Why Are You Worrying?

So, what are you worried about today? Anything? Why? Jesus clearly tells us not to worry about things. Sure... that's easy for him to say! Actually, with a little bit of practice, we can learn to control our worries, too. If you choose to read my sermon, I have some suggestions for doing just that. I hope they're helpful to you!

Just about a month ago, many of the women of the church participated in a one-day retreat. To make conversation easier, the women were divided into small groups. At one point during the day, I asked each group to dramatize one way that we fill our lives with things that leave no room for Jesus. One of the groups presented a wonderful skit about worrying. A member of the group was invited to walk in the garden and enjoy the flowers; and to eat some tasty candy. But that woman was worried about so many things that she turned down all the invitations! The sunlight in the garden was bad for her skin; the weather might turn suddenly nasty; and who wants to eat candy with sugar that rots your teeth? In the end, her worrying took all the enjoyment out of her life. I imagine everyone worries about something. The opinion of physician and author Lewis Thomas was, “We are, perhaps uniquely among earth’s animals, the worrying animal.” Now, I have no idea whether other animals worry or not; but I know that all humans worry about something at some time in their lives. It’s human nature. And it’s a tragedy.

Did you know that the word “worry” comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon word wyrgan? Wyrgan meant “to strangle.” Worry can do the same thing to us. Worry puts its hands around our necks, and it squeezes the life out of us until we feel cold and dead. Worry can strangle all the enjoyment out of our lives until we are wearing dark glasses that make the whole world look grey and overcast. Sometimes, worry can even physically kill us! I know of people who have been told by their doctors that they must reduce stress in their lives or they are headed for an early grave. What is one of leading causes of stress? Worry. And worry is a byproduct of fear – fear of the future and what it might bring! We don’t have any control over the future, after all. And because we don’t have control over it, we worry about it.

Take a moment and think about how you would fill in the blank in this sentence: “What frightens me about the future is ______.” If you’re a typical worrier, what came to mind is money. Will I have enough to live on, and to continue to do the things that I enjoy doing? Or you might be worried about someone’s health – yours or that of a loved one. Or maybe it’s the election. Lots of people are worried about that! Those are scary things, all right! Our finances… our health… our country. But Jesus’ disciples worried about the very same things, and you know what Jesus told them (Luke 12:22-31). “Look at the birds and the flowers. God takes care of all of them! Why do you think that you are the one part of God’s creation that he’s going to ignore?” Now, we all know that nasty things are going to happen to us now and then. That’s the way life works. But if you worry about all those nasty things, then you must secretly believe that whatever causes them – bad karma, or Satan, or the chaos monster; whatever you want to call it – you must believe that it’s bigger than God is! And the last time I checked, the Bible was pretty clear that God is bigger than everything. Whatever happens in the future, God’s got it covered!

But I suspect that we’re going to worry, anyway, regardless of what Jesus said. At least, we’re going to worry unless we learn how to deal with our fears about the future. I have a couple of suggestions about how we can do just that. The first suggestion is that we pray. Too many people use prayer as a last resort, and when they’re at their wits’ end, they send up “911 prayers” like Dennis the Menace throwing snowballs at Mr. Wilson. So let’s use prayer first. And what do we pray for? Well, of course, we pray about the situation that’s worrying us. We pray that, whatever it is, God will take care of it. But we mustn’t stop there. We need to pray for discernment – for the wisdom to understand what it really is that frightens us. That’s not as easy as it sounds. When we worry about our health, maybe we’re really worrying about who will care for our loved ones if we become seriously ill. Trying to pinpoint our fears is sometimes like playing a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. You think that you know where to put that tail; but when you take off the blindfold, you find out that you’ve attached it to the nose instead of the other end. We’re often just as blind when we try to figure out what it is that we’re afraid of. So pray about it! Ask God to show you what you’re really afraid of! I’m pretty sure that God will help you with that. My second suggestion is to ask for help. Now, I know – we’ve already asked God for help. But other people can help us, too. If you’re worried about money, find a financial adviser. If you’re worried about your health, go to a doctor! If you’re worried about being able to cope with life, go to a therapist! If you don’t know where to start looking, ask a friend or a colleague. You can even ask me! I’ll bet that I will be able to point you in the right direction. My third suggestion is to do what you can. You can’t control everything, but you can influence some things! When my daughters were teenagers, I worried about them all the time. What was I afraid of? That they would do something stupid and get hurt. So I did what I could. I tried to teach them to make good decisions. I kept the car that they drove in good repair. I made sure that I communicated with their teachers and coaches on a regular basis. There’s always something that you can do about your worries. Beyond that, we need to admit that the future is simply out of our control.

