alive in the world, reviving creation, arriving soon.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
God of mercy,
we confess that we have sinned.
We trust earthly powers and human authority alone.
We grow fearful. We cling to false comforts.
God of might,
we confess that we have sinned.
We have turned away from our neighbors.
We have trusted false promises.
God in our midst,
we confess that we have sinned.
We plead: come to us.
Bring your mercy to birth in us.
A righteous branch springs forth: it is Christ the Lord, our Savior, in whom we have forgiveness, life, and mercy.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, receive the grace and forgiveness of God through ☩ Christ Jesus, whose day draws near.
Amen.
Gathering Song:
Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah
Prayer of the Day
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4
1 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm: Luke 1:68-79
68 Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel,
you have come to your people and | set them free. 69 You have raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of your servant David. 70 Through your holy prophets, you promised of old to save us from our enemies, 71 from the hands of all who hate us, 72 to show mercy to our forebears,
and to remember your holy covenant. 73 This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham: 74 to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship you without fear, 75 holy and righteous before you, all the days of our life. 76 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way, 77 to give God’s people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins. 78 In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us, 79 to shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Second Reading: Philippians 1:3-11
3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Prepare the way of the Lord. All flesh shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia. (Luke 3:4, 6)
The Holy Gospel according to Luke
Glory to you O Lord
Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Prais to you O Christ
Here’s the thing…Advent is like the vestibule (narthex) of Christmas.
It is an entryway…a transit-point…a place to take off coats and overshoes…a mud room.
But not a place where we linger very long.
The Lord be with you.
Because this is so…it is difficult to give Advent the attention it deserves.
But Advent is so much more than just a waiting room.
It is a beautiful…holy…hopeful season of the Church year.
So…we should not rush through it.
I was with a group of tourists visiting the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome.
It is the historic chamber whose painted ceiling is one of Michelangelo’s masterpieces.
The entire Christian story in pictures…from Adam and Eve through Jesus enthroned in the heavens.
The Sistine Chapel’s size comes as a shock to most visitors.
It is a surprisingly small room.
Well…this guy dashed in one end of the Chapel and out the other before he even realized he had been there.
He mistook the Chapel for a sort of antechamber.
Somebody had to go after him and call him back…saying:
Hey…you missed it.
Come back into the chapel…and this time…remember to look up!
It is the sort of thing that is so easy to do during Advent.
It is tempting to dash through these four weeks…arms full of preoccupation…eyes cast downward.
Advent is a destination.
We miss the beauty and simplicity of these days of preparation if we only have eyes for Christmas.
All the preparations for the secular Christmas holiday have to do with things.
There are cookies to bake…presents to wrap…a tree to decorate and wreaths to hang.
When John commands: Prepare the way of the Lord…he has something more spiritual in mind.
What John is talking about is repentance.
Luke tells us he proclaimed: a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Repentance is not something most people are inclined to think about in the days leading up to Christmas.
When the secular holiday culture encourages us to believe…
It is a vague…uninvolved and uncommitted sort of goodwill.
It is about dreams realized and wishes fulfilled.
It is about the pursuit of happiness.
Not the pursuit of virtue or decency or integrity or civility.
There is a major disconnect between what our faith suggests we do during this season…
And how the larger culture is inviting us to use our time.
John urges us to: Prepare the way of the Lord.
The word prepare comes from a Latin word:
Composed of the prefix prae…or beforehand.
And parare…which means to make ready.
Most of us have…in our kitchen drawer…a little knife with a small…sharp blade…called a paring knife (taken from the Latin praeparare: prae…or beforehand and parare…which means to make ready).
The word paring or to pare means to make something ready by cutting away all that is not necessary.
So…you take out your paring knife and peel off an apple’s skin.
Also…digging out the core with its seeds.
This is how you make the apple ready for its role in the recipe.
That verb pare is embedded in our word prepare.
So…when John the Baptist clarifies what he means by preparing the way of the Lord…
He uses exactly this sort of cutting image.
Talking about an ax lying at the root of the trees…ready to cut down those trees that do not bear good fruit.
John’s idea of preparation has to do with radical simplicity.
Cut away from our lives…he is saying…all that is unnecessary.
All that detracts from our spiritual journey.
Confess our sins and practice justice and righteousness…
So…we may be ready to greet the Messiah when he comes.
This morning…John has laid out before us a contrast.
These weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are…for the larger culture…a time NOT of simplicity… but of excess.
It is not that we are…kind of…ignoring John the Baptist’s message.
