Sometimes it is easy
to feel one is left alone, bracing oneself for what will come,
expecting (as the past had provided) nothing good.
One leans as far as
one can into the wind, treacherously close to losing one’s footing
and disappearing into the abyss.
If we could only get a truer perspective, that we are hardly alone. Of course we’ve known that all along, but we’ve wanted to step out and do something more than just hide in the crowd.
That’s so boring.
It makes one a
little green
in the middle
of a lot of other
green.
and never quite enough green to be completely independent. **
One is like all the rest of the world, only able to thrive and live well if one realizes that one is interdependent; one of many living in concert or at war, but living with many others and connected in too many ways.
There is much to
encounter out there. Best to take it on, along with your own kind.
At least one can be
kind.
For reference: kind
is the best thing to be as a spouse, if one cannot be God.*
Independence is a
myth, as destructive for people to pursue as dependence.
Interdependence is
life; good or bad, we are interdependent.
So be at least kind.
* of course no one can be God. The original sin was to think and act as if one could. It is now the common sin, and not so original any more.
Quick Sermon Outline fits with this: see next Blog [above].
[** a few Canadians have missed: to Unitedstatesians green is the colour of money, as well the colour of trees, life, growth … all that intended.]
Today
on Epiphany we celebrate that Christ is made manifest. Isaiah calls
to us, “Arise and shine for your light has come!” and later he
adds “Rejoice!”
The
magi rejoice at finding Jesus, for whom they have waited generations
to find. The Gentiles of Ephesus are over joyed, for salvation is not
just for Jews; it is for them (and everyone) as well. The listeners
to Isaiah are called to be full of joy for the light of God has shone
on them.
But
does the Light of Christ made manifest bring us light, or just make
our darkness more obvious? Because the darkness is still with us,
more than 2000 years after Christ. Because, though we are a
congregation of faithful Lutherans, our future is not a given.
Because, while we could celebrate and be joyful, there are millions
on earth whose lives are at risk, even as I preach this sermon. The
reality is our choices have put many of those people at risk. More
than just a few have died since I started the sermon, and many more
will die before I finish.
Rejoice?
Really?
Fruitcake
is made of things that I do
not like, but mixed together I
think it’s a great holiday treat. It is so wonderful and rich,
especially if you soak it in rum (which I
cannot stand on its own either) that it’s too easy to get too much
of it.
How
can the people in today’s lessons be overjoyed for there are also
things in their fruitcake, so to speak, that hardly allow for any
celebration. The magi tip off crazy Herod, and though they and Jesus
escape, warned to safety by dreams, Herod will slaughter hundreds of
children trying to protect his power.
The
Ephesians are welcomed at the table to become followers of Christ,
but in their day Christians were hunted and killed by the empire and
the religious authorities alike.
While
Isaiah calls the people to recognize the light shining on them, there
are no obvious reasons to be joyful. Returned from exile, life back
home is tougher than they could imagine. They are set in conflicts
against their own people with little resolution in sight. It takes
centuries before Jesus is born, and it takes until May 14th
1948 before the Jews have a homeland. Even so, they have been at war
ever since, with neighbours and enemies who wish them all dead.
Forget
that the fruitcake has things in it we may not like. The call to
rejoice is made in the midst of some very rotten eggs being thrown
into the batter, and it is much worse than just a few rotten eggs.
Now
I want to be joyful. I’m sure you do, too. With all our heart,
soul, and mind we want to be joyful. But I am not going to eat rotten
fruitcake and say it tastes good. I don’t want to be full of joy
and have to ignore the real darkness all around.
I
recently added a safety margin to my
existence: wood heat. Fire is powerful. The refurbished freshly
painted wood stove provides heat, and how!
With
care I test fired
the stove with a
decidedly small load. I
wanted to avoid explosive possibilities as the smoke is routed around
inside to ensure it burns as much as possible at over 2000 degrees.
Fully
fired the furnace still
occasionally cures the paint on the shield, and the room becomes
insufferably hot. Fully stoked with vents wide open the furnace could
probably melt itself to the ground.
Days
after the furnace was in use, in the relative comfort of a
condo, I relaxed
with a simple candle set on the coffee table. Only a good sense of
smell alerted me
that someone must have put out the candle.
But
no, looking up I
saw the newspaper, absently set aside, 1/4 engulfed in flame which in
a minute could burn the table to the ground and likely the condo with
it. So, grabbing the flaming newspaper in my
bare hands I
smothered the flames with the newspaper against itself, leaving ashes
everywhere. The condo still stands, no fire damage. Just a scare.
Do
we see the light, but prepare for the wrong dangers in the wrong
places? Do we let evil and sin creep into our lives in relatively
safe places and nearly burn us down to the core?
It
would be a great relief if, after baptism and each epiphany, we could
thereafter always choose the light. But that’s not how life works.
We continue to sin. We continue to choose the darkness. Therefore we,
with billions of others, continue to suffer and unnecessarily die.
We’ve
heard the old stories of horrific abuses out of the past, but they
are not gone. Do we choose to be ignorant of today’s injustice,
malfeasance, and corruption? Today these public abuses of trust are
perhaps worse than ever, since they are so secreted under spin and
even blatant lies.
Remember
the official and political denial of the destructive power of CO2
emissions. Now we have Climate Change run rampant. Environment Canada
warns that the extremes of the past are now
the new norms.
We will not survive the new
extremes without greater resilience than ever before. Perhaps my
overly sufficient wood stove may become barely sufficient.
With
light pollution all around we may not be able to see the wonders of
the stars, the marvels
of the wilderness worth preserving, nor the inherent beauty of even
our city, our streets, or even our own backyards. How can we
celebrate the light of Christ, if we live in such darkness?
It’s
dark, real dark, in remote northern SK especially in the winter,
especially for First Nations youth. Their suicide rate is more than 4
times greater than for other youth, which
is already too high.
In
Pinehouse SK, like many places around God’s creation, they know
well what it means to arise and shine for their light has come. Youth
in desperate straights, often survivors of multiple suicide attempts,
are finding that photography is all about light: seeing light,
catching light to tell a story. It also requires of the photographer
to see the world in a different light, in the
light of God’s beauty. It often
remains unnoticed, until the technical capabilities of photographer
with camera and equipment in hand bring God’s beauty to the photo.
Photography done well communicates real wonders.
As
the youth actively bring God’s beauty to their photos, they bring
life and hope and light into the darkness of their own lives.
We
live wholly by Grace in God’s creation lit up by Christ’s light.
God commissions us to carry this same undeserved Grace and light to
all others. No matter that
we do not live as perfect people the Spirit uses us to be Christ’s
voice, Christ’s heart of grace and unconditional love, and Christ’s
hands for others.
In
photography light is everything, and it is the contrast to the
darkness and the play of specular light, light that is diffused and
then reflected, that creates beauty.
