The
secret is simple and widely known but seldom recognized.
Look
down.
Look Down and Back: Notice was is and was.
Notice
what has gone before you.
Catch
everything that you can from it all.
Did you
notice,
the remnants of water alive,
and
not
just the tracks
but the
possibilities:
the
sled that made perfect X-country tracks all the way across the lake
and
off
I went
all the
way across the lake like never before
for
wonderful and needed exercise, until a few hours later, heart
pumping, breathing easier, sweating lightly,
I
arrive back on this shore and tuck into work with an inspired heart
and mind, if a bit tired on my legs.
And
look up
Look up to forever and beyond.
See the
snow of yesterday collecting light, waiting for the sun to shine
gloriously on the sparkles hidden in the snow.
Look
for the promise of tomorrow,
the
promise that what is plain and climbing nowhere toward nothing
can
ascend to beauty and truth, hope and freedom, love and trust.
The shadows point to the light.
And
always watch the light when it
arrives:
when it
shines, see it,
not
just a glance but see what it does to the simple landscape,
to the
people
(especially
those hiding in the darkness of lies and deceit, of profound sin …
all which are left for God to judge, for consequences that begin now
even as they choose to abandon their hearts and minds and rebuild a
simulation which changes as quickly as their whim)
and the
animals that move,
but
marvel at how much those things that cannot move are transformed
from
ho-hum
to
walkers and creators of shadow
that accents the light and points to the source
even
when it is not seen.
The light, Elijah, the Light!
No
matter the view you’ve taken
do not
forget to notice the large picture,
the
grand scheme of things,
God’s
view of our little troubles, darkness, and the forest of challenges
that lean in to overwhelm us.
Always
our darkness points us to the source of light for us all.
When
such destructiveness is undeservedly foisted into one’s life
then
the only thing to do is to live well.
And if
it is winter, even then live so well.
Though there is more than work
to
survive the cold
for in
the basics of life,
like
staying warm
one
easily can pay attention
and
meet the challenges well:
Wood
heat, portable, and lots of left over insulated tarps, even some that
have something in them, and recycling everything one can, until
Even on
a night when the propane furnace does not work, because the propane
is gelled,
and the
generator will not start, because the oil is thick to sledgy, or just
too cold,
and the
propane heater will not work without warming up the propane in the
tank,
and
when it starts it is too hot so that it’ll melt a hole in the
insulated tarp around the generator,
but a 6
foot 2×6, construction junk, serves well enough to keep the tarp
raised high enough from the heater,
to get
the generator to finally pop, and then fire and run.
And
then to have to scramble, arms flailing against the tarp draped all
about, out from under the tarp fast filling with CO! And plug in
those cords.
Which
means the fans can blow the wood heat into the living quarters,
and the
block heater can be plugged in
with
the battery charger set to charge,
while
one has hot coffee from the wood stove boiled water through a french
press, with milk and cereal with blueberries,
and
then when starting, to 55 amp start mode,
and the
vehicle, against it’s better computer programming jumps to life the
third try.
Left to
warm up as everything is packed away and padlocked safe,
It’s
off to meet the day’s requirements.
And
between necessary appointments, errands and refueling, take the time
to write what must be written and filed soon: more truth in the face
of biased error based on obvious lies, but the truth is too
inconvenient to allow.
As if
to hide that the earth revolves around the sun by a simple sentence
of silence.
Fools
are made of powerful people at every turn; the emperor may seem, but
is not, dressed.
And
many scurry to try to lay the tracks of deceit deeper yet,
pretending, pretending, pretending, when it is God, from whom nothing
is hidden, who judges and rules without deceit or corruption, but
with promise and yesterdays that give grounded hope and trust.
And in
this rampart run mobile through one’s 3rd act, there is
great humour, and opportunity to look, down, up, noticing the light,
and seeing the big picture; as Jupiter resounds and reverberates off
the windows, before the Athem and then it’s closing time. Ring the
bells, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything;
that’s how the light gets in.
Then
it’s once for the Devil and once for Christ, as all hell breaks
loose
as
the
nightmares
set
in
again
until
even
in such
a distant universe
brought
close by the folds of time-space in light.