We…sort of do…precisely the opposite!
So…how should we prepare for the coming of our Lord?
Why not try…amid our holiday rush…to do some paring.
To carve out some islands of time to stop doing and simply be?
There is much joy to be found in reflecting on the simple details of the story of Jesus’ birth.
And yes…we would do well also…in these days…to find some time to repent.
That is…to turn from our preoccupation with material things.
And discover new ways to live more simply and more faithfully.
It is what preparing the way of the Lord truly means:
Cutting away the excess…and focusing on what is true and new.
For that kind of change…change in thinking and change of heart it takes truth and promise.
Namely truth and promise that is external to us.
And it comes only from God reaching into the graves we dig ourselves into.
And then bringing out new life.
Because if repentance comes from something other than an external word of Truth and Love and God…
It is not repentance…it is self-improvement.
And what happened that day by the banks of the Jordon was way more than just a massive wave of self-improvement.
John’s preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was not so that sinners would confess and stop being bad.
Instead…it was so that all would hear the truth about this God who comes near to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Not so that we might only be good…but that we also might be new.
John says to them: Prepare the way of the Lord.
Get ready for something new…there is one who is coming who will change everything.
So…John prepares the people to receive the Gospel by making room for it.
How? By washing away their old ideas and expectations.
The untruth and sin and shame and all competing identities float away in the Jordon…
Because the real thing was finally here.
Because in Jesus…God is doing a new thing…
Not only to make us good but also to make us new.
Now is the time: prepare the way of the Lord!
Song of the Day:
On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry
Prayers of Intercession
As we prepare for Emmanuel, God-with-us, let us pray for all people and places that long for God’s presence.
A brief silence.
Refining God, move through your church. Root out practices that harm your people, and kindle a fire for sharing the gospel among bishops, pastors, deacons, and all the baptized. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Renewing God, transform your creation. Steer us from habits that harm what you have made, and guide us in practices that preserve and restore creatures and habitats. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Ruling God, teach the nations your ways. Strengthen organizations and communities that broker peace and care for refugees, immigrants, and all caught in the center of conflict. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Rescuing God, restore your people who are in any need. Heal all who are suffering especially: John & Lisa Mountain, Terry Vernon, David & Carol Beazley, Margaret Miller, Bill Treichler, Shirley Treichler, Hope Garrett, Julia Busby-Morgan, Lisa (Bob & Doris’s daughter. Chad Rudzik, June Gust, Ellen Cuoco, Vicki Salzgeber, John Satino (June’s son’s dad), David Wilfong (Esther Gustason’s son-in-law), Clinton Nelson, Clementine, Annie Clapper, Stacey Bryant, Pam Hendry, Betty Hurley. Provide comfort and strength, and nurture sustained wholeness for the future. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Reforming God, fill this congregation with your presence. Enrich our seasonal preparations, and bless the efforts by worship committees, music ensembles, staff, clergy, and lay leaders as they work in the weeks ahead. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
God of community, your Spirit holds us together. Sustain our care for one another especially: Church of God – Pastor Troy…SDA – Pastor Ralph…Bay Point Christian – Pastor Randall…DayStar Life Center…Canguros Day School. Inspire us to seek new ways to live together and to embrace the diversity of thought and identity in our communities. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Reassuring God, we remember those who have died and rest in you. Guide us in deep gratitude for their life, and allow us to learn from their faithful witness. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Savior of the nations, come, and receive these prayers and the pleas of our hearts, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Pray with me:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
alive in the world, reviving creation, arriving soon.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
God of mercy,
we confess that we have sinned.
We trust earthly powers and human authority alone.
We grow fearful. We cling to false comforts.
God of might,
we confess that we have sinned.
We have turned away from our neighbors.
We have trusted false promises.
God in our midst,
we confess that we have sinned.
We plead: come to us.
Bring your mercy to birth in us.
A righteous branch springs forth:
it is Christ the Lord, our Savior,
in whom we have forgiveness, life, and mercy.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, receive the grace and forgiveness of God through ☩ Christ Jesus, whose day draws near.
Amen.