We
are reflections of God’s diffused light. We are specular,
spectacular and beautiful. We share Christ’s light. We have the
whole power of Christ moving through us, just as a small candle has
the same power to consume a home, as can a
fully stoked, vents
wide open, wood stove.
Amidst
every bit of darkness that is real, the reality is that the Holy
Spirit is our flame and light, our breath, our hope, and our warmth
and passion for life as God created it for All people to enjoy: Life
as Christ’s servants is beautifully full of wonder. Therefore even
in darkness we can rejoice with all our hearts, minds, and souls. So
we sing:
Or at what temperature is the Light of Christ pure?
It’s
dark in remote northern SK especially in the winter, especially for
first nations youth. Their suicide rate is more than 4 times greater
than other youth.
In
Pinehouse, like many places around God’s creation, they know well
what it means to arise and shine for their light has come. Youth in
desperate straights, often survivors of multiple suicide attempts,
are finding that learning and practising photography brings light
into the darkness. Photography is all about light: seeing light,
catching light to tell a story. It also requires of the photographer
to see the world in a different light, in the light of God’s
beauty. Photography done well communicates real wonders. It often
remains unnoticed, until the technical capabilities of photographer
with camera and equipment in hand bring God’s beauty to the photo.
As
the youth actively bring God’s beauty to their photos, they bring
life and hope and light into the darkness of their own lives.
Tim
recently added a safety margin to his existence; wood heat. It is not
without it’s risks. Fire is powerful. The wood stove, well a
furnace really, refurbished, with the outside shield freshly painted
after years of abuse can provide heat, and how! With care Tim fired
it up more than once with a decidedly small test fire, to ensure the
draft worked, the smoke went up, and the dampers actually worked. Tim
wanted to avoid explosive possibilities. Smoke is routed around
inside to ensure it burns as much as possible. Less pollution, and
more heat. Fully fired the furnace still occasionally cures the paint
on the shield, and the room becomes insufferably hot. With diligent
care now Tim supplements an insufficient propane furnace (which
lasted only a year before needing to be replaced) with an overly
sufficient HOT wood stove. Left wide open and fully stoked the wood
furnace could probably melt itself to the ground, along with it’s
shelter and occupant.
In
the relative comfort of my condo, visiting over New Year’s, Tim let
his guard down. A simple candle sat on the coffee table. He set a
simple portion of the newspaper absently to the side. Only a good
sense of smell alerted him that someone must have put out the candle.
But
no, looking up he saw the newspaper 1/4 engulfed in flame, which in a
minute would have burned the table to the ground and possibly the
condo with it.
Grabbing
newspaper aflame in hand he smothered the flames with what was left
of the newspaper, leaving ashes everywhere. But the condo still
stands, no fire damage. Just a scare.
Explosive
fire from HOT HOT wood and smoke burning at 1000° degrees, all done
safely. A small candle in the comfortably heated condo, with all the
supports of a city all around goes up in free flame. Why does God let
a fire with the newspaper scare us so?
In
the Gospel we hear of great things that God does: Wise men follow a
star and bring gifts of wealth. Dreams warn them to return home
safely and for Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt. But we know the rest.
All those children in and around Bethlehem slaughtered by Herod. Why?
Perhaps those Wise men were not so wise, going to Herod’s home town
for directions?
Finding
our way can be challenging. Mostly we like to make our own ways, who
we make friends with, who we care for, who we spend time with.
God
always surprises us:
In
Isaiah, the prophet preaches to a group of returned Exiles. They find
themselves in conflict with their relatives who never left. Those who
stayed behind remember that they, and they alone, are God’s chosen
people. The returnees want everyone included in God’s favour.
In
Matthew the wise men come to honour Jesus, the king foretold by the
star. They are not Jews. They are members of a completely different
religion.
In
Ephesians the central mystery of faith that the writer shares is that
Christ is for all the Gentiles.
We
ask today isn’t the central mystery of faith the un-earnable,
unconditional Forgiveness? What about God’s Grace being a gift so
that we are saved not because of what we do, say or think or even
believe? It is just pure gift!
Of
course we are included just as Jews may be. That’s old news. …
But in Paul’s time no one besides Jews were considered, until Paul.
God chose him specifically to preach to the Gentiles. While the rest
of the apostles stayed in Jerusalem, with Jews joining them, Paul
travelled the Mediterranean, spreading the Gospel to everyone,
especially Gentiles. It was dangerous to be a new Christian. They
were targeted and killed. If Paul had not spread the Good News, the
early church, contained only in Jerusalem, made of only converted
Jews, may easily have died off in the first few years.
After
generations of God’s people claiming only they were chosen, and
they held themselves apart as identifiably chosen, what is God up to
letting in the Gentiles, us Gentiles?
When
it comes to our God and our lives, God continually surprises us, yet
we still have a long wish list:
Even
in today’s lessons we read how we want: Just rulers, and Light in
the darkness, which means a resolution for the all ails of the human
condition. We want Prosperity in Light and Glory and access to God
and Power. We want to be: God’s servants with authority.
We
want OUR family together. We want our children in town or close by,
our grandchildren nearby, and relative prosperity to accompany us
all, always, to make our paths smooth.
God’s
way, as history should fully teach us, though is not at all about our
power, nor our wishes, nor making our paths smooth. God’s way is
about light, and we get stuck in the Darkness. Our darkness is us not
acknowledging God as God, Love as our commission, and Evil as the
necessary result of our inevitable and unavoidable sin. Darkness is
us damning others for the evil that we and others suffer.
The
REAL danger in life is not knowing the real power of God, present in
various ways. God’s power is so powerful it is like a fully stoked
furnace, in the guise of a candle flame, but capable of burning down
the whole universe.
Still
we choose to remain in darkness. We choose to not know the
destruction of fright at injustice. Fright freezes us, or causes us
to flee, or to stand and fight; all are choices in the face of
obvious malfeasance that will sink us like an overheated candle melts
in the midst of a condo consumed by fire.
We
choose to be ignorant of today’s injustice, malfeasance, and
corruption. We’ve heard the stories of old, but they are very
present today, perhaps worse than ever since they are so secreted
under spin and even blatant lie.
A
terribly costly lie was the official and political denial of the
destructive power of CO emissions. Now we have Climate Change run
rampant. Environment Canada, reporting on the top ten stories of the
past year, warns that the extremes of the past are now the new norms.
We will not survive the new extremes without greater resilience than
ever before. Perhaps the overly sufficient wood stove may become
barely sufficient.
In
our darkness with light pollution all around we may not be able to
see the wonders of the stars, the marvel of the wilderness worth
preserving, nor the inherent beauty of even our city, our streets, or
even our own backyards.
