"The Problem of Christmas”
Luke 2:1-20
Preached at Baldwin Presbyterian Church, December 24th 2010
A printable PDF file can be found here
http://firstpresbyterianbaldwin.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Christmas-Eve.pdf
In the face of an increasingly skeptical and disbelieving world Christmas becomes ever more poignant. Society is, at the same time, becoming both more religiously diverse and more secular. Peoples conceptions of what God may be like, or even if there actually is anything to the notion of there being gods at all are expressed in many ways, both in printed media, on screen and across the internet.
If we were able to time travel back to the days of Christ’s birth, I wonder if the environment we discovered would have been any less diverse or any less hostile to the notion that Jesus was born to be Savior of the World. The whole idea of Christmas would be seen by many to be intellectually incomprehensible and by others as dangerous and subversive, both in terms of politics and religion.
It was not just upon a whim that Herod became terrified at the thought of a new King for the Jews being born in Bethlehem. Herod had little trust in God, but trusted in the power of human alliances and power to maintain control of ones position.
It was no accident that the greatest opponents of Jesus turned out to be the religious establishment. The idea of God taking root in our midst, spirit being united with flesh, the holy taking on the earthly, was a scandal. God is ‘this’, we are ‘that’, and never the twain shall meet. The incarnation (the theological word for God coming to us in Jesus Christ) remains a heretical notion to believers of other faiths.
There is such an insignificance to the characters and places of the Nativity story. Bethlehem was not an important town. There is nothing more secular than the taking of a census and the paying of taxes. Carpenters with young wives had no great status. Shepherds were considered as being on the fringes of society and the object of ridicule. ‘Did you hear the one about the shepherd…’ That in the midst of such peoples and such places earth-shattering revelation should occur was highly unlikely.
Yet this is Christmas. This is what the gospel declares. That there came to the lives of unlikely people in insignificant places a revelation of God that has left the world a different place. What we do with this message is another matter.
Some will dismiss the whole thing as being incredulous, impossible and a rather dangerous kind of fairy tale. Some will look upon it as a beautiful mythical account, full of meaning and interest but ultimately only having the sentimental value of a Hallmark Card or Thomas Kinkade painting.
Yet some will accept what the gospel authors proclaim. That through these events something awesome, indescribable and unbelievable was coming to pass. God, in Christ, was breaking through into the circle of time and history in a redemptive way that can bring hope and joy and love to all those who allow themselves be transformed by His Holy Spirit.
Those who accept the gospel accounts as being more than just idle tales will not see Christmas as the whole story but interpret Christmas through the light of the life Jesus would lead, the deeds He would do, the teaching He would give, the death He would die, the claims that would be made about Him after His death, including those of resurrection and ascension and the power of His Holy Spirit that ignited the early Church.
Taken in isolation the Christmas story does offer much to celebrate. Light in the darkness, the giving of gifts, the lifting up of humble lives and insignificant places as being capable of being infused with great significance… all this is good stuff.
But look at it through the lens of the whole story that weaves in and through the 66 canonical books of Christian Scripture we call the Bible and it takes on an even greater meaning. Christmas becomes not an isolated event, but a significant Act within the great drama of revelation and salvation. Central to that whole drama is the life and love of Jesus Christ.
It is that whole story that gives significance to the communion service you are invited to be a part of this night. It has its roots in the Exodus experience of the Israelites and their great celebration of Passover. It recognizes the significance of Jesus Christ as one heralded by prophets and foreshadowed by events that shaped a nations life; the establishment of monarchy, the rescue of exiles, the proclamation of peace and justice, the hopes of a future defined by forgiveness and grace.
Communion declares the mystery of our faith. The mystery of what happened in Bethlehem. The unfolding revelation to His disciples of His unique nature. His call to be servants of one another, as He took a basin and washed His disciples feet. The sacrificial act of His crucifixion during which His body was broken and blood poured out as He prayed “Forgive them Father for they don’t know what they are doing”.
The proclamation of resurrection by His disciples. The coming of His Holy Spirit as they gathered in prayer at Pentecost. The ongoing life of His Church which has always found nurture and strength through participating in acts of worship around a table laid with bread and wine, declaring as Paul writes, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim His death until He come”
There always have been and will continue to be those who dismiss Christian faith as mumbo-jumbo and superstitious nonsense, particularly when we express our faith through rituals and acts that we ourselves describe as symbolic and mysterious. They will see the problem of Christmas as being symptomatic of the problem they have with belief in general.
I do not share their reservations. I cannot accept that everything in life can be explained by rational experiment and logical deduction. I do not accept the notion that mystery is unimportant and insignificant. I cannot believe that the very state of consciousness that causes us to wonder and reflect and seek for meaning is something that has ‘just happened’. I reject the idea that truth and beauty and love and hope are just part of our programming. I have experienced too many answered prayers to dismiss answers too prayer as always coincidence.
I dare to believe that the Christmas story is one of great significance. That rightly understood and related to the larger story we see in the Christmas events hope for all humankind.
It’s not a hope that anybody can be argued into. It’s something to be received. Something that seeps in rather than a blinding light of revelation. Something that can only be approached through music and silence, through taking and tasting, through wondering and questioning.
To our ‘so sure we can save ourselves world’ the proclamation of a Saviors birth may indeed be a problem. Yet … in the words of one of our Christmas carols… “O Little town of Bethlehem”…I suggest that ‘where meek souls receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.”
So I invite you to share in our communion celebration, not because you have life all sorted out and settled, but because you are open to being unsettled and changed. I invite you to participate in this celebration not because you believe without question, but because you have many questions that find no answers.
I invite you to be a participant in this sacred drama, not because you have your path in life all mapped out but because you are open to the direction and leading of a God whose call You seek to hear and whose Holy Spirit alone can give you strength for the journey.
The problem of Christmas is not a problem in any way to those who believe our world needs a Savior. It is the good news of our Saviors birth. In the name of Jesus Christ you are invited to seek for His love to be born afresh in your hearts and lives this night.
Amen.
Adrian J Pratt
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
CHRISTMAS LIGHT
CHRISTMAS EVE
Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96, 17-19; Titus 2:11-14,Luke 2:1-20
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 24th,2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
The light that God offers us in Jesus Christ shows us the futility of committing our lives to shallow
things. In the darkness of this world we can place far to much store on financial security and personal
gratification as being the ultimate things to aim for. We are taken in by the lie of consumerism; that it is only in things that we will find true satisfaction and that if we don't have the next 'thing' then our livesare terribly incomplete. The light Jesus casts upon us can reveal to us that many of the 'things' that we seek are insignificant when viewed from an eternal perspective.
The light of Jesus not only exposes evil for what it is and uncovers shallow purposes for what they are, it also reveals the good things hidden in the shadows that we might have missed. Like fishing for your slippers in the predawn darkness of your bedroom only to find that they are right beside you,
sometimes the things we most need are right next to us, but we can't see them.
In a world that insists that we look after number one, who knew that it is actually through serving
others that the greatest fulfillment can be found? In a world that tells us to hold onto what we have,
who knew that giving could be such a blessing? In a world that insists that 'the pursuit of happiness' is
the ultimate aim, who knew that such blessings can be found when we identify ourselves with those
traveling through dark and difficult days? In a world that values wealth and power, who knew to look
for the Son of God in a manger?
The tunnel of light that God opened at Christmas changes the way we see everything around us. But
Jesus does more than cast light on our our lives. He also leads us to that greater light that is far more
glorious that anything we can ever conceive, more brilliant and awe inspiring than even the light the
shepherds saw when the angels surrounded them in the fields outside Bethlehem.