Gathering Song:
Light One Candle to Watch for Messiah
Prayer of the Day
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and redeem us for your life of justice, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16
14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm: 25:1-10
To you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul. 2 My God, I put my trust in you; let me not be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3 Let none who look to you be put to shame;
rather let those be put to shame who are treacherous. 4 Show me your ways, O Lord,
and teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long. 6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;
remember me according to your steadfast love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. 8 You are gracious and upright, O Lord;
therefore you teach sinners in your way. 9 You lead the lowly in justice
and teach the lowly your way. 10 All your paths, O Lord, are steadfast love and faithfulness
to those who keep your covenant and your testimonies.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. 13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Stand up and raise your heads – your redemption is drawing near. Alleluia. (Luke 21:28)
The Holy Gospel according to Luke
Glory to you O Lord
Gospel: Luke 21:25-36
Jesus said: 25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ
In this season there is an anticipatory feeling in the air.
A waiting…a longing…a yearning.
This is a time filled with preparations and signs and symbols.
Everything leads to this promised future.
Stuffed with turkey…we wake up from a tryptophan-induced coma to the coming of what feels like the end time.
For there will be sales and rumors of sales.
So…stay awake because the door-busting shop-a-thon is upon us.
Yet my heart was glad when they said to me…let us go at 5 am to the house of the Lord and Taylor.
For on that holy mountain…people will stream from east and west…north and south…and all nations will come.
They will turn plastic cards into shiny promises of love.
They will go down from this mountain to wrap it all in paper…to wait for that day.
The day of mythical hopes and dreams of love and family.
And the children will believe that they will be always good and never bad.
For Santa will come like a thief in the night.
No one knows the hour…so you better be good for goodness sake.
The Lord be with you.
So yes…it can be difficult to discern the real contours and dimensions of our actual Christian story…
During a time of the year when TV specials and billboards and radio ads are telling it.
So blended are the symbols of faith with the symbols of culture…
If we did not know better…we might easily mistake the opening words of our text for headlines in a news story about events happening in space in our own time.
Just this year…millions of people witnessed a rare total solar eclipse.
Researchers have also been working on using a nuclear warhead to prevent an asteroid from striking earth…which could cause deadly consequences.
Here on Earth…we have seen wave after wave of increasingly devastating natural disasters.
Floods and droughts…deadly storms…volcanic eruptions…earthquakes and fires.
Untold numbers have suffered and died due to the recent pandemic.
More people have been displaced by war and environmental degradation than at any other time in history.
Political upheavals and increasing costs have led to anxiety…confusion and despair.
With rising rates of mental illness and suicide.
It appears that Jesus’ statement…that people will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world is being fulfilled before our very eyes.
It is strange to open the season of Advent…which leads to the celebration of the birth of Christ…with such a gloomy passage.
Jesus was teaching his disciples about the events that would precede his return.
The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem…persecution…martyrdom.
And in the next two chapters Luke writes about Jesus’ arrest…trial and crucifixion.
But if we look closely at the birth narrative earlier in Luke’s gospel…
We see hints that the salvation God was bringing through the Christ Child would come at great cost.
Shortly after Jesus was born…Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple in Jerusalem to dedicate him to the Lord.
There they encountered Simeon…who had received assurance from the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died.
Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God that he had been given the honor of seeing God’s salvation.
But then he told Mary that her son would be opposed…and a sword would pierce her own soul.
And at that very moment…the prophet Anna…an 84-year-old widow who lived in the temple…joined Simeon in praising God…
And spoke about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The birth of any child usually brings a notable measure of happiness.
And it was no different for the birth of Jesus.
Jesus’ birth…his first coming…was an occasion of great joy for all the people…
Because he was born to be a Savior…who is the Messiah…the Lord.
Jesus said that he came to give his life as a ransom for many.
But in our gospel for today…Jesus begins to talk about another time when he would come.
Not as a helpless babe…nor as a suffering victim.
But in a cloud with power and great glory…bringing redemption to his people.
Jesus knew that his disciples would be traumatized by his brutal murder.
They needed to know that his death would not be the end of the story.
Nor would the calamities he foretold be the last word.
Yes…the Jerusalem temple would be destroyed.
And many disasters would befall the inhabitants of Earth.
But these were all signs that would precede his return.
The apostle John reported that shortly before his arrest…Jesus told his disciples:
So you have pain now…but I will see you again…and your hearts will rejoice…and no one will take your joy from you.
Jesus’ words in our gospel are meant to give his people comfort and encouragement.
When all these troubles come…he said:
Look up! Lift up your heads! Your redemption…your emancipation is drawing near.
Jesus wants us to know that there is more going on behind the scenes than we realize.
It may seem that evil is winning…
But the armies of heaven…with Jesus in command…are in this fight as well.
We struggle with fear and anxiety because our eyes are glued to our screens as we gaze at the latest horrific and terrifying news report…
And conclude that we are no match for such forces of evil.
