First Reading—Titus 3: 3-8
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, we were saved, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of Divine mercy. God saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, who was poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Gospel Reading—Matthew 1: 18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
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They Will Call Him Emmanuel 12-25-11
God, our creator and redeemer, speak to us this day. Bring us to stand at the stable and worship. Let us hear what you have prepared for us to hear. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be a gift to you. Amen
I’m going to let you in on a little ministerial secret. When the holidays come around, whether it be Christmas or Easter, many preachers put a lot more work into their sermons—either because it just sort of goes along with our ideas that holidays are somehow special set-apart days or because we believe the myth—that some people only come to church on those days and if you are going to reach them, you’re going to have to reach them then. Not completely immune to those kinds of thoughts, I found myself struggling a bit to somehow give you what I thought would be an unforgettable Christmas Message this morning. Well, by Friday morning, I was still waiting for the inspiration for those words and as I prayed, a still small voice said to me, “why don’t you tell them what Christmas means to you?” Now, one of the things I have learned to do in my spiritual pilgrimage, although it took decades to happen—is not to argue with that still small voice. So here I am, my friends, brothers, and sisters, with simple words, telling you a little bit about what Christmas means to me.
Like many of you, I have many childhood memories, some wonderful, some not. I had the kind of childhood that social workers describe as difficult. And so some Christmases are filled with good memories, some not so good. For the first dozen or so years of my life, those negative memories are counter-balanced with the memories of the gatherings of my mother’s extended family. Every year, on Christmas Eve, the cousins of all ages would gather in the living room of the house my grandfather built and perform our own Christmas pageant. It will not surprise you to discover that I was the organizer of these pageants while my sister did all the stage work and costume gathering. I wrote the script or narration and assigned the various parts and acts into an orderly presentation. My Catholic cousins brought the music they had learned from the nuns and I will simply never forget my cousin Teresa’s yearly version of “Winds Through the Olive Trees” in an octave so high that it made my grandmother’s dogs run for cover. It was the annual event where the cousins who had grown old enough to walk, talk, and follow simple directions, made their theatrical and musical debut. We were very inclusive, everybody had a part, whether they wanted one or not, and in the end, it was a show that made these country-folk proud. And in retrospect, I can recount the ways the simple family gatherings began to affirm my vocation, long before I knew that I had one.
I have later memories as well, of course. I still curse the day I decided to buy a specific must-have ride-on toy for my son’s first Christmas. I thought the stories about staying up all night putting together toys were myths—made up by my mother to make me more grateful for Christmas. After that night, I knew the truth, and selected toys the next year that either came assembled or appeared much easier to handle. There are Christmas pictures of David as a two-year-old, shunning the toys to play in the boxes, Christmases when he wanted to be mature and hide the fact that he hoped very much that Santa was real, and one very special memory of my son at 20 agreeing to sing a duet with his mother at the Christmas Candlelight Vigil at the Episcopal Church we attended.
And, what about now—our thoughts and feelings are rooted in the past, but they find inspiration in the insight that comes with living life just a little bit longer than the last time we gave the meaning of Christmas serious thought. In all honesty, I sometimes grow as weary of “Jesus is the reason for the season” as I do of Santa Claus so close to Halloween, that we practically hear Christmas carols in the stores while the pumpkins are being carved. For if we are going to claim Jesus as the reason for the season, we need to be ready to tell people why. And the why is revealed succinctly and precisely in the holy name, given to the baby in today’s Gospel Reading—“Emmanuel”—God with us—Emmanuel! In the moment of a baby’s birth, humankind’s relationship to God was changed forever. God, incarnate in the tiny baby in the straw, eliminated the former distance between God, the creator and us, the creation. Though God had always been present in the creation, we were unable to grasp it. So God, incarnate in a tiny baby, became one of us, taking on the form of the very creation. Creation and Creator become a sacred oneness—turning the world’s idea of God inside out. No longer separate from our Creator, we act, not as mere agents for God; no, we act as men and women who are inhabited by the very God who made us and breathed life into our being.
This is why Jesus is the reason for the season—because through Divine Mercy, says our scripture, God saved us—not because of anything we have done but because God chose to bridge the gap between Creator and Creation. And in the bridging of the gap—Emmanuel, God with us, changes who all of us would be—then, now, and forever. For you see, with the incoming of God into the world, with God incarnate in a tiny human being who would grow up to teach and heal and preach—and suffer and die, we would never be the same. God made, for all to see, the sacred connection between us and the Holy by coming to earth in the person of Jesus. And those who sought to follow Jesus, began the journey of learning to live as changed persons, not just in the moment, but for the long haul. Here was God, our Creator accessible in everyday life. This revolution of God was so radical that some could not believe; some still tried to find what was required of us.
This seeking—this inability to believe that God has reached out with arms wide open and welcomed all of creation into the Divine Reign of Justice, has led humankind to try some pretty wild things at times. Our Church history books are full of folks who refused to accept the simplicity of the gospel and sometimes went a long way in the opposite of simple trying to justify themselves before God. But our scripture is clear: “…when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, we were saved, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of Divine mercy.” We know, then, that humankind was made one with God, through grace. Through God’s action we are “heirs having the hope of eternal life”.