But we shouldn’t stop there! Have any of you ever read the instructions on a bottle of shampoo? We are told to apply shampoo to wet hair; lather; and rinse. Three steps, just like the three that I just suggested. But shampoo bottles have one more step: repeat. Apply, lather, rinse, repeat. And that’s what we can do, too: pray, ask for help, do what we can; and then repeat! After all, conquering our fear of the future and reducing our worry doesn’t happen in one easy step. No, it’s a process that we have to repeat over and over and over again! And that process is like a spiral. We begin way at the outside, close to all our fears and our worries; but as we progress, we find that we’re getting closer and closer to the center where we’ll find the peace that comes from trusting God with everything – even with our lives. That’s the quiet center where we all want to live, and where God intends for us to live, too! So, don’t worry! Take a walk and admire the beauty of the flowers and the birds. Be reminded that God cares for them; and God will care for you, too. And don’t be afraid! God’s got it covered.

What Credit Is That to You?

"If you only love the people who love you back," asked Jesus, "what credit is that to you? Everybody does that! Love those who can do nothing for you! After all, that's what God does for you!" (Luke 6:32-36, paraphrase) We've heard this so many times that it's old news. So maybe this little parable will help bring its impact home to us once again.

For just a few minutes, join me at a party. Now, this isn’t just any old party; no siree! This is an elegant party; the kind that you might see on Entertainment Tonight after the Oscars have been awarded. The room is beautifully decorated in gold and silver. The tables are draped with spotless white linen; and in the center of each one is a crystal vase with fresh flowers: white lilies, pale pink roses, and baby’s breath. In the far corner, a string quintet offers tasteful renditions of classical compositions – quietly, though so that the music does not disturb the conversations of the guests. The food is elegant: imported caviar, aged cheeses, and shrimp chilled on ice so that they remain the perfect temperature. If the room is elegant, the guests are even more so. The men are handsome in their tuxedos: young men, full of vim and vigor; middle-aged men at the top of their careers; and older men with silver hair and perfectly trimmed beards, their fortunes made and their lives secure. And the women – ah, the women! Each one is more beautiful than the next! Whether younger or older, each one is perfectly dressed in silk and satin, twinkling with diamonds, makeup immaculate.

What is the occasion? A birthday? An engagement? Maybe a wedding? The occasion for this party isn’t personal, but professional. Their business has just come through another extremely profitable year, and this party has been thrown to celebrate that fact. But few of these people are really here to celebrate anything at all. They are here to win. Over there, for example, is Archie Ambitious. Archie is looking to make some money the easy way; and so, he’s flirting with Sherry Spoiled, the daughter of the company president. Sherry is set to inherit half of the family fortune. If Archie can hook up with her, he’ll have it made. On the other side of the room is Carla Creative. Carla has been trying to get her supervisor Mike Middle Management to listen to her ideas. She is being very, very attentive to Mike right now in hopes that she’ll catch his ear… or his eye. Maybe she’ll even get a promotion out of the deal. And right over there by the punch bowl is Oliver, the owner of the business. Oliver is chatting with Elaine Entrepreneur. Elaine owns a little company that she started with her dad about 10 years ago. She doesn’t know it yet, but Oliver is planning on buying her business, whether or not she wants to sell. But it would be so much easier for him if she agrees to the deal. Oliver is trying to charm Elaine into doing just that.

More money… more status… more power. That’s what these particular people want to win. And after the party, they will go home and celebrate their success over a nightcap. Their wallets are on the way to being fatter than they were before; and isn’t that the definition of success? But the answer to that question depends on who you ask. In Jesus’ opinion, the “success” of these folks is thin and hollow. “What credit is it to you,” he would ask, “if you only do good to those who are good to you in return?” In God’s economics, you see, being generous to someone who can pay you back isn’t worth a hill of beans. God doesn’t give any credit to people who love others for their own gain. I can’t help but hear echoes of another statement that Jesus made: “What does it profit anyone if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?” No, we get credit in God’s kingdom by doing things a little differently.

