Third Sunday in Advent: The time to come?

12/12

at Good Shepherd Faith

trio

Ta'u Papua

On the third Sunday of Advent, I actually got to preach to a live congregation in person at Good Shepherd Faith church near Lincoln Center. It was a joint service of their English speaking and Korean congregations combined.  And we were blessed by special music, both by a trio and a wonderful solo by NFL player turned rising opera star Ta'u Papua.  Here are my reflections on the day...

It’ s so good to be here. Since the pandemic began I have preached only in four in person services…three  in Pittsburgh…and one here. Covid is not going away any time soon, and no, neither horse medicine or mouthwash is going to protect you. The best we can do is get vaccinated and continue to wear masks.  And be smart but not crazy.

Wow…there is so much going on in the gospel this morning. We’ve got John the Baptist with his unapologetic anger. Calling people vipers…that was considered really bad. The myth was that vipers ate their way out of their mothers. And he’s talking about  the wrath to come and winnowing forks and axes to the root and unquenchable fire….serious stuff…by the time you get to the end, you have to ask…so this is good news?

SO let me go to the heart of the matter…his words are harsh, they are urgent and they are concrete.

He’s calling people to repent, turn their lives around and celebrate newness with baptism, a riff on the Jewish practice of the spiritually cleansing waters of the  mikvah. And receive forgiveness of sins…

But here’s the thing…baptism is not enough.  And neither is being descended from Abraham. Or being white. Or American. Or belonging to the right church. None of that counts. 

What counts is living your life in a new way. Making sure people are clothed and fed. And I might add housed. Please note that John doesn’t do a Jesus “give all you have..” You still get one coat, still get sufficient food. The reality is with all those who live with food insecurity, with hunger….there are sufficient food resources in the world to sustain all…we still pay farmers not to produce food…we have a problem not of production but of distribution…there are more vacant houses than there are homeless…and we now have 110% more than we did 10 years ago according to the census..with 254 people claiming Central Park as their address…

And see how he talks to the tax collectors and soldiers. Both these are despised with the community because they are essentially collaborators with the occupying Romans. The soldiers probably refers to those who worked for Herod, the Roman installed ethnarc. In each case he doesn’t tell them to leave their jobs, only not to exploit others. 

(Ched Meyers has pointed out that the way the system worked, it almost required tax collectors and soldiers to exploit others just to get by…systems do that,..)

One of my guilty pleasures on tv is Succession , with Brian Cox. Loosely based on the Murdoch family. Last week, one of the sons who had tried and failed to bring his father to justice said to his father, “I can’t do what you do. The only way you can do what you do is to be corrupt…” The system almost requires it to win…

No receiving forgiveness is not enough…taking care of each other …and the most vulnerable…is. It’s that concrete.

As for the wrath to come…maybe it’s already here. What we face right now is more than enough to deal with. As for winnowing  forks, wheat and chaff, traditionally we like to use passages like this to make us feel better. Like someone else is going to get it. Historically, our Calvinist forebears were very clear theologically that we could never say for sure who was saved. That was entirely up to God in God’s freedom to choose. But it kind of morphed into but if you look real close you can pretty much tell..and it’s us..

It’s like sheep and goats, wheat and chaff…we all are both, have both inside of us.  And the reflective part of Advent calls us as we seek to come to the manger of baby Jesus to seek to “winnow out” that of us that is chaff. To clear away that which gets in our way, chokes out the goodness inside of us. That idea that we are all sinners is what informs our Presbyterian polity, our way of doing things, and if you think about it, democracy as well. None of us is perfect…and we need each other.

I feel like I have seen more efforts to reach out this year…more voluntary efforts…my local Venezuelan coffee shop conducted a coat drive (if you have two…) and is now doing a book drive. The restaurants in my neighborhood are conducting a new toy drive.  The opportunities are there…

So…the time to come? The time is now…if we take care of now, there’s nothing to worry about. Not hurricanes or firenados or social unrest or pandemics or…the greatest gift we can give this baby Jesus we come to celebrate is to  take care of each other…in love…

Amen

 Luke 3: 7-18

7John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

10And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" 11In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" 13He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 14Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Baptism of Jesus Sunday 2016

Sermon

1/10/16

Jesus' Baptism by Angelo Romano

It’s Baptism Sunday. And because our 600 pound late Victorian Baptismal font is in the Chapel, due to Antigona in the Sanctuary, we will worship there this morning. Dion is there when I arrive, getting everything ready. And John Roggie will be our musician. A young couple with a 2 month old named Jack is visiting.