Now lest you think I have wandered off into some not very useful theological gobbledy-gook—let me answer the question one more time. What does Christmas mean to me? Christmas means that God has welcomed me and shown me the way into the divine exceeding abundance that we have spoken of off and on for almost a year.
Christmas means that no matter what, God has issued the invitation to live in Divine Grace and nothing I can do can nullify that fact. God loves me whether or not I love God back, or even love myself. God’s promise, made real, in the walking and talking Jesus, shows me how much I am loved. And I am loved, exactly the way I am, sometimes saintly, most of the time quite a collection of starts and stops along the way. Christmas means that God’s will for the creation is, indeed, peace and sacred harmony; and that God’s will for me is to live in the peace that passes understanding and to encourage others to do the same. Christmas means that I am incapable of making this gift unavailable to me. I can refuse to accept it, I can stand outside the door and fail to knock; but it will always be there for me. This is Christmas—the wonder of it all. Christmas doesn’t end with the baby Jesus; it begins there. And Silent Night comes anywhere where God’s people renounce their hatred and greed, and turn an open heart toward God. Christmas means that I will never be alone again; that God is here, present in the Holy Spirit who fills my heart with peace and love. As we worship together for the last time in this year, may our hearts be made glad by the light of the star that still shines, leading us to the fullness of the spirit, now and forever. Amen and amen.
Welcome!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011 --Christmas Musical
Gospel Lesson 1—John 1:1-5, 9-14 --In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has
been made. In him was life, and that life was the Light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from God, full of grace and truth.
Gospel Lesson 2—Luke 2: 8-19
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Advent Reflection 1
Our songs today lead us in the path towards Christmas Eve—that night of all nights when Jesus was born in a stable with only his mother and earthly father present in the midst of God’s creatures. We don’t really know what animals were there. The stable likely held the innkeeper’s camel—not a really delightful animal at all. There were probably oxen, cows, and lambs, and even chickens—animals that either served as beasts of burden or as a future food source. There was no nurse or mid-wife, save the angelic kind, and Joseph was left to tend to the rather messiness of a human baby’s birth all by himself.
Artists and theologians cleaned that scene up as soon as they were able. Even the Gospel writers failed to record the actual birthing of Jesus; a baby simply appears and is wrapped in swaddling clothes. We see lovely paintings and statues from early centuries with a wonderfully bright star and angel floating overhead. Theologians moved rather quickly to argue only the meaning of the child’s birth and, even now, no one thinks that it is polite to mention that most women scream when they are in labor, and human babies and their mothers need a good deal of cleaning up before they are ready to receive company. What is it about this birth that makes us so queasy to talk about the actuality of it as we move rather quickly to singing angels in the heavens, cute little shepherd boys, and majestic royal kings bringing lovely packaged gifts of the highest treasure?
It seems to me that once we acknowledge that Mary probably moaned in labor, that Jesus cried like any other infant when he was hungry and that the new earthly father, Joseph, more than likely was scared to death when left to handle this birth alone, we come to terms with the fact that Jesus truly was one of us. Unfortunately, the theologians began rather early to formulate a saintly, sanitized version of the birth of the savior, which pointed more to halos then to the helplessness of a newborn. This begins, at least subconsciously, a long road of denial that the God of all Creation, became not only one of us; but, in the person of Jesus Christ, was like us in every way. It is in this identification of Jesus as fully God, fully human—that we lose our excuses that God cannot possibly understand all the pain, confusion and rejection that we have experienced in our lives. Only when we embrace the divinity AND humanity of Jesus, can we respond to this Jesus who stands in front of us this day with outstretched arms, welcoming us into a shared sacred journey—a journey of daily walking in the presence of the One who has walked this way before.
Advent Reflection 2
And so we celebrate the birth of our savior; we join in the songs and speak our praise aloud. We rejoice with the joy of God’s exceeding abundance. Is this not the time for us to let go of all that darkens the light of the Christ-child and walk gladly into that stable. Why not imagine with me, just for a second, that you are standing in front of the stall? See the smile of the proud parents, who are protectively, yet proudly, holding their child for you to see. Why here, why now? You have come to this place because of a call that would not let you go—a summons from somewhere deep in your heart that you had to see for yourself. And here you stand, reveling in the knowledge that you have followed the call this time, no excuses, no detours, nothing standing in the way. This time you kneel in worship because you listened with your spirit and followed your heart to the source of the goodness and hope that rises up within you. This time, you open your heart to the True Light, the light that brings focus and clarity to our understanding.
So many other times you have felt the call but have not followed. Why this time? So many other things could have called you away; but you listened and then you took the chance that God would be waiting for you—God in a manger, with straw for a bed. So very simple, and yet so many of us wait—feeling unworthy, unable to come. And, yet, you came. A miracle occurrs. You hear the revelation that God is coming to earth; you open your heart to transformation, and you experience a sacred redemption. In the incarnation of the Holy Child, we come to know that we are welcome, that, like the baby in the manger, we are included as children of God. We come to know this when others come with us, those who have welcomed us into a place where we can feel the sweet touch of God’s love—that transforming love that allows us to know that we are accepted as we are—that we are held in the loving embrace of God because of who we are, not in spite of who we are. You come and we stand together in the light of the star, gazing at a baby, a baby not just like us, but a baby who is one of us—who will grow and hear the taunts and jeers one day and will have to answer the same question that we answer. “Am I a child of God?” And, so God declares to Jesus and to us—“This is my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased”. This is our promise today as we stand here, God lovingly lifts us up with a divine wellspring of mercy and grace. This is our promise today, that we know we are loved. And, we are finally home. Amen and Amen.