And it
is
holding
the beloved
in
one’s heart, mind and strength,
with
great clarity
and
thankfulness for great kindness,
and
forgiving the darkness and all it’s dark horses
that
come charging still through the light touch of chilly, hope-giving
and grace-filled dancing
disrupted
only by the power of lies.
Live
winter well:
dance,
and let deceit melt with the ice on the wood turning into heat, as we
dance away;
embrace
the chilly light, if that is all there is, it still points to
something that otherwise one would miss,
and
work as if nothing else will save you from the bitter cold, and the
bitterness foisted on your path, but know that Christ walks in the
bitter cold, and crosses every path with redemption and grace …
until one arrives home.
It may
be closing time, but the light and dance of peace and joy, and the
promise of hope-giving tomorrows
even
also for eternity,
have
not disappeared,
So
breathe in warmly, and visit the
Cold
sharp
clear
biting
cold that claws momentarily
until
one returns to the result of deep hard work, deep in the forest, yet
warm.
And one
marvels at the heat of red
hot
coals.
…
That is
living well in the bitter cold:
to be
prepared in heart, mind, and body;
And not
to forget to dance a glorious step for those who cannot or will not.
I wake to a propane furnace will not fire, no generator running, almost out of battery power
Wood heat possible, with wood stashed long ago, newly finished wood-stove shelter and connector to the camper.
So I
Pull out the propane heater, warm up the tank in the wood heat shelter
Build an ad hoc shelter in which to heat the generator (insulated tarp)
Protect tarp with wood holding it to the sides and 6 feet over heat
20 minutes make coffee from water on wood stove
Start gen after 10 pulls a pop, then three more, fire, c02 filled, scramble with tarp to get to fresh air
Plug in block heater, hook up battery charger,
Eat breakfast and drink coffee
Set charger to 55 amp starter, and start the borrowed vehicle
Off ten minutes late to a meeting
Almost every safety back up came in to play, one stupid mistake: turning the generator off at midnight to sleep the night before.
All the carefully planned and executed plans and preparations pay off: I’m safe,
Best latest addition makes the best difference: wood heat that warms to 50° C, provides
A place to warm up even before it was completely setup and connected to the camper,
A place to warm up propane tank,
A place to warm up waiting for the generator to warm, and the vehicle to warm up.
A warm place to come home to even at -33°C
Tonight is forecast to be colder: leave the generator on all night, simplify it a bit.
Tomorrow, more wood cut.
I can sleep through the night, story of the farm hand’s qualifications: he could sleep through the night. Storm, owner panics, hired hand sleeps on. Farmer finds everything already secured against the possible storm. The qualification was the most important: he got things prepared for the worst, and enjoyed the best and most important; a good night’s sleep.
Miracle:
Jesus’ first miracle: water into wine
Who is Jesus? He’s a miracle doer, as God’s son
Dynamics: loss of face, community support, health necessity, water not safe to drink.
Everyone there is looking poorly, not just the hosts
Miracles:
Some people like to say it’s all just God’s ‘magic’, or God inexplicably entering the universe and superseding all the laws of reality to make something inexplicable to happen.
Others say miracles do not happen, no matter what the story-line is.
There’s a third possibility, one I’ve embraced for quite some time.
Inexplicable is possible for God, but hugely rare, and there is not really much for us in it. Only one time-event-place fixes.
Jesus’ miracles are much more meaningful, much more difficult to pull off, and so much more hope-giving.
Miracles: explicable
Take the bringing wine to the wedding feast in Cana.
Inexplicably, traditionally we’ve seen that Jesus, through the work of the servants who pour water into 6 jars set aside for the purification rights, makes the water chemically transform into some very good wine. Every good vintner can tell you the science of making a good wine is more an art; it’s complicated and to master it is a goal to strive towards rather than a destination one arrives at.
There has been another interpretation, not in contradiction with the texts: There was something like real strong port in the jars so that adding water diluted it into good wine.
A little stretch that there is something like ‘instant wine’, just add water; but it is an effort to explain that Jesus just made the obvious happen, though it was not obvious to his on-lookers.
There is a better miracle explanation: namely that the servants had stolen (or helped someone steal, or knew that someone had stolen) the best wine from all the gifts that evening.
When Jesus directs them to fill the jars, he gives them a way to make it right.