Through the light God sent at Christmas, through the child Jesus, through the living influence of God's Holy Spirit upon our lives in the here and now, we have a tunnel to a distant light. The light that shines into the world, overcoming all our darkness. The light that points us to the Father of all lights, the beginning and the end of all creation. Such light is God's gift to us on this holiest of nights.
As we contemplate that light, and as we receive these gifts of bread and wine, I pray that it will dawn
upon us that our lives can be a transforming light for others. Of course it takes commitment and
cooperation and spiritual growth and seeking after community – all the things that this bread and wine represent - but as we remember that Jesus gave His life that we may be empowered to live our lives as light for others, we can also be equipped by God's Holy Spirit for Christ's service.
And to God's name be all the glory.
Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
(Portions of this message adapted from a sermon “Walking in the light of Christmas' by Rev. Stephens Lynch. Thanks to Stephen for sharing!)
Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96, 17-19; Titus 2:11-14,Luke 2:1-20
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 24th,2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
The light that God offers us in Jesus Christ shows us the futility of committing our lives to shallow
things. In the darkness of this world we can place far to much store on financial security and personal
gratification as being the ultimate things to aim for. We are taken in by the lie of consumerism; that it is only in things that we will find true satisfaction and that if we don't have the next 'thing' then our livesare terribly incomplete. The light Jesus casts upon us can reveal to us that many of the 'things' that we seek are insignificant when viewed from an eternal perspective.
The light of Jesus not only exposes evil for what it is and uncovers shallow purposes for what they are, it also reveals the good things hidden in the shadows that we might have missed. Like fishing for your slippers in the predawn darkness of your bedroom only to find that they are right beside you,
sometimes the things we most need are right next to us, but we can't see them.
In a world that insists that we look after number one, who knew that it is actually through serving
others that the greatest fulfillment can be found? In a world that tells us to hold onto what we have,
who knew that giving could be such a blessing? In a world that insists that 'the pursuit of happiness' is
the ultimate aim, who knew that such blessings can be found when we identify ourselves with those
traveling through dark and difficult days? In a world that values wealth and power, who knew to look
for the Son of God in a manger?
The tunnel of light that God opened at Christmas changes the way we see everything around us. But
Jesus does more than cast light on our our lives. He also leads us to that greater light that is far more
glorious that anything we can ever conceive, more brilliant and awe inspiring than even the light the
shepherds saw when the angels surrounded them in the fields outside Bethlehem.
Through the light God sent at Christmas, through the child Jesus, through the living influence of God's Holy Spirit upon our lives in the here and now, we have a tunnel to a distant light. The light that shines into the world, overcoming all our darkness. The light that points us to the Father of all lights, the beginning and the end of all creation. Such light is God's gift to us on this holiest of nights.
As we contemplate that light, and as we receive these gifts of bread and wine, I pray that it will dawn
upon us that our lives can be a transforming light for others. Of course it takes commitment and
cooperation and spiritual growth and seeking after community – all the things that this bread and wine represent - but as we remember that Jesus gave His life that we may be empowered to live our lives as light for others, we can also be equipped by God's Holy Spirit for Christ's service.
And to God's name be all the glory.
Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
(Portions of this message adapted from a sermon “Walking in the light of Christmas' by Rev. Stephens Lynch. Thanks to Stephen for sharing!)
Monday, December 23, 2013
Trusting Beyond Tradition
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Zechariah 2:10-13; Matthew 1:18-25
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 22nd,2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
As we pause for a moment on the brink of Christmas, I'd like to focus on some words from the prophecy of the Old Testament Prophet Zechariah, chapter 2, verse 3 “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
Traditionally this is the busiest holiday of the calendar season. Shopping, decorating, cooking, Visiting, carol singing, and all the rest of it! Why we even have three services over the next three days, including one of them at nearly midnight! This does not happen at other times of the year.
We all have our Christmas traditions. I was talking to the children earlier about the 'Parang' tradition from Trinidad and Tabago that lay behind that wonderful Calypso feeling carol, 'The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy'. 'Parang' bands would go from house to house, and be welcomed with food and drink, and rituals of welcome and departure. A busy time!
Some people like to go into the city at Christmas time. See the displays. Visit Santa at Macy's. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Skaters in Central Park. Go to a show. Watch the Rockettes perform. A busy time.
Others like to head South, away from the cold of winter, and may well celebrate on a beach with a Barb-Q and the application of sun-block as they sing Christmas carols squinting through sunglasses. Not really a busy time, but a different kind of time for sure.
Some may be overwhelmed and just say “Bah, Humbug”... that's not what it's all about. They said that last year, they'll say it this year and they will say it again next year. That's their tradition. Today I want to talk about 'Trusting beyond Tradition.' I want to encourage us for a moment to focus on the gospel message that goes so much deeper than our celebrations imagine.
So again back to Zechariah, chapter 2, verse 3 “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
Zechariah is thought to have spoken his words of prophecy some time after the nation of Israel had begun to re-establish themselves after their exile in Babylon. They had been through some bad days... and the good days were still far ahead of them. You could say it was neither the best of times nor the worst of times.
Zecharaiah's name in Hebrew meant 'God has remembered'. In verse 10 (that we read this morning) that sense of God seeking to restore the fortunes of God's people is reflected. "Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD.”
Maybe for some of us in our own lives we face neither the best of times nor the worst of times. Or maybe we have been though a time of feeling exiled from God or others. Maybe for some folk these really are the hard times, and like those Israelites still in Babylon, the day of deliverance seems like a forgotten dream.
Whatever and wherever we are today, in the midst of all the traditional busyness, the message of Zechariah still offers hope. He tells us that God remembers us. That we are neither abandoned nor forgotten. Though we may at times abandon our faith and forget about what God requires of us, God is still at work, calling to us, seeking to guide us and help us, if we can but pause from our busy-ness and be still enough before Him.
There is so much busy-ness around the nativity story. Mary and Joseph. Preparing for a wedding. Then a baby that they hadn't expected. Preparing to have to make a journey because of a census. That's a lot to deal with. Joseph was pretty stressed out about the whole affair! In fact Joseph is so busy that the only time God finds to speak with him is in Joseph's dreams.
Matthew 1:20-21 “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins."
Joseph is also told that he is to name the child 'Immanuel', which meant 'God is with us' – another way of saying 'God has remembered us.' As you read the bible accounts of the Nativity you do have the impression that it was all very unexpected and unanticipated. The birth of Jesus comes as a tremendous surprise, not just to Mary and Joseph, but to shepherds out on the hillside and Herod in his palace.
There are a few people in the story though that are watching and waiting. Simeon in the temple. The prophetess Anna. Far away wise men interpreting the stars and prepared to make a journey to welcome a new King. There were a few who took to heart the message of Zechariah “Be still before the LORD, all mankind”. And they were the ones who discovered that “He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
In order to trust in God, there has to be moments when we turn away from our busy-ness and seek to be still and discern what God is doing. It is often only in those still moments that we understand that God is at work in and around our daily lives. That God remembers us. That God is with us.
That just as God came to the people of Zechariah's time, recovering from the soul destroying experience of exile in Babylon, so God, in Jesus Christ comes to us, to save, to forgive, to renew and restore. Hope can still be born into our lives, because God knows us, God remembers that we are God's children, God longs to transform our lives by the presence and activity of His Holy Spirit at work within us and around us.
I well understand that we all have our traditions and rituals and ways of celebrating the Christmas season. I certainly do, and really don't want to let go of any of them. Yet the challenge every year is as to whether we can look beyond our traditions and allow this season to be more than just busy-ness and celebration and actually find the message of our Savior generates deep trust in God within our lives.
