12/6
It is Second Sunday in Advent. And some visitors present, like Eric from Noche, and Wayne with his beautiful
voice. (He was back at Open Mic last
Friday night…)…and a young woman. And
Jed Distler is our special guest musician. (http://www.jeddistler.com/pianist.html )…So lots of music.
· We do my mash-up of Lo How a Rose e’er
Blooming and the Rose, as made famous by Bette Mitler. And my version of Come
Thou Long Expected Jesus, to the tune Nettleton…and finish with Soon and Very Soon by Andrae Crouch as I
miss our Andre, who’s in Florida. And we read all four scriptures, First Malachi 3:1-4,
the Canticle Luke 1:68-79 , the Epistle Philippians 1:3-11 and finally the Gospel Luke 3:1-6.
And then our reflection:
So it’s happened again.. This time it’s San Bernadino,
California. And because the couple is Muslim, we’re talking about terrorism. The local imam had police come to his door at night with guns drawn. (Kind
of shows that terrorism works, no?) Is it strange that when a gunman opens fire
on a Planned Parenthood office in Denver, killing two and wounding another r9,
the New York Post does not says, Radical Christian guns down innocent…
And last Thursday was the
day people marched in recognition of the first anniversary of Eric Garner death
at the hands of police.
Well, there are other anniversaries , too. Last Thursday, we had
the 50th anniversary of the first public concert of the Grateful Dead. Next Tuesday is 35th
anniversary of the death of John Lennon
(12/8) . But also the 50th anniversary of the end of Vatican II and the
day Pope Francis will throw open the gates of the Vatican to begin the Papal Year of Mercy.
So…3 questions.
1. What is our situation?
2. What are our resources, or gifts?
3. And what are we to do…
And what do our scriptures have to say about any of this? First, if we had a big grand choir, today
would be a great day for Messiah
singing… We’ve got Malachi talking about a
refiner’s fire… and John, quoting Isaiah, preaching about every valley…and rough places being made smooth
and the crooked straight and all flesh seeing it together.. Several years ago, we had a Bible Study
on the Gospel according to Handel.. maybe
we ought to do that again sometime..
The situation…
We’ve got John the
Baptist arriving front and center this week, but I’m going to end with Paul.
We’ve got Malachi like a set up text our man John. ( written around the 5th
century BCE) The people have returned from exile but Malachi is protesting against corruption in the
Temple. And speaking of a messenger, this
is precisely the role John is to play.
Then we’ve got John’s father, Zechariah, part of the temple
establishment, in the Temple, speaking of who his son John will be.
He is peaking to a people who are occupied by a mighty empire. And he is
announcing a victory already accomplished…even
before the birth of Jesus! Like Tutu declaring we have already won years before apartheid fell… a victory where we
are
saved from our enemies and
from the hand of
all who hate us. That we have received
mercy ….
That we have been rescued
from the hands of our
enemies, and can serve God
without fear, …
We are not occupied…but we do want
to be saved from our enemies…internal and external…. Can we believe that’s already been done?...and
can we serve God without fear…can we live without fear?..imagine what that
feels like?. and that his son John will
be the messenger… to preach repentance of
sins..
So John rejects where he grew up and
heads for the hills living like a wild
man…or religious ascetic hermit…or prophet…and preaching repentance…here’s what to want you to see…it’s a call to leave behind
the ways of the empire…and the biggest challenge is to call out the
temple…the religious establishment for its collaboration
with the temple…
What are our gifts? Like last week, Paul in prison gives thanks
for his people. Keep doing that….and try praying with joy…
And now the Papal year of mercy…Mercy…In a recent article, Donna Schaper…of Judson Memorial
Church has given us some very practical advice for living the year of mercy in
our own lives……here is her list (as I have adapted it for us this morning..)
1.
Read pope Francis’ declaration
2. Be a “walking field hospital”
(Francis’ words) do one act of mercy
daily..
3. If you’re old, speak well of the young.
And if you are young, speak well of the old.
Refuse gossip. Question “everybody knows” and “that’s the way things are…”
4. Forgive just one
person you don’t want to
5.
And don’t worry about
whether they deserve it or not. Mercy is
beyond deserving.
6. Read the Bible. Especially Advent scriptures. Ask questions.
7. When you are judged, evaluate on a scale of 1-5 how accurate
the judgment is.
8. Reverse the “time famine”…there is more time than you think…
9. Open the doors of language. EG, stop using lame, a condition of many people from birth or due to accident or
illness, a condition, as a metaphor for something in poor taste or ill
considered… and please don’t ever say, We
are all crippled (or handicapped) in some way. Respect the particularity of experience and conditionn,
10.
Pray for someone not you or yours
11.Promise not to offer illusory hope, EG, don’t worry, everything
is going to be OK. Sometimes it isn’t.
And to what end do we do this? To overflow with love, wise love…for what purpose? …to discern what is best…and what is best?
We have big decisions ahead…. For
me, what is best is that which creates a community
that which is immediately recognizable…
Those are my thoughts for this
morning…
At the conclusion of our service, Wayne shares his witness in song
for us, his voice sweet…and rich….
Prepare ye the way if the
Lord…..
FIRST READING
MALACHI 3:1-4
1See, 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. 2But 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; 3he
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. 4Then
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days
of old and as in former years.
68"Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed
them. ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED
69He has raised up a mighty savior for
us
in the house of his servant David,
70as he spoke through the mouth of his
holy prophets from of old,
71that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of
all who hate us.
72Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
73the oath that he swore to our
ancestor Abraham,
to grant us 74that
we, being rescued from the hands of our
enemies,
might serve him without
fear, 75in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
76And you, child, will be called the
prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77to give knowledge of salvation to
his people
by the forgiveness of
their sins.
78By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79to give light to those who sit in
darkness and in the shadow of
death,
to guide our feet into the way
of peace."
3I thank my God every
time I remember you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all
of you, 5because of
your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6I 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. 7It
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. 8For
God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ
Jesus. 9And this is my
prayer, that your love may overflow more
and more with knowledge and full insight 10to
help you to determine what is best,
so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11having produced the
harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and
praise of God.
1In 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, 2during
the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of
Zechariah in the wilderness. 3He
went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4as 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.
5Every 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;
6and all flesh shall see the
salvation of God.'"
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