The Guiding Light

Isaiah 58:1-12 Common English Bible (CEB)   

58 Shout loudly; don’t hold back;

    raise your voice like a trumpet!

Announce to my people their crime,

    to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 They seek me day after day,

    desiring knowledge of my ways

    like a nation that acted righteously,

    that didn’t abandon their God.

They ask me for righteous judgments,

    wanting to be close to God.

3 “Why do we fast and you don’t see;

    why afflict ourselves and you don’t notice?”

Yet on your fast day you do whatever you want,

    and oppress all your workers.

4 You quarrel and brawl, and then you fast;

    you hit each other violently with your fists.

You shouldn’t fast as you are doing today

    if you want to make your voice heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I choose,

    a day of self-affliction,

    of bending one’s head like a reed

    and of lying down in mourning clothing and ashes?

    Is this what you call a fast,

        a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 Isn’t this the fast I choose:

    releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke,

    setting free the mistreated,

    and breaking every yoke?

7 Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hungry

    and bringing the homeless poor into your house,

    covering the naked when you see them,

    and not hiding from your own family?

8 Then your light will break out like the dawn,

    and you will be healed quickly.

Your own righteousness will walk before you,

    and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

    you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.”

If you remove the yoke from among you,

    the finger-pointing, the wicked speech;

10     if you open your heart to the hungry,

    and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted,

    your light will shine in the darkness,

    and your gloom will be like the noon.

11 The Lord will guide you continually

    and provide for you, even in parched places.

    He will rescue your bones.

You will be like a watered garden,

    like a spring of water that won’t run dry.

12 They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account;

    the foundations of generations past you will restore.

You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, a Restorer of Livable Streets.

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I love this passage. It’s long, but every word is golden.  The people of Judah had complained to God that they weren’t being heard.  They were tearing their garments as in mourning.  They were putting ashes on their faces. They were praying more loudly. They were making more and larger sacrifices.  They were fasting!  And yet, for some strange reason, God wasn’t giving them what they wanted.  It was as if they thought that if they did these things, that they would sort of buy God’s goodwill and receive a reward for their outward show of religiosity.   And God said to Isaiah, “Tell my people that they are making the wrong sacrifices.  I don ’t need them to sacrifice bulls to me, when there are people starving in the streets.  I don’t need them to give up food for a day or a week when there are children dying of hunger.  I don’t need you to put more gold in the Temple treasury when there are families who can’t pay their rent.  I don’t need you to tell me how good and obedient you are to My will, when you oppress your workers.  I don’t need you to bow down in humility, when you fight among yourselves to prove who is most powerful.  Why do you ask me what I want from you when I have told you over and over and over again?  Did I ask you to do any of these things?  No.  This was all your idea.  What I asked you to do is justice.  What I asked you to do is take care of the hungry, the oppressed, the widow and the orphan, the stranger from another land who has come to live among you. I asked you to speak kindly to one another, with compassion and mercy.  When you are doing all those things, then you will be like a watered garden.  When you are doing these things, then all good things will come to you, and your name will live on forever.”  

Well, we know what happened to Judah.  They did not do what God said.  And they were defeated.  The Temple of which they were so proud was torn down, it’s gold and treasures taken off to Babylon.  The people were enslaved.  The rich and powerful were taken away in chains.  

You would think it would be easy, doing justice the way God asks.  I mean, how hard can it be to make sure all the hungry are fed, and all the homeless are housed, and all the mentally ill are cared for, and all the elderly widows and orphans have a safe place to live, and all the immigrants are treated fairly?  

I know.  That’s a trick question.   It’s not easy at all.  The Temple was supposed to receive 10% of everything every person earned.  And with that 10% they were supposed to feed the hungry, care for the widows and orphans, pay the priests and temple workers, do all the upkeep for the temple - buy the lamp oil, keep a stock of incense, buy the wood to burn sacrifices, and so on.  They depended upon over and above gifts to do other necessary things - roof repair or whatever.  (Does any of this sound familiar?)   It simply wasn’t possible, given the ever increasing population, to care for everyone and do everything else God required with just the 10% that (hopefully) came in from every person.

Nor did the law say in any way shape or form that only the Temple was supposed to help the helpless.  This was the responsibility of every individual.  Some, then as now, didn’t see it as their problem.  Some, then as now, thought the Temple should do all of that sort of care.   Some, then as now, thought only those who deserved help should get it.  The leaders of the nation were constantly being called out by the prophets for their lack of care for those who most needed their help.  And, then as now, the leaders very often ignored the words of the prophets.  In the case of Israel, that always led to a bad end.

Today, given the current political climate and the news stories that are pinging my phone every hour or so, many of my friends and colleagues are going to be preaching strong sermons about exactly what justice is today.  They are going to be telling their people, plus everyone who reads or listens to or or watches their sermons on the Interwebz, exactly what everyone needs to do to make sure that justice - God’s justice- is served.   They will speak of demonstrations that can be joined and political actions that can be taken.  They will speak strong, harsh words and give very specific direction about what everyone needs to do next.

And while I personally have opinions about what is right and just, I also know something that we really hate to say out loud.  Justice is hard.  Deciding what is just is hard.  There is no black and white, right and wrong, one way or another, my way or the highway with social justice.  I wish there was, but there isn’t.

For example.  I am kind of Green.  When I lived in Southern California I went to Sacramento once a year to lobby for clean energy bills and against those that would add more pollutants to the air.  If if was up to me, the Parsonage would have a nice yard of river rocks or maybe be xeriscaped, so that we didn’t have to waste water keeping the grass alive.  But . . . if we do that, what will Arthur do?  Who’s Arthur?  He’s the lawn guy.  He has a family to feed and rent to pay. If we took out the lawn, we wouldn’t need him.  So, is justice saving water or saving his job?  I will choose saving Arthur’s job every time.  

