Saying 'Yes" to Community--A Quality of Heart

The Reading—Philippians 2: 1-7, 12-16a If our life in Christ means anything to you—if love, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness or sympathy can persuade you at all—then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing that would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit, but everybody is to be humble: value others over yourselves, each of you thinking of the interests of others before your own. Your attitude must be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Chris, though in the image of god, didn’t deem equality with God something to be clung to—but instead became completely empty and took on the image of oppressed humankind: born into the human condition, found in the likeness of a human being… Therefore, my dear friends, you who are always obedient to my urging, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, not only when I happen to be with you, but all the more now that I’m absent. It is God at work in you that creates the desire to do God’s will. In everything you do, act without grumbling or arguing; prove yourselves innocent and straightforward, child of God beyond reproach, in the midst of a twisted and depraved generation—among which you shine like stars in the sky, while holding fast to the work of life. The Middle Reading—Community—a Quality of the Heart—Fr. Henri Nouwen The word community has many connotations, some positive, some negative. Community can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals, and joyful celebrations. It also can call forth images of sectarian exclusivity, in-group language, self-satisfied isolation, and romantic naiveté. However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own The question, therefore, is not "How can we make community?" but "How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?" The Gospel Reading: Luke 6: 20-23 Looking down at the disciples, Jesus said: “You who are poor are blessed, for the reign of God is yours. You who hunger now are blessed, for you’ll be filled. You who weep now are blessed, for you’’’ laugh. You are blessed when people hate you, when they scorn and insult you and spurn your name as evil because of the chosen one. On the day they do so, rejoice and be glad: your reward will be great in heaven, for their ancestors treated the prophets the same way. Saying Yes to Community: A Quality of Heart 1-27-13 God, we pray for those away from us this day—keep them in our hearts. Thank you for showing us the way to love and the way of community. May we hear your voice and respond with a resounding “yes” as you call us to be your church. Amen One day this week, I was watching the reporting about a snow storm that had dumped 6 inches of wet snow in a state (and no I don’t remember which one) that doesn’t usually get much snow. Not only did it wreck havoc on travel it caused the area to be faced with the unwelcome job of shoveling very heavy, wet and slushy snow that would soon turn to ice. Once commentator, with insight that exceeds most commentators, I think, showed a video of the trees along I-40. Mostly pine, an interesting sight occurred in those trees. Some of the trees were very close together and the snow on those trees bent them nearly double. But they were growing so close together, that they were virtually laying on top of each other—one bent tree holding up the heavy limbs of the next. The trees that were not growing close to other trees, simply snapped from the weight of the snow. The commentator noted that if he were a tree in this storm, he would hope to be among the trees growing close enough together to be able to bear the weight of their neighbor tree. It got me to thinking about this sermon and how that picture of those bent trees relying on the strength of the neighboring trees reminded me of a community that is, somehow, not unlike us. What, exactly, is community? What does it mean to be “in community” and what does it mean to be community? Paul gives us as good a definition as any I could find: “be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind”. Let’s look at each one of these four components in greater detail. • United in convictions—As for our convictions, we need go no further than to the core values of our denomination—those core values which we have vowed to hold up as a standard by which we measure our own ministries and the actions of this expression of the Body of Christ called Open Circle. Here is a quick paraphrase of those values. o Inclusion—Because love is the moral value which determines our actions all of our ministries and actions must work against exclusion. Open Circle will be a place where love invites all to this family of God. I would add this—it is not enough to merely “be” inclusive, we must work to find those who are excluded from other places of worship and ministry and make sure they are invited and included here.. o Community—All of MCC desires to offer a safe an open community for people to worship, learn and grow in their faith. Our study of the nature and purpose of community grows out of this core value.. o Spiritual Transformation—The freedom to love and be loved by God and others is new to many either because of past religious environments or the belief that God and