Category: Sermons - Page 26 - We Get There By Walking

For the Bible Tells Me So

Good stories often begin with this, don’t they?
“Once upon a time…”
And, with those four wonderful words our imaginations are unleashed and time is transformed and we find ourselves transported right smack dab in the middle of the story. Jesus knew that.

This morning we presented Bibles to a group of our children.
For the past ten weeks they have met with Midge Keane and learned about books and chapters and verses. They have learned how to find Genesis and Micah and Matthew and Luke. And, they have learned that in these pages we discover the story of our faith, and that somehow these old, old stories of Moses and Miriam and Jonah and Jesus have something to do with our lives today.
Once upon a time…

But you and I know the Bible is not that easy, is it.
With some regularity I remember the long time member of BPC, who has since moved away, who came up to me one Sunday morning and said, “When you read from the Bible, I quit listening because it doesn’t make much sense to me. I begin listening again when you begin the sermon.”
(I guess I should be grateful that in her view, at least, my sermons make sense!)
Many of us find ourselves in just that place.
How do we make sense of stories that come out of a culture few of us understand?
First written down in languages that are no longer spoken?
And, we can barely make sense of the political dynamics of the world today, let alone understand the political push and pull of a world 2000 or more years ago in which stories were told about conquest and slavery and the role of women that, in today’s world, seem antiquated at best, if not downright repulsive.
Once upon a time…

Last week we celebrated Confirmation Sunday and the continuing journey of faith of seven of our high school students who participated in that program. Almost every year in Confirmation I have high school students tell me they have a hard time believing in God and a hard time believing the Bible because it doesn’t make sense to them. Their comments are not about names that are hard to pronounce or a cultural dynamics they don’t understand. What troubles them is discrepancy between what they know and what they think the Bible says…about things like the world being created in six days and Jesus walking on water.
And, they just can’t buy it, and so they dismiss sit.
So, what I do is this.
I ask them to read Genesis 1 in the Bible.
The account of creation in which God calls the world into being in six days and then resting on the seventh. I ask them to read it and to tell me what it means.
And, I also tell them this.
It is not a story about creation.
And, after we work through the perplexed looks and read those verses and are coaxed to look at the passage a bit more carefully, they begin to catch a glimpse of the meaning. I then ask them to read the story of Jesus walking on water and to, again, tell me what it means. By this point they are beginning to get the hang of what I am getting at.
Once upon a time…

Christians who read the Bible literally miss the point.
People who insist each word and each story in the Bible is of equal value do disservice to the great Truths the Bible contains. And, while I know less well the sacred texts of other religious traditions, I would guess the same is true for them as well.
Once upon a time…

And, maybe some of you are a bit like the high school students in Confirmation.
Confused.
Uncertain.
Thinking that you should believe what you read or hear read in the Bible:
But can’t quite do it.
Can’t figure out what all the debate is about evolution and creationism.
Can’t quite get the virgin birth or the resurrection or what the Bible calls miracles.
Caught between knowing, at some level that the Bible is important, but not being sure what to make of this book.
Once upon a time…

So, where does that leave us on this Sunday when we give this great book to our children? Here in two minutes are some of my thoughts and some of what I know about the Bible.
I think the Bible is true…in the best sense of the word true.
And, that it contains wisdom and insight and guidance for our lives.
I think that if we take it seriously it provides insights into both who we are and who we are called to be and what it takes to live together.
But the Bible is not a science textbook.
Or, a history textbook.
Or, an eyewitness newspaper account.
It is not meant to be read literally.
The Bible was not written beginning to end.
It was put together in some sort of sequence, but it was not written that way.
Some of what we read in the Bible is loosely based on historical events, but much of it is more like the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree or Abraham Lincoln walking miles to return a few pennies he overcharged a customer.
A story told to make or to reinforce a point.
I think it could be helpful if, when we began reading something in the Bible, we began with the words, “Once upon a time…” to help us set the context.
And, I think the Bible should have an ellipsis at the end.
Three dots which tell us that the story continues.
That God is telling new stories or old stories in new ways that continue to this day now told in and through your life and mine.

The Bible tells me…
Something about that which we know and name as God.
It tells me how we are to live with and how we are to treat one another.
It tells me that I am a part of the larger human family connected to and responsible for all those others and all that in some way bears the image and the imprint of the Divine.
It tells me that we do better when we love one another and respect one another and care for one another than when we fight with one another.
It tells me that in my life human and holy meet. And that is true for your life as well. It was C.S. Lewis, the author of the Narnia Chronicles and a number of other books who said, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”

And, Jesus sat in the boat and taught them by telling them stories.
“Once upon a time…” he said.