In
our darkness we may not acknowledge the futility of security sought
in prosperity. Even though we live in boom and bust Alberta, we too
often seek security in wealth. We hoard it or we live lavishly. But
prosperity and wealth can evaporate like water on an overheated wood
furnace. It takes only a turn of a market, a corruption of an
investor, a foreign or domestic attack, a new Storm, or a bad health
event for ourselves or a loved one. After all we are all dying after
the age of 26 or so; our bodies literally falling apart. It’s
normal, for no one gets out of life alive.
The
true Gospel, for also the Gentiles, given as a free gift, not earned
by compliance to a set of rules or piety, is a true mystery. It
brings the true light with true blessings to all who hear it.
We
live not by prosperity but wholly by Grace. God commissions us to
carry this same undeserved Grace to all others. We are only lowly
servants. Our only power is Christ’s Power of self-sacrifice,
truth, and of bringing life to others.
In
whatever ways we are rulers, we can be just rulers. Even as middle or
low class citizens or guests, or even as homeless squatters, the
Spirit uses us to be for others Christ’s voice, Christ’s heart of
grace and unconditional love, and Christ’s hands.
We
share what we have freely received without cost: we share Hope based
on God’s promises. We share God’s un-earned forgiveness. We share
God’s over abundant grace.
As
any good photographer will tell you, light is everything, and it is
the contrast to the darkness and the play of specular light, light
that is diffused and then reflected, that creates beauty. We are
reflections of God’s diffused light. We are specular, spectacular
and beautiful. We have the whole power of Christ moving through us,
just as a small candle has the same power to consume a home, as a
fully stoked, left wide open, wood furnace.
Flame
is flame. The Holy Spirit is the source of our light, our breath, our
hope, and our warmth and passion for life as God created it for All
people to enjoy: Life as Christ’s servants is beautifully full of
wonder. Arise and shine for our light has come!
Amen
Also possible
NASA
celebrating when pictures come back from the other side of Pluto.
Beyond expectations.
China:
landed on the dark side of the moon, seeing images not seen before.
It’s
dark in remote northern SK especially in the winter, especially for
first nations youth. Their suicide rate is more than 4 times greater
than other youth.
In
Pinehouse, like many places around God’s creation, youth in
desperate straights, often survivors of multiple suicide attempts,
are finding that learning and practising photography brings light
into the darkness. Photography is all about light: seeing light,
catching light to tell a story. It also requires of the photographer
to see the world in a different light, in the light of God’s
beauty. Photography done well communicates real wonders. It often
remains unnoticed, until the technical capabilities of photographer
with camera and equipment in hand bring God’s beauty to the photo.
As
the youth actively bring God’s beauty to their photos, they bring
life and hope and light into the darkness of their own lives.
God’s ways unfathomable
Tim
recently added a safety margin to his existence; wood heat. It is not
without it’s risks. Fire is powerful. The wood stove, well furnace
really, refurbished, with the outside shield freshly painted after
years of abuse can provide heat, and how. With care Tim fired it up
more than once with a decidedly small test fire, to ensure the draft
worked, the smoke went up, and the dampers actually worked. There are
explosive possibilities Tim wanted to ensure would not happen. Smoke
is routed around inside to ensure it burns as much as possible. Less
pollution, and more heat. Fully fired the furnace still occasionally
cures the paint on the shield, and the room becomes insufferably hot.
With diligent care Tim now supplements an insufficient propane
furnace (which lasted only a year before needing to be replaced) with
an overly sufficient HOT wood stove. Left wide open and fully stoked
the wood furnace could probably melt itself to the ground, yet alone
it’s shelter and it’s occupant.
In
the relative comfort of my condo, visiting over New Year’s, Tim let
his guard down. A simple candle sat on the coffee table. He set a
simple portion of the newspaper absently to the side. Only a good
sense of smell alerted him that someone must have put out the candle.
But
no, looking up he saw the newspaper 1/4 engulfed in flame, which in a
minute would have burned the table to the ground and possibly the
condo with it.
Grabbing
newspaper aflame in hand he smothered the flames with what was left
of the newspaper, leaving ashes everywhere. But the condo still
stands, no fire damage. Just a scare.
Explosive
fire from HOT HOT wood and smoke burning at 1000° degrees, all done
safely. A small candle in the comfortably heated condo, with all the
supports of a city all around. Why does God let a fire with the
newspaper scare us so?
In
the Gospel we hear of great things all at God’s hand: Wise men
follow a star and bring gifts of wealth. Dreams warn them to return
home safely and for Joseph to take Jesus to Egypt. But we know the
rest. All those children in and around Bethlehem slaughtered by
Herod. Why? Perhaps those Wise men were not so wise, going to Herod’s
home town for directions?
God’s Way
We
like to make our own ways, who we make friends with, who we care for,
who we spend time with.
God
surprises us:
In
Isaiah, the prophet preaches to a group of returned Exiles. They find
themselves in conflict with their relatives who never left. Those who
stayed behind remember that they, and they alone, are God’s chosen
people. The returnees want everyone included in God’s favour.
In
Matthew the wise men come to honour Jesus, the king foretold by the
star. They are not Jews. They are members of a completely different
religion.
In
Ephesians the central mystery of faith that the writer shares is that
Christ is for all the Gentiles.
Mystery of Faith
We
ask today, What about un-earnable unconditional Forgiveness. What
about God’s Grace being a gift so that we are saved not because of
what we do, say or think or even believe. It is just pure gift!
Of
course we are included just as Jews may be. That’s old news. But in
Paul’s time no one besides Jews were considered, until Paul. God
chose him specifically to preach to the Gentiles. While the rest of
the apostles stayed in Jerusalem, with Jews joining them, Paul
travelled the Mediterranean, spreading the Gospel to everyone,
especially Gentiles. It was dangerous to be a new Christian. They
were targeted and killed. If Paul had not spread the Good News, the
early church, contained only in Jerusalem, practised only by
converted Jews, may easily have died off in the first few years.
After
generations of God’s people claiming only they were chosen, and
they held themselves apart as identifiably chosen, what is God up to
letting in the Gentiles, us Gentiles?
When
it comes to our God and our lives, we have a long wish list:
What we want
Even
in today’s lessons we read how we want:
Just
rulers.
Light
in the darkness, a resolution of the all ails of the human condition
Prosperity
in Light and Glory.
Access
to God and Power: God’s servant with authority.
We
want OUR family together, sons home, daughters cared for (sexism) so
we really want our children in town or close by, our grandchildren
nearby, and relative prosperity to accompany us all, always, to make
our paths smooth.
God’s Light vs. Our Darkness
God’s
way, as history should fully teach us is Not at all about our power,
not our wishes, not making our paths smooth.
Darkness
is us not acknowledging God as God, Love as our commission, Evil as
the necessary result, our participation in it as inevitable and
unavoidable sinners. Darkness is us damning others for the evil that
we and others suffer.