But here…this morning…Jesus gives us the antitoxin to the poison of panic:
Look up! See the Son of Man is coming!
Jesus is reminding us to refocus our eyes…not on the world’s threats…or on our own sense of inadequacy…
But on Him…our redeemer: the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
So then…what should we be doing before Jesus returns?
Jesus tells us in the last few verses:
Be on guard…be alert…watch…pray!
Guard your hearts! He urges his disciples.
The original meaning of the word “watch” comes from the Greek word…agrupneo…meaning:
To be sleepless…to keep awake.
The way a soldier on guard duty keeps alert for any sign of the enemy.
Jesus is talking about the kind of watchfulness General Douglas MacArthur alluded to when he said:
No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.
Jesus is calling for a high state of spiritual alertness.
St. Paul reminds us to:
Pray without ceasing and to pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end…keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Song of the Day:
Savior of the Nations, Come
Prayers of Intercession
As we prepare for Emmanuel, God-with-us, let us pray for all people and places that long for God’s presence.
A brief silence.
God of righteousness, your people live in hopeful expectation of your coming. Fill your church with renewed passion for our shared mission, and deepen our relationships with other Christians and other faith traditions in our local community and across the world. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
God of the cosmos, all creation shows that your presence is near. Help us sense your goodness and love in the sun and moon, in sprouting leaves and bare branches, in the roaring sea and quiet breeze. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
God of the nations, your reign extends over all principalities and powers. Give leaders and all in authority hearts for justice and peace. Encourage efforts to enact policies that benefit the common good. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
God of change, you accompany us through life’s transitions. Be near to all who are changing jobs, moving, welcoming children, or facing the loss of loved ones. Sustain those who are ill or suffering especially: John & Lisa Mountain, Terry Vernon, David & Carol Beazley, Margaret Miller, Bill Treichler, Shirley Treichler, Hope Garrett, Julia Busby-Morgan, Lisa (Bob & Doris’s daughter. Chad Rudzik, June Gust, Ellen Cuoco, Vicki Salzgeber, John Satino (June’s son’s dad), David Wilfong (Esther Gustason’s son-in-law), Clinton Nelson, Clementine, Annie Clapper, Stacey Bryant, Pam Hendry, Betty Hurley. In times of change, remind us of your steadfast love. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
God of community, your Spirit holds us together. Sustain our care for one another especially: Church of God – Pastor Troy…SDA – Pastor Ralph…Bay Point Christian – Pastor Randall…DayStar Life Center…Canguros Day School. Inspire us to seek new ways to live together and to embrace the diversity of thought and identity in our communities. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
God of memory, we give you thanks for faithful ones who have died especially our friend Willis. Tend to our grief and sorrow with renewed trust in your promise of abundant and eternal life. Lord, in your mercy,
receive our prayer.
Savior of the nations, come, and receive these prayers and the pleas of our hearts, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Pray with me:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
I wonder about Christ the King Sunday because unlike Lent and holy week and Advent…
Which have been celebrated for more than 1000 years.
Christ the King has only been a part of the Liturgical calendar since the 1920s.
And it was added for…I think…political reasons?
In the fallout of World War One and amidst the Kaisers and Kings and Czars…
It felt to the church that it was time to reassert that Czar Ferdinand or Kaiser Wilhelm is not king.
It was time to assert that Christ is king.
So…100 years ago…or so…Christ the King was added to the church year.
So…I wonder about this day.
The Lord be with you
And I wonder about the reading from John’s Gospel because…to me…it is out of context.
Every Sunday we speak of how on the night that Jesus was betrayed he gathered with his faltering friends for a meal that tasted of freedom.
Well…on that same night…he then taught them and then prayed for them for a long time.
And after the prayer he and his disciples went to a garden.
And in the garden…knowing that Jesus would be there…
Judas…with 30 pieces of silver rattling around in his pocket…
Betrayed his friend and teacher and Lord.
And brought with him a heavily armed detachment of soldiers and some police and religious authorities.
And Jesus asked who they were looking for.
They answered “Jesus of Nazareth”
And Jesus said: “I am he”.
And they fell to the ground.
Unarmed…with no money or status… Jesus said:
I am he…and the police and soldiers fell to the ground.
But then Peter…the most vocally earnest follower of Jesus…
Drew his sword and cut the ear off this man…by the name of Malchus…
Who ended up being not even a police officer or soldier but the slave of the high priest.
Then Jesus was arrested and subjected to brutal persecution and then brought to Pilate.
And this is where our reading for this morning begins.