But there are some other guests at this party. Stella Secretary is there, for example. Stella is on the very lowest rung of the employment ladder at the company; and she doesn’t make much more than the minimum wage. She is chatting with Maria Maid, one of the servers who is offering caviar appetizers to the guests. Stella has discovered that Maria is a single mom trying to raise two young sons; and that her money often runs out at the end of the month. On Monday, Maria will find an envelope containing $500 cash in her mailbox. She won’t have any idea that it came from Stella. Oliver Junior is at the party, too. He’s the heir to the company, and everybody calls him Little Ollie. He’s the one who hired the string quintet. During the musicians’ break, Ollie finds out that the wife of Vinny Viola Player is suffering from cancer. Vinny didn’t want to leave her tonight, but he needed the money to pay for her medical treatments. Ollie sends him home, assuring him that he will be paid for the whole evening. “Everybody is sloshed, anyway,” says Ollie. “No one will even notice that you’re gone. Go home to your wife.” And just outside the front gate is Gary the Guard. Gary’s instructions are to shoo any homeless people away from the gates when the party is over, so that the guests aren’t inconvenienced by needing to step over them on their way out. Only one man is there, bedding down on a steam vent wrapped in a thin, tattered blanket. “That could be me,” thinks Gary; so after the party is over, he goes to a nearby fast-food restaurant and buys the man a meal. Then he takes him to a hotel and buys him a room for the night. He doesn’t even know the man’s name.

Which of these got credit in God’s kingdom with its upside down economics? Was it Archie Ambitious, Carla Creative, and Oliver Owner; or was it Stella Secretary, Little Ollie, and Gary the Guard? Jesus said, “Love those who are not like you; do good to them, and give to them without expecting to get anything back. Be merciful, just as your heavenly Father is merciful.” If that’s the way to get ahead in God’s kingdom, I think that we all know the answer. Stella and Gary and Little Ollie didn’t have an extra dime in their wallets at the end of the evening – in fact, their wallets were thinner than they had been before – but their credit in God’s kingdom was a whole lot higher.

Now, the reality is that we’re all at this party together – both those who are well-off and those who aren’t nearly so fortunate. Even the outsiders who will never make it inside the gate are in it with us, too. But we all have some choices – what are our priorities, who do we pay attention to, and how do we treat one another? We all earn credit by what we do – and by what we don’t do. So, as I bring this little parable to a close, I have just one question. What kind of credit is in your wallet?

Who Are You Looking For?

"Who are you looking for?" Have you ever considered that question? The answer, of course, depends on what you're looking for. Jesus asked his followers that question; and I believe that he asks us, too. It's a question that each one of us must answer for ourselves. This sermon might help you to begin to discern the answer.

The story is told of a Jewish student who approached his rabbi. “Why do you ask so many questions?” he asked. The rabbi replied, “And why shouldn’t I ask questions?”

Asking questions is an old Jewish tradition. Now, the Greek philosopher Socrates has gotten all the credit for it. Using questions to teach is called “the Socratic Method.” But the Jews used it long before Socrates was even a gleam in his daddy’s eye! And it can be a very effective approach! Asking questions opens possibilities and encourages thinking. One of my friends recently posted a Facebook message criticizing our president for not supporting the military. Instead of just offering my own opinion, I decided to ask him “Why do you feel that way?” His thoughtful answer was that the president appears aloof in the presence of military personnel – but maybe, come to think of it, that’s just his style. He ended up thanking me for inviting him to think about his opinion and to consider why he felt that way.

I tell this story not to draw attention to our president and the military (that’s a conversation for another place and time), but to illustrate the power of questions. Jesus asked a lot of them! A recent book by UCC pastor Martin Copenhaver (Jesus Is the Question) claims that Jesus asked over 300 questions in the four gospels.  And how many did he answer? Fewer than 10. Jesus was over 30 times more likely to ask a question than he was to give an answer! It sounds to me like Jesus wanted his followers to do some thinking! If Jesus expected that of his followers then, I imagine that he expects the same thing of us today. So, during this Lenten season, we will be wrestling with a few of the questions that Jesus asked. You’ll forgive me if I don’t have any answers. Like Jacob wrestling with an adversary at the ford of the Jabbok River (Genesis 32:22-30), we receive a blessing not because we win, but because we are willing to participate in the struggle.

In the gospel of John, the very first question that Jesus asked is this one: “Who are you looking for?” You just heard that question in this morning’s scripture reading (John 1:35-39). John the Baptist has pointed Jesus out to some of his own disciples, and named him as “the Lamb of God.” When those disciples began to follow Jesus, he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” Did you notice that they didn’t give him an answer? Instead, they asked, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” “Come and see,” Jesus responded, inviting them to experience what he has to offer – and to decide for themselves whether he is the one they are looking for.