We’ll share a lot of good Baptism songs today, like Take Me to the Water, and Baptized in Water, and of course, When I Went Down to the River to Pray. We read Isaiah 43: 1-7 and Psalm 29 and Luke 3: 15-17 and 19-22, the story of Jesus’ Baptism.

I ask everyone how many remember their baptism. About a third received adult baptism. Including one by full immersion  in a baptistery in public.

So we’re talking about Baptism. In Isaiah, we’re told that God calls us by name…..you could say that it is at baptism , when you receive your name, , is when YOU become YOU so to  speak.

I’m wearing today my father’s watch. My mom told my sister she wanted to give it to one of the boys someday, and my sister said, Do you know how old the boys are?  So my mom gave o tot me for Christmas.  Baptism was really important to my dad. SO it was really special when he was so pleased at the bris (Jewish circumcision /naming ceremony) when my son received his name.  My Dad said, ..at least he’s not a nameless waif… a blessing had been invoked, a name given, our friends and family celebrated.

At Baptism we receive our Christian name…..we only baptize using the  first (and second) name….Our last name is shared by family, but the first and second names, those are unique to us, make us who we are.

We sometimes used to say Christening as an alternative word for baptism pointing to being dedicated to Christ and also the receiving of our Christian name.

Isaiah speaks of redemption . In the Old Testament, it related to debt, to debts owed. Your redeemer was the one who paid your debt, thus setting you free. The pawn bought back to its original owner.

Isaiah also says Do not fear….a common theme, like the angels in the Christmas story. Do not fear…

So we have water baptism ….and by fire…the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Of the three basic elements, Sun, air and water…does everything need all? No…creatures can live without sun or without air (in the water) but no creature can live without water. Water is primordial…it’s where life begins…and we ourselves are 98% water.

By tradition, water was Chaos…God brings order out of chaos. …Defeats Tiamat  of the Babylonian creation story. But Tiamat, chaos is always there…as my friend Pastor Heidi…of Trinity Lutheran likes to say.

In Luke, John speaks of  Jesus coming to separate the wheat from the  chaff…..separating out…we have come to see this not only in the individual but  in the communal sense as well.  At the end of the day, we are both. We have both within us and Jesus comes to burn the chaff part out of us.

But there is a communal issue as well. The question always arises, so Why Jesus? If Jesus was sinless, why did  he need to be baptized? I’m not going to get into “sinless” discussion. The story of Jesus in the Temple spoke of him as needing to grow in wisdom and stature, even as normal children do.

At any rate, some commentators see this as Jesus’ commitment to be in solidarity with humanity. In the middle verses, before Jesus’ baptism, we find John in prison…SO Jesus in essence picks up John’s mantle…To understand this, you have to understand John.  He left security of the Temple world where his father was an official. The center of Jewish religious power living in collaboration with the Empire.

John’s baptism was an act of  protest/judgment against temple system, a call to come out from empire…So after Jesus lived within the system for 30 years, he had to COME OUT too. Separate  his life from the power of the Empire to where only God the creator has authority. Baptism is a public witness to that authority.

           

So what does it mean for us? First we are called to answer and demonstrate the question of what authority is primary. We need to understand that if  Jesus is our redeemer, in the time of Jubilee, all debts to empire cancelled…

Hear this…and know this…YOU are God’s child…in YOU God is well pleased…you have your own name, you have your own ministry…name it, claim it and live it…

AMEN

After our prayers, I lead evryone to the baptismal font. Tell the story of its florid Tiffany design. The uncommon  water lily, lotus motif rising from the waters of chaos, rippled by the breath of the Holy Spirit.  How the lid disappeared during Occupy and how a very special mother, Sheryl Jaffe, made us a new ceramic cover. How the one on the other is a metaphor for who we are.