When I lived in Pennsylvania back in the day it was a no-brainer to boycott California grapes.  I was all for the Farm Workers Union.  I even sent a copy of Cesar Chavez’ biography to my brother for a Christmas gift one year.  He was not pleased.  You see, my brother was a produce broker in Texas.  I thought I was doing the just thing. (Well, except for the book.  That was just me tormenting my big brother.) Then I came here, and heard another side of the story.  And I have to wonder if I did the just thing, after all.

Some of you know that I don’t shop at Walmart.  It was not easy to make that decision, but until the way Walmart employees are treated changes dramatically, I will continue to boycott.  No - you don’t have to.  Because here is the thing.  Although they have a bad reputation for employee care, and although every time they come into a town all the small businesses that can’t compete eventually close, Walmart does a lot of good stuff in the community.  They give employment opportunities to the mentally challenged and elderly.  They give scholarships and school supplies to local kids and they make large donations to a growing number of charitable organizations.  Opposing the way they oppress is justice.  Supporting the good they do is also justice.  So, your choice.  And quite frankly, it would save me a lot of time and gasoline if I would shop there instead of Target, and I’m kind of Green, so there’s another justice issue I get to deal with.

Justice is hard.  Deciding what is just is hard.  Doing the just thing is often even harder.  And yet, this is what our Lord requires of us.  To do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with our God.  To feed the hungry, to lift the yoke of oppression from the workers and the strangers in our land, to bring the homeless poor into our shelters, to cover the naked with clothing.  

And now, like so many of my colleagues and friends, I will give you all very specific directions about what to do next.  

Pray.  Pray for discernment, so that you can say to yourself and to God that you have made a decision about what it means to act justly.  And then, go, out to where the restless, hungry, homeless, oppressed crowds are thronging, and do what is just, following God’s guiding light, which is Jesus, the Christ.  

United in Christ

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 (NRSV)

10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

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I know how much you all love learning new music.  Especially new music in languages you don’t happen to speak.  We’ll be singing a hymn later that was originally written in Spanish.  Now what usually happens when a song is written in one language and then translated into another is either the translation is good but the words don’t match the notes very well so it’s hard to sing, or the translation is off a bit but it’s easier to sing.  I realize it’s a given that no translation is totally accurate, but I’ve read some musical translations that are so far off the original meaning of the song that we might as well be singing a different hymn altogether.  That’s not the case with today’s hymn.  “We are united in Jesus” is about as close to “We are one in Christ” as you can get and fits the notes.   You all will be invited to sing it in English or Spanish, or once in each language, as you prefer.  And yes, I know I did this to you last week too, but I’ve had unity on my mind a lot lately and somehow unity through the language of hymns just feels right to me.  At least this week there’s no Swahili.  

Have you ever noticed how, when you have something on your mind, everything seems to be about that?  It’s one of those eternal truths, right up there with the fact that a sore finger will bang into everything nearby.   It seems as if the entire world is conspiring to remind you about the sore finger, or in my case, unity.  I read a daily meditation from a 12 Step Program and yesterday morning’s meditation was titled, “Unity and Uniformity.”  I’d like to share parts of it with you.  

“Unity is not uniformity.  Unity springs from the fact that we have unity of purpose.…  Even so, we often find that while we strive to fulfill the same purpose, our means and methods may be radically different.  We can’t impose our ideas of unity on others or confuse unity with uniformity.  In fact, a big attraction of [our] program is the absence of uniformity.  Unity springs from our common purpose, not from standards imposed on the group by a few well-meaning members.  A group that has the unity which springs from the loving hearts of its members allows each [person] to carry the message in his or her own unique way. . . We need unity to help show [others] that this way of life works.”  (Just for Today.  pg. 21  ©1991-2017 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Van Nuys, CA) 

And, of course, as a nation we are currently experiencing pretty significant division.  I was so saddened by reports of violence at the demonstrations on Inauguration Day, while lifted up by the peace and unity displayed in the Women’s Marches all over the country yesterday.  In the first case it was loudly declared that the violence came from groups who were not part of the individual organized protests - one of the violent groups even stated on Twitter that its anger was not directed only at President Trump, and that it would also have demonstrated had Hillary Clinton won the election last November.   In the case of the Women’s March, the organizers were primarily leaders of religious organizations and not-for-profits whose purpose is to help the poor and disenfranchised, victims of racism and religion-based hate, women, the LGBT community, Native people, immigrants, etc.,  whose aim is to peacefully protect the rights and freedoms of those groups, working within the framework of the law and the Constitution.  I am proud that so many of my friends and colleagues made their presence and intentions known, as one unified body with singleness of purpose.   May we all soon remember that we are one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all persons.

The church in Corinth was having a problem with unity.  They were divided and arguing over which leader was better, who preached the Word better, who baptized the most people, who they owed their personal allegiance to.  And Paul said, “Really?  Did you forget already that you are all one?  That you are all followers of Jesus, and only Jesus?  I am just a person, just as Apollos and Cephas are just people.  But Jesus is the Christ, the one in whose name you are baptized.  He is the only one who matters.  The cross is what matters.”

I think we forget that, sometimes.  I think we get so worried about the details that we forget what’s important.  I think there’s a good reason for that old saying, “The devil is in the details,” because it’s always the details, the minutia of a given situation, that we get tangled up in and argue over.  I mean, churches have been known to split over the color of the sanctuary carpet!   Or over who gets to be an Elder.  Or over how to administer a community center that has grown out of the ministries of the congregation.  And all that has what, exactly, to do with the Gospel?    It’s one thing to disagree on the matters that fall under the heading of “church business.”  It is another to let those disagreements keep us from being church.  