Now, my guess is that those disciples really didn’t know who they were looking for at all. They were searching because they had a big, empty hole right in the middle of their lives, and they needed somebody to fill it. But fill it with what? It’s tough to find what you need if you don’t know what it is. If we have an empty closet, we go to a store and look for a sales clerk; but if we have empty lives… Well, we really don’t know who to search out to fill those, do we? We’re like the guy who gets the munchies during the 11:00 news. He pads into the kitchen, opens the door to the refrigerator, and surveys his options. Cold pizza? No, that doesn’t sound good. Leftover salad? That’s not it. A cheese stick? A cup of yogurt? Maybe… Finally, he shuts the refrigerator door. Nothing is really appetizing; but he’s still hungry. “Come and see,” Jesus invited his disciples; and he invites us, too, to come and see whether he is the one we are looking for.

The answer to what we are looking for will be different for each one of you. And that answer will be different at different times during your life. After all, people search for many things. Some search for security. They want to know that they’re safe from the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” that threaten their safety. Now, if you’re looking for the security that comes from a big house, a fat bank account, and lots of stuff, Jesus isn’t the one you want. He isn’t a cosmic insurance salesman no matter what some people say. But… if you want the security of someone who will stick by you through thick and thin, in good times and in bad – well, then, Jesus is your man.

Other people are looking for love. They want reassurance that they’re acceptable to someone. They aren’t even sure that they’re worthy of acceptance. And if acceptance means having a trophy wife or a handsome young husband, you’ll have to look elsewhere. After all, Jesus isn’t here in the flesh anymore; so he’s not likely to send you a box of candy and a lace-trimmed valentine later today! But… if you’re looking for someone who accepts you for who you are, and loves you because if it (or maybe in spite of it); someone who will help you to learn to love yourself no matter what you may have done, then you’ll want to get to know Jesus a whole lot better!

And some people are searching for fulfillment. They want to know that their lives matter, and that they have made a difference in the world. Now, if that means a career that’s so successful that everybody knows your name, you might as well move along. Jesus refuses to be a reference on anybody’s resume. But… if you want to be fulfilled deep down in your soul by the knowledge that the world is a better place because you were in it, then you’ve come to the right place – and to the right person.

“Who are you looking for?” It’s the most basic question in the world. Who are we looking for, anyway? And it might well take the rest of our lives to discern the answer. So, come – let’s begin together. Let’s take Jesus’ question seriously; and let’s respond to his invitation to “Come and see.” Hopefully, by Easter Sunday, we will have discovered an answer.

A Time for Joy

Is Christianity a joyful faith... or not? That question is basic to our faith and to how we live it. This sermon might help you think about the answer.

If you were asked to choose one piece of art that represents Christianity, what would it be? That’s a hard question, isn’t it? How do you pin down our faith to only one piece of art? Some people might choose Rodin’s sculpture “The Thinker”: the seated figure who is deep in thought. And we do ponder our faith quite a bit. But my guess is that a seminary professor or a clergy person would choose “The Thinker” to represent Christianity. The rest of us… not so much. Other people would choose a photograph of hands: hands reaching out in welcome, hands clasped in friendship, hands serving food or bandaging wounds or building adequate housing. Helping hands. That’s what the essence of Christianity is for many of us. But I’m afraid that for too many people, the Christian faith would be represented by Grant Wood’s painting “American Gothic.” You know that picture even if you don’t recognize its name. It features an older couple standing in front of a farmhouse. The man, who is holding a pitchfork, stares straight ahead; while the woman’s eyes look to the side as if anticipating troubles approaching from that direction. They are dressed plainly in dark colors; and the woman’s hair is pulled back into a bun. Their faces are as joyless and severe as ours are when we are in the midst of preparing a income tax return. Life for that couple is something not to be celebrated, but to be endured.

Isn’t that what many people think that is what Christianity us? They understand it to be joyless and severe, made up of “don’t and duty,” just like the couple in “American Gothic.” You know what some of those rules are! “Don’t enjoy life,” because it’s our duty to suffer because Jesus suffered. “Don’t look for pleasure,” because it’s our duty to focus on life’s problems. And for heaven’s sake, “Don’t do anything that might bring you joy!” Don’t dance, don’t play cards, and don’t eat rich foods. After all, it’s our duty to avoid any distractions that might put our immortal souls in peril! One of my close friends grew up in the Dutch Reformed tradition. His parents were very strict about what their faith allowed them to do – and what that faith didn’t allow. On Sundays, for example, he was permitted to read the Bible and only the Bible! Nothing else was allowed. No games, no play with friends, no secular amusements of any kind. Sunday wasn’t a day of joy; it was a day of “don’t and duty.”