Practicing Resurrection

From the Bible:

In the world out there, the candy has been eaten and the baskets put away, but here it is still Easter.
At least for one more week.
And before we turn away or move on to what comes next, one more time we stand face to face with the promise of resurrection and are left to discern what it means for our lives and for these days in which we live. So, this morning, these verses from John’s Gospel as he seeks to convey his understanding of the meaning of resurrection.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Simon said to him, “Yes Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon replied, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to Jesus, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

– John 21: 15-17

The Sermon:

Many of us grew up reading or, at least, knowing about Newsweek or Time magazine. Both magazines represented respected journalism that was relied on to bring expanded information about the headlines in the news. In 2011, Newsweek had a weekly circulation of roughly 1.5 million. That means last week, at least, 1.5 million people saw this cover and read this headline:
“Forget the Church. Follow Jesus.”
Maybe you saw it or heard about it, as well.
And, if that was not challenging enough the title of the lead article to which the headline referred was this:
The Forgotten Jesus: Christianity Has Been Destroyed by Politics, Priests and Get-Rich Evangelists. Ignore Them and Embrace Jesus.
Enough to give one pause, don’t you think?
At least for those of us who carve out precious time on a Sunday morning to be in a place like this.
And who are involved in the church…
And who take our place in the tradition of Jesus.
Newsweek!
1.5 million people seeing the headline and reading the article.
But, it gets worse.
That respected weekly magazine, which so many relied on for so long, is three months late and 19 million people short.
What do I mean?
You may remember, in early January Jeff Bethke release a video on You Tube entitled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” When I checked on Thursday, Mr. Bethke’s video had been viewed 21.5 million times. Leaving Newsweek in the dust.
For those of us on the inside our initial reaction to both the Newsweek article and to the video is a stammered “But…” followed by all the reasons we think all of those out there are mistaken or wrong or don’t understand.
“What is going on in the world out there?” We ask.
“Why do they hate us so much?”

So, here is the tension.
On one side is forget the church.
On the other side is the witness of the Bible.
Yes, misused and abused by some.
But also preserved and protected and passed on by that church we are told to forget. Verses, stories, reminders, admonitions which you and I turn to for inspiration, and as a reminder of who we are called to be and what we are called to do. How do we begin to bridge that divide between where so many of them are and what we know and treasure and value about the church as we experience it?
Maybe here…
Through recapturing the message of verses like the ones we heard this morning from John’s gospel.
There we might begin to find some common ground.
Or, at least a signpost that might point the way.
For, it seems that what continues to touch people out there…
Those who want to forget the church…
Is when we…
When the church…
When those of us who find meaning and hope in a place like this…
When what we do matches what we say.
When Christians practice what we preach without necessarily “preaching” at others.
When, in the words of John’s gospel, we feed and tend and take care of and protect.
When we practice resurrection.

Here is something I wrote on my blog this past week that seemed to strike a responsive chord both among those who know me and regularly read what I write, but also among some whom I have never met and have no idea who they are.

I wrote:

Here is what I think…
I care more about what you do and how you act, than about what you tell me you believe.
I care more about the language you use when you talk about and to other people, than whether you went to a church or a synagogue or a mosque last week.
I care more about whether you treat others the way you would like to be treated and whether you are grateful and generous, than whether your belief in God or Allah matches my belief in God.
I think how you behave is more important than what you believe.

Maybe that is why I find more common ground with those whose faith tradition is different than mine, and even with those who ask thoughtful and thought-provoking and challenging questions about my faith, but who I see, day-in and day-out, treating others with respect, spending their money thoughtfully, and doing their part to make the communities in which we live better, than those who demand some form of “correct belief” and are dismissive of me and others when we disagree with them.

Is that something of what is needed?
Of who we are called to be in the world?

In an article I read recently it said that research shows that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a craft. At four hours a day, seven days a week that translates into nearly seven years.
If it takes that long…
And we are to practice what we preach…
If we are to practice resurrection…
Maybe we better get started.