Our purpose as church is to heal the world.  Our purpose is to do what Jesus and his disciples did - feed the hungry, comfort the prisoner, clothe the naked, provide shelter for the homeless, heal the sick, and get justice for those who have no one to stand up for them.  Our purpose as church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness for all the world - and that All Means All.  Everything we do as church needs to aim us at that purpose.   Everything we do as church needs to tell the whole world that this way of life, this cross remembering, Jesus following, God loving,  Spirit trusting way of life works. 

As we go forward into a New Year, with new board members, new elders, new deacons, new team leaders, looking toward a new building, and yes, singing new music, let us go forward united in Christ.  Let us go forward without fear, for we know that God is always with us.  

What Does That Mean?

John 1:29-42 (NRSV)

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

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I like pretty much everything about the TV show “Bones.”  I mean, what’s not to like?  A love story between a brilliant and gorgeous yet socially inept scientist and a handsome, brash FBI agent,  an entire lab full of geeks and tech nerds, science stuff, murders being solved . . . it has everything.  Except, at the very end, when they run the name of the production company, there’s a voice-over of some kid asking “What does that mean?” in the most annoyingly whiney voice ever.  Really annoying, you know?  But when I read this passage that whiney kid’s voice flashed through my mind, and I knew where I had to go with this today.

So, a bit about language and word histories.  Did you notice how John gave translations for some of the words and assumed his listeners would know what he meant by others?   He wrote this Gospel in Koine Greek, which was the Greek used by ordinary folks on the street, not the classical Greek of the great scholars and philosophers.  Although his writing is lyrical and beautiful, his grasp of Greek wasn’t as good as the other Gospel writers, especially Luke, who from his writing was clearly a very well educated man.  (I only say that because when I was studying Koine Greek, the translation part of our final exams were always from John,  because our professor, Dr. Marvin Meyer, said John’s writing was at a level we were more likely to get right than the others.  Like translating something written by a junior higher instead of a grad student.  And in case you are wondering, if I work really hard at it I might be able to translate a couple of lines, but I mostly took Greek so I could avoid Psych.  And cause I really like Marv Meyer.)    At the time this Gospel was written, most of the world could speak Greek.   It was written some 20 or 30 years after the Temple was destroyed by the Romans and kicked the Jews out of Jerusalem, (some 60 - 80 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus). Many had already gone to other lands centuries earlier, during and after the Babylonian captivity, so by John’s time even the Jews spoke Greek more commonly than any other language.  So John had to tell his audience, generally considered to be Jews in exile, what the Hebrew and Aramaic words he used meant. 

So, some definitions to help out going forward:

Rabbi - Hebrew for teacher.  Now we use that term pretty specifically for an ordained person who is the leader of a congregation, like minister or priest in the Christian world.  But at that time the title belonged to anyone who taught, and Jesus was definitely a teacher.

Messiah -  a Hebrew word meaning “anointed.”   It sounds and looks a bit like the Hebrew word for “savior” so the two were often confused in early translations.  Among other people named messiah in the Bible are Saul and David, both anointed by Samuel at God’s direction, and Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who overthrew the Babylonians, returned the exiled Judeans to Jerusalem, and even helped pay to re-build the Temple.

Christ -  the Greek word meaning “anointed.”  It is not a name, but a title.  So to say Jesus Christ is to say Jesus Anointed.  Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Anointed [One].

Cephas - means Rock in Aramaic, which was the common language spoken in Palestine at the time of Jesus (and today).  Jesus and his disciples would have spoken Aramaic in their day to day lives, and Hebrew in religious situations - for prayers and worship, in study of the Torah, visits to the Temple, and so on.

And the big one . . . Disciple.  “a person who believes in the ideas of a leader, esp. a religious or political one, and tries to live according to those ideas: For example, Jesse Jackson was a disciple of Martin Luther King, Jr.”  (Cambridge University Academic Dictionary)  

Now that we have all that language stuff out of the way, what did John mean?  When John the Baptizer said, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  What did he want his disciples to understand?  What are we to understand?   

First, we are to remember that this was written long after the death, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  John the Evangelist himself was not present to hear John the Baptizer speak.  No other Gospel writer reports this particular encounter along the road.  And, oddly enough, John doesn’t report on the baptism as the other Gospel writers do.  Instead, he has John the Baptizer describe it from his perspective, as the one performing the baptism, who heard God’s voice speaking.  But we know from our reading of this Gospel that John had a particular theological view that is not as easy to spot in the other Gospels, of Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for a sin-sick world.  More than a mere rabbi, more even than a prophet, Jesus was the Word made flesh, sacrificed on the altar of of greed, fear, and lust for power.  In the other Gospels John’s personal interaction with Jesus is restricted to the baptism.  Here, however, John calls attention to Jesus, points him out as God’s own son come to live among us.  John calls out that this is the Lamb of God, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, and thus change lives.  John testifies as to whom Jesus is, and points the way to others recognizing him as the Christ, the Son of God, living among us that our lives might be changed, our souls healed, our sins washed clean.   John the Baptizer was so persuasive in his description that two of his own disciples left him and went to follow Jesus instead.

There’s another word that has often confused me.  I like words, and I like to try to figure out where the come from.  So - Christian.   I know where Christ comes from. That’s anointed, and we use it almost interchangeably with Jesus.  But the -ian part is what confuses me.  Is it simply someone who follows that particular philosophy, like a Marxian?  Or is it someone who lives in that Anointed One, like a Philadelphian?  You see, I like the Philadelphian model of Christian.  Living in Christ, not living like Christ.  