Can anyone explain to me how Sunday – the day that is supposed to be a joyful celebration of the resurrection of our Lord – was changed into a day of “don’t and duty”? Christianity is, after all, a faith with joy as its foundation. Yes, we go through Good Friday; and yes, there is a cross in the front of our sanctuary; but Jesus isn’t on that cross anymore! Jesus is risen! We keep right on going through the pain and the sorrow and the grief of Good Friday until we get to Easter morning, when we laugh in joy and the world laughs with us! But that joy is a scandal to many people. Some of you may remember a picture from the mid-70s that was titled “The Laughing Christ.” In that drawing, Jesus’ head is thrown back and his face is full of laughter, mouth wide open and eyes crinkled in joy. It appealed to many folks who rejected the Christianity of “don’t and duty,” but it offended many more. “How could anyone draw a picture like that?” they asked. “Jesus never laughed! He was serious!” Gosh, I hope that they’re wrong.

Now, it’s true that Jesus never told a joke that started, “A rabbi, a priest, and a minister walk into a bar.” In fact, Jesus never told any jokes. But Jesus gave us some memorable images. For example, Jesus said that it would be harder for a rich man to get into God’s kingdom, than it was for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. Now, whether that needle’s eye refers to a literal sewing needle, or to the little tiny gate that leads into the ancient city of Jerusalem, the image of a camel trying to squeeze through it is fairly amusing. (At least, I think it is!) I cannot believe that Jesus didn’t enjoy a chuckle or two, and expected us to do the same. After all, Jesus told us that he came so that we might have life in abundance!

Now, don’t misunderstand me. Christianity acknowledges the brokenness in the world. Many situations in our lives are simply not joyful. We are forced to deal with an illness (our own or that of a loved one). We lose our employment; or the weather is bad and the crops don’t grow; and our checkbooks get thin. A cherished relationship is fractured beyond repair. These situations and many others like them are certainly not cause for joy. They are cause for grief; and Christians know that! But Christians also know that joy gets the last word. After Good Friday, Easter morning rolls around.

Right now, we Christians are in a season of joy; and if we lived in New Orleans or Mobile, Alabama, or Rio de Janeiro, we wouldn’t be able to escape it. In all those places, the Carnival season is underway right now. The celebration of Carnival begins on Epiphany (January 6), the traditional day that the Wise Men visited the child Jesus; and it ends at midnight on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. You know Carnival better as Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras isn’t just a day (although “Mardi Gras” means “Fat Tuesday” and is another name for Shrove Tuesday). Mardi Gras is a season, a season of joy and celebration – the season when Jesus is proclaimed to be the long-awaited Messiah, the savior of the whole world. Now, you may not be comfortable with some of the particular customs of Mardi Gras (particularly those that take place in the French Quarter of New Orleans); but at its foundation, Mardi Gras is the celebration of joy that precedes the more subdued season of Lent. Joy… sorrow… joy… sorrow. That’s what life is, isn’t it? It’s an eternal cycle of joy followed by sorrow followed by joy.

Now is the time for joy! Lent will come soon enough; and when it does, we will lift our eyes to the cross and admit that when God’s messiah arrived, we didn’t want anything to do with him. Greed was more important to us than generosity; selfishness was more powerful than compassion; and hate knocked out love with a left hook. Good Friday will loom ominously on the horizon. But right now… right now… it is the time for joy. We’ll have our own little Mardi Gras celebration after worship next week; and I hope that you choose to stay for the festivities. But even if you can’t eat lunch and join in the games next week, I hope that you join in the spirit of Mardi Gras wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Now is the time for joy; and a reminder that, no matter what happens to us during the rest of our lives, the joy of Easter morning gets the last word!

Old News

What word describes Jesus? Savior? Redeemer? Friend? How about Refugee? Matthew tells us that Jesus and his family fled to Egypt when Herod wanted to kill him. He joins millions of other refugees throughout history; and this sermon examines that fact.

The scripture reading this morning is a continuation of the Christmas story, not the suggested reading that tells the story of Jesus’ baptism. You may wonder why I’m preaching on Christmas yet again, when Epiphany was celebrated last Sunday and Christmas was over two weeks ago. At this point, Christmas is old news. And Lent is coming at us like a freight train! (Ash Wednesday is the 10^th of February.) Between now and then, Jesus has to not only get out of the manger, but also grow up, call disciples, and begin his ministry. According to the lectionary, the cycle of suggested scripture readings for each year, I need to leave Christmas behind and get on with it! But I have always felt that preaching about Christmas gets the short straw. For the four weeks before Christmas, Advent focuses on how much we need a savior; and then, after only one Sunday, Epiphany rolls around and we’re proclaiming that savior to the nations. It seems to me that Christmas deserves more than one Sunday, especially when we consider Matthew’s story of what happened after Christmas. So listen to this morning’s scripture reading. The story picks up after the Wise Men have left Bethlehem by a road that avoids Herod and his desire to find the child who has been born “King of the Jews.” (Scripture: Matthew 2:13-23.)