Real
danger in life is not knowing the real power of God, present in
various ways. God’s power is so powerful it is like a fully stoked
furnace, in the guise of a candle flame, but capable of burning down
the whole universe.
Still
we choose to remain in darkness. We choose to not know the
destruction of fright at injustice. Fright freezes us, or causes us
to flee, or to stand and fight; all are choices in the face of
obvious malfeasance that will sink us like an overheated candle melts
in the midst of a condo consumed by fire.
We
choose to be ignorant of today’s injustice, malfeasance, and
corruption. We’ve heard the stories of old, but they are very
present today, perhaps worse than ever since they are so secreted
under spin and even blatant lie.
Like
the denial of the destructive power of CO emissions. Now we have
Global Warming run rampant. Environment Canada, reporting on the top
ten stories of the past year warns that now the extremes of the past
are the new norms. Without greater resilience than ever before
needed, we will not survive the new extremes. Perhaps the overly
sufficient wood stove may become barely sufficient.
In
our darkness with light pollution all around we may not be able to
see the wonders of the stars, the marvel of wilderness worth
preserving, nor the inherent beauty of even our city, our streets,
even our own backyards.
In
our darkness we may not acknowledge the futility of security sought
in prosperity. Even though we live in boom and bust Alberta, we too
often seek security in prosperity or wealth. We hoard wealth or we
live lavishly. But prosperity and wealth can evaporate like water on
an overheated wood furnace. It takes only a turn of a market, a
corruption of an investor, a foreign or domestic attack, a new Storm,
a bad health event for ourselves or a loved one. After all we are all
dying after the age of 26 or so, our bodies literally falling apart.
It’s normal for no one gets out of life alive.
The true Gospel, True Mystery, True Light, True
Blessings
The
true Gospel, for the Gentiles, given as a free gift, not earned by
compliance to a set of rules or piety, is a true mystery. It brings
the true light with true blessings to all who hear it.
We
live not by prosperity but wholly by Grace. God commissions us to
carry this same undeserved Grace to all others. We are only lowly
servants. Our only power is Christ’s Power of self-sacrifice,
truth, and of bringing life to others.
As
we are rulers we can be just rulers. Even as middle or low class
citizens or guest, or even as homeless squatters, the Spirit uses us
to be for others Christ’s voice, Christ’s heart of grace and
unconditional love, and Christ’s hands.
We
share what we have freely received without cost: we share Hope based
on God’s promises. We share God’s forgiveness. We share God’s
grace.
As
any good photographer will tell you, light is everything, and it is
the contrast to the darkness and the play of specular light, light
that is diffused and then reflected, that creates beauty. We are
reflections of God’s diffused light. We are specular, spectacular
and beautiful. We have the whole power of Christ moving through us,
just as a small candle has the same power to consume a home, as a
fully stoked, left wide open, wood furnace.
Flame
is flame. The Holy Spirit is the source of our light, our breath, our
hope, and our warmth and passion for life as God created it for All
people to enjoy: life as Christ’s servants is beautifully full of
wonder.
Amen
Also possible
NASA
celebrating when pictures come back from the other side of Pluto.
Beyond expectations.
China:
landed on the dark side of the moon, seeing images not seen before.
Blessing
as prosperity, Blessing with
Prosperity, Blessing without
Prosperity
Prosperity
without blessing
Light,
sought by many, short supply, great demand
produces
prosperity
Blessing:
bringing home the sons and
daughters, not going afar to make a living, different in
today’s world, or?
Thrill
and rejoicing at abundance
End
frankincense and gold: and praise of God
Psalm:
A
just ruler, defends
the poor, crushes
the oppressor,
righteous
flourish, abundance of peace
nations
bow down before him
delivers
the poor in distress, the oppressed with no helper
compassion
for the lowly and the poor
preserves
the lives of the needy
Ephesians
The
copier, the cheat, plagiarism,
the Gospel
A
commission of Grace –
voacation, calling, purpose to life, meaningful labour
Mystery
of old, now made known: God comes to
Gentiles (weird: mystery, Grace,
forgiveness not earned or earnable, sacrifice not needed, not of
animal, or thing, or OTHER PEOPLE. No scapegoating.
Mystery
revealed by the Spirit, to
holy apostles and prophets
This
Gospel: Paul becomes a
servant, does the copier,
too?
A
servant by grace, the working of God’s power, pretty
small to be made servant, pretty
awesome to be made God’s
servant, power of the
right hand? Power of the house of God? Power
at all? Power of truth and
self sacrifice, power of bringing life to others, life at the core.
The
boundless riches of Christ!
Wisdom of God in great variety made known to rulers and authorities.
We
have access to God: in
boldness and confidence,
through faith in God!
Matthew
Wise men come, not so wise, the star stops guiding: they ask in corrupt Herod’s home town!
Set
in motion
wealth
for Mary to raise Jesus,
need
to flee to Egypt
death
of children 2 years and younger, in and around Bethlehem
After
Herod: then the star kicks in
again, find precisely Jesus (Bethlehem or Nazareth?)
overwhelmed
with Joy, paid homage, provided gifts: gold, frankincense, and
myrrh!
Warned
in a dream. A little late. They are safe, but the children!
God’s
ways, downright unfathomable at times. Dreams to save wise
men, dream to save Jesus -flee to Egypt, why
not dreams to save all the children!?!
Outline
God’s ways unfathomable
Wise
men, star, gifts wealth, dreams, Egypt, but children!
Wise
men not so wise
Mystery of Faith
Christ
for all Gentiles, too
What
about unearnable Grace, Forgiveness, God’s favour
part
of for Gentiles and not just Jews, with practice and piety, Or
Norwegians, or Lutherans of a certain ilk, my ilk of course are best.
What we want
Just
rulers
Light
against all darkness
resolution
of the all ails of the human condition
Prosperity
in Light and Glory
Power,
access to God, servant’s with authority
OUR
family together, sons home, daughters cared for (sexism, we really
want our children in town or close by, our grandchildren nearby, and
relative prosperity to accompany us always, to make our paths smooth.
God’s Light vs. Our Darkness
Not
our power, not our wishes, not our paths smooth
Darkness
is us not acknowledging God as God, Love as our commission, Evil as
the necessary result, our participation in it as inevitable and
unavoidable, damning others for the evil that is, that we suffer,
that others suffer.