Which is why the context matters.
So…Jesus…Pilate asks…are you a king or are you not a king?
And Jesus says…my kingdom is not of this world.
Well…no kidding.
If we are going to celebrate a king today…
At least it could be one who will wipe out all the racists and those who do violence to women…
And those who hurt children…
And everyone who is more interested in protecting the wealth of the rich than protecting the wellbeing of the poor.
I want Christ to be a king who can wipe out Isis and Al Qaeda and Hamas and Radicalized Zionists.
And the people who messed with the Rays baseball team midseason…
And those who cancelled Anne With An E after just three seasons.
But considering the number of bombings and shootings and hate crimes that are daily events…
Then…if Christ is my king…he is doing a lousy job of smiting my enemies.
But here’s the thing.
The problem is that when that vengeance seeking…
And violent part of me calls out to have a king who would destroy my enemies…
I would be the one that same king would have to destroy.
Since God is the God of all and I too am someone’s enemy.
And where does that leave me?
That is…as much as I believe in non-violence…
Does not mean that there is not also violence in myself.
As much as I believe in non-violence it is simply unrealistic for me to believe that the only reason…
I have not taken up arms is anything other than the fact that my privileged…
Peaceful…educated…high standard of living is acquired by violence elsewhere…
That is safely out of my sight.
Since…let’s be honest…the life I lead of relative peace and prosperity is procured by child labor…sweat shops and military actions.
(Allow me to digress: I am thankful that I live in the USA and live a prosperous and peaceful life. I am a US patriot. I am thankful for those who serve my county and allow me to live in a legal system of laws and justice that is the envy of the world. I live in two kingdoms. One foot in the kingdom of the world and the other foot in the kingdom of God. Jesus…the Christ of God is the King of the Kingdom of God).
So…given the way my left foot benefits from violence.
Given the fact that I too want my enemies to be destroyed…
What this broken world needs is not a king with the greatest arsenal…
Or a CEO who can protect our wealth.
We need a Lord who saves us by refusing to play that game.
When Jesus says that his kingdom is not of this world…
He is saying that His kingdom is not of this world because His power is not centered in our endless cycle of violence.
Jesus is not a defender…a protector…a soldier…a police officer…a secretary of state.
Jesus is a savior.
A savior who knows that more violence will never save us from our addiction to violence.
Which brings me back to that garden that night.
And that is…the only true hope…is not to be the betrayer.
Or the one who draws the sword.
The only true hope is to be one of those who falls to the ground…
When the unarmed…and unimpressive Jesus of Nazareth says:
I am he.
Because the violence in us that has been from the beginning…
Since Cain killed Abel…
That thing within the human heart that wishes to destroy the enemy…
Is destroying us.
So…we do not need any more kings of vengeance or of worldly power or kings closing the border.
What we need is a King in a cradle.
We do not need to throw up our fists.
We need to fall on our knees.
For that is what we do before a king.
Fall on our knees before a God whose love comes to us in delicate unprotected…unarmed…defenseless flesh.
Fall on our knees before the one who loves without caution…
Without measure…without concern for pre-existing conditions.
Fall on our knees before the one who submitted to the very worst that humans are capable of.
Who let the twisted thing in us…
The betrayal and flogging…and violence and vengeance…to murder Him.
And He did not say: “I am going to get you back.”
But said: “you are forgiven.”
Fall on our knees.
Because His kingdom is not of this world’s values.
It is not a kingdom that guards its borders or arms its citizens or takes hostages or bombs theaters.
Christ is our king because the human violence competition…
The need to be right and the need for everyone else to be wrong.
And the belief that God favors us above all others…
Is seen by Jesus for what it is: so…so small.
This is why we need a savior who draws all people to himself…
In the pure love of a crown of thorns and a throne of a cross.
What can we do but spread our trophies at his pierced feet.
That’s the first thing I have to say about today’s gospel.
And it’s the same thing Jesus told the disciples.
“Do not be alarmed.”
Do not be disturbed or troubled by all these things. Do not be frightened.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Jesus also told the disciples that he’s not talking about an ending but about a beginning…the birthing of new life.
He’s describing a movement toward wholeness…fullness…and completion.
Today’s gospel theme is that of “making all things new.”
And I think it’s exactly what we need to hear these days when it looks as if many things are coming apart at the seams.
Today’s gospel overflows with good news.
And yes…it is difficult and challenging.
But it is worth all our attention and effort.
It’s a gospel about hope.
It’s a gospel about opportunities and possibilities.