Gay or God and Bi or God and Liberal don’t go together. We know and proclaim differently. o Social Action—Less talk and more doing is our desire with regard to social action. Our commitment to Global Human Rights means that while working locally, we never forget the work of MCC worldwide I am grateful to the founders and leaders of MCC for developing these principles. They guide and direct our local convictions. As we become more and more united around these and other moral principles, decisions become easier, clearer, and the decision-making process becomes more transparent and representative of all our voices. • Paul’s second component is “United in love”. Let me tell you a story that will perfectly illustrate how we work to be a sacred multiple union of love. The last few days, I have spent many hours with our dear Annie as she is making her journey to her God. Much of the time, I do nothing more than hold her hand. She squeezes hard on my hand as I tell her how much you all love her. I want you to know that the all-embracing love of Open Circle is so strong in her room that you can literally feel it. And both she and I know that the healing and peaceful energy that she feels coming from my hand is far more than from just her pastor. We both know that it is the love and concern of an entire community that flows from my spirit to hers. She is walking home along a path that is lined by this entire congregation and she feels you making the sacred path clear and safe and smooth. This is the love that sustains us in these times and in others. Love seems to come easier than anything else for most of us. We must allow the other three components to be informed by the great love that we have for each other. Our love for each other is what people feel as they walk through the doors of Open Circle—may we always focus on that love and use it to motivate us to grow through some of the harder parts. • Paul then calls us as a Christian community to have a “common purpose”. Aha, here is where the road gets a little tougher for most of us. The quote from Fr. Henri Nouwen leads us to the question that we must ask. You will remember that he said, “… community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. “ Let us take just a moment and try to really get into that brief, yet revolutionary sentence. Do we have spiritual knowledge, or do we know in our spirits that we are not alive for ourselves but we are alive for one another? Think back to my little parable of the pine trees full of snow. Those pine trees that grew alone snapped under the weight of the snow. They may have been the tallest, most beautiful, strongest pine trees in the forest, but none of that mattered when the going or the snowing got tough. All that mattered for survival was the ability of one pine tree already bent double under the snow to uphold the weight of the neighbor tree. At that point , perhaps a rare point, but very real in the lives of these trees—their own interests were useless, alone they snapped in two. Once we catch hold of this spiritual truth—that we live not for ourselves but for others, our lives take on a new meaning. Our focus changes from “what do I want, or what’s this going to get me” to “how will this program, ministry, leadership role, whatever, influence the lives of others and bring them closer to the blessed knowledge that that are loved and accepted by the God who created them. • Paul’s final component is that we are all of a Common mind. Does this mean that we will all think the same way or never disagree? Alas, it does not. It means that we will all make a commitment to coming together—all working toward the other three components and being willing to negotiate and sacrifice in order to reach agreement and excitement about plans. I believe that Paul is also calling us to a model of supportive negotiation—meaning that when we come together and make a decision we, for the good of our community, support that decision and work to see it through to fruition. In one last sentence, Nouwen pulls it all together for us. He says, “Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own. The question, therefore, is not "How can we make community?" but "How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?" Let me tell you another story. A student asked anthropologist Margaret Mead what was the earliest sign of civilization in any culture. He expected the answer to be a cooking pot or tool or implement of some kind. What she said surprised him. “A healed femur” was her response. She went on to explain that no mended bones are found when the law of the jungle is the “survival of the fittest.” A healed femur indicates that someone cared enough to take care of this person—to hunt and gather for this person until the leg is healed. That shows compassion—the willingness to put another’s needs first or to make them at least as important as our own. As our nurturing and giving hearts are developed through our own personal spiritual transformation and spiritual maturity—compassion, care for the other—will guide all that we do and all that we are. And with Paul, we agree that when we gratefully allow God to work in and on our hearts we will become those who “shine like stars in the shy, while holding fast to the work or life. Amen and amen.