It sounds like a report that might appear on any edition of our evening news: families who have been forced out of their home by the bloodthirsty actions of a tyrant. And that is exactly how we remember Herod: as the king who should have been protecting the children in his kingdom, but who murdered them in cold blood instead. Nothing much has changed, has it? We hear this kind of story all the time; only the names and locations change from year to year. We heard it in the late 1970s when Pot Pol and his Khmer Rouge exterminated millions of Cambodians through forced relocation, forced labor, and mass executions. We heard it in the 1980s when Saddam Hussein tried to wipe out the Kurds living in northern Iraq. His army invaded their homes, put the men in front of firing squads, and then bombed their villages into oblivion. And we heard it again, not quite three years ago, when President Assad of Syria ordered poison gas attacks on over 500 defenseless men, women, and children. The flood of refugees who are streaming out of Syria seeking asylum are only the most recent victims of tyrants who care more about their own power than they do about the people they should protect.

Yes, we think “tyrant” when we hear Herod’s name. But we seldom think “refugee” when we hear the name “Jesus.” But that’s exactly how Jesus spent some of his childhood: as a refugee. Joseph and his family fled to Egypt after an angel warned him in a dream about Herod’s intentions. What happened to them there? Matthew doesn’t tell us; and neither do any of the other gospel writers. We can only imagine. Was Joseph able to pursue his trade as a carpenter, or was he forced to beg in order to feed his family? How long did it take for them to find a home; if, indeed, they found one at all? Was the holy family accepted by the Egyptians; or were they mistrusted and called “those people”? We can only imagine the answers.

I wonder, too, whether Jesus’ experience as a refugee made a permanent impression on him. Did he remember that he was forced out of the home where he was born? As Jesus was growing up, did he hear stories of the cozy little house in Bethlehem with the fig tree right outside the kitchen window? Did he long to return to his childhood home, and to his bedroom with his posters on the wall and the nightlight that looked like a lamb? Jesus never did go back to that little house in Bethlehem because after Herod died, his son was a threat to them, too, and Joseph moved to Galilee when their family returned to Israel. Did Jesus reassure the poor and oppressed that God loved them because he had been poor and oppressed himself? When we hear him say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” I can’t help but wonder if he knows all too well what it means to be poor in spirit – to live at the whim of someone who only concern is his own power.

We live in a world where the atrocities committed by tyrants are old news. When we read a newspaper headline that announces “Europe Confronts Refugees,” we hardly give it a second glance. If that newspaper headline read, “Christ Born in Bethlehem,” we wouldn’t give that a second glance, either. It’s all old news. But maybe we shouldn’t ignore that old news; because the old news of Christmas makes a difference in our lives today, especially when we’re reading about refugees who have been affected by the actions of modern-day Herods.

Now, if you’re holding your breath waiting for me to offer a political solution to the question of how to deal with refugees around the world, you can exhale. I have my own opinion on that subject, but I can’t give you a solution from the pulpit. No one person has the answer to that dreadful situation. We all need to arrive at a solution together through reasoned conversations that consider both national security and human compassion. But I will tell you this. The baby who was born on Christmas, who became a refugee while he was still a child, and who grew up to give his life for us hanging on a Roman cross had a few things to say about the way that people in power should treat other people who have no power.

One of the things that he said was this: "When the Son of Man finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, he will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. Then he will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you homeless and give you a room, or shivering and give you clothes? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'Here’s the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone who was overlooked or ignored, that was me – you did it to me.'’

Maybe those of us who are not refugees should take more thought to those who are refugees; and pay attention to the words of the One who began his life as a refugee.

Playing with Fire

We all know that God came to live with us as Jesus Christ on Christmas. But that wasn't the first time that God lived among the people! God first came to us after the Israelites began their Exodus from Egypt; and that appearance was a little bit more dramatic than Christmas Eve. This meditation explores how our relationship with God has changed since the birth of Jesus. It may make you think a little bit!