It’s a gospel about finding meaning and new life.
It’s a gospel about our future.
And who among us does not sometimes wonder…worry…or even become alarmed about our future and the future of our world?
When I become alarmed about the future I am not really focused on the unknown and a time yet to come.
I am more focused on the known and the present time.
I want to know if the temples I have built will withstand the test of time.
Will the center hold?
Will my relationships endure?
Will my attainments and accomplishments continue to give identity…meaning…and security?
Will the order I have created for my life…well-being…and joy remain intact?
Are the foundations and reference points of my life stable and strong enough to last?
That is…I am focused on the large stones and large buildings of my life.
So…when I hear Jesus say:
“Not one stone will be left upon another…all will be thrown down.”
I get a bit twitchy.
Jesus says the very things that I am most focused on are coming down.
I cannot help but wonder if I have missed the point and been distracted from what really matters.
From the new life that is waiting and wanting to be birthed in me and through me.
I believe that is what is going on with the disciple who says to Jesus:
“Look…Teacher…what large stones and what large buildings!”
I think he has missed the point and has distracted himself from what really matters and is calling for attention.
What I mean is…what this disciple says does not make sense to me.
This surely was not the first time this disciple…an adult Jewish man…had been to or seen the temple.
He had grown up going to the temple.
He had gone to the temple with Jesus at least twice before this day.
The large stones and buildings of the temple were not new to him.
He had seen it all before.
It was not his first rodeo.
You see…there is a disconnect between what he says and what has just happened.
Jesus and his disciples have just left the temple where they sat opposite the treasury watching the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
But a poor widow put in one penny…all she had.
Jesus says to his disciples:
“Truly I tell you…this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.”
With those words Jesus has cracked the mortar between the stones of power…wealth…prestige…reputation…position and security.
A separation has begun.
Jesus holds up the widow as an example.
She is not the example the disciples or we would hold up.
She has no wealth…no power…no position…no security.
She is the one we overlook…ignore and sometimes abuse.
And the first thing…the only thing…any disciple says is:
“Wow! Look how big that building is.”
They don’t get it.
Do we get it?
Is this disciple trying to change the subject?
Is this disciple trying to distract himself from what Jesus has just said?
..we have all done it.
We change the subject or distract ourselves…
So…we don’t have to deal with the elephant in the room.
The vulnerable…painful and broken parts of our lives.
Is that disciple looking at the large stones and buildings…
So he does not have to look at himself in relationship to the widow?
Is he feeling the large stones and buildings of his life beginning to shift and separate?
When have we felt that shift and separation?
I felt it happening when I resigned a call without having another call.
I feel it every time a loved one dies.
In the beginning…I remember my temple coming down the day the bishop sent me a letter questioning my call to the ministry.
It is all those times I look at what is happening outside of me instead of what is happening inside of me.
It is there whenever I refuse to see…acknowledge and receive the widow and her way of life in my life.
Well…it is an uncomfortable place to be…and we have all been there.
Jesus says it looks and sounds like “war and rumors of war. Nation will rise against nation…and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines.”
Every one of those is an image of separation:
Nation separated from nation…kingdom from kingdom…the earth from itself.
Even the widow is an image of separation.
She’s separated from her husband and the life she once had.
Those images describe not only what is happening around us but also within us.
It’s showing and telling us something we don’t want to see…hear…or deal with.
It’s too frightening…painful and uncertain.
Let us then consider this:
That they are not separations that destroy but separations that create and give birth.
That they are an opening…a space…for something new to come to life.
And it is here that Jesus speaks with such tenderness and reassurance.
“Do not be alarmed…this must take place…this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”
It’s as if he is saying: “Do not worry.
This is normal. You’re going to be OK.
I am the Midwife who will get you through this.”
What if…in these times when it feels like our lives are shifting and separating and everything is being thrown down…
We trust the Divine Midwife and just push a little.
Push with faith…push with hope…push with love…push with anticipation of something new.
Many years ago…I went back to visit and preach at my home congregation in Green Bay.
The sending hymn concluded…I stood in the back of the sanctuary…next to the baptismal font…greeting worshipers.
A woman…I recognized from growing up in the congregation…approached me.
She was crying too hard for me to totally understand what she was saying.
So…I hugged her instead…and asked if I could give her a blessing…which she accepted.
And then…here is what she shared with me.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
“As a lifelong Lutheran grace has been a part of my faith that I’ve never really noticed.
Until recently…my fiancé was killed in a car accident on the way to our wedding rehearsal.
