This Sunday we did not have a regular sermon – instead, we all listened to the book “Stone Soup.” Stone Soup is an old folk tale in which strangers enter a village and, hungry from their journey, knock on doors to ask for food. However, each time they ask they are told that there is no food. Deciding that the inhabitants of the town must be poorer than they are, the travelers decide to make Stone soup. They are given a big pot, they fill it with water, and then add a stone, telling those who are watching them that they are making a magical soup – and adding that it would be just a little better if it had a carrot. A small child offers up a carrot; it is added to the soup. Then the travelers ponder how a potato could add flavor as well, and someone offers a potato – and little by little the town people each donate something for the pot – one green bean, one egg noodle, one kernel of corn – and as more and more vegetables are added to the pot, the soup becomes better and better. At the end, the travelers have a big pot of warm, tasty soup that is shared with each of the villagers, who are quick to bring tables and bread and cheese – and all are eat and satisfied. And all of that from a stone and water. The story shows how, when we all share what we can, we can make amazing things happen. Church is a little like Stone Soup. We all come together and we all add our gifts to the pot and cook up something wonderful and delicious – all it takes are the waters of baptism and Jesus our rock. Together we become a small example of what God’s dream of shalom for the world looks like. What makes us the community – the soup - we are? Are there ingredients we need more of? Are there ingredients that we would like to see less of? Are there ingredients not in the pot, that we would like to try? What is the perfect recipe for our stone soup?? What can you share and add to the pot? This is an invitation – a call – to make 2019 the Year of Stone Soup for Trinity. “Bring what you’ve got. Put it in the pot. Every bit counts, From the largest to he least. Together we can celebrate A Stone Soup feast!”[1] Let's all bring our ingredients – no matter how big or small. Whatever it is, bring it, throw it in the pot – and let us make stone soup. Let us stir it all up and let us serve the community the best 'soup' there is in Collegeville. May we be a place where nobody goes hungry and everybody gets their fill. [1] From “Stone Soup” as retold by Heather Forest and published by August House (1998)
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Focus Scripture: Luke 1:39-55 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." Just one more day and we will celebrate the arrival of a baby boy. A baby boy who will grow up to be the savior of us all. There will be sermons after sermons about him and the many men by his side. Rarely, however, do we talk about the women. Women like Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Martha, Phoebe, Lydia, Eunice, Dorcas, and the many Mary’s; and many more, many of them unnamed. They all shaped the life of Jesus or shaped ours through their witness of him. Today’s Gospel reading is about two of these women… There is Elizabeth – an older woman and probably used to people looking at her, whispering about her behind her back because she and her husband Zechariah did not have children. Back then, being childless was considered a disgrace and a sign of God’s displeasure. For modern minds that sounds strange, but back then, without all that doctors know now and without all the tests and scans we have now, nothing could ever be seen apart from God. Whatever happened, God had a hand in it. What do we believe about God? And there is Mary. Unwed, engaged to be married. An angel appeared and told her that she will have a child. Impossible! “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Mary’s question is one of curiosity and shock. Pregnant and unmarried? How will Joseph react? How will others respond? What will I do? Before the pondering comes the wondering. “This child will be holy,” the angel said, “he will be called Son of God.” And Mary trusts the angel and trusts God. She is blessed just as Elizabeth is blessed. “Let it be with me according to your word, she says. What would our answer be? And Mary runs to Elizabeth. Maybe she wants to see with her own eyes what God has done. Maybe she wants to share what happened to her. Maybe she wants advice on how to feel both blessed and disgraced at the time. She is with child – how impossible and yet, nothing is impossible with God. Elizabeth carrying a child was impossible just a few months ago and now she is six months pregnant. But Elizabeth is married to Zachariah and she – Mary –is only engaged to be married. People will look and whisper behind her back. And she runs to Elizabeth maybe for comfort just as much as affirmation. And these two women – the recipients of the impossible made possible -meet – and with them stand many others: Women that came before them, women that shaped history, women in whom God made the impossible possible. Women who, too, were looked at and whispered about behind their backs.