Zechariah 2:3 “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
Isn't that what we celebrate at Christmas? That we do not have a God who is content to sit back and let us travel to an uncertain fate. That we have a God 'who has roused himself from His holy dwelling'. That in Jesus Christ... God comes to us, is born amongst us, is born as one of us, as one who remembers us, understands us and comes to save us from ourselves.
As the children sang for us, 'The Virgin Mary had a baby boy, And they said His name was Jesus. He came from the glory, He came from the glorious kingdom, oh yes believer, ... He came from the glorious kingdom!”
Like Joseph we may struggle to understand how such a thing can be. Like Joseph we may even be so busy that it's only in our dreams that God can get through to us! Yet there is life and love and hope to be found, waiting for our response, waiting to embrace us and renew us, if we can but be still for long enough to taste and see and know that God remembers God's people.
As we sing our carols, as we visit with our friends and families, as we watch our traditional movies and go through our traditional routines, take time to consider the Jesus who lies at the heart of things. Take time for trusting beyond tradition. Then we truly will be celebrating the Christmas message. “He came from the glory, oh yes believer ...He came from the glorious kingdom”
May the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the presence and peace of His Holy Spirit, illuminate our Christmas celebrations this and every year we travel through this season. And to God's name be all the glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Zechariah 2:10-13; Matthew 1:18-25
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 22nd,2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
As we pause for a moment on the brink of Christmas, I'd like to focus on some words from the prophecy of the Old Testament Prophet Zechariah, chapter 2, verse 3 “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
Traditionally this is the busiest holiday of the calendar season. Shopping, decorating, cooking, Visiting, carol singing, and all the rest of it! Why we even have three services over the next three days, including one of them at nearly midnight! This does not happen at other times of the year.
We all have our Christmas traditions. I was talking to the children earlier about the 'Parang' tradition from Trinidad and Tabago that lay behind that wonderful Calypso feeling carol, 'The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy'. 'Parang' bands would go from house to house, and be welcomed with food and drink, and rituals of welcome and departure. A busy time!
Some people like to go into the city at Christmas time. See the displays. Visit Santa at Macy's. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Skaters in Central Park. Go to a show. Watch the Rockettes perform. A busy time.
Others like to head South, away from the cold of winter, and may well celebrate on a beach with a Barb-Q and the application of sun-block as they sing Christmas carols squinting through sunglasses. Not really a busy time, but a different kind of time for sure.
Some may be overwhelmed and just say “Bah, Humbug”... that's not what it's all about. They said that last year, they'll say it this year and they will say it again next year. That's their tradition. Today I want to talk about 'Trusting beyond Tradition.' I want to encourage us for a moment to focus on the gospel message that goes so much deeper than our celebrations imagine.
So again back to Zechariah, chapter 2, verse 3 “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
Zechariah is thought to have spoken his words of prophecy some time after the nation of Israel had begun to re-establish themselves after their exile in Babylon. They had been through some bad days... and the good days were still far ahead of them. You could say it was neither the best of times nor the worst of times.
Zecharaiah's name in Hebrew meant 'God has remembered'. In verse 10 (that we read this morning) that sense of God seeking to restore the fortunes of God's people is reflected. "Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD.”
Maybe for some of us in our own lives we face neither the best of times nor the worst of times. Or maybe we have been though a time of feeling exiled from God or others. Maybe for some folk these really are the hard times, and like those Israelites still in Babylon, the day of deliverance seems like a forgotten dream.
Whatever and wherever we are today, in the midst of all the traditional busyness, the message of Zechariah still offers hope. He tells us that God remembers us. That we are neither abandoned nor forgotten. Though we may at times abandon our faith and forget about what God requires of us, God is still at work, calling to us, seeking to guide us and help us, if we can but pause from our busy-ness and be still enough before Him.
There is so much busy-ness around the nativity story. Mary and Joseph. Preparing for a wedding. Then a baby that they hadn't expected. Preparing to have to make a journey because of a census. That's a lot to deal with. Joseph was pretty stressed out about the whole affair! In fact Joseph is so busy that the only time God finds to speak with him is in Joseph's dreams.
Matthew 1:20-21 “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins."
Joseph is also told that he is to name the child 'Immanuel', which meant 'God is with us' – another way of saying 'God has remembered us.' As you read the bible accounts of the Nativity you do have the impression that it was all very unexpected and unanticipated. The birth of Jesus comes as a tremendous surprise, not just to Mary and Joseph, but to shepherds out on the hillside and Herod in his palace.
There are a few people in the story though that are watching and waiting. Simeon in the temple. The prophetess Anna. Far away wise men interpreting the stars and prepared to make a journey to welcome a new King. There were a few who took to heart the message of Zechariah “Be still before the LORD, all mankind”. And they were the ones who discovered that “He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
In order to trust in God, there has to be moments when we turn away from our busy-ness and seek to be still and discern what God is doing. It is often only in those still moments that we understand that God is at work in and around our daily lives. That God remembers us. That God is with us.
That just as God came to the people of Zechariah's time, recovering from the soul destroying experience of exile in Babylon, so God, in Jesus Christ comes to us, to save, to forgive, to renew and restore. Hope can still be born into our lives, because God knows us, God remembers that we are God's children, God longs to transform our lives by the presence and activity of His Holy Spirit at work within us and around us.
I well understand that we all have our traditions and rituals and ways of celebrating the Christmas season. I certainly do, and really don't want to let go of any of them. Yet the challenge every year is as to whether we can look beyond our traditions and allow this season to be more than just busy-ness and celebration and actually find the message of our Savior generates deep trust in God within our lives.
Zechariah 2:3 “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."
Isn't that what we celebrate at Christmas? That we do not have a God who is content to sit back and let us travel to an uncertain fate. That we have a God 'who has roused himself from His holy dwelling'. That in Jesus Christ... God comes to us, is born amongst us, is born as one of us, as one who remembers us, understands us and comes to save us from ourselves.
As the children sang for us, 'The Virgin Mary had a baby boy, And they said His name was Jesus. He came from the glory, He came from the glorious kingdom, oh yes believer, ... He came from the glorious kingdom!”
Like Joseph we may struggle to understand how such a thing can be. Like Joseph we may even be so busy that it's only in our dreams that God can get through to us! Yet there is life and love and hope to be found, waiting for our response, waiting to embrace us and renew us, if we can but be still for long enough to taste and see and know that God remembers God's people.
As we sing our carols, as we visit with our friends and families, as we watch our traditional movies and go through our traditional routines, take time to consider the Jesus who lies at the heart of things. Take time for trusting beyond tradition. Then we truly will be celebrating the Christmas message. “He came from the glory, oh yes believer ...He came from the glorious kingdom”
May the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the presence and peace of His Holy Spirit, illuminate our Christmas celebrations this and every year we travel through this season. And to God's name be all the glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Book Cover Judgments
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-15
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 15th, 2013
A printable PDf file can be found here
There's a song from the 1960's, written by Willie Dixon in 1962 and originally recorded by folk like Bo Diddley, Eric Clapton, The Yardbirds, and the Monkees, that has the title, “You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.” The lyrics of the first verse...
“You can't judge an apple by looking at the tree,
You can't judge honey by looking at the bee,
You can't judge a daughter by looking at the mother,
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.”
In our bible reading today, we learned that people struggled to accept the message of John the Baptist partly because he was not known for his fashion sense! Elsewhere in Scripture we are told he lived in the desert, wore clothes made of camel skin and ate a diet of locusts and honey. He did not dress (or eat) to impress.