God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has
been made. In him was life, and that life was the Light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from God, full of grace and truth.
Gospel Lesson 2—Luke 2: 8-19
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Advent Reflection 1
Our songs today lead us in the path towards Christmas Eve—that night of all nights when Jesus was born in a stable with only his mother and earthly father present in the midst of God’s creatures. We don’t really know what animals were there. The stable likely held the innkeeper’s camel—not a really delightful animal at all. There were probably oxen, cows, and lambs, and even chickens—animals that either served as beasts of burden or as a future food source. There was no nurse or mid-wife, save the angelic kind, and Joseph was left to tend to the rather messiness of a human baby’s birth all by himself.
Artists and theologians cleaned that scene up as soon as they were able. Even the Gospel writers failed to record the actual birthing of Jesus; a baby simply appears and is wrapped in swaddling clothes. We see lovely paintings and statues from early centuries with a wonderfully bright star and angel floating overhead. Theologians moved rather quickly to argue only the meaning of the child’s birth and, even now, no one thinks that it is polite to mention that most women scream when they are in labor, and human babies and their mothers need a good deal of cleaning up before they are ready to receive company. What is it about this birth that makes us so queasy to talk about the actuality of it as we move rather quickly to singing angels in the heavens, cute little shepherd boys, and majestic royal kings bringing lovely packaged gifts of the highest treasure?
It seems to me that once we acknowledge that Mary probably moaned in labor, that Jesus cried like any other infant when he was hungry and that the new earthly father, Joseph, more than likely was scared to death when left to handle this birth alone, we come to terms with the fact that Jesus truly was one of us. Unfortunately, the theologians began rather early to formulate a saintly, sanitized version of the birth of the savior, which pointed more to halos then to the helplessness of a newborn. This begins, at least subconsciously, a long road of denial that the God of all Creation, became not only one of us; but, in the person of Jesus Christ, was like us in every way. It is in this identification of Jesus as fully God, fully human—that we lose our excuses that God cannot possibly understand all the pain, confusion and rejection that we have experienced in our lives. Only when we embrace the divinity AND humanity of Jesus, can we respond to this Jesus who stands in front of us this day with outstretched arms, welcoming us into a shared sacred journey—a journey of daily walking in the presence of the One who has walked this way before.
Advent Reflection 2
And so we celebrate the birth of our savior; we join in the songs and speak our praise aloud. We rejoice with the joy of God’s exceeding abundance. Is this not the time for us to let go of all that darkens the light of the Christ-child and walk gladly into that stable. Why not imagine with me, just for a second, that you are standing in front of the stall? See the smile of the proud parents, who are protectively, yet proudly, holding their child for you to see. Why here, why now? You have come to this place because of a call that would not let you go—a summons from somewhere deep in your heart that you had to see for yourself. And here you stand, reveling in the knowledge that you have followed the call this time, no excuses, no detours, nothing standing in the way. This time you kneel in worship because you listened with your spirit and followed your heart to the source of the goodness and hope that rises up within you. This time, you open your heart to the True Light, the light that brings focus and clarity to our understanding.
So many other times you have felt the call but have not followed. Why this time? So many other things could have called you away; but you listened and then you took the chance that God would be waiting for you—God in a manger, with straw for a bed. So very simple, and yet so many of us wait—feeling unworthy, unable to come. And, yet, you came. A miracle occurrs. You hear the revelation that God is coming to earth; you open your heart to transformation, and you experience a sacred redemption. In the incarnation of the Holy Child, we come to know that we are welcome, that, like the baby in the manger, we are included as children of God. We come to know this when others come with us, those who have welcomed us into a place where we can feel the sweet touch of God’s love—that transforming love that allows us to know that we are accepted as we are—that we are held in the loving embrace of God because of who we are, not in spite of who we are. You come and we stand together in the light of the star, gazing at a baby, a baby not just like us, but a baby who is one of us—who will grow and hear the taunts and jeers one day and will have to answer the same question that we answer. “Am I a child of God?” And, so God declares to Jesus and to us—“This is my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased”. This is our promise today as we stand here, God lovingly lifts us up with a divine wellspring of mercy and grace. This is our promise today, that we know we are loved. And, we are finally home. Amen and Amen.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Holy and Whole 12-11-11
FIRST READING— First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, vs. 16-24
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil. May God, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!
Gospel Reading –John 3: 16-21
"This is how much God loved the world: God gave the one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending the Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the only-begotten Son of God.
"This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."