Now I see God with tears running down His face when I am brought to my knees sobbing and I hear Him whisper in my ear:
‘Child…see what I have brought you’ …
When someone drops off a casserole…or a gift card…or just scrubs my floor.
And maybe that is the meaning of this awful storm.
God is here and I feel Him like I never had before.”
What this young woman did not realize is that what she shared with me was the casserole from God I needed…saying:
“Child…see what I brought you?”
As it was during an exhausting part of my ministry when we were very short staffed in the large congregation I served.
I was totally burned out and this pilgrimage back to my childhood congregation was a healing balm.
And ever since I keep seeing these widow’s mites…
These easily overlooked gifts…these casseroles from God in the form of simple things.
The young woman who had lost her fiancé reminded me of the thing I tend to forget all the time…
Which is that God shows up in my life repeatedly…in the little things.
And yet so often these little things are overlooked or under-appreciated by me…
Because all I can see is what I wish I had…instead.
My desires keep me from seeing the gifts of God in the present moment.
A desire for an event to unfold in a certain way or my desire for a person to act in a certain way…
Or my desire for things in my life to look a certain way.
It is like I already have a picture painted of what everything should look like…and I hold that up against reality.
And then judge reality according to how much it resembles the picture I painted.
And every time I do this I miss something important…or beautiful…or redemptive.
Because even though it is right in front of me…it was not what I was looking for…so I don’t see it.
Or…all I can see is what is missing.
The story of the widow’s mite is one that is familiar to us.
How often have we heard it used for sermons on the importance of giving.
How…even when we are poor…we should be giving to the church.
And how it is important to give sacrificially.
But what really strikes me about this story has nothing to do with money.
What strikes me is that Jesus notices the stuff we tend to not even see.
The main action that day revolved around the scribes in their fancy robes and their fat wads of cash.
It is so easy for us to only see the big…flashy fast-moving object.
And yet Jesus sees the smallish things: the tiny copper coin…the widow who is so easily ignored.
Jesus sees what we hardly notice is there.
The stuff he uses is not mountains and superheroes and massive SUVs.
Instead…Jesus uses common…daily…almost unnoticeable things that are hardly worth mentioning.
Coins…tiny little seeds…yeast.
Jesus notices what we have a hard time seeing.
It is…like…you know…turn the page and Jesus can pretty much always find Waldo right away.
Several months ago…when I was behind a brand new…shiny Cadillac SUV…the vanity plate read: bcauseIpray.
Like we are all complete idiots and could easily have a Cadillac SUV if we just prayed hard enough.
We recoil from this idea of God as divine vending machine…
Who dispenses cash and prizes to the most righteous.
But that’s not what I’m talking about here.
What I am talking about are those stories that are so easily unnoticed…
And the sneaky ways God brings us what we need.
For me…those moments happen…the most…when I am smack in the middle of wallowing in self-pity.
A few moments ago…I shared that I had been suffering from burn out.
And the reason that this journey back to my home congregation was so refreshing.
I had been ministering for weeks on end without being able to withdraw.
But the little things.
My friend Jerry would come into my office and say:
“Let’s get out of here…let’s go get a cup of coffee…I’ll buy.”
Or someone would come into my office with a bag of butterfingers.
They all knew I liked butterfingers.
Or a family would call and say:
“You and Susan come on over tonight…have some supper with us…and then we’ll put on a movie.”
That tiny piece of home…that casserole from God got me through the day.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Our Lord God works through the small things we so easily do not even take notice of.
The casseroles…the notes of encouragement just when we need them.
Paul writes in Hebrews: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers…for by so doing…some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it”.
It is also true…that sometimes…we are the ones doing God’s desire for someone else…and we do not even know it.
We suddenly think:
I’m going to reach out to that person.
Or…I’m going do that kind thing for someone else.
Or…I’m going to ask this person how they’re doing.
Those nudges are meant to be paid attention to.
For when we do these things we never know when unknowingly we are the casserole of God.
We are the one being used to show God’s love to God’s child.
I have been given small kindnesses… casseroles…that mean a great deal to me…
And the person who offered them has no idea.
That tiny piece of home…gifts given…casseroles from God.
Reformation Sunday…a day in the liturgical year where we celebrate the protestant reformation…and there is indeed…a lot to celebrate.
We’ve come a long way Baby.
We are no longer under the Pope.
Our clergy can marry…we let people read the Bible for themselves.
We now ordain women.
And so today we celebrate
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Yet…what do the texts assigned for today talk about? Sin.