Our Scripture reading pictured Jesus addressing the crowds about John;“What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
Some of the last words written in the Old Testament, in the Book of Malachi, 4:5 read; "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. “ Jesus tells the people; “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he (John) is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear. “ (Matthew 11:2-15)
Appearances can be deceptive. You can't judge a book by looking at the cover. The way things appear may not be the most accurate representation of the way things truly are. It's ten days to Christmas Day. Christmas is sometimes pictured as the happiest time of the year. Parties. Presents. Peace and Goodwill to all people. That's how it can be pictured.
Yet we also know that for many people this is one of the hardest times of the year. The Christmas blues reach many. Family gatherings can be stressful. Seeing families gathered together, can be a reminder of distance, for families that are far apart. Empty spaces at family tables can remind people of the pain they feel for those they have lost.
Observing the money people spend on extravagant gifts can remind those who are financially struggling about the debt they can't seem to climb out of. For many people the joy of Christmas is not what they are feeling! They may put on a happy face, but inside something else is going on.
If you are one of those experiencing something of the Christmas blues, it can help to know that you are not alone. At the heart of Christmas is a wonderful message, that none of us are alone! God, in Christ, comes to us, dressed in humanity but endued with all the Grace of God necessary to guide us and help us through. It is a helpful thing to focus on the deeper meaning of the season, the Jesus whom John told us to be prepared for.
It could be that one of the reasons John didn't feel the need to put on a show for anybody was that he didn't want to get in the way of the message he was called to proclaim. He didn't want people to see him, he wanted people to see Jesus. The nature of the ministry Jesus would establish, was not that of outward show and pomp, but of service and humility.
A youth group I had in a previous church were planning to go to a youth targeted meeting in their home town, hosted by a christian group we didn't know a lot about. I couldn't go with them, but caught up with them the next day. “How was the youth meeting?” I asked. “Oh, we didn't go inside” one of them replied. “Why not?” I asked. “Well” they explained “There was a man on the door whose smile was too big”. Appearances can be deceptive. As Willie Dixon's song continues:-
You can't judge a fish by lookin' in the pond,
You can't judge right by looking at the wrong,
You can't judge one by looking at the other,
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.
The people who went to hear John the Baptist had to look at him in a different way. He looked like a wild man dressed in skins and living off the land, but he spoke like a prophet of old. Maybe some of them knew that he was the son of the respected town priest, Zechariah. Maybe that didn't help because that made him a local boy! Mixed messages can confuse us. Jesus encourages to look beyond appearances and tells us “If you have ears to hear, then hear!” (Matt 11:15)
You really can't tell everything about a person by first glances. If they are well-dressed, they could be genuine or they could be a con-man. If they look like they just crawled out of bed, maybe they have just crawled out of bed because they worked the night shift as a surgeon at the local hospital. Some of the richest people in the world dress in their most comfortable clothes because they couldn't care less about impressing anybody. In order to know somebody, you have to communicate. If you have ears, then your ears have to do some hearing!
Jesus never looked at people as problems. He always saw the possibilities that God's love could bring to them. He was never impressed by labels or titles. Some of the harshest words He spoke were against the religious folk who dressed the part, even acted the part, but had hearts that were just about as far apart from God as any could be. About John the Baptist, though Jesus did comment that his dress sense was not that of a palace dweller, He went on to say; “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist”. High praise indeed!
But He doesn't leave it there. He carries on; “Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” When a person belongs to the Kingdom of God, they are clothed with the righteousness of God. That is the mystery of grace. We are saved, by grace, through faith. To use scriptural language; though our righteousness is as filthy rags, God clothes us with glory. Not because of anything we have done, but because of everything that Jesus did.
No matter how we dress up or dress down, no matter how we appear to each other, in God's eyes we appear to be those who need a Savior, and that's why Jesus came! God … in the flesh... God Incarnate... God with us, Emmanuel. That's what we celebrate at Christmas. In Jesus Christ, we are claimed and adopted as God's precious children that He loves with a love that will never give up on us nor ever let us go.
We may not always look the part or even live up to our family heritage, but there's always a place for us at the table. No matter what others may make of us, ultimately it's God's welcome that defines us. Willie Dixon's song concludes:-
You can't judge sugar by looking at the cane,
You can't judge a woman by looking at her man,
You can't judge a sister by looking at her brother,
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.
John the Baptist came with a message of repentance. It was a message that offered a new beginning. Wash away the old, and begin again. It was a message that urged people to get their lives together, because something new was coming. When Jesus went down in the waters with him, then John declared, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world... this is what we've been waiting for... I baptize with water... He'll baptize with fire.”
Advent is a time for us to consider how we can de-clutter our lives in order that they may be embraced by the Grace of God. If we focus on the outward trappings of the season, the sad memories it may evoke, or upon the commercial excesses of this time of the year, it may well leave us with a case of the Christmas Blues.
John the Baptist offers us hope. Hope in Jesus Christ. You can't judge a book by looking at the cover. We can't truly celebrate Christmas until we get beyond the outward show of good cheer and see that behind it all is the simple, yet radical, notion, that in the birth of Jesus Christ, hope is here, help has arrived and our futures can be guided and graced by the Holy Spirit.
As we travel through this Advent season, may the true light of the love of Jesus Christ illuminate our journey. May the hope He brings eradicate our Christmas blues. May the perspective He offers encourage us to see all people through the loving eyes of Jesus. May His Spirit encourage us to turn aside from hasty judgments based on outward appearance and honor each other as much treasured Children of God.
'Truly I tell you,' said Jesus, 'Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.'
May God help us live into our baptisms as citizens of the Kingdom established through the ministry of the baby born in a manger in Bethlehem town. To God be the glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-15
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 15th, 2013
A printable PDf file can be found here
There's a song from the 1960's, written by Willie Dixon in 1962 and originally recorded by folk like Bo Diddley, Eric Clapton, The Yardbirds, and the Monkees, that has the title, “You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.” The lyrics of the first verse...
“You can't judge an apple by looking at the tree,
You can't judge honey by looking at the bee,
You can't judge a daughter by looking at the mother,
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.”
In our bible reading today, we learned that people struggled to accept the message of John the Baptist partly because he was not known for his fashion sense! Elsewhere in Scripture we are told he lived in the desert, wore clothes made of camel skin and ate a diet of locusts and honey. He did not dress (or eat) to impress.
Our Scripture reading pictured Jesus addressing the crowds about John;“What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
Some of the last words written in the Old Testament, in the Book of Malachi, 4:5 read; "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. “ Jesus tells the people; “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he (John) is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear. “ (Matthew 11:2-15)
Appearances can be deceptive. You can't judge a book by looking at the cover. The way things appear may not be the most accurate representation of the way things truly are. It's ten days to Christmas Day. Christmas is sometimes pictured as the happiest time of the year. Parties. Presents. Peace and Goodwill to all people. That's how it can be pictured.
Yet we also know that for many people this is one of the hardest times of the year. The Christmas blues reach many. Family gatherings can be stressful. Seeing families gathered together, can be a reminder of distance, for families that are far apart. Empty spaces at family tables can remind people of the pain they feel for those they have lost.
Observing the money people spend on extravagant gifts can remind those who are financially struggling about the debt they can't seem to climb out of. For many people the joy of Christmas is not what they are feeling! They may put on a happy face, but inside something else is going on.