An Anniversary Sermon--2013--A Year of Yes--1-20-13

The Reading: Romans 12: 1-3 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for [your Creator]. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what [God] wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what [God] does for us, not by what we are and what we do for [God]. THE MIDDLE READING—Psalm 36: 5-9 Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, LORD, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. The Gospel Reading: Mark 5: 25-34 A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well.” The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with. At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” His disciples said, “What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you’re asking, ‘Who touched me?’ Dozens have touched you!” But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story. Jesus said to her, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague.” An Anniversary Sermon—2013: A Year of Yes January 20, 2013 God, we thank you for this day—for the celebration and the challenge. Keep our eyes focused on you as we journey with you into our collective and individual futures. May my words be from you and our thoughts be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Amen Happy Anniversary! Today we are celebrating lots of anniversaries—almost too many for one service. We are celebrating being a fully affiliated MCC Church for two years. We are also celebrating our three years of being a church. I am celebrating my second anniversary of the transfer of my ordination from the Southern Baptist Convention to the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, and all 79 of us who joined Open Circle MCC on January 9, 2011 are celebrating our second anniversary of church membership in this church. Almost a hundred more of you have joined us as we grew into the church we are today. So, this is a celebration for everyone—from first-time guest to those who once sat in a living room with a dream of forming this church. Some of you might think it strange that I would preach on this healing story—a very strange and unique healing story at that—on the day of our anniversary. Nevertheless, I think this story has much to say to us as we ponder how we can best give thanks for the blessings already bestowed upon this church in its short history as well as consider what our individual roles may be in the communal future of this church. Open Circle MCC initially grew at lightning speed. For the first two years, both before and after affiliation, we gained new members, started new ministries and, in general, enjoyed watching the blessings of God unfold before our eyes. In our third year, 2012, I believe a very important series of events began to happen which were crucial for the sustainability of Open Circle and the enlargement of our ministries. We continued to reach out beyond the boundaries of The Villages and began, with increased intention, to be a church for the region. We now have members from at least 4 counties and it may be 5. We purchased land and renovated buildings which we use almost daily in an ever-increasing array of programs and ministries. Things changed and we found ourselves no longer a smallish pastor-sized church. We began with excitement to talk of moving forward into the next size church—a Program Sized church, where the emphasis moves to the leadership that arises out of the congregation. Some things in the last year have been uncomfortable. We have lost a few folks who did not share in the vision of a church intended for a region. I’m sorry that they were disappointed, but our ministries will, I believe, continue to prove that we have followed God’s leading in our expansion. Many of you have found Open Circle in the last year and we celebrate your presence here in this place. I love hearing your stories of how you found us and the ways God, through Open Circle, has changed your life. Hallelujah, as a church, we have prayed and followed and are steadfast in our vision of “ministry for all by all”. I believe that God has used this past year to solidify our congregation. Growth in numbers has slowed, but growth in ministries and spiritual maturity has continued in wonderfully blessed ways. I trust God to provide the exact kind of growth that we are called to year after year. God is a good God and knows us better than we know ourselves. And, so, we stand ready for the leading of God in this, our fourth year as a church, our third year as an MCC church. God is calling us to a year of “YES!”—a year of stepping out in faith and hearing God’s call in many areas of our lives and in the life of this church. And, it is into this Year of Yes, that our Gospel story brings insight and challenge. The story of this woman’s interaction with Jesus is about healing—being healed and bestowing healing. It is about faith, risk-taking, and breaking rules. It is also about kinship, community, and welcoming those who we might otherwise not welcome. And, finally, it is about showing up one last time when one has exhausted every other avenue in the search for healing, belonging, and peace. Our Gospel story is sandwiched in between the beginning and ending of another story—the story of Jesus’ journey to the home of a very important man whose daughter is very sick. The crowds are all around—it’s a mob scene. Jesus is trying to get somewhere and the hoards of people, jostling and pushing to get a glance of him are slowing down the journey. The disciples are at their best—shooing people away and trying to make a clear path for Jesus to follow. Suddenly, something strange happens. No