at us, pointing their fingers at us behind our backs. This is what was happening to Joseph.

Over the next week there will be lots of family gatherings, some will be wonderful and warm and generous places; some will be tense; some will be violent. It is important that there is space for us to tell the truth about our life and our relationships.

In the midst of whatever pain or difficult situation you are in, the message of the gospel is that “God meets you where you are with the gift of redemption”.[iv]

Christmas is God meeting us where we are, not waiting for us to be good enough, or know enough, or live in the right way, or follow the law. Christmas is God meeting us where we are.

As we move toward Christmas I encourage you to reflect on Matthew's version of the birth, the birth of the Messiah, the birth “Not … of a baby, but of our awareness of God with us” [v]

Reading: Luke 1: 46 – 55

Response

The Wisdom of God:

God’s word made new.

Proclamation of the Word 2

Mary song is a radical protest song. A song much like the Hebrew slaves in Egypt would have sung, or African-American slaves, or the protest songs of the 60 ’s.

Whenever God's people have been oppressed they have sung God's song of resistance, and Mary sings of the grace of God, the power of God, and how God will turn the established order upside down so that the hungry are fed and the lowly lifted high.

This is a song of faith in God, a song of faith that God will act, and will bring about change in society, so that the oppressed can go free.

At times it is God's people who are the oppressors, at times is God's people who have enslaved and persecuted other people, and those times the persecuted seeing God songs against us.

When we hear this song of Mary, where do we see ourselves?

When we hear this song of Mary, who springs to mind – who are the proud, who were the powerful brought down?

Who are the hungry and the lowly?

[Miriam Therese Winter sung Magnificat]

[i] working preacher

[ii] working preacher

[iii] working preacher

[iv] working preacher podcast

[v] working preacher

Saturday, 22 December 2012

Loud Love

a shorter sermon again this week, we will also be watching a video message from the President of the UCA.

My mother grew up in the country, one of 11 children. Some of Mum’s sisters have very loud voices, and Mum would say they had forgotten they weren't down the paddock anymore. I know some families talk about outside voices and inside voices. Luke records that Elizabeth “cried out in a loud voice,” This phrase in Greek means to shout as though one is using a mega-phone.^{^[i]}

In the Magnificat, or Mary’s song, the opening words are translated in the NRSV as “My soul magnifies the Lord ...” , which in the Greek means Mary's soul will "make mega" the Lord. [ii]

And what does Mary speak of?

“Mary sings of God’s mercy, promising that God lifts up the lonely, the downtrodden, and the oppressed, not just of her day, but of our own as well. ….. According to Luke, when Mary sang, she didn't just name those promises but also entered into them.”[iii]

I wonder, how loudly do our words and our actions speak of God?

Over the past few weeks we have thought about hope, peace, joy, and today we will think about love.

Advent 1: you received a piece of paper, and wrote one thing you will do this year that will grow hope in the world, in your life, or in another’s life.

Advent 2: stars were handed out, and you wrote down in which way you are a prophet for peace or one way that you would like your life to show the peace of Christ.

Advent 3: we talked about joy, “experience joy that is experienced when we are aware that in a given moment we are doing exactly what God wants us to be doing.” You were each given a small bell, and were asked to think of a place or way in which you live out your joy, your discipleship.

All 3 symbols have been placed in the manger.

Today we think about love, not mushy romantic kind of love, that we see in movies and TV ads. Strong, brave love, love that steps in front of bullets, love that brings out our best, love that offers hope and peace. Love that we celebrate in the birth of Jesus, but also love of people shown in many ways .

The teachers at Newtown, in the US, who were killed trying to protect their students, reminded me of the verse “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” [John 15:13] which in the Message becomes “This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.”

Love, then, becomes what we give our life to.

Love is what we give our life to.

This week you will each receive a heart shaped sticky note, on it I want you to write what you give your life to.

Hearts to manger

Group singing ‘Nothing is lost on the breath of God’

….

Advent is a time when we think about hope, peace, joy and love as we wait for the coming of Jesus. the waiting is an active waiting, not sitting around being bored, but waiting with intent, waiting while working toward the goal. Waiting for Jesus to come, is about waiting for the birth, and the celebration of the birth of Jesus that we call Christmas. We also wait for the coming again of Jesus, the time of the fulfilment of God’s kingdom. And we also wait and watch for signs of that kingdom in our midst.

The box we use for a manger was originally a munitions box, remember Isaiah and “ turning swords into ploughs” well we have a box for holding ammunition turned into a cradle. But it only becomes a cradle, when it is filled with our hopes, when we speak out about peace, when we live the joy of being known by God and when we give our life in love for what matters to God. An ammunition box becomes a manger when we live out the gospel values of hope, peace, joy and love.