If you are one of those experiencing something of the Christmas blues, it can help to know that you are not alone. At the heart of Christmas is a wonderful message, that none of us are alone! God, in Christ, comes to us, dressed in humanity but endued with all the Grace of God necessary to guide us and help us through. It is a helpful thing to focus on the deeper meaning of the season, the Jesus whom John told us to be prepared for.
It could be that one of the reasons John didn't feel the need to put on a show for anybody was that he didn't want to get in the way of the message he was called to proclaim. He didn't want people to see him, he wanted people to see Jesus. The nature of the ministry Jesus would establish, was not that of outward show and pomp, but of service and humility.
A youth group I had in a previous church were planning to go to a youth targeted meeting in their home town, hosted by a christian group we didn't know a lot about. I couldn't go with them, but caught up with them the next day. “How was the youth meeting?” I asked. “Oh, we didn't go inside” one of them replied. “Why not?” I asked. “Well” they explained “There was a man on the door whose smile was too big”. Appearances can be deceptive. As Willie Dixon's song continues:-
You can't judge a fish by lookin' in the pond,
You can't judge right by looking at the wrong,
You can't judge one by looking at the other,
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.
The people who went to hear John the Baptist had to look at him in a different way. He looked like a wild man dressed in skins and living off the land, but he spoke like a prophet of old. Maybe some of them knew that he was the son of the respected town priest, Zechariah. Maybe that didn't help because that made him a local boy! Mixed messages can confuse us. Jesus encourages to look beyond appearances and tells us “If you have ears to hear, then hear!” (Matt 11:15)
You really can't tell everything about a person by first glances. If they are well-dressed, they could be genuine or they could be a con-man. If they look like they just crawled out of bed, maybe they have just crawled out of bed because they worked the night shift as a surgeon at the local hospital. Some of the richest people in the world dress in their most comfortable clothes because they couldn't care less about impressing anybody. In order to know somebody, you have to communicate. If you have ears, then your ears have to do some hearing!
Jesus never looked at people as problems. He always saw the possibilities that God's love could bring to them. He was never impressed by labels or titles. Some of the harshest words He spoke were against the religious folk who dressed the part, even acted the part, but had hearts that were just about as far apart from God as any could be. About John the Baptist, though Jesus did comment that his dress sense was not that of a palace dweller, He went on to say; “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist”. High praise indeed!
But He doesn't leave it there. He carries on; “Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” When a person belongs to the Kingdom of God, they are clothed with the righteousness of God. That is the mystery of grace. We are saved, by grace, through faith. To use scriptural language; though our righteousness is as filthy rags, God clothes us with glory. Not because of anything we have done, but because of everything that Jesus did.
No matter how we dress up or dress down, no matter how we appear to each other, in God's eyes we appear to be those who need a Savior, and that's why Jesus came! God … in the flesh... God Incarnate... God with us, Emmanuel. That's what we celebrate at Christmas. In Jesus Christ, we are claimed and adopted as God's precious children that He loves with a love that will never give up on us nor ever let us go.
We may not always look the part or even live up to our family heritage, but there's always a place for us at the table. No matter what others may make of us, ultimately it's God's welcome that defines us. Willie Dixon's song concludes:-
You can't judge sugar by looking at the cane,
You can't judge a woman by looking at her man,
You can't judge a sister by looking at her brother,
You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.
John the Baptist came with a message of repentance. It was a message that offered a new beginning. Wash away the old, and begin again. It was a message that urged people to get their lives together, because something new was coming. When Jesus went down in the waters with him, then John declared, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world... this is what we've been waiting for... I baptize with water... He'll baptize with fire.”
Advent is a time for us to consider how we can de-clutter our lives in order that they may be embraced by the Grace of God. If we focus on the outward trappings of the season, the sad memories it may evoke, or upon the commercial excesses of this time of the year, it may well leave us with a case of the Christmas Blues.
John the Baptist offers us hope. Hope in Jesus Christ. You can't judge a book by looking at the cover. We can't truly celebrate Christmas until we get beyond the outward show of good cheer and see that behind it all is the simple, yet radical, notion, that in the birth of Jesus Christ, hope is here, help has arrived and our futures can be guided and graced by the Holy Spirit.
As we travel through this Advent season, may the true light of the love of Jesus Christ illuminate our journey. May the hope He brings eradicate our Christmas blues. May the perspective He offers encourage us to see all people through the loving eyes of Jesus. May His Spirit encourage us to turn aside from hasty judgments based on outward appearance and honor each other as much treasured Children of God.
'Truly I tell you,' said Jesus, 'Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.'
May God help us live into our baptisms as citizens of the Kingdom established through the ministry of the baby born in a manger in Bethlehem town. To God be the glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Nativities and Narnia
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Reading: Luke 4:14-21, Romans 15:4-13
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 8th, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Back in the day... when I was younger... the second Sunday of Advent was always one that focused on the gift of God's Word, given to us in the Scriptures. Acknowledgment was made that if it were not for the written Word passed down to us then we would have no Christmas story to celebrate. No carols to sing, no Christmas plays, no traditions of giving and receiving, no Christmas tree, nor so many other things we take for granted about the festive season.
C.S. Lewis in his classic book for children 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' describes the mythical frozen land of Narnia as being a dismal land, not because of the cold, but because it was 'Always winter, but never Christmas'. Only with the return of Aslan (in his books the symbolic representation of Jesus) does Father Christmas once again make an appearance and all is well.
Critics of C.S Lewis complained that he would confuse children having figures like Aslan, representing Jesus, and then include characters like dwarves, badgers and Santa Claus. How would the children determine which were the mythological elements and which bits were supposed to represent something real? It could get confusing!
I am tempted to answer on Lewis's behalf; “You mean confusing... like Christmas?” After all the festival we celebrate is truly a strange mixture of ancient traditions, from different cultures and ancient practices, some of which have nothing to do with the Christian story.
A great deal of the Nativity story, as we tell it, has more to do with speculation and elaboration upon the texts than it does with the actual story that scripture contains. The date itself, December 25th, which we acknowledge as the birth of Jesus, was chosen in the fourth century as a good day to celebrate because it coincided with the winter solstice, when adherents of pagan religions built bonfires to welcome the return of longer days. Most scholars are unsure about the true date of Christ's birth.
C.S. Lewis's intention with his “Chronicles of Narnia” was not to rewrite the whole biblical story as an allegory. Before he wrote books for children, he was a classical scholar of English literature, and chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He knew the power of story to ignite the imagination. His hope was that his works would inspire people to acquaint themselves with the true gospel story, not see his works as a replacement for it!
I suggest that we are attempting something similar with our Christmas celebrations. We know that what we do is not the actual historic biblical story. But we give ourselves permission to celebrate and to imagine and to invent, because that's what humans do! By creating this warm, folksy, festive story, with it's Santa and Elves and Baby in a manger and all the rest of it... maybe we can actually get folk to ask, “Well, what's the real deal with the season?”
And maybe that's why... back in the day... a Sunday was put aside in Advent to stress the Bible as being so important, especially for the understanding of the events we call Christmas. Because in many ways the biblical story is far more gritty and radical than our festive celebrations.
In our reading from Romans we heard Paul telling us, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
For the New Testament writers the story of Jesus does not begin in a stable in Bethlehem, but in the visions of Old Testament prophets and the hopes of a nation. Everything that surrounds the birth of Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of prophecy. Paul writes - verse 12 “Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in Him the Gentiles will hope."
In that verse alone are so many strands of theology and history that it could take a series of sermons to truly unpack it's implications. 'Jesse' was the father of Israels' most celebrated king, King David. The mission of Israel is pictured, not as self preservation, but for them to be a light for all nations, a model of how obedience to God created an opportunity for God's blessing. As events unfold, so hope is enabled, hope for freedom and justice and all of this focused upon the 'One who will arise'.