Real
danger in life is not knowing the real power of God, present in
various ways
Example:
not knowing the power of Light of Fire
Wood
heat: hot to burn the dross and chaff, the new paint cured
Cold
Explosive
possibilities
Simple
candle and a newspaper
Example:
not knowing the destruction of fright, at injustice
just
being frightened at injustice
at
being the malfeasance obvious
nothing
doable, paralyzed, fighting, fleeing
Example:
not knowing the stories of old corruption
Also
present in our day, in every way, often worse than ever before,
Worse
when they are hidden, secreted, covered by spin, even obvious lies
Example:
not knowing the power of CO emissions
Global
Warming run rampant
now
the extremes of past are norm
new
extremes are not survivable without complete new adaptations
need
new resilience, preparation – harder to prepare and qualify to
knowingly sleep through the night with calm, because prepared.
Example:
not knowing the beauty of life
the
light of stars without light pollution
the
beauty of relative wilderness – worth preserving and caring for.
the
beauty of your place, time.
Example:
not knowing the futility of security sought in prosperity
boom
bust
a
turn of market, a corruption of an investor, a foreign or domestic
attack on market or other
a
Storm
a
health event, not emergency, falling apart of our lives, with loses:
of self, or of loved ones, or of labour, or ?
normal:
no one gets out of life alive.
The true Gospel, True Mystery, True Light, True
Blessings
Not
compromised by copying, plagiarism, the glory is God’s not the
writer’s,
Grace,
Commissions, Servants, Power of sacrifice, truth, bringing life to
others
being
the just ruler,
being
Christ’s voice, heart of grace and unconditional love, being
Christ’s hands
Hope
based on God’s promises, God’s forgiveness, God’s grace, NOT us
or prosperity.
A
prophet does not need to tell the people that great things will
happen, if and when things are going well for the people. It is when
the people are in the deep of it; then the prophet tells them of the
great future God has in store for them.
Isaiah
tells the people that they will be a shining light in the darkness
that will cover the earth, and nations will stream to them to trade
with them and to find light in the darkness.
First
the images are wonderful, delightful, full of promise and fulfilled
hopes:
While
the rest of the world will be covered with a deep darkness, the
people of Isaiah speaks to have a different future. The light of God
will rise to shine on them! The Glory of God will appear over them.
Like
the sunrise after a deep dark winter above the arctic circle, God’s
light will rise. Now in the days of relative darkness, a day of sun
expected this morning, the first in weeks, there is a feel for this
relief of light in the darkness. Still this is hardly the darkness,
the thick darkness that Isaiah speaks of, that the people easily
believe will happen, or even has happened.
Today,
the young people I know, expect a deep darkness. They expect things
to be worse than they were for their parents and grandparents …
much worse.
Into
that kind of darkness Isaiah tells the people, God’s light will
shine, God’s Glory will cover them.
Now
light is wonderful, even after a relatively short absence of the sun.
But the Glory of God, that’s out of this world marvellously,
miraculously spectacular!
This
is the Glory that the people knew would likely leave them dead if
they encountered it in person. This is the Glory that left Moses
white as a ghost on the mountain, having seen God in person and
having received the ten commandments for the people. This is the
Glory with which Jesus shone white at his transfiguration as Peter
planned to encapsulate it in a memorium, which is simply impossible.
The
people Isaiah speaks to will have the greatest blessings, while those
around are starved of any light, glory, or blessing.
The
people, the nations, will flock to Israel to be in the presence of
their light. And through trade with the nations Israel will prosper.
The people’s hearts will rejoice and thrill at their prosperity.
Their
children, their sons and daughters, will return home. Together they
will be a nation revered and honoured with gifts of frankincense and
gold.
And
they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
From
the perspective of the people hearing Isaiah, the hope brought them
is as wide, deep, profound, and inspiring as it gets.
Hang
on to that.
We
know that the rhythm of God’s people will bring them to enjoy the
blessings of God, and to eventually forget who gave them such
blessings, to ascribe their own right to such prosperity and
blessings. They will create out of God’s light and glory their own
darkness again.
The
greatest delight will never be in prosperity. But from the
perspective of abject poverty, foreign and oppressive rule, and being
scattered as a people, and as families, a bit of prosperity would be
a welcomed and appreciated blessing, one that we would all be
grateful for. For a while anyway.
So
these are the images, and the place they take in others’ lives.
Where do they fit in our lives? Are we poor? Are we grateful? Are we
blessed already and ungrateful, assuming we have ‘earned’ our
blessings?!
Light:
last night arriving home, the stars shone in the darkness. No moon.
No clouds. Just pinpoints of light, in dazzling beauty. Does one need
great light?
Well
to setup the camper and shelter for wood heat, light is needed. To
work on a computer, light and power is needed. To hope that this
winter will be survived, and well, a little light and a lot of hope
is needed.
Environment
Canada gives its summary of the weather in 2018 and concludes that
because of climate change brought on by us (no more false ‘Bush’
science to hide the truth) the extremes of weather that we were used
to have all been met or exceeded in 2018, and even these extremes
will be the norm in the future, starting already today!
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/top-ten-weather-stories/2018.html
: “Events
that were once rare or unusual for our grandparents are now more
commonplace, while we all become more vulnerable due to extreme
weather. As the Top Ten Weather Stories of 2018 bear out, Canadians
must become more resilient—not only for what lies ahead but also
for the variations in climate, which are already here.” Catch
the whole report while it is still available: it is an eye opener, a
frightful look to what the weather has had, and will have in store
for us in Canada.
Environment
Canada gives its summary of the weather in 2018 and concludes that
because of climate change brought on by us (no more false ‘Bush’
science to hide the truth) the extremes of weather that we were used
to have all been met or exceeded in 2018, and even these extremes
will be the norm in the future, starting already today!
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Any
time we can get a ruler, a government collectively, a justice system
included, who/which will provide justice and righteousness, for those
caught in poverty, for those oppressed, for those desperately needing
the basics of life … Anytime God provides us even part of that from
our government, it is time to rejoice. So we wait. We rejoice for the
little justice, righteousness and goodness that is possible in this
time when (like most times in history) those who are protected are
not the poor, the needy, the oppressed, but rather the rich, those
wasteful with luxuries, and those who oppress others in order to
maintain their positions of wealth and power.
In
our day as well, the oppressors are able to claim they are the
victims, and to motivate hoards of others to continue to make victims
of the supposed ‘oppressors’. It’s always been done this way.
It’s just a surprise when one discovers that it is so in our day,
with the people and institutions one trusted.
The
psalmist provides hope for the day when a great ruler will arise, and
we are reminded, to be grateful for what we do have, such as it is.
And we are warned, that if we are the oppressors, God’s not pleased
with us, and our time will come to an end, if not soon enough, to
save our victims.
Ephesians 3:1-12
It
is a flavour different than Paul himself, yet an interesting, if
somewhat disturbing, difference.
Paul
is imprisoned, or perhaps was and is no longer to be seen or found.
Someone, a follower, writes in Paul’s name. Today it is
unacceptable. In Paul’s day it was both acceptable, common enough,
and an honour to have someone write in your name … as long as the
person did not get it all wrong.