one saw her coming, this woman who has hemorrhaged for twelve years. If you know the Jewish Law, you know this makes her unclean and untouchable. But she persisted—pushing her way, this way and that—until she is right behind Jesus. Unlike others, she isn’t looking for an audience with this great Teacher; she only wants to touch the very hem of his garment. She kneels down and touches the tassel on his robe, just a small touch, and she knows she is healed. She sneaks back the way she has come, but she doesn’t get far before Jesus turns around. “Who touched me?” he asks. The disciples are incredulous—“Who touched you?” they repeat in frustration. Everyone is touching you—we can hardly keep the crowd from knocking you down and you want to know who touched you?” Jesus insists on knowing who it was that caused him to feel the flow of healing energy go from his body to theirs. The woman, realizing that she must step forward, returns through the crowd and stops in front of Jesus. Kneeling before him, she tells him the whole story of all the places she has been and people she has seen seeking healing. And then, a wonderfully amazing thing happens. Jesus says, “Daughter, you have taken a great risk, you broke all the rules. But your faith is persistent and has made you well. Go in peace.” Can you imagine what it must have felt like to hear Jesus say, “Daughter”? I can barely take it in. She is a Child of God, she is whole, and she is healed. Is that not what we are about at Open Circle? I pray the invitation to kinship with God is always present in all that we do. We say “yes” to the invitation to be a child of God and invite others to do the same. Let’s look more closely at the interaction between this unnamed woman and Jesus. Some scholars argue that she is unnamed because she was a woman. That may be, but I think she is unnamed so that we can understand that we do not have to know the names of those who are receiving our love and concern. This woman is one tired woman—all of us who are women can identify. Twelve years, wow—makes me tired just thinking of it. And, gentlemen, I know that you can identify with an illness that just won’t go away no matter what you try. She is frustrated as we all would be and she has looked everywhere for help. How many times have I heard one of you say, “Open Circle was my last chance at finding peace, or finding Church, or finding a faith community.” But something or someone caused you to come, one last time, just as something caused this exhausted, ill woman to try one last time. She didn’t want a show, she just wanted to sneak up, unnoticed, and let God heal her through the healing energy of this man Jesus. I’ve seen many of you do the same thing—you might even slip in late, sit away from other folks, and just quietly—with no show—absorb the love of God present all around you in Open Circle. We say “yes” to your presence and enlarge the circle again. It may be that you identify with this woman in the story or you may identify, as part of the Body of Christ, with Jesus. It is an astounding blessing to know that through your words or your touch God is using you to give healing to another person. We are a wounded people, all of us. Some of us come with achy scar tissue and some of us come with open oozing sores. We arrive seeking God’s presence, acceptance, and peace. This is the Gospel that Jesus shared with our unnamed woman—Daughter of God. We come to God just as we are and we are healed. We use our last emotional resource to get us here for one last stab at this thing called faith and this man called Jesus and what do we find? We find Jesus, beckoning us with a sacred “Yes” to become the daughters and sons of God. Here, God is here, and we will not be the same when we say “yes”. As soon as we say yes, a strangely surprising change occurs. We become healers to each other. We become the ones who beckon with the sacred “yes”. And Open Circle becomes a place for healing and rejoicing and joy. God, our creator, is waiting for our “yes”. God is far from done building this church. Will you say “yes” to God’s leading in our future ministries and leaders? Will you spend some time at least several times a week listening to God’s call for you in this sacred healing, holy circle? And will you say “yes” when God calls? Will you open your hearts and reach out and invite others to come? Will you say “yes” as we enter this new year of challenge and change? Will you become healers to each other and become the body of Christ in the life of another? May God grant us courage and grace and may it be so. Amen and amen.

The Unfathomable Riches of Christ--1-6-13

The Reading-Ephesians 3:1-12 For I, Paul—a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you, Gentiles—am sure that you have heard of God’s grace, of which I was made a steward on your behalf; this mystery, as I have briefly described it, was given to me by revelation. When you read this, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was unknown to the people of former ages, but is now revealed by the Spirit to the holy apostles and prophets. That mystery is that the Gentles are heirs, as are we; members of the Body, as are we; and partakers of the promise of Jesus the Messiah through the Good News, as are we. I became a minister of the Good News by the gift of divine grace given me through the working of God’s power. To me, the least of all believers, was given the grace to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to enlighten all people on the mysterious design which for ages was hidden in God, the Creator of all. Now, therefore, through the church, God’s manifold wisdom is made known to the