Even the events we know of as being part of the Nativity narrative can be interpreted in so many ways. Mary is a young girl facing an unexpected pregnancy. Joseph is the potential husband who struggles to do the right thing, guided only by dreams and his love for the girl to whom he was betrothed. The images we are given of Herod are disturbing. He is everything a King shouldn't be. Violent. Despotic. So insecure that he orders an act of child genocide.
The Holy family, are driven to Bethlehem by a political census, eventually have to flee beyond the borders to Egypt as refugees, before a change in governmental leadership offers an opportunity to return home.
The shepherds are the outsiders, the people on the fringes who receive the greatest news ever told. The Wise Men are strangers, shrewd judges of character, strangely drawn in from far away... culturally, geographically and religiously... to celebrate the dawn of a new star in creation. They welcome Jesus with gifts that would have deep meaning for His future; gold associated with royalty, frankincense associated with worship, myrrh associated with suffering.
There are angelic visitations to both individuals and groups of people, close encounters of the heavenly kind. There are ascriptions of glory and praise to the God who is seen as being behind all things, of having orchestrated the whole drama of salvation from the beginning of time, with Jesus taking center stage.
There is the cousin of Jesus, John the Baptist, the son of temple priest Zachariah, who has been struck mute until he sees his baby born. There is John's mother, Elizabeth, in whose womb, her baby leaps for joy upon meeting Mary the mother of Jesus.
There is Simeon. “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.” (Luke 2:26). Simeon declares, as he takes the baby Jesus up in his arms, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:30). There is Anna, a widow aged 84 years, who has dedicated her life to God's service, who looks upon Jesus and declares Jesus to truly be the child of God's promise. (Luke 2:38)
All these characters and happenings and events are as much a part of the scriptural account of Jesus birth as are the innkeeper, who says 'no Room', the donkey who carries Mary to Bethlehem and the swaddling clothes in which the baby Jesus is cradled. But how familiar are they to us? I believe it is a good thing to remind ourselves that the story we celebrate as Christmas, whilst full of meaning and symbolism and joy, is not the whole story. It is a good thing to have a Sunday during Advent that invites us to take another look at the narrative contained in the Biblical Books.
In the gospel reading from Luke for today we see Jesus preaching His first sermon and reading from Isaiah, words that He claims are fulfilled in Himself.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
To jump from 'chestnuts roasting around an open fire' to the heat and tension of the synagogue the first time Jesus preached is quite a leap. But not if one has taken the time to consider, not so much the season surrounding the birth of Jesus, but the scriptures and events of His coming. Our Christmas celebrations, though glorious and heartwarming as they can be, do not prepare us for the life of Jesus that we read of in the Scriptures.
The idea of the Spirit of the Lord anointing Jesus is not a strange one if we consider the words of Simeon and Anna who saw the evidence of the Spirit on His life when He was a baby. His declaration of coming to set the oppressed free does not strike as strange when we consider the oppressive circumstances surrounding the biblical account of His birth.
That a message considered “Good News to the Poor” should be first announced to shepherds does not seem so strange when we consider the low ranking position shepherds had in the society of the day. To talk of a year of the Lord's favor, in the light of the healing and good works that followed His ministry, makes perfect sense.
Returning to our verse from Paul. “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
There's a lot of people in the biblical story of Christmas who need hope. The pregnant young girl. The fearful Father. The much maligned shepherds. The far away 'Wise Men' trying to figure it all out. The 84 year old widow Anna. Simeon, waiting for something to come clear before he breathed his last.
The Scriptural account has a whole lot to offer the refugee, the persecuted, the victims of violence, those denied justice, those seeking a star to light their way, those who are wondering how on earth a world such as ours can ever become anything remotely resembling a Kingdom of God. It's all there. Hope for the world.
Nativities and Narnia have a message for us. It may well indeed feel, as C.S Lewis expressed so well, that we live in a world where it's 'Always winter, but never Christmas'. So I'd encourage you to look beyond the traditional narratives and look at the Scriptures themselves.
For through prayerful contemplation of Scriptures words we have the opportunity of encountering the true Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Inspired by His Holy Spirit, hope can be reborn and actions of significance can be attempted. Maybe it is as simple as the bumper stickers suggest. 'Keep Christ in Christmas'. Just be sure that it's the Jesus of Scripture and not the Christ of Christmas that you make your ultimate authority!
To God's name be the Glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Reading: Luke 4:14-21, Romans 15:4-13
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 8th, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Back in the day... when I was younger... the second Sunday of Advent was always one that focused on the gift of God's Word, given to us in the Scriptures. Acknowledgment was made that if it were not for the written Word passed down to us then we would have no Christmas story to celebrate. No carols to sing, no Christmas plays, no traditions of giving and receiving, no Christmas tree, nor so many other things we take for granted about the festive season.
C.S. Lewis in his classic book for children 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' describes the mythical frozen land of Narnia as being a dismal land, not because of the cold, but because it was 'Always winter, but never Christmas'. Only with the return of Aslan (in his books the symbolic representation of Jesus) does Father Christmas once again make an appearance and all is well.
Critics of C.S Lewis complained that he would confuse children having figures like Aslan, representing Jesus, and then include characters like dwarves, badgers and Santa Claus. How would the children determine which were the mythological elements and which bits were supposed to represent something real? It could get confusing!
I am tempted to answer on Lewis's behalf; “You mean confusing... like Christmas?” After all the festival we celebrate is truly a strange mixture of ancient traditions, from different cultures and ancient practices, some of which have nothing to do with the Christian story.
A great deal of the Nativity story, as we tell it, has more to do with speculation and elaboration upon the texts than it does with the actual story that scripture contains. The date itself, December 25th, which we acknowledge as the birth of Jesus, was chosen in the fourth century as a good day to celebrate because it coincided with the winter solstice, when adherents of pagan religions built bonfires to welcome the return of longer days. Most scholars are unsure about the true date of Christ's birth.
C.S. Lewis's intention with his “Chronicles of Narnia” was not to rewrite the whole biblical story as an allegory. Before he wrote books for children, he was a classical scholar of English literature, and chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He knew the power of story to ignite the imagination. His hope was that his works would inspire people to acquaint themselves with the true gospel story, not see his works as a replacement for it!
I suggest that we are attempting something similar with our Christmas celebrations. We know that what we do is not the actual historic biblical story. But we give ourselves permission to celebrate and to imagine and to invent, because that's what humans do! By creating this warm, folksy, festive story, with it's Santa and Elves and Baby in a manger and all the rest of it... maybe we can actually get folk to ask, “Well, what's the real deal with the season?”
And maybe that's why... back in the day... a Sunday was put aside in Advent to stress the Bible as being so important, especially for the understanding of the events we call Christmas. Because in many ways the biblical story is far more gritty and radical than our festive celebrations.
In our reading from Romans we heard Paul telling us, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
For the New Testament writers the story of Jesus does not begin in a stable in Bethlehem, but in the visions of Old Testament prophets and the hopes of a nation. Everything that surrounds the birth of Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of prophecy. Paul writes - verse 12 “Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in Him the Gentiles will hope."
In that verse alone are so many strands of theology and history that it could take a series of sermons to truly unpack it's implications. 'Jesse' was the father of Israels' most celebrated king, King David. The mission of Israel is pictured, not as self preservation, but for them to be a light for all nations, a model of how obedience to God created an opportunity for God's blessing. As events unfold, so hope is enabled, hope for freedom and justice and all of this focused upon the 'One who will arise'.