The best wine is available for the wedding guests;
No health risk or embarrassment for the hosts or the guests.
As guests, they were supposed to bring enough food and wine so that this did not happen.
Water was not safe to consume, food was perhaps a bit off often enough, so a wine, a weak wine was needed to give all the guests something to drink, not to be dehydrated through the whole celebration.
What Jesus knows is that the servants know where to go to get the good wine that is taken from the celebration, which belongs to the celebration.
They do. They correct the wrong, and everyone saves face.
And Jesus’ power and authority are manifest in that he knows how to provide for the occasion so that a past wrong is corrected before it becomes so much worse.
The miracle that Jesus performs is that he changes hearts, which is the most difficult miracle of all. Work contradictory to the laws of nature, well that’s simple; it’s magic, no real work done, just wave your wand or speak a word.
Real difference is what it means to us.
If God just works the inexplicable, then everything that goes wrong could just as well be fixed, but God does not; SO Why does God not just fix everything!? (Real theological and hope problem there.)
And with that question begins the slippery slope to full-out doubt and disbelief.
When Jesus’ miracles have a simpler, very possible explanation that Jesus changes people’s hearts to get them to do something different or new; then we have a real challenge: given each real difficult challenge in our lives, we could face the challenge sitting on our hands and praying that God will do the inexplicable and fix this for us.
But if Jesus’ miracle is that he changes hearts to get us to do things we might not have otherwise, then …
Well, every situation can become a challenge that calls us, and all around us, to give our best, including a profound sense of hope that God is working a miracle through our hearts and hands to give other people real grounds for hope.
As for me, I like a world, a world of faith, where in God makes good use of us creatures of God, in order to bring about, for us and others, what God has promised us and wants for us.
As for me, I like a world, a world of faith, where good common wisdom makes sense; namely that what happens to one is not so important as what we choose to do. 90% of life is how we respond, the other 10% is what happens to us.
Consider some life challenges; with inexplicable miracles, we can do nothing but wait for God to act and make things different and better for us. If Jesus’ miracles are that he changes hearts and gets people to act as they would not have otherwise. Then we can get about working to make things better … starting with our own hearts, minds and souls.
Court: I, as much if not more than most, want a real justice based on real truths to be possible.
Choose: Wait or work.
Much more hopeful being able to work, knowing if we do not do it perfectly, God will make it good enough.
Every minute people around the world are starving, literally to death.
If God works miracles inexplicably, then we need to pray that starvation not happen or go away. But since it persisted for the last … well since recorded history. What kind of hope is it to think that God is going to change now, so that what people have prayed for since beginning of time will somehow get fixed. That’s just arrogant hubris.
But if God changes our hearts so that we can learn new things and do new things to help people to not starve, then there is real hope in that.
A Prophet like Isaiah would tell us (who live in the greatest luxury the world has ever provided so many people:) pay attention: what you’ve chosen to do with oil and energy and food production has had consequences: lost family farms, lost environment as farmers chemicalize greater and greater production, global warming brings yesterday’s extreme weather to be today’s normal, and the new extreme to be deadly for so many, the ice melt will flood the coasts. The earth will have less people on it, one way or another.
But if we had not waited for a miracle 40 years ago, an inexplicable action of God, to solve the population explosion,
If we’d had a change of heart (that would have been a miracle of Jesus) and decided to end poverty (since poor people always have had more children as future security) world population could have stayed at 4.5 billion instead of the 7.5 billion of today.
In Corinthians Paul speaks to the congregation about their gifts: the miracle-make-it-happen-gift of speaking in tongues and interpretation is not denied reality, but it they are not the most important gifts:
Also for them Christ calls them through Paul, to wake up and be the ones who make justice happen for all:
All people should share equally in the food of the feasts, not just the wealthy get to eat well.
And the gifts, all from Christ, are not drowned out by speaking in tongues, or it’s interpretation: God calls them to not forget that God works miracles through them: ending hunger, homelessness, poverty are all going to take miracles; and that miracle is not someone speaking in tongues so that God does something inexplicable.
Rather these scourges on the face of humanity will end when enough people have a change of heart. That’s the real miracle.