rulers and powers of heaven in accord with the age-old design, carried out in Christ Jesus our Savior, in whom we have boldness and confident access to God through our faith in Christ. The Middle Reading-“Balancing Act” by Robert Schnase The practice of attentiveness involves noticing what God notices and seeing the world through God’s eyes. It takes a passionate attentiveness rather than a groggy indifference to notice the movement of the Spirit, to hear whimpers of God’s grace, to discern the presence and power of God among us, to identify the calling of God. It takes discipline and an intentional practicing of attentiveness for us to develop the interior life, the life of the Spirit, the life of love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, justice hope. As we practice spiritual attentiveness, we begin to see the world differently. We stay awake, we become alive, we practice resurrection. Through the eyes of faith, we fathom such questions as “Where is God in this? What might God be trying to alert me to? What does the world look like through God’s eyes?” The Gospel-Matthew 2:1-12 After Jesus’ birth—which happened in Bethlehem of Judea, during the reign of Herod—astrologers from the East arrived in Jerusalem and asked, “where is the newborn ruler of the Jews” We observed his star at its rising and have come to pay homage. At this news Herod became greatly disturbed, as did all of Jerusalem. Summoning all the chief priests and religious scholars of the people, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they informed him. “here is what the prophet has written: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, since from you will come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Herod called the astrologers aside and found out from them the exact time of the star’s appearance. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, after having instructed them, “Go and get detailed information about the child. When you have found him, report back to me—so that I may go and offer homage, too.” After their audience with the ruler, they set out. The star which they had observed at its rising when ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the child lay. They were overjoyed at seeing the star and, upon entering the house, found the child with Mary, his mother. They prostrated themselves and paid homage. Then they opened their coffers and presented the child with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went back to their own country by another route. The Unfathomable Riches of Christ 1-6-13 God, you continue to bless us with your presence. Lead us to the manger one more time and enable us to grasp the Truth that lies sleeping in that trough of fresh hay. Give us voices to glorify you and knowledge to take the wisdom of the ages into our hearts. In the name of the one who came to us as a child. Amen I love a good mystery. I devour them—I like the psychological aspects—trying to figure out the why and the how and I enjoy trying to outsmart the author—figuring out the “who done it” before I’m supposed to. Mysteries are my very favorite kind of “down time” reading. Matthew has given us a great mystery in the story of the three Magi—those exotic kings who travelled from afar to worship this baby, led by the light of a very unusual star. Those of you who used to have the pleasure of having children in Christmas pageants, or, perhaps directed them will know this well—all the kids wanted to be kings. Why, the costumes are wonderful; and, you get to wear a crown. Who in the world would want to be a shepherd in a lowly bathrobe, when you could be a king? Of course, we know as adults that the kings and the shepherds weren’t at the manger at the same time, but it makes our nativity scenes so much more interesting when the kings arrive just behind the shepherds and sorta upstage those lowly adoring sheep herders. There’s a little bit of royal, mysterious king and humble, ordinary shepherd in all of us. And, today, in our last trip to the manger this year, we want to see how the mystery of this great Epiphany—the time when God’s light was revealed—informs and inspires our lives here in 2013. Let’s first review the mystery that Matthew tells us about those kings. We almost always focus on their journey, their gifts, and their worship of the new-born (well, perhaps several weeks old) baby. But before we get to the manger, we must unravel the first part of their journey. We simply don’t know how those astrologers knew that the bright star that they saw in the East heralded the birth of the Messiah. Somehow, it was revealed to them and they began to follow that star. They arrived in Jerusalem; and, as foreign royalty, they were given an audience with King Herod. With apparent innocence, they announce the purpose of their journey, and Herod secretly starts to stew. Calling all the teachers and priests together, he asks where the Messiah is supposed to be born. Using the same prophecies that we have listened to throughout Advent, the priests tell Herod that the Messiah is supposed to be born in Bethlehem. Coming up with a plan, Herod calls the three astrologers aside and says, “Go and see the child and find out all that you can about him. Then come tell me so that I can worship him, too.” Now, from the outside, we know that Herod’s charge to the kings is not on the up and up. The intrigue grows. Will the kings do as Herod has asked and risk putting this tiny infant at risk? And for a while, we do not know and must live with our question. Enter the Magi, stage left. Here they come, on camels taller than the kings themselves and dismount and bow in honor of