What we get on Reformation Day is a lot of talk about sin and law.
All sin and fall short of the glory of God and all who sin are slaves to sin and that through the law comes knowledge of sin. Sin…sin…sin.
The people who decide what the readings are for things like…Reformation Sunday…
Did not get the memo that what we are really celebrating is our own awesomeness…
And how much cleverer we modern Christians are than those who came before us who naively believed in things like sin and Law.
Plus…in an age of self-care and therapy and high self-esteem…
And especially in so-called progressive Christianity…sin is not such a popular topic.
As a matter of fact…in the Lutheran church planting business these days…
There is a trend toward eliminating the confession and absolution at the beginning of our liturgies. Why?
Because it is a downer and people do not want to hear they are sinners.
But Martin Luther had a way of talking about sin that makes a whole lot of sense.
He reminds us that sin is bigger than simple immorality.
Sin…according to Luther…is being curved in on self without a thought for God or the neighbor.
In that case…sin is missing the mark…
And it is all the ways we put ourselves in the place of God.
Sin is the fact that my ideals and values are never enough to make me always do what I should.
The “shoulds” in our lives are the things that make us see how far off the mark we are.
No matter what we think the “shoulds” are:
Personal morality and family values and niceness and conservative political convictions…
Or inclusivity and recycling and eating local and progressive political convictions…
There is always…no matter how hard we try…a gap between our ideal self and our actual self.
And…only we know…just how short we fall from the glory of God.
And in those moments…
When we are beating ourselves up or trying to deny it…
Or making promises of self-improvement…
In those solitary moments we know.
It looks like a social worker who does not actually look into the eyes of the homeless man he passes every day on the street corner.
We all know what the law can do to us.
How cruel the distance between our ideal self and our actual self can feel.
And that feeling of not ever really hitting the mark.
And that feeling…is the feeling of the Law convicting us.
Martin Luther knew what it felt like for the Law to convict him…accuse him…and leave him with nowhere to rest.
And if you want to know what really sparked the Protestant Reformation it is this.
Feeling this way…Luther read that passage we just heard from Romans:
Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…they are now justified by his grace as a gift.
And he believed it to be true…
And because he believed that God’s grace is a gift…
He no longer accepted what the church had for so long taught:
That we are really saved by the works of the Law.
The medieval church had pawned off Law as Gospel and Luther dared to know the difference.
And then he became a preacher of Grace and that changed everything.
But here’s the thing: pawning off Law as Gospel is not a medieval thing.
And it is not a Roman Catholic thing.
It is a human thing…and we do it all the time.
The church does it…we do it…society does it. It is like a disease.
So…in celebration of Reformation Sunday…I offer you a way to spot the difference between Law and Gospel:
You can tell the Law because it is always an if-then proposition.
If you follow all the rules in the Bible God then will love you and you will be happy.
If you lose 20 pounds then you will be worthy to be loved.
If you live a perfectly righteous Green eco lifestyle then you will be worthy of taking up space in the planet.
If you never have a racist or sexist or homophobic thought then you will be worthy of calling other people out on their racism and sexism and homophobia.
The Law is always conditional and it is never anything anyone can do perfectly.
Under the Law there are only two options: pride and despair.
When fulfilling the “shoulds” we are either prideful about our ability to follow the rules compared to others.
Or we despair at our inability to perfectly do anything.
Either way…is bondage.
The Gospel is different…the Gospel is a because because because because proposition.
Because God is our creator and because we rebel against the idea of being created beings and insist on trying to be God for ourselves…
And because God will not play by our rules and because in the fullness of time when God had had quite enough of all of that…
God became human in Jesus Christ to show us who God really is.
And because when God came to God’s own and we received him not…
And because God would not be deterred…
God went so far as to hang from the cross we built and did not even lift a finger to condemn…
But said forgive them they know not what they are doing.
And because Jesus Christ defeated even death and the grave and rose on the third day…
And because we all sin and fall short and are forever turned in on ourselves and forget that we belong to God…
And because God loves God’s creation…
God refuses for our sin and brokenness and inability to always do the right things to be the last word…
Because God came to save and not to judge and therefore…
Therefore…we are saved by grace as a gift and not by the works of the law…
And this truth will set us free like no self-help plan or healthy living or social justice work “shoulds” can ever do.
This….is why we will never get rid of the confession and absolution in the liturgy.
It is Law that puts us in the position of hearing Gospel.
It is a moment when truth is spoken…without apology and without hesitation.
And for the only time all week…it will crush us…it will break us…and then put us back together.