It’s Not Fair! No, It’s Not

From the Bible: Romans 8: 31, 35 and 37

In the face of all of this, what is there left to say? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Can anything separate us from the love of Christ?
Can trouble, pain, persecution? Can lack of clothes and food, danger to life and limb, the threat of force of arms? No, in all these thing we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Sermon :
A few years after Shodie and I were married, we found ourselves living in suburban Chicago. I had taken a position working with middle school and high school youth on the staff of a Presbyterian church there. Towards the end of our first summer there, the church received word that one of our high school students had not come home the night before, and neither his parents nor his friends knew where he was. Needless to say, it was an anxious couple of days until Tim reappeared and the story unfolded. He had run away after his parents were either unable or unwilling to stop his brother from going on a rampage and stabbing him in the leg with a meat fork. The family’s craziness had finally reached a breaking point and Tim knew he had to get out of the house. Long story short, after several meeting and a number of phone calls back and forth, the pastors of the church asked Shodie and me if we would consider having Tim live with us. And just like that, two twenty-somethings became surrogate parents to an 18 year old senior in high school. One afternoon that fall, I walked into our house to find Tim pacing back and forth in our living room obviously upset. When I asked him what he was upset about, he said: “It’s not fair. It’s just not fair.”
And, for the first time as an adult, but certainly not the last, I realized how right he was. Despite all the efforts of my parents to treat my brothers and me fairly; And, despite all of the efforts of teachers and coaches to teach me to play fair and to treat others fairly, in that moment I came face to face with the stark reality that life did not play by those rules.
Brokenness;
And heartbreak;
And tragedy;
And illness;
And injustice;
Intrude upon our lives with absolutely no rhyme or reason and through no fault of our own and even when we have done everything right.

In that moment we find ourselves asking “Why?”
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why does cancer strike a young mother? Or, anyone for that matter?
Why does a 17 year-old boy wearing a hooded sweatshirt get shot on his way home from the store?
Why do some children have such a struggle finding their way or fitting in?
Why?
And, this…
If God is good, how can God let things like this happen?
And, if God is all powerful, why doesn’t God do something about it?
Questions that run in circles in our head.
And this…
Why me?
What did I do wrong?
What did I do to deserve this?
All these questions are gut-wrenchingly real in those moments when we stand face-to-face with the brokenness of life in whatever way we, or those whom we love and care about, experience it.
And, we probably all know people who have become trapped in those questions. Who remain lost in the wilderness created by the brokenness they have experienced. Whose lives then become consumed by bitterness or anger or resentment or sorrow.

Now, this is the tricky part for me.
Because, I don’t want to sound like I am glossing over or minimizing the pain or heartache or heartbreak that you and anyone else experiences. And neither do I want to sound glib by seeming to say something that sounds like “Let go and let God.” or “God must have a plan for you in all of this.” Those words have never made much sense to me, and are often heard as hurtful when someone is struggling to make sense of life.

And, yet, here is what I believe…
Amidst the brokenness of our lives, in whatever way we experience it, the place we discover something of God is when we turn from the question “Why me?” to the question “What now?” What does it mean to hold onto the promise of Life even when surrounded by the grip of Death? What does it mean to hold onto God and the promises of God rather than to blame God for what has occurred?

It is in moments like that when the words of the Apostles Paul push their way back into my life. In the face of all of this, what is there left to say? If God is for us, who can be against us?
The apostle is not surprised by the brokenness of life.
He is not surprised by the reality of pain or persecution or trails or tribulations.
What he is surprised at is that in all those moments there is also God.
Not magically making everything better.
Not magically changing the circumstances of life.
But, God right there, right now, in the midst of life just as it is;
Doing all God can do to help us hold onto hope and to turn our lives, once again, in the direction of Life.

Does all that sound glib?
Or, only like religious fluff or pie in the sky preaching?
I hope not.
At least for my sake, if not for yours, I hope not.
Because it is the only way I know how…
To find my way…
From Why me? to What now?
From heartbreak to hope.
And yes, from brokenness towards wholeness.
Holding onto God for dear life through the maze of life as it actually is.

Right Side Up

Bonnie Gordon, is both a good friend and a Bridges to Community staff person who lives and works in Masaya, Nicaragua. She tells this story about her first trip there in the early 1990’s.
Some of you have heard it before…
Either by Bonnie telling it or by my repeating it.
But maybe, like all good stories, even if you have heard it before it is worth hearing again.