This
writer didn’t get it all right, but right enough.
Paul
is a prisoner … not because he is a common criminal, but as a
result of preaching the Gospel of Jesus the Christ … not to the
Jews, but to the Gentiles. Which was common enough, even if one did
not preach about Jesus. Just believing and someone reporting you
could get you arrested and killed. It is a wonder that anyone
survived; that the church survived, for the effort to eradicate the
earth of the Way of Jesus was thorough.
The
writer is not focused on Paul’s situation, as if it is old news or
long ago history even: Paul is gone like ALL the earlier disciples.
Still
Paul’s impact on the early church is not and this writer furthers
Paul’s legacy; that the Gentiles can believe and be accepted as
fellow followers of Jesus.
The
writer describes Paul’s sharing the good news with the Gentiles,
including the intended readers of this letter, as a ‘commission of
God’s grace’.
A
mystery is revealed to Paul in a revelation (on the road to
Damascus); the mystery is not about Jesus. It is that the Gentiles
can be followers of Christ along with the Jews. Our retrospective
perspective informs us that of course the Jews are not even part of
the church; they have a separate and exclusive faith, not a Christian
faith. Yet without Paul, and others, reaching out to the Gentiles,
only Jews would have been acceptable as Christians. We would all be
merely a small group of a different kind of Jews. Instead, we are
distinct and dependent upon Jewish faith even.
This
is grace the writer says, grace to be a servant, grace to be in
prison, grace to be a saint, the least of them, but a saint, and a
bearer of the Gospel.
This
is made known now clearly, what before was hidden.
A
mystery of faith moves out of the shadows of the unknowns, into the
light as a known piece of faith; namely that God is for all people
Jews first and then all Gentiles who believe.
The
end of this faith is that together they have access to God; not
because they have earned it, but because it is given to them, by
faith, a gift of grace.
Matthew
2:1-12
Three wise men come seeking Jesus. In the normal manner (is there any normal about this?) they inquire of the king’s whereabouts in the capital, Jerusalem, where the ruler, King Herod, hears of their inquiries.
Are the men really wise? A king is born, given to them to know by a star. Do they think that this is just going to be a son of the king who rules, and not a usurper? So they just ask in the home town of the siting king for the newly born king. And what they start!
King
Herod is frightened. And when a despot king is frightened all the
people are frightened with him, not for the same reason, but because
of what the king will do because he is frightened. We know now that
people who are frightened make poor decisions. We know that one of
the qualities of people who handle risk on our behalf, like pilots,
surgeons, priests and emergency response people is that they do not
panic under pressure, but respond with extraordinary calm and clear
thought. The fright they experience in an emergency is contained and
not let loose to run havoc in their minds. Instead they evaluate
risk, find solutions, and act quickly, decisively and per-emptively
to bring the emergency to a good end and to minimize ongoing risks.
Good
rulers do the same.
Herod
is not a good ruler. And the people know it.
They
too are frightened by the crazy, impulsive, power hungry Herod. There
are plenty of crazy, impulsive, power hungry people, in the churches,
in governments, in the courts, in the streets, in vehicles going down
the road. They are everywhere, and one has reason to be rightfully
frightened of the chaos they unleash on others.
The
wisemen do get Herod to do their work for them. He calls together the
experts to find out where the king is to be born. They bring back the
right answer: Bethlehem. So off go the wisemen, to find Jesus, no
longer in the dark.
Now
the help given by Herod helps them not a bit. The start continues to
lead them. So why the stop? Proper etiquette? The star leads them
right to where Jesus is. Note that it is no longer ‘in a stable’
in a manger. It’s quite some time after Mary and Joseph have
returned to Nazareth with Jesus. But no mention of that, so maybe
Mary does not so soon make the return trip, for health or reputation
or safety reasons.
The
wisemen provide Jesus the gifts they have brought. Mary and Joseph
are suddenly quite well off. Today it takes about .5 million to raise
a child. Mary and Joseph get a headstart on what it took then, plus a
bit.
The
wisemen are warned off in a dream about returning to Herod, to let
him know how to find the baby king and to allow him to ‘pay
homage.’ They finally understand that they have brought a crazy
king news that is likely going to bring the death of the child, who
the star has led them to find.
We
know how the story develops. Mary flees to Egypt with Jesus. Thank
heavens for the frankincense and gold to pay their way.
But
the other children of Israel ….
The
people had good reason to be frightened of Herod being frightend.
Image
all children in Canada, three and under, being killed to keep a
despot government in power! We’d not allow it. We allow plenty
already to keep ‘our’ government in power, but that is not
usually on the table. Instead, in government, in churches, in courts,
in vehicles on our roads, we sacrifice truth … and little by little
we teach our children and all people, here you have good reason to be
frightened that the truth will be sacrificed, and eventually your
children will learn that truth is not safe, instead one must learn to
lie and lie well to be able to survive.
Those
who tell the truth are relegated to the trash heaps of life. So if
you want a bit of security, a bit of warmth in the winter and
protection from the rain and bugs in the summer, then you must learn
to lie and lie well.
There
is good reason to be frightened.
Because
Jesus is born, survives the pogram, teaches, is sacrificed,
crucified, dies, is buried, and is resurrected, we know that God is
with us. We do not need to lie.
We
can hope for a day when truth will prevail.
As
I write this the wood stove, really a wood furnace, freshly stoked
for the day with wood, and left with plenty of air, reaches it’s
peak heat. The warmth spreads throughout the living space, and
against the cold, the warmth prevails.
So
likewise does God’s truth, God’s grace, God’s commission win
out over all temptations to lie, to force our wills on others, to
busy ourselves with penultimate life-work. God’s goodness prevails
in our lives, by grace, by faith. We need only surrender and get out
of the way, and sometimes become the hands, feet, voice and heart of
Christ.
So likewise do the fires of judgment burn hot, consuming the dross of our being, the evil that we allow to play havoc with our lives and with our neighbours’ lives … and the children’s futures.
But
that image of heat and hell and dross burning off is not in the text.
It’s just in the smell of newly burned-in paint, from the freshly
painted furnace, wafting my way on the waves of warmth, that repel
the cold and preserve my life.
Miracles are welcome! May the cards you and yours are dealt bring peace and joy. May your responses to especially the ‘off suit’ cards bring others peace and joy beyond all expectations. 365 days to let God wow us with what God can pull out of us, and what the Spirit can pull off in spite of us. Breathe, Smile, Play, And ‘dance with Grace.’
And occasionally laugh out loud
Just to let them wonder
What you’re up to.
God certainly knows how to weep, grieve, and suffer with us; But I think God enjoys the breathing, smiling, playing, dancing, and laughing A bit more.
Make ithe New Year as awesome as each past and yet coming at us; Unconditional love is the key, So open the gates. We are not alone.