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God, you call us to walk with you and talk with you. You promise us your peace and we live in your grace. Transform our lives. May your sacred redemption teach us new ways to love you and care for others. Take the words of my mouth and meditation of all our hearts and bring us new truth this day. Amen
Last week we talked about the relationship between revelation and transformation. We concluded that the so-called “proof” or validity of the revelation could be seen in the transformation of those to whom the revelation is given. There are examples of this recorded throughout Jesus’ life. True encounters with the Son of God resulted in changed people: a Samaritan women finds the reality of true worship when she engages Jesus at the well and she runs off to the entire village telling what she has just learned; sick people are healed and cannot be quieted as they rejoice with their friends and neighbors; the Gerasene demoniac becomes a new man, free from the demons of mental illness and schizophrenia. The disciples, upon hearing his revelational call on their lives, stop what they are doing and become his trusted followers and friends.
In our own lives, we know of transformation after transformation when people meet the real Jesus and learn to journey through life with that same Jesus at their side. We have seen people lost in grief and depression find hope again in the healing words of God through Christ Jesus. We have seen alcoholics become sober, and people lost in doubt and self-hatred transformed into people who are content in this world. We have seen our very own congregation transformed into a warm and loving place by the revelation that God loves us just as we are.
This week, I want to expand our conversation and talk about the relationship between transformation and redemption. I believe that God is in the business of redemption—no fact is clearer in our Gospel reading than that. John 3:16 is a verse of scripture that many of us learned practically before we could read. For God so loved the world, that the only begotten Son was sent to redeem the world and give everlasting life to those who believe. The scripture continues and says to us, that this only begotten Son was not sent to the world to condemn the world, but to bring redemption and salvation to us all. Our translation this morning says, “He came to help, to put the world right again.” Listen to this sentence again, with a spirit that is free from all the condemnation we learned to heap upon ourselves when we were mere children. “He, Jesus came to help us, to put our world right again.” Now there are those who would argue that this passage is only about redemption when it is linked to the hereafter—and while the passage does point to eternal life; that is only half of the meaning of this very important passage, and it is the other half that we will look at today. Our Gospel reading tells us that anyone who seeks the God who loves us abundantly, can have a whole and lasting life. And from this encounter with God through Jesus, the reality of a changed life is revealed. The transformation that is promised in this passage is simple—“Anyone working and living in truth and reality (through the revelation of God’s love) welcomes the light of God, so that their work can be “seen for the God-work it is.”
Everything about this revelation, transformation and redemption reinforces our knowledge of God as a loving Creator, who not only blew the breath of life into the creation, but also continues to love the creation despite our very real difficulty to stay focused on our relationship with God. It always amazes me that many preachers and teachers speak only on the negative aspects of this scripture—you know, the whole damnation part. I think you know me better. I believe that God is much more interested in offering redemption, than in proclaiming the ‘lostness’ of those who choose not to walk this journey. Our God is an inviting God. I believe that God intends for us to gratefully embrace and learn of the great love that we are offered when we walk the sacred walk with God (now and forever), through the welcoming of Jesus into our mind, bodies, and spirits. Less you think that I am preaching an “easy” Gospel, let me assure you that I am not.
This revelation, transformation, redemption journey requires us to spend time learning to walk with God. There is a cute story about a little six-year-old. This little boy was very bright, way beyond his peers in understanding. His mother, knowing that he understood many things about God and Jesus , decided that it was time for her to talk to her son about inviting Jesus into his heart. She found just the right time and softly asked, “Ethan, would you like to have Jesus in your heart?” Ethan thought for a few moments and then said, “No, I don’t think I want that responsibility.” We chuckle at little Ethan and, yet, it is not so different for many of us.
Ethan is right, of course. Even those of us who are well beyond childhood, sometimes tremble at what God’s great love causes us to do in our response. Listen to the words of Paul in our first reading today: “May God, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body…” Here is where sacred redemption enters the story. A very long time ago, I realized that there are many places in my heart that needed God’s redemption. Now, I am still learning what all those places are. We hear the words of the Gospel—that God loves us exactly as we are and welcomes us, through Christ Jesus, into the God’s kingdom. We begin the transformation process the moment we open our hearts to hear the words of Christ—“come unto me”. And as we walk the way of transformation, we open our hearts deeper and wider and we begin the journey of transformation that will lead to redemption.
I believe that the God who makes us holy and whole is a God who will begin, as we are able, to show us those places in our spirits, souls, and bodies that, when healed, will lead us into a realm of redemption that we rarely believe is possible. For me, this process of redemption looks like this—as I travel the roads with Jesus and allow God to continuously reveal the gift of divine love, more and more places in my heart become visible—more and more places that need redemption. I offer those places up to our loving God, and when I am willing to let go of that particular pain or regret, it is redeemed by God’s love. God longs for us to be holy and whole—this means that as we grow in the Spirit, we see a gradual realignment in our heart. The dark and lonely places are slowly replaced with redeemed joyful places. This is our journey this Advent Season—to recognize our responsibility to become the holy and whole people that God calls us to be. And, in a wonderful miracle of transformation and release, we become new.