I say the Thanksgiving over water. Pour drops of Jordan River water in.  And invite every one to come up for laying on of hands and a blessing. I remember doing that for so many years with Katherine and how I felt the first time I did it alone.

We have our benediction. Sing Amen. And go out into the world….

FIRST READING ISAIAH 43:1-7

¹But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

³For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I give Egypt as your ransom,

Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.

⁴Because you are precious in my sight,

and honored, and I love you,

I give people in return for you,

nations in exchange for your life.

⁵Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east,

and from the west I will gather you;

⁶I will say to the north, "Give them up,"

and to the south, "Do not withhold;

bring my sons from far away

and my daughters from the end of the earth —

⁷everyone who is called by my name,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made."

PSALM PSALM 29

¹Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

²Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;

worship the LORD in holy splendor.

³The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the LORD, over mighty waters.

⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful;

the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;

the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

and Sirion like a young wild ox.

⁷The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.

⁸The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;

the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,

and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, "Glory!"

¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;

the LORD sits enthroned as king for ever.

¹¹May the LORD give strength to his people!

May the LORD bless his people with peace!

GOSPEL LUKE 3:15-17, 21-22

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

The Third Sunday in Advent: .....Don't worry....

12/13

A holiday pot luck

^{It’s a warm, too sunny, too warm, strange spring in December day.I haven’t seen Marty in awhile. He’s sitting in front of Dunkin' Donuts, hand out looking for tips.  When he recognizes me, he nods, salutes.}

^{Pastor, did Albert Einstein have anything to say about the weather?}

^{Not that I’m aware of Marty.}

^{72 pages of equations. he said it all comes down to e=mc2. And that only 3 people in the world understand it.}

^{And I’m not one of them, Marty.}

^{And he laughs. You have a good day, Marty.}

^{He nods. Salutes  again.}

^{Our scriptures for the day are  Zephaniah 3: 14-20, Isaiah12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7  and Luke 3: 7-18. As part of our musical reflection, Jed and I do Don’t Worry be happy by Bobby Mc Ferrin. And then our reflection….}

^{Yesterday when I got on the subway to come to the church to rehearse with Jed, the train was filled with Santa Con revelers.  And then I noticed….the air conditioning was on!! Much as I enjoy December spring, there’s something basically just not right about that.}

^{What I’m thinking about today is worry.  Is thee anyone here today who is free from worry?  I worry about the church. My kids… My future…I could go  on…Perhaps the best expression of  this is the Bobby McFerrin song.  I wanted to sing it today because I used to find it completely annoying. One time, I was at a church leaders retreat back in Pittsburgh. Our leader was from the intentional community Church of the Savior in Washington, DC. He was kind of like a monk and was wearing  sandals in winter. Every break he would play this song. After 2-3 times, it  was driving me crazy. I said to my friend John, if he does that one more time, I’m outta here. Which is exactly what happened. One more Don't worry, be happy…and we were off to the bar.}

^{It seemed insipid.  Is anyone here old enough to remember Alfred E. Newman?  Mad Magazine? The What, me worry? guy? And of course, our advice from Donna Schaper last week on living mercy,  promise never to offer illusory hope…which usually begins  with don’t worry…}

^{I told Andre about this one time. He kind of of scowled a little. Told me that he’d studied with Bobby Mc Ferrin’s father. You ought to think about this, he said. He really means it.}

^{It’s been said that worry is its own reward…as when you are worrying about something,  you emotionally feel as if you’re engaged, as if you don’t need to do anything about  it…because you are worrying…}

^{So Bobby Mc Ferrin say, Don’t worry, be happy. Paul says :}

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer….with all the shootings, think about that a moment, you always see the Facebook post sending with thoughts and prayers…it’s almost meaningless..it doesn't change anything. Prayer must be accompanied by doing…

Paul’s prayers are not easy…. by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God….that thanks-giving we’ve been talking about the last two weeks…the idea being if you put your whole self into it, all your heart, clearly tell God what you are  asking, be profoundly sincere in your asking, you will turn it over to God…you will feel peace as you let it go…..your hearts and minds will be guarded…you will do what you need to do, what you can do.. and after that, it’s out of your hands…

It was CS Lewis who said, I don’t pray to change God’s mind, I pray to change  my own…

I will also say that when two people pray together, there is real intimacy that is formed. Spiritual  intimacy. We meet each other in a deeper place, a place where the holy spirit dwells.  The Place where God is.