I read a story about a young woman who received a WWJD bracelet and wore it, but wasn’t really comfortable about it.  One of her teachers tried to explain what it meant, and that we have Scripture to help guide us in terms of what Jesus would do in various situations, and she assured him she knew that part.  Her problem was that she was fully human, whereas Jesus was fully human and fully divine.  She said, “It’s not fair to assume that I could imagine what Jesus would do because I am not God!”  And I see her point. I mean, if we pay close attention to all the “turn the other cheek” and “walk a further mile” and “give up your coat as well” and “forgive seventy times seven times” instructions, how do we get from there to overturning the money changer’s tables and cleansing the Temple courtyard?   That’s a question that deserves a great deal of thought and prayer.  

But what if we were to live in Christ?  Theresa of Avila, a 16th century nun and mystic, reformer and author, whose writings were so profound and important that she was named a Doctor of the Church, wrote in a letter to her Carmelite sisters,   

Christ has no body now on earth but yours; 

no hands but yours; no feet but yours. 

Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. 

Yours are the hands with which He is to bless His people.

(Feasting on the Word, Year A Volume 1. p 263. Westminster John Knox Press 2010)  

No need to try to be just like him, or make the sorts of decisions he would make.  As that young lady with the bracelet pointed out, we are not him.  We can’t possibly know what he would decide for sure.  But we do know how to do good. We know how to be compassionate.  We know how to help the poor.  We know how to stand up for the oppressed.  We know how to be a blessing.  We know how to touch the sick with healing hands.  We know how to do the work of the church in the world.   We know how to speak kindly to others, to reach out to help those in pain, to pray for those whom we don’t know any other way to help.  

Those two disciples who left John to follow Jesus had no idea what lay ahead for them.  Three years of walking from Judah to Galilee and back again, tired and hungry much of the time, dusty most all of the time, confused more often than not.  But they stuck, they stayed, they were there for the end, and for the new beginning of the resurrection.  They changed through knowing Jesus, and by teaching his ways, they changed others.   Let us do the same.  Just as John’s disciples left him to follow Jesus, so let us too commit to leave behind our old ways and do a new thing.  Let us walk forward without fear into a future where all we know for sure is that God is with us.   Let us go forward to follow Jesus, to be like him, to live in him, today and every day.  

Walking Hand in Hand

Isaiah 41:4b-10, 13   NRSV

I, the Lord, am first,

    and will be with the last.

5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid,

    the ends of the earth tremble;

    they have drawn near and come.

6 Each one helps the other,

    saying to one another, “Take courage!”

7 The artisan encourages the goldsmith,

    and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil,

saying of the soldering, “It is good”;

    and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

8 But you, Israel, my servant,

    Jacob, whom I have chosen,

    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,

    and called from its farthest corners,

saying to you, “You are my servant,

    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;

10 do not fear, for I am with you,

    do not be afraid, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand

.

13 For I, the Lord your God,

    hold your right hand;

it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,

    I will help you.”

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You may or may not know that the scripture readings and titles of these messages are set long before the week they will be written.  Dee Anne, our office administrator, asks me for the scripture reading, sermon title and hymn of commitment for the coming month about a week before the end of the previous month so she can publish them in our church newsletter.  In this case, because Christmas and my vacation were at the end of the month, I had to figure all this out right at the beginning of December.  So if I ever knew what I would be preaching about on any given week, I may have forgotten unless I made some notes to myself about that particular passage.   That was not the case this week.  In fact, when I was looking for images that portrayed Walking Hand in Hand, and finding only sort of sugary boy/girl walking together pics, I was getting discouraged.  Then I thought of the Sistine Chapel, and that magnificent ceiling fresco, where God is reaching out to Adam, but not quite touching him . . . and then I found this picture of God reaching out to Adam, who is holding an adorable kitten!   Leah agreed that it was the perfect picture, even though at the time neither of us had any idea what it might have to do with the scripture reading.  But, kitten!  And so the game continues . . . 

I took a week’s vacation, as most of you know, during the week between Christmas and the New Year.  I activated the vacation response for my email, and I even stayed mostly off of Facebook during that week, because I knew Facebook would drag me into mind sets I didn’t want to deal with while I was entertaining houseguests and resting and reflecting and preparing myself spiritually and emotionally for the season to come.   When I returned to the office and Facebook I discovered, much to my dismay, that many people on my friends list were talking about how to show their displeasure over the election by doing something protest-like on Inauguration Day.  Some are going to refrain from spending money all day, while admitting that this is more likely to hurt small businesses than anyone else.  Some are going to a variety of protests and demonstrations.  The Interfaith group in Fresno will be gathering at the corners of a park to hold up signs naming things they hope President-elect Trump will consider important during his term.   My Spiritual Director will be gathering with a group of like minded folks for a time of centering prayer.  (To be honest with you, I won’t be watching the inauguration either, but then I haven’t watched any inauguration in decades.  I do have basic cable, but my TV isn’t even connected to the cable box.  I know, crazy, right?)   Some are even sporting t-shirts and signs that say “Not my president.”   And I get it, that they are angry and afraid for their futures.  But all I can think is, “Really?  Do you remember when you were complaining about the folks who were behaving this way after President Obama was elected?  Remember when you asked them to respect the office if they couldn’t respect the man?  Can you please practice what you used to preach?” 

It is often the same, sadly, between Christians.  We hear this group say, “Well, those folks over there aren’t really Christian,” while those folks over there are saying the same thing about the first group.   It’s sad, that a religion based in the teachings of one who came to explain how all of God’s children are precious and loved, who came to show us how to reach out even to the leper, the weak, the disrespected and disenfranchised, should somehow become increasingly exclusionary.  In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we don’t have to agree on everything, not on what the pastor is preaching, not even on how to do communion, but we do have to get along.  We do have to be willing to work together.  And we manage it.  Not easily, but we do manage it.