Now, like many of you, I learned that “being saved” was a one-time isolated event. That does not, however, fit with my experience of the day-in and day-out ‘saving’ of these troubled places in my heart. And the older I grow, the more I see the wisdom of 8-year-old Ethan. We do have a responsibility when we see, hear, and touch the revelation of God’s great love. Our responsibility is to open our hearts to allow God to show us all those harmful thoughts, feelings, and events that we carry around in our spirits, hearts, and minds, and allow the redemption of God to lovingly exchange them, as we allow ourselves to be transformed, into redeemed places of celebration on our shared journey with God. The more we, day after day, open our hearts to God’s grace and forgiveness, the more whole we become. Becoming whole is rarely a one-time event. Becoming whole comes as we struggle and believe, doubt and commit.
As we become whole, we are growing in holiness. Our three-fold process of revelation, transformation, and redemption, allows us to revel in God’s sacred wholeness, Because God has put us back together—spirit, soul, and body—we experience the presence of the holy in our lives. Is this not, indeed, the joy that will fill our spirits to overflowing as we celebrate the redemption of our hearts and the transformation of our lives, through the revelation of God to us? As Christ comes again this Christmas, may we be found ready, may we be found listening, and may we be found longing for the revelation of God ‘s wholeness and holiness prepared for each and every one of us. Amen and Amen.
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil. May God, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!
Gospel Reading –John 3: 16-21
"This is how much God loved the world: God gave the one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending the Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the only-begotten Son of God.
"This is the crisis we're in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God, you call us to walk with you and talk with you. You promise us your peace and we live in your grace. Transform our lives. May your sacred redemption teach us new ways to love you and care for others. Take the words of my mouth and meditation of all our hearts and bring us new truth this day. Amen
Last week we talked about the relationship between revelation and transformation. We concluded that the so-called “proof” or validity of the revelation could be seen in the transformation of those to whom the revelation is given. There are examples of this recorded throughout Jesus’ life. True encounters with the Son of God resulted in changed people: a Samaritan women finds the reality of true worship when she engages Jesus at the well and she runs off to the entire village telling what she has just learned; sick people are healed and cannot be quieted as they rejoice with their friends and neighbors; the Gerasene demoniac becomes a new man, free from the demons of mental illness and schizophrenia. The disciples, upon hearing his revelational call on their lives, stop what they are doing and become his trusted followers and friends.
In our own lives, we know of transformation after transformation when people meet the real Jesus and learn to journey through life with that same Jesus at their side. We have seen people lost in grief and depression find hope again in the healing words of God through Christ Jesus. We have seen alcoholics become sober, and people lost in doubt and self-hatred transformed into people who are content in this world. We have seen our very own congregation transformed into a warm and loving place by the revelation that God loves us just as we are.
This week, I want to expand our conversation and talk about the relationship between transformation and redemption. I believe that God is in the business of redemption—no fact is clearer in our Gospel reading than that. John 3:16 is a verse of scripture that many of us learned practically before we could read. For God so loved the world, that the only begotten Son was sent to redeem the world and give everlasting life to those who believe. The scripture continues and says to us, that this only begotten Son was not sent to the world to condemn the world, but to bring redemption and salvation to us all. Our translation this morning says, “He came to help, to put the world right again.” Listen to this sentence again, with a spirit that is free from all the condemnation we learned to heap upon ourselves when we were mere children. “He, Jesus came to help us, to put our world right again.” Now there are those who would argue that this passage is only about redemption when it is linked to the hereafter—and while the passage does point to eternal life; that is only half of the meaning of this very important passage, and it is the other half that we will look at today. Our Gospel reading tells us that anyone who seeks the God who loves us abundantly, can have a whole and lasting life. And from this encounter with God through Jesus, the reality of a changed life is revealed. The transformation that is promised in this passage is simple—“Anyone working and living in truth and reality (through the revelation of God’s love) welcomes the light of God, so that their work can be “seen for the God-work it is.”
Everything about this revelation, transformation and redemption reinforces our knowledge of God as a loving Creator, who not only blew the breath of life into the creation, but also continues to love the creation despite our very real difficulty to stay focused on our relationship with God. It always amazes me that many preachers and teachers speak only on the negative aspects of this scripture—you know, the whole damnation part. I think you know me better. I believe that God is much more interested in offering redemption, than in proclaiming the ‘lostness’ of those who choose not to walk this journey. Our God is an inviting God. I believe that God intends for us to gratefully embrace and learn of the great love that we are offered when we walk the sacred walk with God (now and forever), through the welcoming of Jesus into our mind, bodies, and spirits. Less you think that I am preaching an “easy” Gospel, let me assure you that I am not.
This revelation, transformation, redemption journey requires us to spend time learning to walk with God. There is a cute story about a little six-year-old. This little boy was very bright, way beyond his peers in understanding. His mother, knowing that he understood many things about God and Jesus , decided that it was time for her to talk to her son about inviting Jesus into his heart. She found just the right time and softly asked, “Ethan, would you like to have Jesus in your heart?” Ethan thought for a few moments and then said, “No, I don’t think I want that responsibility.” We chuckle at little Ethan and, yet, it is not so different for many of us.