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant…" As we hear these words, it is so easy to picture the Mary of old paintings - a young, beautiful woman wearing a white or blue dress; a long cloth draped over her hair, perfectly framing her face; Her slender fingers clasped together in a pose of prayer. Gentle, soft, meek, and mild looking Mary with rosy checks and romantic glow around her. Kind of like those glamour-shot pictures that even out skin tones, that remove worry wrinkles and bags under the eyes from sleepless nights and make everybody look like soap opera stars from the 80s. And next to her is Elizabeth, the older woman; equally modestly dressed and holding her six months pregnant belly… The real Mary and Elizabeth, however, look different. In the real world, Elizabeth welcomes Mary into her small 2-bedroom apartment, It needs fresh paint and the kitchen faucets is dripping but the plumber can’t come until next week. In the corner stands a pack-n-play someone gave her when they found out she was expecting. Their child had never liked it anyway. Good, because a crib won’t fit into the bedroom. Elizabeth -- an expectant mom and at her age!? Well, it’s time for a new life-plan because her minimum-wage job as a cashier is not going to pay for diapers and formula and her boss is grumbling over the maternity leave. They will need a bigger house, too. Zachariah has been a good provider, but he has not seen a raise in three years. She had wanted a child for so long and now… It seems there is never a perfect time, is there? She worries even while filled with joy. And Mary is a teenager in blue jeans, flip flops, and faded tees from Goodwill. Her hair tied into a ponytail. They keep telling her that she has so much going for her. Maybe she did, but now, there is this baby. What will her boyfriend Joe think? They hadn’t planned that far ahead; although, they had talked about marriage. She has not even finished high school yet, but maybe a GED will do? She and Joe will need Medicaid, food stamps, and they better fill out that section 8 housing application because the waiting list is a year or more, so she heard. She wonders what will be even as she pictures herself taking her little bundle of joy to the park and playground. Mary and Elizabeth – two women, two common women. Hardly what we would call “favored”, and yet, it is them – the Elizabeths and Marys – that God looks favorably upon, we are told. It is them that God blesses; that God comes to. It is in them, that God “has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly”. It is in them that God’s promise to Abraham continues forever Mary sings her song with those without status. With those who are told they have no future. With those that are told they are failures. With those who feel as if they are never good enough. She sings her song with all who are too old or too young or too poor or too sick or too anything. She sings with the old and frail voice of the Sarahs, with the sad voices of the Leahs and Rachel; she sings with the voice of the desperate Hannas and the voice of the immigrant Ruths and hopeless Naomis. “Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me…” Mary lifts her voice for all those who have been through the worst and hoped for more. And she raises her voice for you and for me – for all of us. “He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty”. Hungry. We are all hungry for something: friendship, community, kind words, safety, peace, love, etc, and through Elizabeth and Mary, the story of Emmanuel, of God-With-Us, comes to all of us. Through Jesus, born of a Jewish girl living in the margins, the story of God’s love for all who are hungry continues to unfold. In Mary’s song we find that we, too, are blessed, and God looks favorably on the lowliness of each one of us. God is with us and in us. God’s blessings aren’t always obvious (who would have thought a baby?) and they do not always make sense at the time (at my age? Why now?), but hindsight we can often see how God moved in our lives and how blessed we have been. And so, on this 4th Sunday in Advent, let us remember that tomorrow is Christmas Eve – and that Christ will be born and has already been born in our hearts. We are blessed. And we have every reason to sing along when Mary sings. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” May this be your song. And may this be my song. May this be our song for all times.
Focus Scriptures: Zephanaia 3:17, 19: The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. Isaiah 12:2-6: Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Luke 3:7-18: John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Today is the third Sunday of Advent. Traditionally this Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday – and it is symbolized and set apart from the other Sundays in Advent by the lighting of the pink Advent candle. This Sunday takes its common name from the Latin word Gaudete ("Rejoice"). When Catholic churches still held their mass in Latin, Gaudete was the first word of the introit for today - Gaudete in Domino semper – Rejoice in the Lord Always – which itself comes from our Epistle or New Testament letter for today. Philippians 4:4 reads: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!