They were working in the community of Tierra Colorado;
Alongside community members and with another Nicaraguan organization to help hand dig a well which would, for the first time, provide that rural community with a local source of fresh water. But it was not the work that Bonnie speaks about.
Instead it is about what happened one evening after the work for the day was done. After dinner one evening, Bonnie got out a stack of paper and a box of crayons. The children who were crowded around her immediately became silent. They had never seen a crayon before. As Bonnie began to color they began to color, as well. Not grabbing for a handful of crayons as our children might have done so they would have every color they might need for their picture, but instead taking one crayon at a time, using it, and then carefully putting it back in the box in its correct place. Bonnie and the children colored pictures for the rest of the evening. When it was time for the children to go home, one little boy asked if he could take a crayon home to show his parents.
“Of course,” said Bonnie.
The little boy carefully selected his crayon and then ran home.
The next morning he brought the crayon back and carefully put it back in the box.
Bonnie ends her story by saying:
“That moment and those children turned my world right side up.”

Last Sunday, after our worship service which was led by the youth who went with us on our recent trip to Nicaragua, we walked over to my house and had lunch together. It provided those of who had been together in Nicaragua an opportunity to reconnect with each other, and also to have families meet each other. When we had finished eating, but before everyone went rushing off in different directions those of us who were in Nicaragua together met for a couple of minutes to talk about what it was like being home and what they most wanted to remember about their experience. After several minutes of their sharing thoughts and reflections, I said to them: “The challenge for you is to remember how right it felt when you were working together in Nicaragua and find ways to have that same sense of rightness in how you live and what you do now that we are home.”
Borrowing Bonnie’s words, our world had been turned right side up.
Now, we needed to find a way to keep it that way.

Here is what I think:
Most of the time you and I live in an upside world.
Focused on me and mine and what I need to get by.
On getting and keeping and acquiring the next great thing.
And on being with the right people at the right time and in the right place.
We live lives that are fragmented and frayed and sometimes broken.
Often cut off from each other.
Cut off both those who live next door to say nothing of those who live down the street or down the road or around the world.
We have become so accustomed to life lived that way that we have begun to think it is normal. Until something happens and we realize how empty we feel and how disconnected we are.

In scolding his disciples and blessing the children, Jesus shows us God intends the world to be.
Arms around each other, including those too often and too easily forgotten.
The circle of our lives pushed outward rather than pulled inward.
Blessings freely given and received.
And, if we follow the lead of Jesus we begin to find those ways to turn our world right side up;
And, to make our lives whole again.
What does it take, I wonder?
What do you need to do?
Who do you want or need to be?
In order for your world to be different than it is?
In order for your life to be pieced back together and turned right side up?

Turning your world in that direction is not necessarily easy.
It is always uncomfortable and often hard.
It goes against the grain.
Sometimes it means saying as Norm and Tom did years ago:
“Yes, in my backyard.” so group homes can be built.
Sometimes it means saying “No” to the next must have thing because you have decided to use your money for those things that help turn your world and the world right side up.
Sometimes it means rejecting the call to frenetic activity and carving out enough time to be quiet and to be alone and to pray.
Sometimes it means asking the challenging question or speaking up for those too often ignored.

But, when it happens…
When you experience your world turned right side up…
You never want to live in an upside down world again.
For in that moment…
God comes close.

Or, better yet, we come close to God.

May The Words of Our Mouths…

I just finished reading the book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.
The author is Karen Armstrong, a well known and well respected scholar and writer in the field of comparative religion. In this book, Armstrong explores the very important common ground shared by many, if not most, religious traditions when it comes to their understanding of and teaching about compassion. In the opening chapter of her book there is this sentence which, given the religious climate of today and the use of religion in the public square, cries out to be heard. Armstrong writes:

“Let us return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate.

Yes!
Which leads me to this…As so often happens, when it comes to a sermon, I do it backwards from many of my colleagues. Rather than starting with the Bible and moving out from there, it is the headlines in the news or a comment on the radio which push me back to the Bible reminding me of verses and stories I have heard and read and preached about and pondered for most of my life. This week is no different. Two items recently caught my attention and pushed me back t the Bible, and back to the scripture readings we heard a moment ago. The first was an article I read both online and in the New York Times. The second was a post written by a writer from Sojourners, a Christian community located in Washington, D.C.