The sunsets, thankfully not for months or weeks or even days, but for long hours.
The sun disappears about 16:00 to show up again maybe at 9:00 in these long-nighted cold days.
Even when it is up, the sun never climbs high enough to reach tree top.
Most mornings the clouds hold the sun at bay, delivering ice fog and delicate snow on the trees.
In this darkness the light shines in us all, through the cracks, the light gets in (LCohen). The darker, the more obvious the light, more clearly the yearning for light.
We can choose to be light or dark. It is too easy to mimic one’s environment, one’s companions, and be their darkness. But the light is clearly available to anyone who wishes to so choose.
The sun shines every day, it’s just sometimes one has to climb to above 60,000 feet to see it.
It’s sung with joy, and it’s been sung often since.
But be careful, singing this song may have unforeseen
consequences.
Velvet Revolution story
The protesters in Leipzig in 1989 knew (the power of
singing) well. While that element sometimes gets overlooked in the histories of
the “velvet revolution,” it’s striking to note that for several months
preceding the fall of the Berlin wall, the citizens of Leipzig gathered on
Monday evenings by candlelight around St. Nikolai church – the church where
Bach composed so many of his cantatas – to sing, and over two months their
numbers grew from a little more than a thousand people to more than three
hundred thousand, over half the citizens of the city, singing songs of hope and
protest and justice, until their song shook the powers of their nation and
changed the world. Later, when someone asked one of the former officers of the
Stasi, the East German secret police, why they did not crush this protest like
they had so many others, the officer replied “We had no contingency plan for
song.” (David Lose “In the meantime…” 2015)
But in the DDR in the 80’s (Tim visited and heard this for
himself) it was a well-known, unknowable, among church leaders and government
people:
Eric Honecker, leader of the DDR, and Bishop Schönberger,
knew each other, and respected each other. They had both been in concentration
camps under the Nazis.
Honecker and Schönberger had an
arrangement, that the church could be the pressure relief valve for the state,
and …
Well the lack of contingency for singing
was known well among church leaders, and known as an intentional ‘lack of
preparation’ by Honecker. Together and so as not to be documented, the two
leaders planned for the fall of East Germany back into a reunified Germany.
One still needs to be careful when
one chooses to sing, especially if one choose to sing as Mary does.
Bit first the other lessons,
because they set the stage for us to better appreciate Mary’s simple song.
Today our song is from the Psalm:
Refrain
Restore us, O God. Let your face
shine upon us, and we shall be saved!
Shining face: the image from winter sun
Fill it in
It is so good to bask in God’s shining in on us, knowing we
will be saved.
Which just about sets the stage for a good nap.
A nap
A sign of God’s presence
Amidst the challenges, to be able to rest in peace, or
rather rest peacefully, when one’s enemies would prefer one rested in peace.
And after the nap, restored almost as good as new, we move
on with our busy days.
Micah
political solution
The promise of a political solution for the very present
like of old
Use of his words for more:
Beyond political solution
Jesus, a very not
political solution to the timeless challenge of scapegoating and sin, which is
more than any political solution could be.
Hebrews:
Beyond comprehension
If you think Hebrews is beyond comprehension, good for you.
It is written just as obscurely as the complicated laws of Jesus’ day: and no
one understood it then either.
Jesus, Last Sacrifice, a new justice
But the point of Hebrews: that’s clear
Jesus is the one time sacrifice,
who replaces blood sacrifice and in decipherable webs of
laws.
One sacrifice, one salvation for all people, for all time.
Old [sic] [in]justice
In those days then, with the complicated laws, Justice was
who knows you, not what you do, since no one can keep the law. Not much has
changed with civil law – for some people who are guilty, despite what the
evidence is that should exonerated them. And our jails are filled with native
men, and innocent men falsely charged by their intimate partner.
What’s gone wrong with us? We use to do this to women, allow
a man put her away for nothing, or for nothing keep her drugged for decades in
a mental institution. Now it’s men. What’s wrong with us?!
All have and do and will sin
Still now, no one can keep God’s laws, no one good enough to
earn God’s favour.
We need God’s saving action now and now again and again
Restore us, O God. Let your
face shine upon us, and we shall be saved!
Mary’s Song
More than once in history, tyrannical rulers have banned the
singing of this song, for it is revolutionary, in the political sense.
[Story of song
banned.]
Mary Sings a song. As all songs of faith well
composed and well sung Mary sings a REVOLUTIONARY song.
Not just that God inspires us to revolve, to
repent, to turn about and follow Jesus, instead of walking our own way and
demanding that God follow us.
This is revolutionary, as in More than a few
oppressive rulers have prohibited the use of this song.
JOY
The start is fitting.
Mary’s spirit rejoices. What better way to
start singing of God’s presence in our lives.
THE
LOWLY … GOOD NEWS
Mary realizes that God has taken a turn from
power to the powerless.
God looks to the lowly servant, Mary, caught
pregnant before being married.
And she expects to be called great, not for
what she has done, but for what God has done to her.
This God is not the God of judgment that so
many people fear without love. This is the God of mercy from generation to
generation.
God has great strength, and chooses to show it
…
THE
MIGHTY, THE OTHER KIND OF GOOD NEWS
But not to build up or sustain those with power
and wealth, and pride,
But to scatter them with their thoughts of how
great they are, thoughts so mistaken that they are just plain foolish, even if
they carry their own day, or seeming carry the day until God scatters their
thoughts and meager accomplishments as if they were seeds of weeds that are
despised by all who see them grow.
The rulers are replaced.
Which is why many unjust rulers prohibit, under
severe punishment, the singing or use of this song.
But to whom does God go?
Or from our perspective, to whom does God come?
God lifts up the lowly.
God feeds the hungry, with not just cheap food, but the good
stuff, the nourishing food that makes for health and good life.
But The Rich God sends away empty handed.
This revolution changes all power and privilege.
So that those caught in the bottom of injustice
can sing
The lowly Can sing loudly, for all to hear,
That God has come,
In Mary’s and Elizabeth’s day God comes to Israel,
today to us, to whomever and where ever we are.
God comes to us keeping the promises he made to
Abraham, for we also are By grace alone Counted Among Abrahams’ descendants …
Forever.
God claims us, and makes us worthy of good
food, good life, fair treatment, and great hope.
Be careful
Using the Magnificat can make life changed, can change life,
can bring us down if we are powerful, proud, and wealthy.
But it brings up those of us who are humble out
of necessity and position, wise but poor,
Who must count on God’s grace to survive each
day.
For our good honest labour has not netted us
luxury and privilege, so that we can rest instead of working to survive the
Challenges
Whatever they are:
[fill in your choice, these were mine]
Cold
Bitter cold
Injustices
Enemies that want vengeance for things we never
did.