Isaiah tells listeners to sing for joy and Philippians tells us to rejoice always… Rejoicing or joy is the theme that holds these readings for today together. Joy over what God has done. Joy over God’s presence. Joy over help in the past and promised help ahead. Joy over God being our salvation. But then there is John the Baptist. You may remember him from last week’s reading and sermon – you know, the guy who came out of the desert or wilderness, telling people to prepare the way for the Lord and to repent. And if he didn’t make himself somewhat unwelcome shouting “REPENT” last week, today he greets people by calling them a “Brood of vipers” and announcing that an ax is waiting to cut them down if their repentance does not bear fruit. Fruit that shows itself in how they live their lives. He says whatever status you may claim and whatever position you think you hold and whatever label you put upon yourself – like that of being ancestors of Abraham - is not good enough. It isn’t who you are but what you do that matters. It seems surprising that people did not just turn around and walk away. It seems surprising that people did not shush him but instead they respond by asking him a question. “WHAT THEN SHOULD WE DO?” No denial; no nothing. Maybe they could hear the truth in John’s words. Maybe they understood that his words were not words of judgement but words of love and concern. Because John knew what is often overlook – that salvation of one depends on salvation of all;the salvation of each one of us depends on the salvation of all of creation; the new heaven and new earth that we are promised are a new heaven and new earth – a new, harmonious way of living in community – for all. And as we hear the words of John, we, like his first listeners, know that not all is well in this world. Humankind has done much harm. Wars, pollution, lack of care for rain forests and oceans, toxic emission, climate change, dishonesty, a desire for power and might, and our failure to fully love and be thankful for all that God has given us are all sin. “What then should we do”? John ‘s advice is simple. First John tells the crowd – the ordinary people – us - that “whoever has two coats must share one with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise”. John’s simple request is a reminder that maybe, just maybe, there would be less fear and less unfilled needs in the world if we realized that there is enough to go around if we divide it accordingly. Note that John does not tell anybody to give their only coat or best coat, but for each according to their ability – if you have two then share one. If you have been given more than needed, give out of your abundance. After that, John seems to address the business people and lawmakers and the powerful of his time; he tells them “not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations” and he tells the soldiers to not collect more than prescribed to you” and “be satisfied with your wages.” The latter is a bit hard in today’s time, knowing that soldiers are often paid very little and many even qualify for food stamps. However, back then soldiers may have extorted money or things from people because their duties were different from soldiers today. And so, John is telling all his listeners to not take advantage of their position to the detriment of others. Do not abuse your power but be aware of it. Know your privileged position and don’t hold it over people’s head but use it wisely and for the better of all of society. Stand on the side of justice, peace and fairness. Just the other day I read once again about a drug company raising the prices of one of their drugs – drugs that are lifesaving medication to others and that are now no longer affordable. The price of insulin in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2012. That has put the life-saving hormone out of reach for some people with diabetes and it has left others scrambling for solutions to afford the one thing they need to live – all while pharmaceutical companies already have some of the highest profit margins[1]. And this isn’t to rant about pharmaceutical companies, but just to wonder – what does this say about us and about society? Don’t make people poor just so you can be richer and don’t take from those who already can’t make ends meet – Paul tells the bankers and CEOs and quick check cashing lenders and lawmakers and corrupt business people and those who worship money over God. And with all of this, John is telling his audience just what lived repentance looks like. No, it isn’t just about saying we are sorry. No, it isn’t who we are but what we do – it is not just through inheritance and by claiming Abraham as our ancestor or God as our Father or Jesus as our brother - and ourselves as heirs of the kingdom of God - but it is in how we live into this holy calling and how we love God and each other. It is about being turned from stones into true children of God. It is about how repentance is lived out and how it changes us, John tells us. Still! Where is the Good News, where is the joy, I wonder. John also tells us that one, more powerful, is coming, that the one who is coming will baptize not with water but with the Holy Spirit. In the midst of all this talk of repentance, there are the voices of Isaiah and Paul telling us to Rejoice – REJOICE, the Lord is coming. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, they remind us. Yes, things aren’t perfect. The world isn’t perfect. We aren’t perfect. But nevertheless, hear the Good News: YOU have been found acceptable and YOU are loved, and YOU are lovable. In the words of Zephaniah, a Hebrew Scripture reading for today: The Lord your God is in your midst. God will rejoice over you with gladness. God will renew you[2]. Isaiah tells us that the Lord is coming – not if or when - but the Lord is coming! And the Lord is our salvation. And we know – we already know - God is Emmanuel, God-with-us – God is already here. When we accept this and know this, then we will forever be changed. All we need to do is to open ourselves to God’s immense love and make everything known to God; THEN the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and the re-envisioned life John exhorts us to live becomes our new normal. “[3]"Even as we await Christmas, God is with us, salvation is here, and Christ has already been born in our hearts. Even as we prepare to celebrate Christ being born anew, we are called to live fruitful lives today, to proclaim the One who delivers the lame and who gathers the outcast, our God who is our strength and our shield, both now and forevermore. No wonder we are called to rejoice." REJOICE - GOD IS IN OUR MIDST!” REJOICE - we can be and are partners with God in the redemption of all of creation REJOICE - God’s love will prevail. God and love will be all in all. Because God is in our midst. Let us rejoice in the Lord, always, I say – rejoice! [1] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/01/641615877/insulins-high-cost-leads-to-lethal-rationing, https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/average-profit-margin-pharmaceuticals-20671.html, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-28212223 [2] Today’s Hebrew Scripture is Zephanaia 4:14-20. The reading from Isaiah 12:2-6 is today’s reading in lieu of a reading from the Book of Psalms. [3] Beu, B. J.. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2018: Worship Planning Resources for Every Sunday of the Year. Focus Scriptures:
Malachi 3:1-4 : See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Philippians 1:3-11: I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Luke 1:78-79: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 3:1-6: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" Week after week in worship we plead, “Lord have mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us, Lord have mercy upon us”, and during Advent, that ancient plea comes accompanied with the hauntingly beautiful and almost impatient plea of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. Come into our time, our lives, our churches, our hearts…come and rescue us. Make haste to help us. Advent – this time of waiting – is also a restless time. We are waiting – but waiting is for many of us not an easy thing. I think most of us have at least some trouble with patience and waiting for some things – the promised pay raise, the response to a bid we put on a house, the call from a friend who said they would call us back, the news about tests results from a doctor, waiting at a hospital while a loved one is in surgery, etc… And Advent is one of those times where we know what it is ahead and really don’t want to wait but where we want Emmanuel, God with us, to come here, be here now and without further delay. We want to see our savior face to face. We want to know all will be well. We want peace on earth and good will to all –now. Aren’t 2000 years of waiting enough? But things move slow. In our reading from Philippians, Paul reminds us that things take time and that has God begun the good work, there will be progress, measured by an increase in love that is overflowing, and finally God’s work will be brought to completion. [i] According to one pastor, Paul imagines the growth of the Philippian community as similar to the growth of plant. God has begun a good work, the seeds of faith have been planted, and if we nurture these seeds, they will flourish and bring an abundant harvest for our community and the world; a spiritual harvest of righteousness.[ii] A spiritual harvest, however, as our reading from Malachi reminds us – takes refining and purification. Without it, “Who can endure the day” of the coming of the reign of God? Read here, during this second Sunday of Advent and with the candles of hope and peace lit, Malachi tells us that Advent is just that time – a time of refining and of purification to get ready and to prepare, as the Gospel text tells us, the way of the Lord. Jesus is coming- get ready. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth (Luke 3:4-5)”, John the Baptizer Joins Malachi in the prophecy. Just how are we supposed to do this? How are we refined? How do we walk the walk of love and peace? How do we nurture the seed that has been planted? How do we make straight the crooked paths? According to John, repentance is the way to go. John calls all people to repentance and to acceptance of the tender mercies of God. Repentance is how “the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” and it is through repentance and acceptance of the forgiveness we receive, that God then “Guide[s] our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). For many of us, repentance means to feel ashamed of the bad things we have done and to say that we are sorry. That, however, is not what John means or is doing. Repentance is something much deeper and much more life giving. It is a way of peace-making, a way of rethinking everything, a way of turning around. It is an active participation and it is an act of love.
