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THE OTHER CHRISTMAS STORY - from Sunday, December 29, 2019

12/29/2019

Luke's lovely Nativity story is done. Now, Matthew's dark story of Herod, the Magi, and the holy family made refugees stands in juxtaposition. The mystery of the Promised One from God takes us to another level this week.

The incarnation is about the coming Kingdom of God being advanced by the Promised One. It is a political move and the worldly powers-that-be - in this case, Herod - are shaken. The challenging move by God is met as all challenges to power are met, with brute force, violence, and even death. In the mirror of the slaughter of the innocents are reflections ahead to how Jesus will become the innocent one who dies.

In Isaiah, God laments the betrayal of his faithless people and the suffering they endured. In their pain, God's people come to ask about the faithful leaders that make up their story of liberation and new life - 'where is he who brought us through the sea?' and 'where is he who set the holy Spirit among them?' God's promise still flickers, encouraging them forward.

God's salvation work continues. Will we be partners in the work of the Kingdom? View the sermon video and see where you may find yourself.

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IMMANUEL, MESSY CHILD OF GOD'S PROMISE - from Sunday, December 22, 2019

12/23/2019

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God's surprises can really mess up a nice, neat, orderly life. Surprise children are one way. Pathetic King Ahaz is confronted by the prophet Isaiah with a child named Immanuel, and Joseph has to figure out the mess with Mary being pregnant. How to decide and manage the mess?

King Ahaz is in a tough spot. Two neighboring states - Aram and Israel - are waging war on Judah. The politics are pretty complex, but Ahaz has been thinking that an alliance with the Assyrians would get those two nations off his back. Frankly, he doesn't know what to do; it's a mess. His indecision is maddening for the prophet. Finally, Isaiah gives the King the sign that he wouldn't even ask for. It involves a child who will be called Immanuel - God with us - who bring blessing to God's faithful. But the faithless indecision of Ahaz has consequences.

Joseph, betrothed to Mary, is also facing a mess. He never did anything, yet she is pregnant. The smart move would be to quietly end the engagement and part company. Frankly, the whole idea of this pregnancy being an act of God, as Mary claims, is really far-fetched.

But then an angel comes to him in a dream, affirming everything Mary said. Huh. Joseph has to make a decision: figure out the mess and find the promise of God. What will he do and why?

Check out the sermon video below to learn more.

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JOY FOR THE NOBODIES - from December 15, 2019

12/16/2019

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Luke's gospel is all about the nobodies. If you're reading this, you're a somebody, not a nobody. God has been interested in the nobodies for a long, long time. We hear joy in both Isaiah's prophecy and Mary's song, joy for the nobodies of every season.

You're a somebody. You have the time to read this. You have the interest to read this. Your mortgage (or rent) and utilities are getting paid. There is food on the table. There is a car in the driveway. There is functioning A/C and heat. You don't worry if there is enough money when you go shopping. You have an address, friends, and freedom to engage in pastimes and enjoy life. You're reasonably secure, stable, and life is manageable. You're a somebody.

Nobodies lack many of these things.

Isaiah's prophecies often involve breathtaking visions of new life for those who are down and out. Isaiah 35 begins with the transformation of the desert landscape at the coming of the Lord. Then, the weak and struggling nobodies are given new strength and hope as their transformation merges with the transformed landscape - are they metaphors? It ends with a highway for those being blessed by God, a road without predators bringing them into Zion singing with joy.

It is not a prophecy for everyone, just the nobodies. The somebodies are not the focus. The ones who had left behind or left out the weak and struggling are not welcome on the highway - "wicked fools." The nobodies bear the promise of God, too, but their lives are suffocated by scarcity and oppression. The Lord comes to bring them liberation and new life. The somebodies don't have that struggle; this isn't for us or about us.

Luke's Song of Mary - the Magnificat from the first word of the song in Latin - is oriented the same way. Borrowing its format heavily from Hannah's song in 1 Samuel 2, the text reveals that Mary knows who she is - "the humble state of his servant" - a nobody.

The expressions in the song are not from the Mary that we find pictured so ubiquitously. This is not some young, demure, halo-rimmed, northern European woman who simply gazes into the face of a remarkably plump and happy baby with its own halo. These words crash like a tidal wave, like a prophet - Amos would be pleased! The words speak of the wealthy somebodies losing their comfort and security and the powerful being cast down from their places of authority and privilege. The prophecy is radical and revolutionary, and Mary, the nobody, sees what God is doing in her.

See what you discover by watching the sermon video below.

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THE KINGDOM HAS COME NEAR - from Sunday, December 8, 2019

12/8/2019

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Our time? Check your watch. God's time? Ask a prophet. We consult with Isaiah and John the Baptist about God's time at hand. What will God do next and what does God expect from us? The Advent season of preparation can get us on the right track.

God's time - in Greek kairos - is different from our time - in Greek chronos; yes, ancient Greek has two different words for two different kinds of time. God's time is rather indistinct. We don't know exactly when God will act, but the prophets assure us that God will act, prophesy what God will do, and that may include both warning and blessing for God's people.

In First Isaiah, the time is coming when the old, decayed stump of Jesse becomes the unlikely place where God will cause a new shoot, new life, to grow. Although coming from Jesse and the royal line of David from long ago, this regent is clearly empowered by the Spirit of God. It is not wealth, power, lineage, or any other worldly attribute that defines his rule. It is all about justice and righteousness, fulfilling God's will in the world for the poor, weak, and vulnerable - God's priorities.

This regent will bring a spiritual transformation to all creation - read on Is. 11: 5-9. The peaceable Kingdom will extend to transform the spirits of the animal world as in the human world, bringing peace, justice, and reconciliation. All creation will be transformed as God's Chosen One restores God's rule over creation.

John the Baptist is also in the prophetic role as he announces that the Kingdom is at hand, the Kingdom is near. He urges repentance - changing one's life that ignored God's will to alignment with the coming Kingdom.

John chews out the Pharisees and Sadducees who are looking for him to do something that they can report to Jerusalem authorities. He chastizes them for believing in their comfortable self-righteousness, demanding their repentance to bear fruit for the Kingdom. Since they fail to produce fruit, there is no good news for them. The stump appears again - did you catch that?

Get the whole story in the sermon video below.