Ethan is right, of course. Even those of us who are well beyond childhood, sometimes tremble at what God’s great love causes us to do in our response. Listen to the words of Paul in our first reading today: “May God, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body…” Here is where sacred redemption enters the story. A very long time ago, I realized that there are many places in my heart that needed God’s redemption. Now, I am still learning what all those places are. We hear the words of the Gospel—that God loves us exactly as we are and welcomes us, through Christ Jesus, into the God’s kingdom. We begin the transformation process the moment we open our hearts to hear the words of Christ—“come unto me”. And as we walk the way of transformation, we open our hearts deeper and wider and we begin the journey of transformation that will lead to redemption.
I believe that the God who makes us holy and whole is a God who will begin, as we are able, to show us those places in our spirits, souls, and bodies that, when healed, will lead us into a realm of redemption that we rarely believe is possible. For me, this process of redemption looks like this—as I travel the roads with Jesus and allow God to continuously reveal the gift of divine love, more and more places in my heart become visible—more and more places that need redemption. I offer those places up to our loving God, and when I am willing to let go of that particular pain or regret, it is redeemed by God’s love. God longs for us to be holy and whole—this means that as we grow in the Spirit, we see a gradual realignment in our heart. The dark and lonely places are slowly replaced with redeemed joyful places. This is our journey this Advent Season—to recognize our responsibility to become the holy and whole people that God calls us to be. And, in a wonderful miracle of transformation and release, we become new.
Now, like many of you, I learned that “being saved” was a one-time isolated event. That does not, however, fit with my experience of the day-in and day-out ‘saving’ of these troubled places in my heart. And the older I grow, the more I see the wisdom of 8-year-old Ethan. We do have a responsibility when we see, hear, and touch the revelation of God’s great love. Our responsibility is to open our hearts to allow God to show us all those harmful thoughts, feelings, and events that we carry around in our spirits, hearts, and minds, and allow the redemption of God to lovingly exchange them, as we allow ourselves to be transformed, into redeemed places of celebration on our shared journey with God. The more we, day after day, open our hearts to God’s grace and forgiveness, the more whole we become. Becoming whole is rarely a one-time event. Becoming whole comes as we struggle and believe, doubt and commit.
As we become whole, we are growing in holiness. Our three-fold process of revelation, transformation, and redemption, allows us to revel in God’s sacred wholeness, Because God has put us back together—spirit, soul, and body—we experience the presence of the holy in our lives. Is this not, indeed, the joy that will fill our spirits to overflowing as we celebrate the redemption of our hearts and the transformation of our lives, through the revelation of God to us? As Christ comes again this Christmas, may we be found ready, may we be found listening, and may we be found longing for the revelation of God ‘s wholeness and holiness prepared for each and every one of us. Amen and Amen.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Mystery in a Nutshell
FIRST READING—Colossians 1: 26-29 and 2: 2, 3
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.
I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery!
SECOND READING—Luke 1: 46-55
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
And my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.
For you have looked with favor
Upon your lowly servant,
And from this day forward
All generations will call me blessed.
For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
And holy is your Name.
Your mercy reaches from age to age
For those who fear you.
You have shown strength with your arm;
You have scattered the proud in their conceit;
You have deposed the mighty from their thrones
And raised the lowly to high places.
You have filled the hungry with good things,
While you have sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of Israel your servant,
Mindful of your mercy—
The promise you made to our ancestors—
To Sarah and Abraham
And their descendants forever.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God, you call us to a very special place—a place where you walk with us and make known your love for us. God, teach us what you would have us know and give us the courage to embrace all that is mystery. May the words of my mouth and the reflections of all our hearts honor you. Amen
When I was a kid, I liked to sit and crack open the walnuts to get to the meat of the nut that I would then eat or put them in a jar for my mother to use in her baking. You, see, the walnuts grew in our front yard. It was a fun game of sorts. I guess I was easily entertained as a child. It will not surprise most of you, that I tried with walnut after walnut to crack the shell and leave the nut untouched, completely in one piece—a wonderful prize for my careful work. Perfectionism starts early and runs deep. If my sister was also doing this, we had grand contests as to who could crack the most whole, half, and quarters. As I think of it now, I must admit that my mother had quite a scheme going to get those walnuts shelled at Christmas time. Of course, today, I wouldn’t think of spending time cracking walnuts and looking for perfection. Instead, I buy them by the pound, shelled, and I must admit, that although I still love their taste, something of the wonder has been lost in the process.
And so today, we come to hear and understand the mystery that we call Christmas. I believe that the words of Paul to the young Christian Colossians, is one of the most powerful descriptions of the divine mystery written. Paul says: “This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple” —lovely indeed, but challenging as well. From the very beginning God’s Word calls us to consider the relationship between revelation and transformation. The linchpin of the mystery itself, the proof of the mystery is in the transformation of the ones to whom it is revealed.
Now, while the mystery itself is simple, it remains hidden from a good many folks, perhaps because the actual Christmas story does not line up with their preconceived and deeply treasured vision of God or perhaps because of their inability to see the correlation between revelation and transformation. If one sees God as a Judge, handing out sentences for our spiritual crimes, or if one sees God as the magical genie who is waiting to pour out worldly prosperity upon a demanding world, or if one sees God as a God who takes sides in battles, both physical and liturgical, one will miss the simplicity of the message. If one believes that some are worthy to receive the message, and some are not, one will most certainly miss the message. And it is clear that if one sees God as an aloof divine being who merely controls the creation as puppets or metes out rewards and punishments and expects nothing in return, one will have missed the mystery as well.