Enemies that know nothing of who we are, except
that they hate us and want us dead.
Coworkers who are corrupt, or abusive, or mean,
or haughty and proud, or self-righteous and judgmental, or self-declared entitled. OR the challenges of
“A young teacher landed her first job teaching
children in a large city hospital. She taught those young patients who missed a
lot of school. She developed a routine. When she received a student’s name, she
first phoned the child’s regular school teacher to find out if there were any
particular areas the child needed to work on.”
“One ordinary day her list included a
12-year-old boy named Tommy. When she spoke to his teacher, she discovered that
Tommy needed to work on his grammar – particularly adverbs and adjectives. So
she planned a lesson and took it up with her to the boy’s room.”
“The teacher, being fairly new to the hospital,
only first realized when she arrived on the floor that Tommy’s room was in the
burn unit. The sight of the small boy – terribly burned and in tremendous pain
– shocked her to her core. But not really knowing what else to do, the young
teacher began to work through her pre-prepared grammar lesson. The boy’s lips
slowly answered her questions and responded to her comments. In great pain,
together they completed the assignment.”
“After the lesson, the teacher fled from the
burn unit, certain that her grammar lesson had been a callous and useless
exercise. She was ashamed that she had not met Tommy’s obvious needs, somehow
better.”
“For the next few days the teacher avoided that
area of the hospital, not wanting to see Tommy or any of the staff who worked
with him. Then one morning she found herself in the elevator with the nurse who
had shown her the way to Tommy’s room.”
“‘What did you do to him?’ the nurse demanded.
Lost for words, the teacher just looked at the nurse, wishing she were any
place else. ‘What did you say?’ the nurse continued. ‘After you left, Tommy was
a changed boy. We had just about given up on him because he had given up on
himself. But his attitude was totally different after your visit. He started
fighting back, and now his prognosis is really very good. Come see him.’”
“In disbelief, the teacher allowed herself to
be led back to Tommy’s bedside. Sure enough, he was sitting up now. He was
still in pain, but he was smiling, and that smile reached his eyes. Tommy
explained to the teacher, ‘I thought I was going to die for sure. Then you
came. When you left I knew I couldn’t be dying. Who would bother to teach a
dying boy the difference between adjectives and adverbs?’” (source unknown)
Bad Genes and simply dirty jeans
Parents who need more than we can give,
children who are almost on their own.
Grandchildren who cannot seem to live a life
that is not confused and desperately chaotic.
Spouses who abuse and take everything we have
to give and more.
Institutions that are corrupt and decaying,
destroying people caught in their downward spiral.
Or plain Evil, in so many guises, tempting us
to be God, and to try (futilely) to make our own lives good enough for God.
Save us we cry, Save us we sing.
From all this we need to be saved, for we
cannot save ourselves, so we cry
Restore us, O God. Let your
face shine upon us, and we shall be saved!
It is just a visit with a relative, Mary, pregnant before she is married, heads to the hills to see Elizabeth, wife of the one of the priests. Elizabeth is pregnant as well and at the sound of the guest’s greeting, her fetus leaps in her.
Elizabeth cries out, and exclaims (ok, how did she know already that Mary was go give birth to God’s own son, the saviour of the universe, but it’s a story, so not all of it is going to make all the logical and logistical sense of an historical account. This is an account of the purpose of God. So of course Elizabeth knows Mary’s son will be their saviour!)
Surprise at Jesus’ visit
Elizabeth cries out and exclaims that Mary is blessed among women and her son is blessed as well. Elizabeth is more than a bit astounded, that Mary, the mother of her Lord, has come to visit her!
We ought to be so surprised that Jesus comes to us, every day, every minute. For what do we deserve but God’s condemnation!
Or we are so used to Jesus’ presence with us that we behave like we are bored with it, as if nothing significant were to come of God standing with us, face to face, shoulder to shoulder. Gracing us with God’s presence, promising us that all will be well … even when there is nothing that is well at all to be seen or known. For when God is with us, already all things are well, all manner of things are well.
For Elizabeth understands that Jesus (Joshua in Hebrew, meaning saviour) is indeed God’s son, our saviour; this infant is the boy that will grow to be the man who will save us all …
No More Scapegoating
And make it obvious that we do not need to sacrifice anyone else anymore; no more scapegoating.
All this is astounding
Is unusual
Is unique.
But
Then
Mary
Sings a song.
But as all songs of faith well composed and well sung
This is
Revolutionary
Not just that God inspires us to revolve, to repent, to turn about and follow Jesus, instead of walking our own way and demanding that God follow us.
This is revolutionary, as in
More than a few oppressive rulers have prohibited the use of this song.
Joy
The start is fitting.
Mary’s spirit rejoices. What better way to start singing of God’s presence in our lives.
The Lowly … Good News
Mary realizes that God has taken a turn from power to the powerless.
God looks to the lowly servant, Mary, caught pregnant before being married.
And she expects to be called great, not for what she has done, but for what God has done to her.
This God is not the God of judgment that so many people fear without love. This is the God of mercy from generation to generation.
God has great strength, and chooses to show it …
The mighty, the other kind of Good News
But not to build up or sustain those with power and wealth, and pride,
But to scatter them with their thoughts of how great they are, thoughts so mistaken that they are just plain foolish, even if they carry their own day, or seeming carry the day until God scatters their thoughts and meager accomplishments as if they were seeds of weeds that are despised by all who see them grow.
The rulers are replaced.
And this causes many unjust rulers to prohibit, under severe punishment, the singing or use of this song.
But to whom does God go?
Or from our perspective, to whom does God come?
God lifts up the lowly.
God feeds the hungry, not just cheap food, but the good stuff, the nourishing food that makes for health and good life.
But
The
Rich
God sends away empty handed.
This revolution changes the power and privilege.
And those of us caught in the bottom of injustice
Can sing loudly, for all to hear,
That God has come,
In Mary’s and Elizabeth’s day to Israel, today to us, whoever and where ever we are.
God comes to us keeping the promises he made to Abraham, for we also are
By grace alone
Counted
Among Abrahams’ descendants
Forever.
God claims us, and makes us worthy of good food, good life, fair treatment, and great hope.
Be careful
Using the Magnificant can make life changed, can change life, can bring us down if we are powerful, proud, and wealthy.
But it brings up those of us who are humble out of necessity and position, wise but poor,
Who must count on God’s grace to survive each day.
For our good honest labour has not netted us luxury and privilege, so that we can rest instead of working to survive the
Challenges
Whatever they are:
Cold
Bitter cold
Injustices
Enemies that want vengeance for things we never did.
Enemies that know nothing of who we are, except that they hate us and want us dead.
Coworkers who are corrupt, or abusive, or mean, or haughty and proud, self-righteous and judgmental, and entitled.