Repentance is how we prepare the way of the Lord. Repentance is to turn back to God when we didn’t even know how far we strayed. It is a gift – a gift of love – and a spiritual practice. It is a practice by which we discover behaviors and habits, ways of seeing, thinking, and responding, of speaking and acting and living that we engage in as if there was no God. Things that blind us to God and that keep us from walking the path of love and peace that God has put before us. And they are sin, because they all stand opposite of love –anger, fear, greed, hate, the need for approval or control or to be right or to be perfect, being judgmental, individualism, self-depreciation, etc. But, insight itself is not enough. Instead, these ways of death need to be filled with love – God’s love; love for God, love for ourselves, and love for each other, so that “love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight, to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ, you may be pure and blameless” And so, repentance is not only the road to Christmas, but it is a way of life. – and the Good News is that we can turn around take a new path in live. We can change our ways and we can be givers of life and of peace. Peace – In the Hebrew Scriptures the word SHALOM is somewhat loosely translated as peace, but the Hebrew word is much deeper and broader than our understanding of the Word peace. It is not only an absence of conflict, but it is wholeness. In the book of Proverbs, to reconcile and heal a broken relationship is to bring shalom. And when rival kingdoms make shalom in the Bible, it doesn’t just mean they stop fighting; it also means they start working together for each other’s benefit. The state of Shalom is what the ancient prophets and John the Baptizer and Jesus where looking forward to. Shalom is what we long for. We can make Shalom happen. Malachi tells us that it won’t be easy and that it is as painful as a refiner’s fire – but the new creation, the new persons, the new life that will be born in us, will bring wholeness and light and a harvest of righteousness. This is the message of Advent: prepare for the coming of Christ by rethinking and changing your ways and by giving birth to Christ, the Prince of Peace, within and among us. May it be so. [i] Life With God Bible, footnote to Philippians 1:3-4 [ii] https://www.patheos.com/blogs/livingaholyadventure/2018/11/the-adventurous-lectionary-the-second-sunday-of-advent-december-9-2018/ Focus Scriptures:
Jeremiah 33:14-16: The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness." Luke 21:25-36 : [Jesus said:] "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." Every year, Advent brings back memories of my childhood. Advent was a magical time – Advent wreaths adorned homes, schools, malls, and entryways of just about every business. And each Sunday one more candle would be lit; one more sign that Christmas was nearer than before. There was something about these lights of Advent that was more beautiful than any other light at any other time. Another sign that Advent was here, was Advent calendars. As kids, beginning on December 1, each day we would open one more door on the calendar revealing the treat hidden behind it while waiting for Christmas. Waiting….Advent is all about waiting. Stubborn and hopeful waiting. The First Sunday in Advent starts out the new liturgical year or church year – so Happy New Year everybody. Usually, new things bring with them the excitement of fully enjoying whatever it is that is new – driving the new car, opening a new book to read, exploring a new neighborhood… But Advent is different. The new thing that God is doing in Advent is quieter and more mysterious and more ambiguous. Advent doesn’t come with big parties or some cosmic boom that makes all of creation stop dead in its tracks or the first cry of a newborn that signals the end of labor pains and the beginning of a new life. Instead, Advent is a time pregnant with waiting, with hoping, and with anticipation – like opening that Advent Calendar one door at a time to see bits and pieces of what is behind each door rather than a grand reveal of everything at once. In Advent, the past, present, and future collide, and while we watch the candle of hope burn today, the church is caught in between the joyful expectation of celebrating the birth of Jesus over 2000 years ago as well as stubbornly and hopeful waiting for God’s promise and the second coming of Christ to be fulfilled. The First Sunday in Advent is all about hope; hope that is captured by the words from the prophet Jeremiah who told us that “the days are surely coming” and that God will “cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David” that will “execute justice and righteousness. For the first hearers of Jeremiah’s message, this would have come as a welcome promise and a ray of hope in their otherwise bleak situation. Living in the 6th century, during the years spanning from the golden age of ancient Judea to the destruction of Jerusalem and deportation of the people of Judea into Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah spoke to a people whose very lives were threatened; yet, there, in the middle of the turmoil, he raises his voice promising this “righteous branch [i]that executes justice and righteousness” and telling the people that redemption is near. Jeremiah is telling his listeners to hold on to stubborn hope – to have hope when hope feels hopeless. Jeremiah planted hope where there was fear, light where there was darkness, and glimmers of love where there was war. And here, this First Sunday in Advent, the seeds of hope planted by Jeremiah become our seeds of hope too. We need that hope during a time where many of us feel tired and resigned and are oh so aware of the struggles in our own lives, in the lives of those around us, and the brokenness that exists in the world. There are always money troubles to be had – at home, at work, at church, in the national treasury chests – and there are so many people with needs