To understand the mystery of Christmas, we must be able to sacrifice the expectations of a needy world. Though long expected to come in glory and majesty, God, the creator of the world, came not in glorious triumph; but rather through the moans of childbirth as a tiny baby crying for his mother. And this mother is but a young girl, a young girl who first hears the mystery in the words of the angel and then responds with her complete willingness to be transformed. As seekers together we marvel at Mary’s ability to believe and be transformed. We know that this transformation will be expensive for Mary—some will fail to understand and she will be condemned. Presented with a dangerous and costly mystery, Mary chooses to follow God—“I am the servant of God. Let these things happen exactly as you have said.”
Are we willing to be transformed and blessed as the mystery unfolds? Will we surrender to the divine mystery? Do we even know how? We hear Mary’s longer response in the beautiful song she sings at the home of her cousin, Elizabeth—a song that reveals her complete surrender to God and her willingness to be changed by the unfolding mystery. Mary said: “My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, and my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.” Mary knows that she cannot understand what God is doing by human reasoning. Her sacred agreement comes from her soul—the spiritual places deep inside her, Mary, the young girl, knows instinctively that the mystery can only be known by the Spirit of God who resides in her. Acknowledging the divine blessing she has received, she says, “For you have looked with favor upon your lowly servant; and from this day forward, all generations will call me blessed.”
Now, quite obviously, we are not all called to be the Mother of God. We are, however, all are called to be vessels who are willing to be changed through a blessed transformation—a conversion of heart that God will use to reveal the mystery to others. And we become the transformed agent of God bringing the message of revolution and change. Seeking worldly understanding, we will all necessarily fail. Patiently awaiting divine revelation, our spirits ready themselves for the visit of the Christ-child again. Paul, knowing that we would struggle, assures us that we have already received the mystery because God has made it so. It is up to each one of us to recognize the mystery and be transformed or to travel on looking for something else. Paul gives us a beautiful description of the outcome of transformation. He says, “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery!”
One can see that what appears simple to Paul does not always seem so simple to the church universal. Two thousand years later, we are still fighting among ourselves over the content and context of this mystery. Not only what it means to have Christ in you, but also, who is allowed access to the mystery and, more importantly, who isn’t. We’ve come a long way from simple—and somewhere in the mire of creeds and doctrines, rules and policies, we may have substituted complexity for simplicity and lost quite a few folks along the way. Perhaps you are one of the folks we lost along the way. If so, I invite you as I invite all of us, to return to the simple message of Advent—that the Christ-child is coming and we have all been called to welcome him into our hearts and spirits. And rebirth occurs. The ones to whom the mystery is revealed become the ones transformed.
Paul seemed to know, well ahead of the Councils or Conventions or Conferences that we would not do so well with simple. Hear what he said, “We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.”
There are those of you sitting here today who are celebrating this Christmas season in a community of faith for the first time in years. And you, like all of us, bring wounded hearts and spirits to this time and place. Perhaps you are afraid to let go of the past; perhaps you are still not sure that this mystery and spirit-talk is for you. Today, I ask you, with love in my heart for each and everyone, won’t you open your hearts to the possibility of a mystery so simple, that all can receive.
Some of us may have lost our way while looking for a complex theology or philosophy that answers all our questions. Some of us are seeking a new experience of God. Wherever we are on this day, I invite all of us, to return to spiritual maturity which is basic—that the Christ-child is coming and we have all been called to welcome him into our hearts and spirits—that we are all called to look in the face of a tiny baby and know that God, the Creator of the world is coming to redeem the world again, and again, and again, until the end of time. Hallelujah! Amen and amen.
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.
I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery!
SECOND READING—Luke 1: 46-55
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
And my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.
For you have looked with favor
Upon your lowly servant,
And from this day forward
All generations will call me blessed.
For you, the Almighty, have done great things for me,
And holy is your Name.
Your mercy reaches from age to age
For those who fear you.
You have shown strength with your arm;
You have scattered the proud in their conceit;
You have deposed the mighty from their thrones
And raised the lowly to high places.
You have filled the hungry with good things,
While you have sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of Israel your servant,
Mindful of your mercy—
The promise you made to our ancestors—
To Sarah and Abraham
And their descendants forever.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God, you call us to a very special place—a place where you walk with us and make known your love for us. God, teach us what you would have us know and give us the courage to embrace all that is mystery. May the words of my mouth and the reflections of all our hearts honor you. Amen
When I was a kid, I liked to sit and crack open the walnuts to get to the meat of the nut that I would then eat or put them in a jar for my mother to use in her baking. You, see, the walnuts grew in our front yard. It was a fun game of sorts. I guess I was easily entertained as a child. It will not surprise most of you, that I tried with walnut after walnut to crack the shell and leave the nut untouched, completely in one piece—a wonderful prize for my careful work. Perfectionism starts early and runs deep. If my sister was also doing this, we had grand contests as to who could crack the most whole, half, and quarters. As I think of it now, I must admit that my mother had quite a scheme going to get those walnuts shelled at Christmas time. Of course, today, I wouldn’t think of spending time cracking walnuts and looking for perfection. Instead, I buy them by the pound, shelled, and I must admit, that although I still love their taste, something of the wonder has been lost in the process.