That’s one of the things I find most amazing and wonderful about the city of Selma, California.  In other places the idea that all the different variations of Christian thought can come together to work as a team is a dream.  Ministerial Associations in many other areas tend to be boys clubs of the fundamental and evangelical persuasion, with women and mainline pastors allowed a seat at the table grudgingly, if at all.  Here, however, everyone is truly welcome to be part of the work, to be part of the leadership, to be included in community church events.  We disagree, some of us, over some pretty fundamental theological points, and yet we have no problem working together in Christ’s name.  Selma is a microhabitat where that very rare thing known as Christian Unity exists and even thrives.

Isaiah said:  6 Each one helps the other, saying to one another, “Take courage!”

7 The artisan encourages the goldsmith,

    and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”;   

Among the many emails I get every day is a reflection on scripture from the United Church of Christ.   Yesterday that reflection was titled “Liberals dancing to Ted Nugent.”  I know, right?  That seems a bit, like, never gonna happen.   I read further.  

"The wolf will romp with the lamb,  the leopard sleep with the kid." - Isaiah 11:6

The leopard's claws exist so she can tear flesh efficiently. Remove her hunger and who is she? 

A vegetarian leopard is like a sophisticated liberal who loves Ted Nugent.  God wants coastal progressives to dance down the aisle of a heartland Walmart singing "Cat Scratch Fever" with anti-choice evangelicals who think global warming is a hoax.”  (Matt Fitzgerald, StillSpeaking Daily Devotional, United Church of Christ, January 7, 2017)

Whoa. Think about that for a moment.  Can you be part of that dance and still be you?  Can you be a vegetarian leopard?   Can I live without prejudice and without fear of the other?  I grew up in a household where racial, religious, and ethnic slurs were common.  I had to go out and make friends among those groups of people that my father used to disparage to learn that they are all just people like me, with the same kinds of prejudices and fears of the other, oftentimes even fear, or at least suspicion, of me.  I have learned much from those others - mostly about me, and my fears, and prejudices.  

We stand at the edge of a new year, a new political reality, a new future filled with possibilities.   Regardless of our individual stance on any given topic, we know for sure that we stand there along with people who disagree with us profoundly.  To some the way ahead looks like a precipice with an unknown distance to fall.  To others it looks like a walk in the park.  To some an adventure.  To others an obstacle course of untold difficulty.  But we are all standing on the edge of that future together.  We are all about to take a step forward into the unknown.   Just before we step forward, let us remember  . . .

God said, do not fear, for I am with you,

    do not be afraid, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand

.

13 For I, the Lord your God,

    hold your right hand;

it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,

    I will help you.”

Do not fear, the other, the future, the possibilities, for God is with us. God will help us.  And this image, which was simply adorable when I first saw it, becomes the image for going forward.  As we reach out toward each new thing, and each new person, let us see that thing, that person, as Adam holding an adorable kitten.  How can you not want to reach out to the other, when you know they have such adorableness in them.  For disagreement, even on fundamental topics, is not evil, and those who disagree with us are not evil.  They are simply people with different opinions.  Let us be the vegetarian leopard.  Let us be the hand reaching toward the new life, new possibilities, new opportunities represented by Adam’s kitten.  Let us be the ones who see the beauty in even those with whom we disagree, and let us dance together into the future.

God said, “Do not fear, I will help you.”   Let us remember that, today and on Inauguration Day and all year long, as we deal with whatever comes our way, good and not so good, encouraging and frightening.  Let us remember . . . and let us hold out our hands for everyone to hold, so that we might walk with Jesus.

Welcoming the Light

Isaiah 9:2-7 (NRSV)

2 The people who walked in darkness

    have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness—

    on them light has shined.

3 You have multiplied the nation,

    you have increased its joy;

they rejoice before you

    as with joy at the harvest,

    as people exult when dividing plunder.

4 For the yoke of their burden,

    and the bar across their shoulders,

    the rod of their oppressor,

    you have broken as on the day of Midian.

5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors

    and all the garments rolled in blood

    shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

6 For a child has been born for us,

    a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

    and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 His authority shall grow continually,

    and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

    He will establish and uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

    from this time onward and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Once upon a time, back in the 1960s, 7-11 ran a radio commercial featuring a guy who worked at 7-11.  He bragged about how wonderful it was to have a store opened from 7 am till 11 pm 364 days a year!  They were only closed on Christmas.  (This was kind of a first because, for those of you who may not know this, once upon a time there was no such thing as a store being open 24 hours a day.  Even gas stations closed up in the evening.  Pretty much everyplace closed on Sunday. Maybe truck stops stayed open, but that was about it.)  Then there was a pause, and he said rather plaintively, “But what am I going to do on Christmas?”

That conversation has been going on around places where ministers gather, too.  Because this year Christmas comes on a Sunday, so the question has been, “Are you going to have worship on December 25th?”  It seems that some of the very large churches are closing (again) so the staff can spend the holiday with family.  And I’m thinking that there wouldn’t be any need for family celebration if not for the birth we celebrate on this day.  So, why not worship today?

I mean, it is the day the light entered the world.  When we look at pictures like the one Leah chose to illustrate today’s message, our hearts fill with song.  There are so many songs that spring to my mind . . . O little town of Bethlehem, Silent night  . . . what songs do you think of when you see this?

(wait for someone to sing Rudolf . . .)  

Turning toward the screen, where I “expect” to see a scene of Bethlehem under the star, only to see Rudolf.  “Leah!  What is this?  I thought we were going with a more traditional look this year?”  Silliness continues for a moment.    Then . . .putting on my Santa hat . . .

All righty, then.  What do we know about Rudolf?

He had a very shiny nose - he was different.

The other reindeer laughed at him and called him names - he was bullied

They wouldn’t let him play with them - he was excluded.