The great praise of God in the Psalm fits well in our lives, not on its own as if, miraculously all were right in the world and our faith in God suddenly became perfect.
The Psalm is actually very real:
The verses before our selection are a lamentation for how much humans have messed things up.
Then come the change: the hearts giving God praise for helping them end the time of lamentation.
After these verses of praise, then the people return to lamentations, begging for God’s protection from their enemies.
This is the real rhythm of us people of faith: we are simultaneously saints and sinners;
We may get things sort of right, but there is always the next challenge, the next sin (or rather billions of sins) committed each minute; the consequences which we all suffer.
Our salvation is that God comes to work miracles in us.
God changes our hearts
And we no longer wish to protect ourselves
We are interested in protecting everyone, equally
We are interested in ending homelessness, best strides ever have been taken by people who know the greatest miracle is a changed heart.
We are interested in ending hunger. Because it always comes around to us. And it’s is something we can solve: there is enough food, its distribution that is controlled and provided unequally to the wealthy (us) over the poor (others) until we become the poor and the poor become wealthy enough to have enough good food.
Today we wait for a miracle: and we know that it will start with us, our hearts, minds and strength, turned once again to God’s will for all.
Sermon notes? outline? sketch? yes that’s it, a sketch.
For the best read, take in the next blog post first, then this one.
Quick sermon outline
for Baptism of Our Lord 13 Jan 2019
John is wild and
calls for the chaff to be burned up.
Jesus will come to
judge, and purify.
We need all that.
But Christ comes and
graciously gives us life.
Where’s the
hellfire and brimstone in that?!
Well…
Given free choice so
that we can love
we can also choose (
and continually do) to hate, or to be deceptive and dishonest,
disloyal, or even just plain BAD. Call that EVIL.
If we have choice,
we will somehow, sometime still choose against love, against God,
against living well.
God wants us to
love, so we all get to put up with Evil, and suffer it too.
But
When
Jesus
comes
and
judges us!
Well then all that
which brings us to sin and turn from God, to turn from loving our
neighbour as ourselves and our enemies , and our God with all our
heart mind and soul, then and only then Jesus will remove that from
us …
But
it
is
not
going
to
be
feeling good.
That’s having the
dross burned right out of ya.
And it is like
having the chaff burned up in one big hot fire.
It will not be fun,
But it is what we
most need, and we are going to get it!
To we are baptized,
in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, always trinitarian,
or it is not a complete baptism.
The water drowns out
the sinfulness, and yet it remains as potential, inevitable
potential, so that we can choose love.
The oil prepares us
for God’s presence in us.
The sign of the
Cross prepares us for sacrifice, even of our lives, so that others
will know Grace upon Grace and God’s love, Christ’s forgiveness
and the Holy Spirit’s wild ride down the white water of life with
wind, flame, breath, and beauty all everywhere.
Then for the rest of
our lives we anticipate the life eternal, in the resurrection with
Christ.
There
Freedom promised
comes to be, after the dross is burned right out of us, so that we
can enter Christ’s freedom in eternity.
This we look forward
to.
But we do it, well
… we do everything we do, as one of a crowd of witnesses, a crowd
of saints, all in light,
specular light,
diffused and reflected into beautiful images of God, as we are made.
It may be cold out
there in that cruel world of dishonesty, deception and scapegoating,
but in here, where
the natural fuels are burned,
the fuel of urgency
until in God’s time there is patience,
the fuel of hurt
(could become anger) until forgiveness flows freely like milk with
ginger snap cookies,
the fuel of pride
(that discounts others) until gratefulness abounds at each breath
though one has nothing left,
These fuels are
burned and burned well, until
in this mind, heart
and soul
its as toasty
comfortably warm as a great wood stove on a cold winter’s day.
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:
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.
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.