And so today, we come to hear and understand the mystery that we call Christmas. I believe that the words of Paul to the young Christian Colossians, is one of the most powerful descriptions of the divine mystery written. Paul says: “This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple” —lovely indeed, but challenging as well. From the very beginning God’s Word calls us to consider the relationship between revelation and transformation. The linchpin of the mystery itself, the proof of the mystery is in the transformation of the ones to whom it is revealed.
Now, while the mystery itself is simple, it remains hidden from a good many folks, perhaps because the actual Christmas story does not line up with their preconceived and deeply treasured vision of God or perhaps because of their inability to see the correlation between revelation and transformation. If one sees God as a Judge, handing out sentences for our spiritual crimes, or if one sees God as the magical genie who is waiting to pour out worldly prosperity upon a demanding world, or if one sees God as a God who takes sides in battles, both physical and liturgical, one will miss the simplicity of the message. If one believes that some are worthy to receive the message, and some are not, one will most certainly miss the message. And it is clear that if one sees God as an aloof divine being who merely controls the creation as puppets or metes out rewards and punishments and expects nothing in return, one will have missed the mystery as well.
To understand the mystery of Christmas, we must be able to sacrifice the expectations of a needy world. Though long expected to come in glory and majesty, God, the creator of the world, came not in glorious triumph; but rather through the moans of childbirth as a tiny baby crying for his mother. And this mother is but a young girl, a young girl who first hears the mystery in the words of the angel and then responds with her complete willingness to be transformed. As seekers together we marvel at Mary’s ability to believe and be transformed. We know that this transformation will be expensive for Mary—some will fail to understand and she will be condemned. Presented with a dangerous and costly mystery, Mary chooses to follow God—“I am the servant of God. Let these things happen exactly as you have said.”
Are we willing to be transformed and blessed as the mystery unfolds? Will we surrender to the divine mystery? Do we even know how? We hear Mary’s longer response in the beautiful song she sings at the home of her cousin, Elizabeth—a song that reveals her complete surrender to God and her willingness to be changed by the unfolding mystery. Mary said: “My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, and my spirit rejoices in you, my Savior.” Mary knows that she cannot understand what God is doing by human reasoning. Her sacred agreement comes from her soul—the spiritual places deep inside her, Mary, the young girl, knows instinctively that the mystery can only be known by the Spirit of God who resides in her. Acknowledging the divine blessing she has received, she says, “For you have looked with favor upon your lowly servant; and from this day forward, all generations will call me blessed.”
Now, quite obviously, we are not all called to be the Mother of God. We are, however, all are called to be vessels who are willing to be changed through a blessed transformation—a conversion of heart that God will use to reveal the mystery to others. And we become the transformed agent of God bringing the message of revolution and change. Seeking worldly understanding, we will all necessarily fail. Patiently awaiting divine revelation, our spirits ready themselves for the visit of the Christ-child again. Paul, knowing that we would struggle, assures us that we have already received the mystery because God has made it so. It is up to each one of us to recognize the mystery and be transformed or to travel on looking for something else. Paul gives us a beautiful description of the outcome of transformation. He says, “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery!”
One can see that what appears simple to Paul does not always seem so simple to the church universal. Two thousand years later, we are still fighting among ourselves over the content and context of this mystery. Not only what it means to have Christ in you, but also, who is allowed access to the mystery and, more importantly, who isn’t. We’ve come a long way from simple—and somewhere in the mire of creeds and doctrines, rules and policies, we may have substituted complexity for simplicity and lost quite a few folks along the way. Perhaps you are one of the folks we lost along the way. If so, I invite you as I invite all of us, to return to the simple message of Advent—that the Christ-child is coming and we have all been called to welcome him into our hearts and spirits. And rebirth occurs. The ones to whom the mystery is revealed become the ones transformed.
Paul seemed to know, well ahead of the Councils or Conventions or Conferences that we would not do so well with simple. Hear what he said, “We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.”
There are those of you sitting here today who are celebrating this Christmas season in a community of faith for the first time in years. And you, like all of us, bring wounded hearts and spirits to this time and place. Perhaps you are afraid to let go of the past; perhaps you are still not sure that this mystery and spirit-talk is for you. Today, I ask you, with love in my heart for each and everyone, won’t you open your hearts to the possibility of a mystery so simple, that all can receive.
Some of us may have lost our way while looking for a complex theology or philosophy that answers all our questions. Some of us are seeking a new experience of God. Wherever we are on this day, I invite all of us, to return to spiritual maturity which is basic—that the Christ-child is coming and we have all been called to welcome him into our hearts and spirits—that we are all called to look in the face of a tiny baby and know that God, the Creator of the world is coming to redeem the world again, and again, and again, until the end of time. Hallelujah! Amen and amen.
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