I wonder  …  when Montgomery Ward first published the Rudolf story in 1939, do you suppose they were thinking about the bullying and exclusion of people who were different?  Because this has been reality for probably as long as there have been people.  Today, of course, people can get in trouble for bullying.  People who are different are protected by the laws of the land.  But back then, and forever before, people who were different in any way were often, usually,  mistreated.   It’s sad to see that reality reflected in a children’s story that has been repeated for almost 80 years!  But here comes the good part.

“Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, “Rudolf with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?’”  

Santa saw Rudolf’s shiny nose, not just as something different, but as a gift that could be used to help him, and the other reindeer, and save Christmas!  No longer something that made Rudolf stand out in a bad way,  “Now all the reindeer loved him!”  

Confession time.  All that fun with the Rudolf picture - Leah and I planned that.  We even made sure a lovely Bethlehem scene was in the PowerPoint distributed to the folks who help make sure we don’t have too many mistakes so everyone would be surprised. You see, my friend Danny Bradfield, Pastor of Bixby Knolls Christian Church in Long Beach, posted on Facebook a few days ago that he would be using this story to talk about accepting differences.  I loved it, and immediately told him that I would be sharing his idea with my own congregation.

Because this story, the way it turns out, is a teaching story, one we can all learn an important lesson from.  We might need some really good reason to change our minds about someone who looks or acts or speaks differently than we do, or who comes from a different place, or who follows a different faith tradition.  But when we look for the gifts that come with those differences, we will stop rejecting them, stop excluding them, stop bullying them, and accept them as equals.  

Jesus was also different.  It is possible, even pretty likely, that some of the children in his home town of Nazareth teased him, if their parents had been counting on fingers when he was born.   And as if that wasn’t enough, when he was only 12 he posed such intelligent questions to the priests and lawyers at the Temple that they marveled!  Which is a truly great thing, but probably didn’t make him any more popular among his peers.  I wonder if the boys in Nazareth excluded him from their games, as the reindeer excluded Rudolf.  

Rudolf and his shiny, glowing nose lit the way for Santa and the other reindeer that Christmas Eve, bringing light into the foggy night so that all the children of the world could get their Christmas Eve visit from Santa.  And that was a wonderful thing.

Jesus brought the light of God’s love into the world, and that is a great thing.  Jesus is the light of the world, bringing God’s love and peace into the darkness of sin and sorrow, opening hearts, healing souls, easing pain, instilling hope.  Let us fill our hearts with that light, singing praises to our God, and accepting all others as God’s beloved children, no matter how different they may be.  

Let us welcome the light, rejoicing in the birth of Jesus, the Christ.  And let us take that light out into the world with us, so that every one may know that the Christ is born, the light is come to take away the darkness, God’s love has entered our world.  

What She Said

Luke 1:46b-55  (NRSV)

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

50 His mercy is for those who fear him

    from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

    and lifted up the lowly;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

    and sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

    in remembrance of his mercy,

55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

***********************************************************

Once upon a time . . .  That’s how some of our favorite stories begin.  Either that or “It was a dark and stormy night.”   In the Bible there is really no standard formula to begin a story, but some of the best stories begin with, “Now in this particular place there was living a woman whose name was (blank) and she was barren and without children.  Her husband loved her very much, even though she bore him no sons.”    Sarah was one of those women, remember?  And in her old age she became the mother of Isaac, whose son Jacob was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel.   Elizabeth was one of those women, who also had a son in her old age, who we know as John the Baptist.  And Hannah, the mother of Samuel, last of the judges, first of the prophets, he who put both Saul and David on the throne of Israel.  

Hannah is one of my favorite characters.  Greatly loved by her husband even though childless, she was teased and tormented by his other wife, who had borne many sons.  Hannah’s husband tried to convince her it was ok, he would always love her.  But he didn’t have to live with that other woman the way Hannah did, you know?  She prayed for a child in Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept - because the Temple wasn’t built yet - and was so distraught and emotional in her praying that Eli, chief priest at the time, thought she was drunk.  But after speaking with her, he assured her that her prayer had been heard.  And truly God had heard her prayer, because she soon became pregnant and gave birth to a son who she named Samuel, which means Name of God.  Then she vowed to give him in to the service of God as soon as he was old enough.  When he was weaned, she took him to Eli and gave her son into his care.  Every year she would go and take Samuel a robe she had made for him, and she was rewarded for her faithfulness with three sons and two daughters.  I love that story, truly.  

But the best part of the story, in my mind, is what Hannah said after she took her young son to Eli, after she gave up her first born child into the service of God.  After taking her son to Shiloh

2 Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord;

    my strength is exalted in my God.

My mouth derides my enemies,

    because I rejoice in my victory.

2 “There is no Holy One like the Lord,

    no one besides you;

    there is no Rock like our God.

3 Talk no more so very proudly,

    let not arrogance come from your mouth;

for the Lord is a God of knowledge,

    and by him actions are weighed.

4 The bows of the mighty are broken,

    but the feeble gird on strength.

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

    but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.

The barren has borne seven,

    but she who has many children is forlorn.

6 The Lord kills and brings to life;

    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;

    he brings low, he also exalts.

8 He raises up the poor from the dust;

    he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes

    and inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

    and on them he has set the world. (1 Samuel 2:1-8  NRSV)

If you were paying attention during this morning’s scripture reading, this will sound familiar to you, because Mary pretty much repeated what she said.  

God has done great things for me, and my heart, my soul, exult in Him, magnify Him!

There is one very significant difference between the two stories, of course.  Hannah was receiving something she had desired for many years.  Her life was miserable before Samuel’s birth, and blessed afterward in ways that are considered normal.  She was no longer teased or tormented by the other women.  On the contrary, not only had she had a son, but she dedicated him to God!  That’s a big deal, and something the other women would have admired her for - especially once she had another son.  Mary, on the other hand, was young, at the very beginning of womanhood.  She wasn’t even married yet!  Once she was known to be pregnant, once other people began to count on their fingers, there would be teasing and tormenting. There would be whispers when she took her jug to the well in the mornings, where the other women were gathered.   She ran the very real risk of Joseph putting her aside, even of being stoned to death for her infidelity.  Her life was about to get very difficult.  Gabriel had said to her, “Do not fear.” But even after the angel had left, even after she had agreed to what God was asking of her, Mary had every reason to be fearful.