the tiny babe. Gold, frankincense and myrrh are laid before him and his mother. We do not know what the astrologers told Mary and Joseph or how they explained their presence. But they worshipped and responded to the new Messiah by giving wonderful gifts of great value in that day. As they leave, we are still unsure of the outcome. Then we learn that they were warned in a dream not to take the information back to Herod, and they returned home by a route that did not take them through Jerusalem. And, so we know, that the evil Herod will not get any help from these three visitors and we breathe a sigh of relief. Many sermons preached world-wide today will focus on these gifts brought by the Magi and make the connection between those gifts and the gifts that we lay at the manger. And those will be good sermons. But, Matthew gives us a second story, one that we should also hear as we ponder the meaning of this day. Matthew shows us that not everyone will rejoice at the coming of this new King. Herod, and all of Jerusalem, are reported to be concerned, ill at ease, afraid. History gives us the answer to “why?” Herod and his followers are powerful and we know that those who are in power rarely want that power challenged. This new King—the prophesied Messiah, is to be a servant leader. Herod wants none of that. So this tiny baby, even in his birth, sends ripples of fear and anger through the ranks of the rulers of the day and is seen as a rival. Herod knew, through his familiarity with the Jewish scriptures and through the wisdom of the priests, that the Messiah would turn the world upside down; and, more particularly, turn his world upside down—threatening his power and control. And, in the darkest part of the story, we learn that when the three kings do not return and give him details about the Messiah, Herod retaliates and orders the death of all male children under the age of two. We stay away from this part of the story, wanting no part of death and destruction that came in direct retribution to the birth of this baby we call ‘Jesus’. But, there is more, these three kings come from afar, signaling that God’s message of radical justice and peace has spread far and wide. The distinctions between those in power or those “in the know” and humble, ordinary folk are already beginning to break down in the presence of this tiny baby. If this continues, who knows what may happen next? We know of the life this child lived, of his teachings and of his dismantling the wall between the “have’s” and the “have nots”. And yet, we are still left with mystery—the great mystery that unfolds in the teaching and preaching of this child—the mystery of God’s inclusion of everyone in the invitation to the reign of justice, well-being, wholeness, and peace after all those centuries of favoring only the Hebrew people. Thirty years of growth and preparation readies Jesus to unlock the keys to the truth that Herod suspects at the time of his birth. For the answers to this mystery we look to Paul, an apostle of the adult Christ, who understood this mystery well. Paul was in prison for preaching exactly the same message that ignited fear in Herod’s heart at the time of the birth of the Christ child. Paul, through truth given to him in revelation, announces that he has insight into the mystery that formerly was hidden from all people of earlier times. This mystery, now revealed by the Holy Spirit to spiritual people everywhere is that Gentiles, and that would include everyone who is not Jewish, are welcome to receive this same miraculous news and become members of the Body of Christ along with the Jews. Paul is grateful that he has been given the gift and grace of being called to preach the “unfathomable riches of Christ” as well as the “mysterious design” that was formerly hidden in God. It is through the church—the Body of Christ—that this great mystery is now to be shared. And this is where the two stories within the story of the Journey of the Magi come together—precisely when we need them to. The bright star leads us to Christ and through His Church to the ministry we are compelled to accept through the gifts and grace of the Holy Spirit. We, just as the Magi, bring our gifts and lay them at the altar of the sleeping babe. And, in those gifts—given in love and adoration of the Messiah—the mystery of how the Church is to spread the Good News of this new kind of justice and peace. We bring all our gifts to God to share with those who need them the most—the tired neighbor, the hopeless gay teen, or the troubled, broken-hearted individuals who have not yet discovered truth of this great mystery. Christmas isn’t very merry at all if you think the story is only about God choosing to enter the world as a baby in a messy stall destined to become a king with no palace or throne. Perhaps the Wise Men missed their target and ended up in Jerusalem because it would have been almost impossible to believe that the new King would be born in a town like Bethlehem. The palace is where this baby should be. Perhaps, when the baby was not there, they trusted what they heard from the priests or Herod himself and travelled that extra nine miles to Bethlehem—or, perhaps, disappointed in not finding the child in Jerusalem, they simply continued their travel. Either way, they followed a sign that led them to where God, come as a baby, could be found. Are we not signs as well—signs that lead people to this God who waits to welcome them into the sacred family. This God, who loves us with an irresistible love, longs to use us to bring about a vision of a perfect and just peace in the name of the one who we worship this day. Amen and amen.