When I was I Seminary, I was part of an urban core group of about 12 people my  senior year. We each worked 20 hours a week in an urban church. We met for four hours every Monday. We began with a theological reflection paper.  Then a case study from our experience. Then group process. Then finished with worship. Eucharist. There we people in that group that I just plain did not like, but as we met each week and prayed for each other, near the end of the semester I discovered that while I still didn’t like some of the people, I had come to love them…We are a small enough community.. what if we each prayed for all of us each week? Consciously and deliberately? What might change? Pope Francis always asks of people pray for me. Are we able to ask that of each other? Pat asked me to pray for her mother-in –law  last week…What if I asked you to you pray for me? By name? In your home, in your heart? What might change?

I cannot say that any change in external circumstances are ever guaranteed. What can change is your heart and mind.

Our three passages share a model of  Fear, presence and joy…

We name ,claim our fear….

We experience the presence of the Holy Spirit

And then experience joy….. we sing praise….we feel….happy…?

I can’t leave without touching on John the Baptist again this morning. He stormed in here last week,  like  he always does, every year. With his wild hair, rough clothes and strange diet. Knowing hast he was raised in the Temple, it’s like he’s gone form Trinity Episcopal Wall Street to the sawdust tent revival trail of hot August nights. And he comes on strong today…You brood of vipers…this not seem to be a good way to build a  church. Who wants to hear Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

But I’m struck by his advice…..He starts with sharing serious crowd sharing….

¹⁰And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" ¹¹In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."

And then check this out…

Tax collectors? Those despised collaborators with the empire? Making their living by cheating their  own people?

, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." ¹

 And Soldiers? Not Roman soldiers, but those who worked for the Jewish establishment, kind of  like the Palestinian authority" Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

He’s saying do your job…and do it appropriately…he doesn’t say, Walk off your job…join me in the wilderness..become revolutionaries a las montanas …her says DO your job where you are….

He doesn’t say, NYPD officers, occupying enforcers of the empire, Leave the force, join the people…he says, serve the people, do what you are  supposed to do, are pledged to do…protect, serve, defend….

The revolution will never get anywhere without defectors, without those who are converted into a new way of living where they are.

We traditionally hear the wheat and chaff part as separating the bad guys…the good from the bad, our enemies from ourselves…but here is the point…we all have both wheat and chaff inside of us…we are all BOTH…the call is to allow the holy spirit to burn chaff away from  inside of us all that keeps us from being who we are supposed to be. Internal from a

That’s what this season of preparation  is all  about…

In this meeting ahead…

Don't worry

Feel the Presence

Be open to Joy

Joy…this  gaudate Sunday….it’s hard to think about as we  go from  holiday party to party, but in the past, this was a time of reflection, penitence…. This was to be a Sunday to break the  darkness, to be a break from penitence ….so let us go  into our time together with that spirit….

Amen

Following the service, we go to the chapel for a very important congregational meeting. We have a serious discussion of our financial situation, always perilous. We discuss the plan for our new 501c3 (not for profit ) finally putting legs under the Center at West Park. Possible changes in pastoral coverage.  Hard stuff. But there is support. And enthusiasm. We’re still in it. Willing to take a risk. The next step.

After our meeting, we share in a holiday pot luck. Everyone has brought something to share. The spirit is good. It is a time of anticipation. Of hope.

Pastor Stephen and Russ

^{Zephaniah 3 :14-20}

¹⁴Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

¹⁵The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,

he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;

you shall fear disaster no more.

¹⁶On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak.

¹⁷The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

¹⁸as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

¹⁹I will deal with all your oppressors at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

²⁰At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the LORD.

CANTICLE ISAIAH 12:2-6

²Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. ⁴And you will say in that day:

Give thanks to the LORD,

call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;

let this be known in all the earth.

⁶Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

SECOND READING PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL LUKE 3:7-18

⁷John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

¹⁰And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" ¹¹In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." ¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" ¹³He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

¹⁸So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.