When she went to visit her much older cousin Elizabeth, however, she was greeted with the words, “Blessed is she who believed!”  Blessed is she who believed that what God said would happen actually would happen. Remember Sarah?  Remember how she laughed at the messenger from God when she was told she would have a son in her old age?  She didn’t believe.  She disbelieved so completely that she convinced Abraham to conceive a child by Hagar.  But Mary, she believed right away.  And Elizabeth knew this, because God’s messenger had been speaking with her, as well.   But believing you are doing the right thing doesn’t always take away the fear of doing something new and different.  

Believing God is with you in that new thing, now that’s an entirely different proposition.  The meditation in our Advent book from Tuesday said, in part:  “I am afraid” is a sentence.  “I am not alone” is a song.  “God is with me” is the chorus to that song. 

We have been hearing that song and that chorus in the stories that Alan and Christian and Jessica have told us during this Advent Season.  I was afraid, they said, but God was with me, and all is well now.  We all have fears to face, sometimes big ones, sometimes small ones.  I’m driving to our regional office on Wednesday for a meeting with the Committee the Ministry Recognition and Standing.  I’ve never been to San Ramon.  I’m not sure what traffic or parking will be like. I don’t know anyone on the committee.  I am prone to panic attacks if I get lost - hence my great love for Siri!   I really don’t want to go, because I have all these little fears, but I know I am not alone.  God is with me.  (And Siri.)  

But there is a lot more to Mary’s song and Hannah’s prayer than just, “the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name!”  There is also a very detailed description of God’s relationship with God’s people, more than just this one woman who is being blessed above all women.  

Mary said:   

51 He has shown strength with his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

    and lifted up the lowly;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

    and sent the rich away empty.

And Hannah said: 

4 The bows of the mighty are broken,

    but the feeble gird on strength.

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

    but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.

8 He raises up the poor from the dust;

    he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes

    and inherit a seat of honor.

The proud are cast down, the poor are made rich, the weak are made strong, the needy are given what they need.  This is who our God is, and we are his hands and his feet in the world.  Mary said: “His mercy is for those who fear him,” not in the, “I am afraid of God because God will punish me forever” kind of fear I was raised with, but more like awe - the kind of fear you might feel in the midst of a thunderstorm, looking out from the safety of your home watching the lightning strikes, seeing its tremendous power, but knowing yourself to be safe.   God’s mercy is for those who know his true power, and lift up their hearts and lives to God, who dedicate themselves to doing God’s work in the world.  God’s mercy is for those who walk through their fear of him, of whatever change they may be facing in their lives, knowing that God is with them, and that they will be ok, no matter what.

Mary said:  “He has helped his servant Israel,  

in remembrance of his mercy,

55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

And we are among those descendants, because we are the sisters and brothers of Jesus, the Christ, the son of the living God, the child of Mary.  

As we go forward into the days and weeks ahead, let us remember what she said.  Let us celebrate God, not just for what has been done for us, but also for what God does for all of our brothers and sisters in the world, for what God does in the hearts and minds of those who fear Him, those who worship him, those who need him in their lives.  And may the love of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, fill our hearts to overflowing, that we may truly be God’s hands and feet in the world, now and always.  Amen.

The Peaceful Kingdom

Scripture:   Romans 15:4-13 (NRSV)  

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles,

    and sing praises to your name”;

10 and again he says,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”;

11 and again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

    and let all the peoples praise him”;

12 and again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse shall come,

    the one who rises to rule the Gentiles;

in him the Gentiles shall hope.”

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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I know that we didn’t use the peaceful kingdom scripture, but I am in the enviable position of being able to see what is behind you all - an entire pew filled with woodland creatures, some of whom would normally eat the others with great joy, but because it is Advent, because it is the peaceful season, these natural enemies co-exist in peace, in honor of the birth of the Christ Child.  

There’s a story I love to tell during Advent that talks about this season, the time when all the world is at peace with each other, even predator and prey.  Some time back two children were hand raising a orphaned baby lamb.  On Christmas Eve there was a terrible snow storm, and the children kept running back and forth to the barn to make sure the baby was ok.  On the radio they heard that a ferocious lion had escaped from the circus train just a mile or so away and that made their worries even more intense.  Just around midnight they went to the barn one more time, and much to their horror, a giant lion was curled up in their barn, with the lamb nestled between its paws.  Before they could do anything or even call for help, the lion spoke.  “Please let me stay with my small friend and keep her warm tonight. For we are both alone, and need comfort.”  And the lamb said, “May Peace be on everyone’s heart, for this is the night when Peace came into the world.”   There are so many stories about animals talking at Christmas.  It is said that God gave the gift of speech on Christmas Eve to animals as a reward for being in the stable when the Christ Child was born, worshipping him even before any humans knew who he was.  

And so, here we sit, with a whole pew full of woodland creatures watching and perhaps, participating in our worship.  Including a Santa Bunny . . .

There are those of us who tend to think of Christmas decorations as rather frivolous, maybe even sort of irreverent.   Last week I noted that Advent Purists might object to some of the decorations we see in and around our sanctuary and promised I would tell you about the symbolism behind some of these decorations this week. What I didn’t tell you is that I have been one of those Advent purists until now.  I realized last Sunday, as I looked at the beauty that Jeffrey and his helpers have created in this space, which is so far beyond what I considered “appropriate” for church that I really needed to re-think my previous position.  Why not celebrate this gift of beauty inside a church?  Part of the reason I promised to tell you all about the symbolism of the decorations was to remind myself that all of it reminds us of the Holy, not just some few pre-approved symbols.  So here we go.