First the article (https://nyti.ms/zBCJcQ).
Maybe you saw it.
It is about a 16 year old high school student, who is an atheist, and who sued her school district over a prayer that hangs in the school auditorium. The morning I read the article I wrote this response in my blog. (www.paulalcorn.com)

A 16 year old Cranston, RI high school student, who is an atheist, sued her school district over a prayer that hangs in her school auditorium. The prayer talks about being our best, growing mentally and morally, being kind and being helpful.
Qualities towards which all of us should aspire.
You might wish her concern over the prayer had lead to thoughtful and respectful discussion rather than a lawsuit, or that the outcome of the lawsuit was different.
But here is what I find most offensive.
A Rhode Island State Representative called her “an evil little thing” on a talk radio program.
The young woman, for standing up for her constitutional rights, has received online threats.
I assume from anonymous persons because it is much safer that way.
And, while at school she now has to be escorted by the police.
What is wrong with this picture?
Am I wrong to assume that, at least, some of those who have spoken out or threatened this young woman call themselves Christian?
And how about taking to heart the words of the prayer – being helpful and kind and doing and being our best rather than calling names and making threats?

No wonder more and more people in our country are turning away from religion in general and Christianity in particular.
They may be longing for what I know and name as God, and searching for meaning and hope and purpose in their lives, but this?
No, way. And, who can blame them.
I certainly can’t.

No wonder that, according to a survey by the Barna Group, 85% of young adults view organized religion as hypocritical and judgemental.

And, as I said, the second headline in the news was an online post from the Sojourners Community. It was written in response to how religion is being used or misused in the political process as the election year cycle begins heating up. They wrote:

When we’re choosing a president or examining a candidate, it’s fair to ask about their moral compass – how their values affect their decision-making and policy positions. What we shouldn’t do, however, is require that everyone believe in the same doctrine or espouse the same religious traditions.

In the past several months, we’ve seen Christians launch increasingly inappropriate attacks on candidates. From the misguided to the outrageous, here are a few of them:

· Rick Perry ran ads stating the current administration had declared a “war on religion.” (https://bit.ly/znMaIc)

· Pastor Robert Jeffress attacked Mitt Romney during the primaries by calling Mormonism a “cult.” (https://huff.to/zr2KMT)

· Randall Terry, a radical conservative activist, has released ads telling Christians that “when you support Obama … it’s as if your vote is an attack on Jesus himself.” (https://bit.ly/xqsS3F)

· Mike O’Neal, Kansas House Speaker, sent an email to his Republican colleagues saying that his prayer for President Obama is Psalm 109:8, which reads: “May his days be few; and another take his place of leadership.” (https://huff.to/waWS9H)

Christians often disagree.
Sometimes we become passionate and argue.
But these tactics go too far.

Where did we begin our conversation this morning?
Oh, yes…here:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

These represent just two examples of what I consider to be the misuse of religion.
Both are by those who call themselves Christian which is what I call myself.
But, Christianity certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on this type of rhetoric or action. Without too much trouble I am sure I could find similar examples from Judaism and Islam and Hinduism and Buddhism.
But, I am a Christian.
And, if I have a voice at all it is to Christian community, in general, and in this community in particular. And, so here is what I want to say to you today.

You and I…
And those like us, of whatever religious tradition, who believe that while we may disagree and even disagree passionately about religion and politics and the appropriate strategies to help us solve the issues we face, we are to listen with as much intensity as we speak and we are to treat one another with respect. I believe we need to regain our voice and to say with as much clarity as we can;
Not just here, but also in the public square:

That any use of religion and any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence or hatred or disdain is illegitimate. That any use of religion that demeans another or purposefully divides one from another is illegitimate.

The days of wars waged the name of religion must cease.
The days of intolerance and prejudice cloaked in religions rhetoric must cease.
The days of ethnic or political or racial hatred or discrimination disguised as religious principle must cease.
And, the truth of the matter is this…
If you and I do not find the courage not just to think it, but to say it;
Not just to disavow it by turning way, but to confront it;
It will not happen and the misuse and violence and discrimination and division will continue.

I know this is not easy for us.
For us our faith is very personal.
It guides what we do and why we do it.
It shapes our values and what we try to teach our children.
It inspires us and comforts us and strengthens us and sustains us.
But it is often inside us and not outside us.
We are not those who beat others over the head with our interpretation of the Bible.
We are not those who tell others that they will go to hell if they don’t think and act and believe as we do.
We are not those to wear our faith on our sleeves.
But, maybe some of that needs to change…at least a little. I believe our voice needs to be heard.
Our take on what it means to be faithful needs to be heard.
Our understanding of compassion and hospitality and inclusion needs to be heard.
Our sense of who God is and who God calls us to be and what God calls us to do needs to be heard.