I. Bad News is Good News A. John the Baptist insults them warns them of the wrath of God coming to them exhorts the people exhorts them to To repent To do good for others, And not to take advantage of others for their own benefit B. Sword of God’s judgment Awesome power of seeing God face to face Tradition: no one lives Exceptions notable Moses Now us Still we are purified Ax laid to the root in us that does not bear good fruit Burned in the unquenchable fire Bad news for those who lose Are those who had all for themselves Those who win Everyone who God chooses to bless with faith Good News for some Bad for others We ALL are both all the time
II. Appropriate response A. Sing Aloud Contrast to not being able or safe to sing Under Threat, Natural or another person not able to sing, constant vigilance In captivity Singing a threat to captors Dangerous to sing Now Freedom to sing B. Joy The choice to habitually respond with gratitude Wait 90 seconds with bad emotions Free of emotional charge, able to move beyond reptilian to choose To recognize more than flight, fight or freeze Habitual choice to rejoice always, in all circumstances Brain lays down pathways, shortcuts for quick responses to similar circumstances Possible to respond with joy to everything Cannot choose not to experience negative emotions, dangerous if we could, Can choose to wait, to pause, to evaluate, to respond with reasoned choice to every bad circumstance. Joy is not the absence of sorrow, grief, pain, Joy is the recognition that God is present, blessing every moment, even the most difficult. Good News even in midst of terrible challenges, even if Good News is God’s 2x edge sword: Joy always God present especially clear in the worst of times
III. God is for us A. Blessings – not that we get what we want but that God gets for us what God wants. John the Baptist: tough words bring Good News God’s order for us all arrives with the Messiah Not the messiah people want But God’s messiah for us No more sacrifice of each other to get through life. This is joy This is coming home This is worth living for This is freedom From fear, anxiety, shame, effects of enemies that would destroy This is living out of what God wants for us, not what we want for ourselves B. Coming Home Contrast to not welcome, unable, dangerous, or homeless Security, Accepted as is, Rest, Able to receive and to give security, acceptance, a place for rest, recovery, healing, and inspiration to be what God makes us to be C. Christ is come Christ was born, Christ is born again, each day, each Christmas Christ will come again, basis for all hope Holy Spirit moves us to recognize again Christ was and is born, and Christ will come again, to once again change the world, D. God’s Revolution A revolution to all order, so that all things will revolve around what God wants for us Instead of what we want for ourselves
IV. Advent is Advent is not a time to hide, or to bury oneself in Pre-Christmas hectic Advent is a time to
Reflect deeply Be awestruck Realize God’s power to change the world, and us, all of us, each of us. Be purified.
Act appropriately Ensure all have the basics of life Ensure all have clean air and water Ensure all have good food and clothing Ensure all have shelter, but more A home, safety, acceptance, to be loved Ensure all have opportunity for meaningful labour Ensure all are able to choose to love, one’s neighbour, the outcasts, most of all one’s enemies, And to love God with all one’s heart, mind and soul.
Be joyful, in all circumstances Share goodness of life in all ways with all around us.
V. Now may the peace that surpasses all understanding, guard safe our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
After
warnings of God’s judgment, God’s displeasure with God’s people, Zephaniah
finally at the end of the book gets around to, starts to present that God is
actually merciful and will save them.
Judgment as Good News is a theme this week, a most challenging
one.
The first section is in the 3rd voice; the prophet
addresses the people. The second section is in the first person; God addresses
the people; the prophetic voice of the prophet claiming to speak for God.
The first words are simple, “Sing aloud…” which may not be so
powerful until one remembers that in captivity, it is not safe to sing aloud.
For to sing praise to God who is seen as a threat to one’s captors is to invite
personal destruction.
So here it starts: hear this: Sing, and sing aloud, for there
is no captor, no foreign power, no occupier to hear. There is only those who
fear and love the Lord, and the Lord God, who can hear. All is well.
All that Zephaniah has prophesized has come to be: God has
judged Israel. But now that God takes away those judgements.
Everything is changed. Israel’s enemies are turned away, and
Israel need not fear disaster anymore!
There’s a wonderful freedom in that. Anyone who has lived under
the threat of a disaster can recount the horror, and the relief when it is
done. We watched flood waters rise two meters a night, coming one meter from
flooding our house we built with our own labour. The whole neighbourhood
already flooded, but ours was by chance built higher up the side of the valley,
just enough as it turns out.
If you’ve ever been under threat from another person who seems
focused on ruining you with lies, who has already ruined your reputation,
finances, family, ability to work, and still will not quit, you know what it is
to live under the threat of disaster.
The promise is that God is in our midst whereas before God had
deserted Israel. Both seem to be quite frightful. To have God desert us is not
unlike Martin Luther, condemned by the Church court. No great sentence except
excommunication. Seems like not much until you remember that meant he was not
considered a full person. He was not protected by any laws. Anyone could treat
him however, and there were no consequences, even if he were killed, it was not
murder.
So being without God is to have one’s life under constant
threat. And if you’ve ever been somewhere where that is the case, you know it’s
a horrible experience. And then to have that threat end… the relief is
palpable, visceral, and profound.
The promise that God is in our midst can also be similarly
terrifying, for with good reason the traditions are that seeing God face to
face is to die. The awesome presence of God in person is too much for a human
to survive. And if that does not do you in, then the fact that God knows every
single truth about you. You cannot hide, pretend, or fake it. Every thought,
intention, excuse and secret are there on the open page of your life, for God
to see and respond to. And there is not a single one of us that deserves
anything short of condemnation from God.
But that is not the kind of God that we trust in, believe in or
that Zephaniah presents to Israel. God is a God who gives victory, who rejoices
over us, who renews God’s love for us, who will exult us (it should be the
other way around, shouldn’t it; we exult God!) with loud singing. The whole
universe hears God singing … with joy … about us!
Now that makes up for anything our enemies can do to us,
anything we might suffer at their hands, any disaster that might befall us.
And the voice changes from the prophet talking about God, to
the prophet presenting God speaking directly to us.
Disaster is gone, reproach too. Our oppressors are history. And
then the lame and the outcast (those who suffer in society through no fault of
their own) will receive God’s blessings: their shame is turned to praise and
renown in all the earth!
For us the same renown on all the earth, our fortunes are
restored before our eyes, and,
The best part,
God brings us home.
Maybe not such a big deal if you’ve always been able to go
home. But if you’ve been exiled or made homeless, or cast out by misfortune or
ill intent of an enemy, then to be able to come home … to have a home to come
to, and to be brought there … this is a miracle of hope realized.
For it is at home, where one can recuperate, recover, rest,
live and work, eat and play, and spend time with family.
Isaiah
Isaiah, stands in for the Psalm, as this portion of Isaiah is a
song (a psalm) already.
Where does the author put their trust? In God, for in God is
salvation, the water of life that can be drawn only from God’s well supplied well
of salvation.
The response to God’s act of saving: to give thanks, make known
God’s deeds, sing praises to God, shout and sing for joy.
Again, this is all because God is in our midst. A terrifyingly
wonderful blessing.
Philippians
Paul is over the top with the Philipians, giving thanks for
them and encouraging them to:
Rejoice, and again rejoice.
Put everything in God’s hands with prayer
And instead of worrying, to make our requests known to God.
Here Paul gives the blessing that has grown a tradition of use
all it’s own: God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our
hearts and our minds.
How God works peace we most often simply cannot begin to
fathom. But God does.
With this peace God guards our hearts and minds … and that is
all we can ask God for ever anyway.
John the Gospel
John proclaims the Good News to those who come out to be
baptized. Well actually he exhorts them, and the writer John says that’s good
news. We know the writer John is a different John because Herod has John the
Baptist beheaded while Jesus is still alive, long before any of the Gospels
were written, the Gospel according to John being the last one to be written.
The best dates we have for the
Gospels being written are: Mark 66–70, Matthew and Luke 85–90, and John 90–110.
Subtract 30-33 years for how many years after Jesus’ crucifixion and
resurrection. So today’s Gospel was written roughly 60-80 years after John the
Baptist and Jesus were killed.
There are two ways to start
looking at this, well let’s call it a paradox. First look at the definition of
Exhortation and see how that can be good or Good News. The second is to look at
what the Gospel says John did, and ask how that is good or Good News.
The Oxford dictionary defines
exhortation as “n[oun] address or communication emphatically urging
someone to do something. ‘exhortations to consumers to switch off
electrical appliances’ mass noun‘no amount of exhortation had any effect’
Problem A: works righteousness:
repent and earn God’s favour, through baptism.
Problem A explained: there is no
one who can repent, change oneself, enough to earn God’s favour. Exhortation is
a false good news. It’s actually a trap, a diversion, a call to fully occupy
oneself with an impossible task, in order to accomplish a goal. But the task
cannot be accomplished, so it keeps one from reaching the goal. When, other
tasks are possible, if extremely difficult, but can be accomplished, and the
goal can be reached. Actually since the goal is to gain God’s favour it is moot
goal. God promises us God’s favour. We cannot earn it, we do not need to earn
it. Any attempt to do so is futile, and can consume life, all of life.
Problem B: what John says to the
people coming out to be baptized is not really so benign as “emphatically
urging someone to do something”. It is rather nasty things that John says about
people from the get go: You brood of
vipers. Who warned you to flee the wrath that is to come! Repent! Don’t
count on being a descendant of Abraham. God can create Abraham’s descendants
from stones. But be warned, the axe is at the root, Your root, and any person
that does not bear good fruit will be thrown into the fire.
Hot stuff, already the fires of damnation are leaping at our
feet, as the axe is swung back to come slamming back down on the root of our
existence, us poor sinners all!
And then flow the exhortations, or rather generalized
accusations of malfeasance, which may have been earned or not.
What does he tell people?: All good stuff, share that second
coat, as well as any food. Notice it is not spare food, it’s all food. Which
should put one aware that a lot of people did not have ANY food. It was common.
Which by the way is still the case today, if you had not noticed or had
forgotten. The problem is not supply. There is enough food to feed everyone.
The problem is distribution and hoarding and over consumption, says the guy
with a fat belly.
Mailing your unwanted food off to someone hungry in Africa or
China, of course, is not the solution. The need is also local and it is world
wide.
So good for John in naming the problem; But how is that Good
News?
And he goes on: tax collectors
collect only what you are prescribed. And soldiers do not extort money with
threats. So good: generally live honorably and stop the threats and graft and
corruption.
But how is that Good News. Yes
of course it’s good for the rest of us, but what about the tax collector and
soldier who has been reduced from a well-paying job, to a job that barely puts
food on the table?
Then comes the clarity, if it
were not already crystal clear: John the Baptist is not the Messiah. Jesus is
still coming, and he will baptize, not with water and calls for repentance, but
with the Spirit [and assurances that God already favours us, so get on with
responding by being and doing appropriately. – It’s not about earning God’s
favour. It’s about responding to the blessed reality that is already there: so
stop sacrificing other people in order to fake that you are good enough for
God’s favour. You are not good enough, you can’t be good enough and you never
will be. God’s favour is a free gift, so stop trying to earn it and get on with
living it out, or living out of it, since it is a ‘home’ and a way of being.
Again: how is John’s insulting
the people, as well deserved as it may have been, and telling them to repent
and earn God’s favour … how is all this good or Good News?
Answers come to mind like: the
Good News is like a two-edged sword, or word.
Or we really do need to stop
sinning, and we do need to start taking care of each other and we do need to
stop stealing life’s essentials from other people.
All this is true.
None of this is good. It may be
calls to be good. But the act of calling someone to be good, at least the way
John the Baptist does it, is not good. It may be a lot of evil fun: naming
other’s sins and rubbing it in their faces. But it is not good. It may be
necessary, but it is not good.
It is a distraction from the
real Good News. And it may be, in the writing and in real life, the foil that
sets Jesus up to bring Good News that is unlike any other news the people have
heard.
Foil: so lets go with that.
And then, since we already have
God’s favour, let’s get around to solving world hunger, and the
mal-distribution of the necessities of life: air, water, food, clothing,
shelter, meaningful labour and love.
Now if our churches were about that, then we would actually be
living out of the Gospel as our home, our way of being.
Welcome home. Life just got a lot more difficult, because the
hungry are coming to supper, and breakfast and lunch. And the homeless are
moving in with us. And the despised sinners are coming to coffee and tea with
us, after they have shared the cup and bread with us.
Welcome home, because this is home to Jesus, with the hungry,
the poor and homeless – even the crazies, and with those people we despise and
find their sins abhorrent.
And we thought the Good News was anything close to good news
for us. Except living at home with the hungry, the homeless, the outcasts …
that is home for Jesus, and it is the life that is blessed.
It is not comfortable.
But then the Gospel properly proclaimed and heard never is. It
is revolutionary: it makes things revolve, not around what we want, but what
God wants for God’s people, which are all people.