Admit it: we are fascinated with fire. We love to watch flames shimmer and leap in their dance. We can lose ourselves staring into a campfire on a summer evening and watching huge logs disintegrate into fine, grey ash. What else can explain our craving to keep fire near us: a fire pit in the backyard, a barbecue grill on the patio, a fireplace in the family room, to say nothing of candles and scented tea lights decorating the mantel? Even here, on the communion table in the front of our sanctuary, candles are burning brightly; and on Christmas Eve, we lit even more of them! Oh, yes, we’re drawn to fire like a moth to… well, you know. The relationship that we humans have with fire is as old as humanity itself. Every single civilization has used fire. We needed it to cook our food, to give us light, and to keep us warm. Why, until just about a hundred years ago, people handled fire every single day!  We contained it in oil lamps, wood stoves, coal furnaces, and lanterns; and fire was as close to us as the cat that curls up in our lap. And love it or hate it, fire still plays a part in our lives. Thomas Edison may have freed us from our reliance on fire in our homes; but our emotions and our imaginations are still firmly in its grip.

It is little wonder that the Bible associates God with fire over and over again. God does the very same things for us that fire does – God feeds us, God warms us, and God illuminates our path. We all know the story of how Moses was called to lead the Israelites: God called him out of a bush in the wilderness that was filled with divine fire. And almost 2,000 years later, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire dancing over the heads of the disciples on that very first Pentecost. But the biblical writers never forgot that fire is as dangerous as it is necessary. It’s one thing to sit around a campfire and meditate on the dancing flames; but it’s quite another to step into the middle of that blaze! The same fire that roasts our hot dogs will scorch us if we get too close to it. So, does that mean that God is dangerous, too? The writers of the Old Testament thought so! The text that you heard just a few minutes ago (Exodus 19:16-19) is a great example. I only read a small portion of that story, how God settled down on Mt. Sinai in a fire that looked like a volcano erupting. If I had read a little bit more of it, you would have heard what Moses told the people: don’t set even a toe on the mountain under any circumstances; because if you do, you will die! God is dangerous, says the Old Testament. Deuteronomy warns that “The Lord your God is a devouring fire” (4:24); and the prophet Zephaniah claims that “The whole world will be consumed by the fire of [God’s] jealous anger.” (1:18) Hmmm. It appears that God is more like a nuclear reaction than a cozy little campfire for toasting marshmallows!

But we don’t think that God is dangerous! We don’t wear Hazmat suits when we come to worship on Sunday morning. When we read these Old Testament stories and compare them to how we feel about God today, we realize that something fundamental has changed in the relationship between God and God’s people. We don’t have to be afraid of God’s power. How in the world could such a change come about?  It’s all because of Christmas Eve. On that night, the sun decided to come down out of the sky and live among us as the Son. The Star of Bethlehem became small enough to burn at the tip of a candle that a preschooler could hold in her hand. The creator of heaven and earth – the One who settled on Sinai with such power that the mountain itself trembled – that one came to us as a human baby with tiny fingers and tiny toes and a head of dark peach fuzz.

So… does that mean that God has given up his power? Of course not! The divine fire that called the universe into existence and set planets spinning in their orbits is as alive as it was on the top of Mt. Sinai. But this side of Christmas, it is channeled into very different activities. God has traded the power of a destructive blaze for the power of sustaining love. “In him was life,” says the Gospel of John, “and the life was the light of all people.” The child in the manger does what a distant, threatening God could never do. Loving nurture has replaced violence. God guides us not by threatening us, but by offering us divine wisdom. God feeds us not with manna, but with his own body, the Bread of Life. And most amazing of all: God doesn’t burn our sins out of us to make us acceptable! God uses the power that shook Mt. Sinai to transform us into new creations that reflect God’s own image! The last verse of the hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” expresses this truth beautifully: “Finish then thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be; Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place.” The divine fire that once burned on Sinai now burns in our own lives: in the eyes of parents caring for their children; in the hands of a volunteers working tirelessly to rebuild after a tornado; in the hearts of chaplains who minister to prisoners living on death row; in our own lives when we pray for peace and reconciliation.

As we reach the end of this season of light; as we take the Christmas tree down and remove the greenery with all the twinkling lights; as we put away the candles for another year; let the light of the sun that is slowly returning to our winter world remind you of the Son who has come among us, and of the Divine Fire that has invaded our world and will not let us return to the darkness. And when our world seems to be full of darkness, as it frequently does, look up to the heavens and count the stars. Let each one remind you that the divine light that called them into being is with us – today and forever.