I think many around us are looking for and waiting for and hoping for and maybe even praying for a different, more inclusive, more tolerant, more visionary understanding of God and religion and faith to be seen and heard, not just in church, but maybe even in the public square.
Yes…
Our faith is very personal, but it can no longer be private.

Epiphany

From the Bible: Matthew 2: 1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:
      You, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
      by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah,
      because from you will come one who governs,
      who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him.”  When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.

Introduction:
All around us Christmas is over.
Packed up and put away.
But here, it lingers for a few moments more.
So, out of sync or onto something, you decide.
This morning we celebrate Epiphany.
Remembering the journey of the magi…and the final day in our celebration of Christmas.
One carol that we do not often sing as we get ready for Christmas is The First Nowell.
But we will sing it this morning as we remember and retell the story;
A verse or two at a time with brief reflections between our singing.
The carol is #56 in your hymnal.

The First Nowell (verse 1)

Reflection:
I read it on Christmas Day or maybe the day after.
A tongue in cheek response to a comment someone made about not having gotten everything done in time for Christmas. “Don’t worry,” the responder said. “Christmas has just begun. You have 12 more days to get it all done.”
And, so we did.
Not to get it all done, per se but to remember and relive the story.
Where the world “out there” ended Christmas on December 25^th, for Christians,
If we allowed it…
If we made space for it…
Christmas was just beginning.
Twelve days to allow the unfolding story of shepherds and angels and wisemen and child;
And a pondering what it all meant young mother to weave its way into our lives again.
And, while the 12^th Day of Christmas – Epiphany – was two days ago, here we are, just in time, to recall the story one more time and to do our own pondering about what it meant and what it means, and to allow it to sink deeply enough into our hearts, minds and souls so that weeks from now or months from now, when you need it most, the meaning and message and promise of these days might find its way back into your life again.

Here we are – Epiphany.

The First Nowell (verses 2 and 3)

Reflection:
Wisemen.
Magi.
Astrologers.
Star-struck star gazers.
Whoever they were.
Courageous enough or crazy enough to leave it all behind and to follow a star.

What strikes me as I listen, again, to the way the author of Matthew’s gospel tells the story is this:
In a world dominated by family and clan and tribe and nation;
Where ethnicities and language and customs carved out sharp dividing lines between peoples;
Making clear who was in and who was out;
Who was to be trusted and who was not;
Who was a friend and who was the enemy;
These star-struck star gazers leave not just home, but all the rest of it behind, as well.
Crossing borders and barriers and all kinds of boundaries…
To follow a start.
To find a “king” who was not their own, but who, in another way, was.
Maybe there is a lesson in all of that for us.
For our world still divides itself along those very same lines of clan and tribe and party and wealth.

The God of this story from the Bible…
The God who comes, again, to be God with us…
The God whose name and presence we invoke each Sunday;
And, also, each time we whisper Thank you God or Please God;
That very same God comes to be the God of all, not just our God.
And, maybe there is something about that God’s call to us…
A call for us to find ways to reach across and to step across all those self imposed, self erected boundaries to meet the one on the other side.
God calls to us to use our faith;
And, our everyday witness to what we believe;
And our everyday efforts to put into practice our best hopes and our bravest values;
In such a way that faith and God and what we believe are experienced by others…
More as a door than a cause of separation;
More as a window onto the Holy than a wall which divides;
More as an open hand than a back turned.
More as an invitation than a threat.
An invitation to see in the other…
In all others…
The imprint and image of God.
Maybe a star still beckons…
And God still waits for us to follow.

The First Nowell (verses 4 and 5)

Reflection:
So, here we now are…
Almost at the end of Christmas for another year.
For all the excitement and anticipation leading up to Christmas , it often comes as a relief when it is finally over and the decorations are repacked and put away and the trees are taken down and life returns to a more normal pattern.
But, before that all happens here…
Look around one more time.
Take one more moment to ponder in your own heart the meaning and message and promise of Christmas.
The promise that God comes to be God with us.
Not above or aloof or apart for us, but with us in the very midst of life as it is.
And, to remember and to hold on for dear life to the Christmas dream of Peace on Earth.
A dream which is still sung or hummed and hoped for and worked towards by hundreds, if not thousands or tens of thousands, of everyday angels.
Can we, too, take up that angel song?

Take one more minute…
To remember and to claim, again, the promise and the hope of Christmas.

The First Nowell (verse 6)

Benediction – The Work of Christmas

When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are back home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins.
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To teach the nations,
To make music in the heart.

– Howard Thurman

Tags

Several things I believe: