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On
….we
searched for some meaning about how such a tragedy could take place. Why
would God allow such horror? Through
each other, we remembered that God is surely with us even amid the
terror of the day and the days following. Moreover,
we prayed for those
in a field in in the scriptures,
to the people
of that God
is with them. As
the enemies of Sometimes,
like on September 11, In
the most difficult times of life, The
Lord promises to protect us through the elements of life.
The
rivers shall not overwhelm us. God
promises to be our comforter, to give
us peace, and to help
us see the surface of the water above our heads. When
we were kids we used to challenge one another to see who could swim
under the water the longest. As
we would swim from one end of the pool to the other, we knew that
eventually we could come to the surface for a breath of air. Every
so often, life throws something at us that makes us wonder if we
can get to the surface or not.
This
is symbolized by the advertisement that asks, “are
you drowning in a sea of debt?” Then
there is the opposite extreme, Stress
is a major cause of many health problems in the world today.
The
causes of stress are many. (Because
there is always someone who is younger,
or faster or knows someone that is breathing down on backs)
Jobs
that keep us apart from our families create a whole new set of pressures. We worry
as our children go out into a world that is not as safe as it was
when we were their age. The
pressures of our lives are real. The prophet Isaiah proclaims that
God will be with us as the pressures increase in our lives. “The
flame shall not consume you” (v. 2). As
we seek time alone with God, a sense of peace may ease the pressures
of life. Isaiah
reminds the people of “FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, THE HOLY ONE OF The
prophet Isaiah challenges us today to remember that the LORD
is our redeemer. When
baby Jesus was a few days old, It
was the job of the priest to perform the circumcision. The early
church chose baptism,
God
marks Christians in our hearts, In
Acts 8, we come across a character who
seems as slick as the stereotype of a greedy used car salesman.
Simon,
a magician and entrepreneur, But
we know that we cannot buy, sell, or manipulate the Holy Spirit;
the Holy Spirit is not a “thing” at all, but a personal indwelling
of God’s own Spirit in ours. From
God’s perspective, we may appear just as foolish as Simon in our
confusion regarding the topics of the Holy Spirit and Baptism. An
odd statement in verse 16 adds
to this confusion: “the Spirit had not come upon any of them;
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Christian
baptism is an outward symbol of something happening inwardly
and invisibly. The baptismal ritual of most denominations
includes an invocation of the Holy Spirit, for Jesus commanded us
to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.” So
why had the Spirit failed to come upon the believers at Signs,
miracles, and other joyous fruit Perhaps
those Philip baptized If
anything, these events tell us God
works in our lives in process. To
gain clarity on these questions Baptism
is the sign of that outpouring of grace and Spirit, that overflowing
fountain of love which God gives to us even as we are born and which
envelops us more each day of our lives. “Baptism
of the Lord Sunday” comes, appropriately, in the afterglow of Christmas.
At Christmas, we recall the Christ Child in a lowly stable and
remember that God’s gifts of baptism Just
as Peter and John came to a place which Jews viewed as unclean ( You
know that we all have expectations of the church. We
expect it to be there We
expect it to be there when we need it. We
all have expectations of pastors. The perfect pastor has been found: He preaches exactly twenty minutes
and then sits down. He condemns sin, but never steps on
anybody’s toes. He works from 8 in the morning to 10 at night, doing
everything from preaching sermons to sweeping. He makes $60 per week, gives $30 a
week to the church, drives a late model car, buys lots of books,
wears fine clothes, and has a nice family. He always stands ready to contribute
to every other good cause, too, and to help the homeless who drop
by the church on their way to somewhere. He is 36 years old, and has been preaching
40 years. He is tall on the short side, heavyset in a thin sort
of way, and handsome. He has eyes of blue or brown (to fit
the occasion), and wears his hair parted in the middle, left side
dark and straight, right side brown and wavy. He has a burning desire to work with
the youth, and spends all his time with the senior
citizens. He smiles all the time while keeping
a straight face, because he has a keen sense of humor that finds
him seriously dedicated. He
makes fifteen calls a day on church members, spends all his time
evangelizing nonmembers, and is always found in his study if he
is needed. Unfortunately he burnt himself out and died at the age
of 32. We
all have expectations of each other. Parents
expect their children to make good grades, keep their rooms
tidy, maintain responsibility for household chores, pick good friends,
and go to church regularly. Amen.
Amen. Children
expect their parents to support them emotionally and financially,
be there for them when they need things, and provide for their college
education. Amen. Amen. Church
members expect each other to support the church’s ministry with
their time, talents, and treasures.
Amen. Amen.
Pastors expect their churches to offer the best benefit packages
and be on the forefront of ministry growth. Amen. Amen. “Baptism
of the Lord Sunday” Was
baptism simply an act, a religious ritual having no ongoing influence?
Today
is a good day for us to consider this. Jesus did. After all is said and done,
maybe the question needs to be turned upside down.
"Matt
and the Wise Men" A long, long time ago in a far, far away place, However, he looked forward to the Sabbath, Matt hoped for the day when he too would stand
One morning Matthew awoke and it was the Sabbath.
Today there would be no carrying water, but maybe he would hear of water gushing from a rock in the desert. Today there would be no roof to sweep, but maybe he would hear of the window where Daniel prayed to God. Matt dressed, and the family went to the synagogue.
Matt's father went into the inner room where
the men The reader was so young that day. Some said he was a carpenter by trade. He listened as this young man read the scriptures. Matt had seen him before but didn't know him well. He looked over at the carpenter's
family: The face of Mary, Her glow seemed to engulf the young
boy at her side. The carpenter opened the Isaiah scroll and read,
"Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." "Arise, shine!" The words echoed in Matt's head. God says, "Arise shine!" How like the Sabbath that was. A day when one would arise and shine. A day that one would wake up full of joy and excitement. Matt had been so intent on these two words that
he missed the rest of the reading. Then Joseph said, "But."
The word echoed.
"Maybe the Messiah's coming
will not be such a big event. Maybe he will come quietly." Matt noticed that Joseph was looking toward his wife. But Joseph was not looking at Mary. He was smiling and staring at the boy beside her. The Sabbath came and went. There would be no goats caught in thickets It was milking the goats, fetching the water,
sweeping the roof. He slowly lowered the bucket into the well to
draw the water. They were speaking Greek or something,
but he picked out a few words like, "Messiah," "Bethlehem,"
and "Herod." But it was daylight. When they arrived at the house Matt ran around to the side to watch through the window. The three men brought presents to give Hebrew, like in the synagogue,
but spoken with Gentile accents.
Matt slowly went back to the well as he thought of these things. "The King of Kings."
"Messiah!" Could it be that the Messiah spoken of
by the prophets had come? Could it be that he had seen the Messiah the
Anointed of God played
at the carpenter's shop around the corner and in the synagogue down
the street? But the child looked ordinary, so ordinary. It was just like the Sabbath all over again. "Arise shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." Even when the Sabbath was over! Matt or I should say Matthew was right. But God
is really there all along Keep your eyes open this year of 2004. Remember, even after Christmas is over, THIS WE BELIEVE We believe God is light in whom there is no shadow or
darkness at all. The light has always shone in the darkness and
the darkness can never overcome it. We believe that the light of God has been openly displayed
in Jesus, who though being human as we are, is the very radiance
of the invisible God. We believe that this revelation belongs to the world,
for Jew and Palestinian, American and Iraqi, English and Argentinian,
Ethiopian and Swedish, Indonesian and Australian. We believe that those who come seeking him, even though
they bear no gift except their spiritual emptiness, will never be
mislead and never turned away. We believe that, by the Spirit of God, this light in
Christ, is revealed to us, and that by grace we are among the
blessed people in the world. This we believe, may God help us to express it without
reticence or distortion. Amen! Most glorious Friend, we pray that the revelation of
Christ will be made available in all places, and that the Gospel will bring joy and peace to all people. We pray for our international neighbours around the world.
Please bless everything that is good in our cultures and beliefs,
eradicate that which is evil, and bring us all into the harmony
for which Christ came. We pray for our domestic neighbours: Those in our street,
office, workshop, on train, tram or bus, or highway; those on neighbouring
farms, working fishing boats, toiling in mines, or living in nearby
towns. Please bless these
neighbours; help us to honour one another with that respect which
you have given us in Jesus. We pray for enemies within our community and nation:
Individuals and groups who oppose our ideas
and beliefs, sneer at our goals and values, or who simply dislike
us and try to make our lives as miserable as possible. Please
bless all these people who hate us and have mercy on those who spitefully
treat us, just as Christ has mercy on us. We pray for our international enemies: Countries who
despise our culture or hate our politics; or those who believe we
have treated them unjustly and whose grievances have festered; some
who set out to denigrate our nation in international forums, and
any who plan terrorism or war against us. Please
bless our enemies and help us to forgive them, even as Jesus forgave
his enemies. Most wise and merciful Friend, you send your life-giving
sunshine or both good and evil people, and give refreshing rain
to both the just and the unjust,
make us more like you in our attitudes and actions. Let our faith in a Christ
who belongs to the whole world be expressed, not just in songs and
creeds, but in our attitudes and deeds, that the world may taste
and see, the wonders of your grace. Through Christ
Jesus, our humble, loving Lord. Amen!
Luke 3:7-18 ~ Dipper John Good news. Rejoice. Joy is a special happiness which wells up from deep springs.
It is
not superficial or fickle.
Joy overflows in time
yet is the stuff of eternity. This special joy is the dominant theme of the 3rd Sunday
of Advent. That’s why we
lit the pink candle. It is
a breather, anticipation can be hard work. Both of the Old Testament readings (Zephaniah and Isaiah)
are songs of joy. Paul in Philippians 4 celebrates the truth that the Lord is near. In the Gospel reading, John the Baptist preaches the
good news, the gospel, to those who come
to hear him. Joy is the theme. If I were to ask many of you: What gives you happiness, what would your answer
be? Are they likely to reflect the shining assumptions and illusions
of our day. You know things like: wealth; winning the lotto or being a millionaire by the age of 30 or any age.
I am not picky. Plenty of money equals happiness. being young; to have an extreme makeover; focussed
on making us look younger than we
are. To stay youthful equals happiness. good health; the massive market
for health care witnesses to the assumption that good health equals
happiness. popularity: To be popular, to have admiring people around you, who flatter you. If possible, to be a sports star, TV of pop star,
these are happiness. good marriage: To marry a person that you are
in madly in love with, is supposed to guarantee happiness. Hence
the happy ending the majority of people still demand in novels,
the soapsand romantic films. having children: This remains ( regardless of
the many couples who are now choosing not to have children) a much
wanted source of happiness for the majority. Back when Tiberius was president and Pilate was the governor. In the old days when Annais and Ciaphas were bishops. The Lord got a hold of Zechariah boy John.
So John when down to the river the preach God's word.
And people from all over the county and the neighboring counties
would come out to hear him. And John would give them some of that
old time religion.
You know: "Repent and be saved." And folks would
have a regular camp meeting. When things
got going that's when he would really let the folks have it. Dipper John
would say, "You Son's of snakes."
Who told you that
you were in trouble? You're
so high and mighty. Show
us that you really mean what you say." "Now don't
go saying, 'Oh, I have been
a member of first church all my life.' Or, 'I am a charter member
of the Now after these
revival services people would come up to John and ask him questions.
They would say, "What should we do now?"
And Dipper John would say, "Use only what you need and
take care of each other. It
doesn't take much.
Gang members,
drug dealers, and extortioners would come
to hear him. Like everyone else they would ask, "What should
we do?" He would say, "Live honestly and don't cheat people.
Just stop killing people in meaningless street wars and with drugs.
Just stop what you are doing and life right." Folks began
to wonder about John. Could he be the Messiah? But John would say, "You may think I am something with all these people coming out
to see me and be baptized. But I am nothing. The one God is sending
after me is greater than me. And he will give all believers his
holy power. And the unbelievers will be burned up like sawdust. That's what
John would say. You offspring of a Rattler
Snake. You know I wouldn't talk
to you like that. But John
the Baptist would. When
people came out to his preaching, he called them all, church people
included, a brood of vipers; sons and daughters of snakes. Dipper John
would do it today. You see John's
basic message was, "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at
hand." Repentance is the bad good news. It is the pain that can heal. It involves
taking drastic action; it is usually difficult. It means a fundamental
about turn; a painful turning away from self-interest to face God
and God’s interest.
Repentance means a drastic “change” resulting in a changed
direction and a new kind of behaviour. Repentance means new deeds. John the Baptist demands that they bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. To the ordinary people he says: “If
you have two suits, share with the person who has none. If you
eat well, share with those who go hungry.” I wonder how far we are prepared to hear? To those disloyal Jews who were employed by the occupation army of Repentance
meant giving up extortion and only collecting what was fair. Repentance
was a costly business. To the soldiers, the occupying force, Now
there’s a surprise! Soldiers? The
Roman army? Even some of them responded to John’s preaching
and were baptised. To these he said, “Stop
bullying people. Stop taking bribes.” Repentance was a costly business. So
with many exhortations, John preached good news to the people Luke This was really good news. It may sound hard, hard as a surgeon’s scalpel, but it
opened people up to the new possibilities of health in the love-kingdom
of God. Repentance and its fruits is very good news indeed. It is a message of hope and happiness! We tend to run from the hard truth. We don’t like disciplines. We shrink from honest confrontation with our
own tricky, scheming souls. Therefore many hear repentance as only bad news. But the good “bad” news is that God is not content to
forsake us, lost in the maze of our foolishness and sin. The call to repentance is a call to truly come home,
no matter how painful the journey. To come home and begin bearing the good fruits that are appropriate for each of our lives. So
with many exhortations, John preached good news to the people Luke Some of this similar good news, with such warnings and exhortations from John the Baptist, may hurt, but will
not harm, you or me this Advent. How about it? So the kind of change John is calling for is a radical change, a
transformation. He was saying change your souls in the same way
that a caterpillar changes its form to become a butterfly. One of the greatest blessings of life is knowing
who you are and to whom you belong. Jesus had that blessing of belonging
to God confirmed at his baptism. Through baptism, God confers that
same blessing upon us. God reveals to us our true identity. Through
our baptism and our response in faith, we become the sons and daughters
of God. Through our baptism God tells us that we belong not only
to God but also to the people of God. We are not alone. We belong.
During every baptism we use some form of these words. "Through
baptism [we] are incorporated by the Holy Spirit into God's new
creation and made to share in Christ's royal priesthood. We are
all one in Christ Jesus. With joy and thanksgiving we [are all]
welcomed as members of the family of Christ." (1) We come into this family by professing our faith in Christ and
getting rid of the junk that keeps us separated from God. Tucking his six-year-old son into bed one night, Dad tapped his
son's chest and asked, "Do you know what you have in there?"
The boy looked puzzled and responded, "My guts?" "No, you have a piece of God," his father replied. After a brief silence the boy responded, "God is in my guts?"
"No," said his Dad, "we have a piece of God inside
of us; it is God's gift to each of us." The boy smiled, tapped his Dad's chest, and asked whether his Dad
had a piece of God in his guts.
They laughed and together they began to ask the same question
about the rest of the family. "Does Mommy have a piece of God?" "Yes," they answered, laughing. "Does brother have a piece of God?" "Yes."
Dad knew that the boy attended a day care center with a little
girl named Mary who was so spoiled she made the people around her
miserable. He said, "You know, even Mary has a piece of God."
The boy looked stunned, and then he said emphatically, "No,
not Mary." When his
father insisted the boy said, "Daddy, I have been with her
more than you. She doesn't have a piece of God." Dad told his son that God never missed anyone; everyone can have
a piece of God inside. The
boy pondered that for a while, and then said, "Well, her piece
must be all covered up with junk!"
It's that junk that separates us from God. And it's that junk that
Christ came to remove. It's why he was baptized. Not because he needed to remove any junk from his life, but so
that he could show us, all of us with checkered pasts and junk filled
hearts, what is normal. What is expected? And, what the outcome will be. There was a woman who was out Christmas shopping with
her two children. After
many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else
imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking
for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made
it to the elevator with her two kids. It is for this reason that Jesus went to the cross. To show us just how much God loves us and how
much God wants us to belong to family of God. As we journey on hectic, fast lane to Christmas, I am going to try take a deep
breath and journey with faith, hope and love. Will you join me? LUKE
3:1-6 Luke begins the third chapter of his
Gospel with verses that fix the time and political circumstances,
of the call, of John the Baptist. The story begins with a roll call of
important persons: governors and kings, even
the high priest. In surprising contrast, however, "the
word of God" comes not to any of these, but
to an unknown prophet out in the wilderness. Remember what Mary sang? "He
has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up
the lowly" In all ages, the work of God goes on
among the poor
and the dispossessed. A middle-class church in a post modern
Christian society that enjoys religious liberty will have a hard time grasping the fact that Luke does not use these
terms in a merely metaphorical or spiritual sense. Moreover, the redemptive events that
began with John in a remote corner of Repeatedly in Luke we find this theme
underscored. Our human tendency is to restrict God's activity
and limit it to our own kind of people and the causes that are socially
important to us. But God's concern for all continually pushes us to break across the boundaries.
The term "All flesh"
includes those groups who are not present in our religious assemblies,
either because we have not allowed them to be there or because we
have maintained ways that exclude them. John the Baptist serves as a role model
here for the church. All who hear "the word of God"
are called to declare what God is doing in our midst and to point
ahead to the fulfillment of God's reign as king. John was a forerunner, announcing the great things of God that are
yet to come, a
vision of a society redeemed and renewed by the vision of the prophets.
John's preaching shows, that he held
the vision before others, issued a challenge for them, and called
for repentance. Like
a messenger proclaiming the arrival of a king, John prepares the
hearts and minds of those who went out into the desert to hear his
message. The quote from Isaiah
40:3-5 unpacks John’s prophetic role and the demands of God
upon humankind. Before a king traveled to distant lands,
roads and bridges were improved for the journey. Likewise, the beginning of Christ’s ministry
on earth required major improvements to lives in poor condition.
So the townsfolk roamed into the desert to hear a STRANGE man with a STRONG message. There is something intriguing about the desert. It is
a place of introspection and
self-reflection. With
the distractions and pressures of city life absent, one becomes sensitive to the voice
of God. Where do you go to hear the clear voice
of God? When is the best
time to listen to God’s voice?
Like the lights of the city obscure the stars above, the life of the city confounds us. We need a place and a time to be alone with
God. Perhaps before the hectic
morning begins – grap a cup of tea and
your Bible and have a conversation with God.
He is always ready to meet with you. Unfortunately, why do we have to journey
to a barren land before we hear
God’s call. Only when we are alone
and totally dependent upon God,
and that takes
a trip to the hospital, a
journey to a funeral,
a visit to the unemployment office, will we stop to listen to God and his requirements.
And with no place to hide, we confront God’s claim upon our lives. What does the Lor |