All we need to do is wait. That is what Jesus tells us to do in today’s Gospel reading. Wait and watch and be ready to stand up. Curiously, this gospel passage does not really give us any indication about how we are to wait, what our waiting will look like. We typically hear the ‘how’, the ‘what we must do now,’ and so forth, but we rarely hear that watching or expectation is – in and of itself – an act of faithfulness...that expecting something transforms, redeems, even saves us.”[iii] Expecting something to happen is a stubborn thing – just like our hope is stubborn and our waiting is. Year after year. And while the Gospel text may not tell us much about how we are to wait, it does tell us to “stand up and raise your head” – to stubbornly pick up our heads when all we want to do is let them sink to our chests – and to see what is all around us and to look for signs of hope and of love and of Christ and of God. And when we lift our heads, we cannot do so without seeing the brokenness in the world but alongside it also the beauty of God’s creation. We cannot lift our heads without seeing those who need to be fed or clothed or loved or visited as well as seeing Christ in those who do the feeding and clothing and visiting and loving – those who cherish and care for the least and lost and lonely. We cannot lift our heads and look all around without being overwhelmed by and grateful for all that God has done, is doing, and all that God has given us and without wanting to tell others the promise and the hope that we have come to know in Christ Jesus and that we stubbornly hold on to. And it is a stubborn hope – one that looks for God in all the unlikely places – such as in a stable, in a baby in a manger, in a Middle Eastern man, on an empty cross, and in an empty tomb. A hope that declares that new life will spring forth because hope was born, has defeated death, lives among us and within us, and will come again. During this Advent, let us share Christ’s love in word and deed with others while we wait -- a hopeful and joyful and stubborn waiting because we already know the end of the story. The end has already been told by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. God is with us. And God loves us and God’s loves redeem all of creation. God’s love as told by ancient prophets. Born anew year after year. And rising from the ashes year after year. God’s stubborn and persistent love that calls us beloved not only today and always. May we hold on to the hope and promise of this season and of the prophets while we wait with them in joyful, persistent, and stubborn expectation. [i] Jeremiah 33:15 [ii] Luke 21:25-26 [iii] Mark Davis, pastor of Heartland Presbyterian Church and author of a book titled “Left Behind and Loving it”, blogging at http://leftbehindandlovingit.blogspot.com/ I once visited the Episcopal Carmel of Saint Teresa for a personal silent retreat. Upon my arrival, Prioress Teresa Irene showed me a statue that she purchased during a trip overseas; the statue depicted a pregnant Mary or “Our Lady of Hope”. I had never thought about Mary’s journey to motherhood and her time of expectant and hopeful waiting and preparation; however, the image stayed with me as I contemplated what God was doing in my life and how I, like Mary, would forever be changed by my call to ministry and the new thing God was doing in my life that I was waiting for, preparing for, and was indeed already living. Advent is like that – a time of waiting and preparation for what is to come even as it is already here - and just as Mary was waiting and preparing for the day that Jesus would arrive, so do we wait during Advent for his coming. The late Trappist Monk & writer Thomas Merton wrote, “…everything that the Church gives you to sing, every prayer that you say in and with Christ in His Mystical Body is a cry of ardent desire for grace, for help, for the coming of the Messiah, the Redeemer” (Thomas Merton, Seven Storey Mountain). Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year, is a time of prayer and of renewed desire and hope and of expectant waiting, filled with the church’s longing cry, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. Mary responded to what God was doing in her life with a song – the Magnificat - and so this year during Advent, I invite you to pray Mary’s prayer at noon each day. For a moment stop what you are doing, join your voice with that of the rest of the congregation, and take a moment to listen to the new thing God is doing in your life and in the life of the church. What is your hope? I look forward to seeing you at our worship Advent & Christmas Services (see page 4). Have a blessed Advent and Christmas and may the Prince of Peace fill you with his love now and always. Yours in Christ, Pastor Suzanne Magnificat (or Canticle of Mary) |
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Worship BulletinAuthorPastor Suzanne Schwarz-Green is the pastor of Trinity Reformed Church, UCC, in Collegeville, PA. Archives
October 2022
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