A Song of Joy

The song of the angels in Luke 2 is one of the most joyful songs in all of scripture. But where is the joy in our world today? Oh, it's there -- but sometimes we have to search for it. This sermon might give you some ideas where to look.

It was a night like any other night. The sheep were calm, moving quietly through the pasture. Some were softly munching grass, while others were sleeping peacefully in the starlight. The shepherds were quiet, too. A few were keeping watch over their wooly charges, but the rest were enjoying some well-deserved sleep before dawn broke. Suddenly, without warning, the night became as bright as noontime, waking the shepherds, and paralyzing them with fear. An angel voice boomed from the heavens: “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you! And not just for you – for everyone in the whole world. The Messiah has been born in Bethlehem! If you want to find him, look for a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And then, there were millions of angel voices all singing together, their music surrounding the shepherds in a great cloud of harmony: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, God’s peace to everyone!”

The light disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving the shepherds stunned and bewildered. It took them a few moments to realize what had just happened. The skies had split apart, and heaven had touched earth. They had seen the glory that surrounds God with their own eyes! They looked at one another in confusion. “What should we do?” one of them asked. “Should we go tell a priest?” “No,” answered another. “A priest would never believe us. Let’s go find that baby!” And, of course, that’s exactly what they did. They ran to Bethlehem as fast as they could and searched through stable after stable until they found a brand new baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. What do you suppose they thought when they saw him? He looked like a very ordinary baby, after all. Do you think that they were disappointed? Maybe they secretly wondered what all the fuss was about. I doubt if he was surrounded with the heavenly glow that we see in all the nativity pictures. He was just a baby. But in that baby, the veil between God and humanity split apart, and heaven touched earth. His birth was good news of great joy, indeed!

That is our joy, too, on each Christmas day and on every other day of the year. God is with us! But sometimes that reality is very hard to see in the darkness of our world. We have to search for it, just like the shepherds had to search through dark, crowded, smelly stables until they found what they were looking for. If the angel hadn’t told the shepherds where to look, you know, they might never have found that baby. We need some help, too, to find the Child that is living among us. We aren’t looking for a baby in a manger these days; but we are still looking for signs of Emmanuel, “God-with-us.”

What would the angel say to us today? Maybe the announcement would go something like this. “Listen, I bring you good news of a great joy that is for everyone in the world! God is among you! And this will be a sign for you. Look for a man who is helping his elderly neighbor by carrying in her groceries for her, by shoveling her snow, and by checking up on her every now and then.” We might have to search to find something like that. Oh, we know that there are many caring people in the world, but they don’t usually post a neon sign when they show that care to others. On the contrary, they are as secret as a baby born in a stable. God is among us.

Or maybe it would be an announcement like this. “Listen, I bring you good news of a great joy that is for everyone in the world! God is among you! And this will be a sign for you. Look for a woman who carries bags of toiletries and comfort items in her car, and gives them to the homeless people who stand on street corners begging for help.” That would be even more difficult to find! How many cars in the WalMart parking lot would we have to look through before we found something more than gift wrap, cheap trinkets, and bags of bows? But I assure you, there are folks in our midst who help the homeless on a regular basis. God is among us.

If we traveled to the Middle East, the angel’s announcement would sound a little bit different. “Listen, I bring you good news of a great joy that is for everyone in the world! God is among you! And this will be a sign for you. Look for a Jewish boy who is friends with a Muslim girl.” That might be the most difficult of all to find. But I guarantee that such children exist. And they are our hope for the future. God is among us.

Actually, that angel could give us all kinds of signs that God is among us. This will be a sign for you: “Look for a woman living in Chicago who is caring for her three grandchildren because her daughter is in prison for dealing drugs. Even though she has already raised a family, she makes sure that those grandchildren are fed and clothed and educated.” “Look for a man in a small Pennsylvania town who helps to staff the volunteer fire department every single holiday. He wants the younger volunteers to be able to spend the holidays with their families.” “Look for a young girl in Phoenix who insists on giving away her own Christmas gifts to the family down the street who just lost everything they own in a fire. She doesn’t want anyone to be without at Christmas.” Those are the signs that Emmanuel is here; but we usually miss them because they are so ordinary. They don’t look special at all – but neither did the baby who was born in a barn and laid in a manger. They all show Emmanuel, God-with-us. The spirit of God that fills them is the source of our joy. They bring the good news that is for everyone in the world.

“Fear not! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be to all people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and singing, “Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace, goodwill to all people.” That joyful song is our song, too! Sing it with everything you’ve got! Sing your lungs out! And as you are singing, give thanks that the signs of God-with-us are all around. We just have to look for them.