Even the events we know of as being part of the Nativity narrative can be interpreted in so many ways. Mary is a young girl facing an unexpected pregnancy. Joseph is the potential husband who struggles to do the right thing, guided only by dreams and his love for the girl to whom he was betrothed. The images we are given of Herod are disturbing. He is everything a King shouldn't be. Violent. Despotic. So insecure that he orders an act of child genocide.
The Holy family, are driven to Bethlehem by a political census, eventually have to flee beyond the borders to Egypt as refugees, before a change in governmental leadership offers an opportunity to return home.
The shepherds are the outsiders, the people on the fringes who receive the greatest news ever told. The Wise Men are strangers, shrewd judges of character, strangely drawn in from far away... culturally, geographically and religiously... to celebrate the dawn of a new star in creation. They welcome Jesus with gifts that would have deep meaning for His future; gold associated with royalty, frankincense associated with worship, myrrh associated with suffering.
There are angelic visitations to both individuals and groups of people, close encounters of the heavenly kind. There are ascriptions of glory and praise to the God who is seen as being behind all things, of having orchestrated the whole drama of salvation from the beginning of time, with Jesus taking center stage.
There is the cousin of Jesus, John the Baptist, the son of temple priest Zachariah, who has been struck mute until he sees his baby born. There is John's mother, Elizabeth, in whose womb, her baby leaps for joy upon meeting Mary the mother of Jesus.
There is Simeon. “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.” (Luke 2:26). Simeon declares, as he takes the baby Jesus up in his arms, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:30). There is Anna, a widow aged 84 years, who has dedicated her life to God's service, who looks upon Jesus and declares Jesus to truly be the child of God's promise. (Luke 2:38)
All these characters and happenings and events are as much a part of the scriptural account of Jesus birth as are the innkeeper, who says 'no Room', the donkey who carries Mary to Bethlehem and the swaddling clothes in which the baby Jesus is cradled. But how familiar are they to us? I believe it is a good thing to remind ourselves that the story we celebrate as Christmas, whilst full of meaning and symbolism and joy, is not the whole story. It is a good thing to have a Sunday during Advent that invites us to take another look at the narrative contained in the Biblical Books.
In the gospel reading from Luke for today we see Jesus preaching His first sermon and reading from Isaiah, words that He claims are fulfilled in Himself.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
To jump from 'chestnuts roasting around an open fire' to the heat and tension of the synagogue the first time Jesus preached is quite a leap. But not if one has taken the time to consider, not so much the season surrounding the birth of Jesus, but the scriptures and events of His coming. Our Christmas celebrations, though glorious and heartwarming as they can be, do not prepare us for the life of Jesus that we read of in the Scriptures.
The idea of the Spirit of the Lord anointing Jesus is not a strange one if we consider the words of Simeon and Anna who saw the evidence of the Spirit on His life when He was a baby. His declaration of coming to set the oppressed free does not strike as strange when we consider the oppressive circumstances surrounding the biblical account of His birth.
That a message considered “Good News to the Poor” should be first announced to shepherds does not seem so strange when we consider the low ranking position shepherds had in the society of the day. To talk of a year of the Lord's favor, in the light of the healing and good works that followed His ministry, makes perfect sense.
Returning to our verse from Paul. “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
There's a lot of people in the biblical story of Christmas who need hope. The pregnant young girl. The fearful Father. The much maligned shepherds. The far away 'Wise Men' trying to figure it all out. The 84 year old widow Anna. Simeon, waiting for something to come clear before he breathed his last.
The Scriptural account has a whole lot to offer the refugee, the persecuted, the victims of violence, those denied justice, those seeking a star to light their way, those who are wondering how on earth a world such as ours can ever become anything remotely resembling a Kingdom of God. It's all there. Hope for the world.
Nativities and Narnia have a message for us. It may well indeed feel, as C.S Lewis expressed so well, that we live in a world where it's 'Always winter, but never Christmas'. So I'd encourage you to look beyond the traditional narratives and look at the Scriptures themselves.
For through prayerful contemplation of Scriptures words we have the opportunity of encountering the true Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Inspired by His Holy Spirit, hope can be reborn and actions of significance can be attempted. Maybe it is as simple as the bumper stickers suggest. 'Keep Christ in Christmas'. Just be sure that it's the Jesus of Scripture and not the Christ of Christmas that you make your ultimate authority!
To God's name be the Glory. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Strengthened for Service
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT – COMMUNION SERVICE
Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 1st, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Christmas is coming. 'Soon and very soon' we are going to welcome the birth of the baby born to be King of Kings. One of the jobs of a King is to dispense justice. Our reading from Matthew gave us a picture of the kind of Kingdom that Jesus rules over; the Kingdom of God, in which the rules are not quite the same as in the kingdoms of the world.
In God's kingdom it's not achievement or success that measures greatness, but rather service. In fact Jesus so completely identifies with people who need serving that He goes as far as saying 'In as much as you helped the least of people, you have helped me!” The negative side of the picture is that when we haven't helped others, we have been no help to Jesus... or to God's Kingdom.
One of the positive things about this congregation is the way we help others. There always seems to be food in the baskets for the Food Pantry, another turkey to be cooked for the Inn, another clothing drive that is well responded to. Our building is host to organizations that help people struggling with addiction problems. Through our gifts and tithes we support chaplaincy programs, missionaries at home and abroad, a whole host of projects and peoples.
And it is GOOD that we do these things. They are the work of the Kingdom. Inspired by our Savior Jesus Christ, we seek to be His hands that are reaching out to others. We want to make a difference. We want other people to know that God cares for them and loves them. We need to keep on doing what we do. It's important.
Of course we can always do more, but I'm not going to suggest we take on extra projects or responsibilities. What I would suggest to you this morning is that service can be hard work and that here and now, in this place, at this time, we meet around a table laid with bread and wine that can remind us why we are doing many of the things that we do.
We serve God, not to gain favor with God, but out of gratitude towards God for the gift of Jesus Christ. We serve God, not in our own strength, but through the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit, who turns service into an opportunity for worship.
It is striking in Matthews account of the King who is judging the subjects that they ask him, “When did we see you naked, or hungry, or in prison?” They have no concept that their service may somehow have attracted the Kings good pleasure. Still less do they seem aware that their actions could be interpreted as actually being ones that touched the King himself.
The good subjects just seem to be aware that being of service to others was the right way to live. There appears no question of personal gain or merit, no sense of currying favor with the King. There was a need. They could meet it. So they did it.
Rather like the parable of the Good Samaritan, the service givers recognize that a persons religious beliefs, a persons nationality or cultural identity, whether they were meant to be friends by the conventions of their society or not, didn't count for much. What mattered was that they saw a person in need of a helping hand, they extended that hand, and the person was helped to get through the situation that had befallen them.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, those who could have helped, namely a Levite and a Priest, are too busy. They are so wrapped up in their self preservation that they don't see the needs of the injured party, nor recognize their own ability to be of help.
In our parable about the King, the ones whom he judges complain, “ 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' (Matthew 25:44-45 NIV).
Christmas time is sometimes known as the season of giving. We give in response to what has been given to us... 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life' (John 3:16)
It is GOOD that at the start of Advent we gather around a table to remember the One whom God has given to us, Our Lord Jesus Christ, whose life was so marked by selfless service that even today, when somebody does a good deed, you often hear, even non-religious people say, “Well that was the Christian thing to do!”