Evergreens -  As the only trees that do not lose their leaves in winter in cool climates, evergreens symbolize perseverance and resiliency to adversity.  They remind us of Jesus' words, "The ones who persevere to the end shall be saved."   We use evergreen trees and branches to decorate our homes and churches and stores and streetlights. Candles that smell of various evergreen trees fill our houses with the smells that mean Christmas to most of us.  

Garlands.  In ancient times, holly and ivy were considered signs of Christ’s passion. Their prickly leaves suggested the crown of thorns, the red berries the blood of the Savior, and the bitter bark the drink offered to Jesus on the cross.  

Ornaments.  People used to hang apples and other fruits in their Christmas trees, to symbolize the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Round ornaments came to replace the actual fruit, but continue to remind us of those blessings we receive as a result of our faith.  

Christmas Trees.  For those who wonder, yes, Christmas Trees began life as pagan symbols during their midwinter celebrations.  But when St. Boniface converted Germany to Christianity, he also converted their solstice trees to a symbol for paradise because they were always green, a reminder that in Christ they have eternal life.  It wasn’t until the 16th century that they began to see these trees as specific to the celebration of Christ’s birth.   There is a story that Martin Luther, while walking home one night in Advent, noticed his torch light reflecting off the ice on a pine tree’s branches. It reminded him of Christ’s birth bringing light into a darkened world, so he broke off a branch and carried it home, where he adorned it with candles.  Whenever you see a lighted Christmas tree, let it call to mind the One who brings light to our darkness, healing to our brokenness, and peace to all who receive him.

Wreaths.  Because the needles of pine and fir trees remain green from season to season, the ancients saw them as signs of things that last forever.  Isaiah tells us that there will be no end to the reign of the Messiah. Therefore, we hang wreaths of evergreens shaped in a circle, which itself has no end, to signify the eternal reign of Jesus, the Christ.

Candy Canes.   The candy cane is shaped like a shepherd's crook, reminding us that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came into our world at Christmas. The red stripe symbolizes Christ's sacrifice and the white background His purity.  It may have been invented by a candy maker in Indiana, or a priest in 17th century Germany, or have some other origin entirely. Sadly, snopes.com says this isn’t true.  But I have decided to ignore Snopes in this particular instance, because …Christmas legends don’t have to be entirely factual, do they?  

Gingerbread men.  Just as we create Gingerbread men in more or less our own image, they serve as a reminder that God created us in the image of God.   

Tinsel.  There is a tale about a poor family who wanted to decorate a tree in honor of the Christ Child, but had no money for apples and other ornaments.  During the night spiders came and covered the tree is beautiful webs, which Christ turned to silver as a reward for the family’s great faith.  Tinsel reminds us that even when we think we have nothing of value to offer, Christ will accept us just as we are.  He values the gift of our hearts more than anything else.

Bells.  The High Priest of the Temple wore a blue robe with bells sewn to the hem under his ephod, which was worn only when conducting sacrifices to God.  Bells hung in our trees and rung everywhere are to remind us that Jesus is our High Priest, the one whose sacrifice to God is most holy.    

Advent wreaths.  The story I heard is that once long ago, a German priest became annoyed at the school children asking constantly, “How long is is till Christmas?”  So at the beginning of Advent he put candles on a cartwheel, one for every day between that day and Christmas, and lit one candle every morning when the children came to school so they could count the days for themselves and stop asking him.   As time went on, the Advent wreath got smaller, just four candles, one for each Sunday of Advent.  We light purple candles the first three weeks, and a pink one on the fourth Sunday to symbolize joy.  On Christmas Day we light the white Christ Candle in the center of the wreath.

And finally . . . my personal favorite, the giant Toy Soldier Nutcracker.  I am sorry, folks.  As hard as I tried, this one just doesn’t seem have any particular religious significance. The closest I can make it stretch is that the nutcracker toy soldier has been so popularized by The Nutcracker ballet that it eventually became a symbol of Christmas.  And, it is true that the toy soldiers did fight on the side of good in the great battle during the ballet, so I suppose we can stretch that into a sort of religious meaning - good triumphing over evil.  But that’s kind of a stretch.  Some of our decorations are simply decorative, I guess.  But if they make us smile, if they bring peace into our hearts for just one moment, I think that might just be reason enough to include them.

Researching and writing this message was a learning opportunity for me.  The thing I am learning about Christmas, well, about life I guess, is that there is always an edge that I need to stretch toward - a learning edge, if you will.  If I am so rigid in what does and doesn’t belong in church as decoration, especially at this joyful time, then I will also be rigid about other things that are very important to other people.  When we are rigid in our stances, whether it is about what decorations belong in the church, or any other thing, we cannot learn.  We cannot open our hearts to those things that have great meaning to other people in our lives.  I have learned from these decorations, and from the great joy that we all receive just looking around at them, that I have  a great deal still to learn, about a great many things.  Thank  you, Jeffrey, for being my teacher in this.

May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.   

If we are to live in peace with each other, if we are to be like those woodland creatures on the back pew, and the lion and the lamb in that story I love to tell, if we are to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, if we are to be truly Christian, then we must open our hearts and minds to new and different. We don’t necessarily have to agree, but we have to be willing to listen, and try to understand where the other is coming from.  

When we leave this place today, let us go out willing to do our very best to live in harmony, to seek to understand the other, to openly share the love we receive from Christ with all those we may encounter.   Let us go out willing to learn new things, and to embrace new concepts, expanding our idea of what this Season is supposed to mean, so that we may all glorify God together.