Seeing these elements of bread and wine reminds us that service can be tough. Even though we acknowledge that it is the right thing to do, we also are not good at putting our selves aside. We, like the Priest and the Levite on the road who walked by the needy man... we have our own agendas to meet. We are busy people. We know the limitations of our resources. We fear getting to involved when trouble comes. We are uncomfortable with those who are different to us. It is not easy to put our aside our fears and our prejudices. Service can be hard work.
Around this table we see what Jesus went through for us. His body was broken. His blood was poured out. He is our pattern. He is our inspiration. And all that He went through was not just for us, but for all people, of all places, of all kinds and all times. He calls us to be people who let others know that they are loved, that God cares about them, that God can help them.
Around this table God promises to strengthen us for service. Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." As we allow God to strengthen us, service does not take on the notion of being a burden, but a privilege. It becomes a sharing in the work of Christ. It becomes not so much a task as an act of worship. Jesus tells us in that verse we just read: “You shall find rest for your souls”.
I would encourage us then as a Church to keep on doing the things that we are doing that help others experience something of God's Kingdom. To make the most of our times for offering and giving, not just in this season of goodwill, but throughout the year. In a world where we sometimes wonder if we can really do anything to change things, well, here, through the ministry and mission of our own church community are so many opportunities to do the little things that can make a big difference in the lives of those who may be served.
We know it's the right thing to do! Around this table we are challenged to consider how to realistically respond to the deep love shown to us in Jesus Christ. Around this table we are also strengthened for service. How? Well that's the work of the Holy Spirit and I would not be so presumptuous as to seek to explain it.
Is it about community? Is it about identification? Is it about how taking time to reflect makes us more able to reflect the love of God towards to others? I don't think it is necessary to explain it or understand it.
What I do know is that when I come to this table, laid with bread and wine, and lay before God my life as it is, my fears, my worries, my confession that when it comes to serving others I often fail, my selfishness and misguided sense of privilege... when I come to this table with all my brokenness, then it becomes a healing place. It becomes a place where we remember God is with us... and that because God is for us then we have nothing to fear, but everything to offer!
'Soon and very soon we are going to see the King'. Our reading from Matthew gave us a particular perspective on how meetings with King's can turn out! We believe in Jesus Christ, the Servant King, so let us seek for the pattern of His life to be one we follow in our own lives, through the grace, mercy and help of God's Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, December 1st, 2013
A printable PDF file can be found here
Christmas is coming. 'Soon and very soon' we are going to welcome the birth of the baby born to be King of Kings. One of the jobs of a King is to dispense justice. Our reading from Matthew gave us a picture of the kind of Kingdom that Jesus rules over; the Kingdom of God, in which the rules are not quite the same as in the kingdoms of the world.
In God's kingdom it's not achievement or success that measures greatness, but rather service. In fact Jesus so completely identifies with people who need serving that He goes as far as saying 'In as much as you helped the least of people, you have helped me!” The negative side of the picture is that when we haven't helped others, we have been no help to Jesus... or to God's Kingdom.
One of the positive things about this congregation is the way we help others. There always seems to be food in the baskets for the Food Pantry, another turkey to be cooked for the Inn, another clothing drive that is well responded to. Our building is host to organizations that help people struggling with addiction problems. Through our gifts and tithes we support chaplaincy programs, missionaries at home and abroad, a whole host of projects and peoples.
And it is GOOD that we do these things. They are the work of the Kingdom. Inspired by our Savior Jesus Christ, we seek to be His hands that are reaching out to others. We want to make a difference. We want other people to know that God cares for them and loves them. We need to keep on doing what we do. It's important.
Of course we can always do more, but I'm not going to suggest we take on extra projects or responsibilities. What I would suggest to you this morning is that service can be hard work and that here and now, in this place, at this time, we meet around a table laid with bread and wine that can remind us why we are doing many of the things that we do.
We serve God, not to gain favor with God, but out of gratitude towards God for the gift of Jesus Christ. We serve God, not in our own strength, but through the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit, who turns service into an opportunity for worship.
It is striking in Matthews account of the King who is judging the subjects that they ask him, “When did we see you naked, or hungry, or in prison?” They have no concept that their service may somehow have attracted the Kings good pleasure. Still less do they seem aware that their actions could be interpreted as actually being ones that touched the King himself.
The good subjects just seem to be aware that being of service to others was the right way to live. There appears no question of personal gain or merit, no sense of currying favor with the King. There was a need. They could meet it. So they did it.
Rather like the parable of the Good Samaritan, the service givers recognize that a persons religious beliefs, a persons nationality or cultural identity, whether they were meant to be friends by the conventions of their society or not, didn't count for much. What mattered was that they saw a person in need of a helping hand, they extended that hand, and the person was helped to get through the situation that had befallen them.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, those who could have helped, namely a Levite and a Priest, are too busy. They are so wrapped up in their self preservation that they don't see the needs of the injured party, nor recognize their own ability to be of help.
In our parable about the King, the ones whom he judges complain, “ 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' (Matthew 25:44-45 NIV).
Christmas time is sometimes known as the season of giving. We give in response to what has been given to us... 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life' (John 3:16)
It is GOOD that at the start of Advent we gather around a table to remember the One whom God has given to us, Our Lord Jesus Christ, whose life was so marked by selfless service that even today, when somebody does a good deed, you often hear, even non-religious people say, “Well that was the Christian thing to do!”
Seeing these elements of bread and wine reminds us that service can be tough. Even though we acknowledge that it is the right thing to do, we also are not good at putting our selves aside. We, like the Priest and the Levite on the road who walked by the needy man... we have our own agendas to meet. We are busy people. We know the limitations of our resources. We fear getting to involved when trouble comes. We are uncomfortable with those who are different to us. It is not easy to put our aside our fears and our prejudices. Service can be hard work.
Around this table we see what Jesus went through for us. His body was broken. His blood was poured out. He is our pattern. He is our inspiration. And all that He went through was not just for us, but for all people, of all places, of all kinds and all times. He calls us to be people who let others know that they are loved, that God cares about them, that God can help them.
Around this table God promises to strengthen us for service. Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." As we allow God to strengthen us, service does not take on the notion of being a burden, but a privilege. It becomes a sharing in the work of Christ. It becomes not so much a task as an act of worship. Jesus tells us in that verse we just read: “You shall find rest for your souls”.
I would encourage us then as a Church to keep on doing the things that we are doing that help others experience something of God's Kingdom. To make the most of our times for offering and giving, not just in this season of goodwill, but throughout the year. In a world where we sometimes wonder if we can really do anything to change things, well, here, through the ministry and mission of our own church community are so many opportunities to do the little things that can make a big difference in the lives of those who may be served.
We know it's the right thing to do! Around this table we are challenged to consider how to realistically respond to the deep love shown to us in Jesus Christ. Around this table we are also strengthened for service. How? Well that's the work of the Holy Spirit and I would not be so presumptuous as to seek to explain it.
Is it about community? Is it about identification? Is it about how taking time to reflect makes us more able to reflect the love of God towards to others? I don't think it is necessary to explain it or understand it.
What I do know is that when I come to this table, laid with bread and wine, and lay before God my life as it is, my fears, my worries, my confession that when it comes to serving others I often fail, my selfishness and misguided sense of privilege... when I come to this table with all my brokenness, then it becomes a healing place. It becomes a place where we remember God is with us... and that because God is for us then we have nothing to fear, but everything to offer!
'Soon and very soon we are going to see the King'. Our reading from Matthew gave us a particular perspective on how meetings with King's can turn out! We believe in Jesus Christ, the Servant King, so let us seek for the pattern of His life to be one we follow in our own lives, through the grace, mercy and help of God's Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
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