New Year, New Name

The Reading— Numbers 6:22-27 The LORD told to Moses to pass on the following instructions to Aaron and his sons for their work as priests: “These are the words of blessing you are to use when you bless the Israelite people: May the LORD set you up for life and look after you; May the LORD smile upon you and be generous to you; May the LORD keep an eye on you and give you a life in which all is well. With these words you will remind my people who they belong to, and I will bless them.” The Middle Reading—Diane Faulds Just for Now, without asking how, let yourself sink into stillness. Just for now, lay down the weight you so patiently bear upon your shoulders. Feel the earth receive you, and the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider as your awareness reaches up to meet it. Just for now, allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience. Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth. Just for now, be boundless, free, with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet. Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really are – so fully alive that the world looks different, newly born and vibrant, just for now. The Gospel Reading: Luke 2: 16-21 So without messing around they headed straight into Bethlehem, and sure enough, they tracked down Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the feed trough. When they saw all this, they began telling everyone what they had heard about this child. People could hardly believe their ears when they heard what the shearers were saying. But their words were precious to Mary and she repeated them over and over in her mind, wondering what would become of it all. The shearers headed off towards their camp again — a rowdy mob, singing and shouting in the streets about how fabulous God was because of everything they had seen and heard. Everything had been just the way they had been told it would be. ........Mary and Joseph followed the law and custom of their people and held a ceremony for the baby boy when he was eight days old to circumcise him and name him. They named him Jesus — the name which God’s messenger had given him before he began to take shape in the womb. New Year—New Name 12-30-12 Holy God, on this last Sunday of 2012, we thank you for all the blessings of the past year. We thank you for all we have learned about you and about ourselves. We thank you for your forgiveness when we have fallen short of your call to love each other, ourselves, and you. Fill my mouth with your words and our hearts with your peace. Amen How many of you know the story of how you were named? Here’s my story—I was named for the famous actress Carole Lombard. I was supposed to be Carol Ann, but when my mother unexpectedly found out there were two babies instead of one, she split the chosen name. First one out—that’s me—was to be Carol Lynn and the second one Cheryl Ann. Probably, most of you have a naming story. If not for yourselves, for a child or other relative. Let’s think about how children are named and for whom. My son, David, was named for my favorite uncle because I wanted for my son the same gentle sweetness that I experienced in my Uncle David. And, whether it is because of his namesake or not, from my perspective, naming him after my beloved Uncle played a role in who he would become. We are still telling parts of the Christmas story as this is what is known as Christmastide in those churches which observe a liturgical calendar. For me, the story is simply too deep and too long to tell in only one or two sermons. So, I’m glad I have time—this week and next—to finish telling it. We are celebrating the naming of Jesus this week. We know that most names have meaning in other languages—beyond the Carole Lombard story, the name “Carol” actually comes from two sources. In the old German, it actually means “a person who is free”. Eventually, it was connected to Christmas as in Christmas Carol which means “song”. I long ago determine that for me, my name simply means “freedom song”. In our brief portion of the story today, the shepherds have gone home and eight days have passed. Mary and Joseph, in obedience to the Jewish law, wait until the time of circumcision to name their baby. He is named “Jesus” as revealed by an angel messenger to Joseph now some 9 months ago. The name “Jesus” actually builds upon the most holy name of God—Yahweh, Jehovah, I AM! We have all grown accustomed to the Greek version of the name— “Jesus”; but, the name in Hebrew was probably “Joshua” or “Yeshua”. We, in churches that proclaim themselves to be Christian, do many things in Jesus’ name. I want us to think about that today as we turn our eyes toward the new year. It is easy to throw the name of Jesus around—to use it as a magical word, something akin to abracadabra. And, although we know better, we still sometimes forget the power in using the name of Jesus rightly and the sinfulness of using the name of Jesus wrongly. Think of all the things that have been done in the name of Jesus—the Crusades of Medieval times come to mind. How about the taking of the United States away from her original inhabitants, or slavery or bigotry or hate! You see, claiming the name of Jesus alone does not make our actions just or in keeping with the right relationships in which we are called to live. The name of Jesus has time and again been used by folks who believe they are in the right to keep out those who they think are in the wrong. Think about it—Wartburg Seminary professor Duane Prielle says, “Every time you draw the line between who’s in and who’s out, you’ll find Jesus on the other side.” Now, those of us in denominations like UFMCC—Metropolitan Community Churches—tend to think that by being comprised of mainly marginalized persons, those of us who are LGBT—we have some inherent right to claim that what we do in the name of Jesus automatically falls on the side of right. But God calls us to take a second look and, in that second look, is where we find ourselves on the cusp of a brand new year. There are many of you who have told me in the last few weeks that you are excited about where God may take Open Circle in the coming year—what new ministries, new forms of outreach, new teaching, new everything God may do in our midst. Here’s the catch—God cannot and will not do those things in our midst without our taking seriously what we are doing in the name of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. We have studied many passages in 2012 about what Jesus did while physically present here on earth. I presume that those acts model for us what we are to do in His name. Think back with me. We heard of Jesus protecting and defending the weak among us, liberating those who are in prisons of mind and heart, healing the sick, teaching the confused, comforting the broken-hearted, feeding the hungry, and finding the lost—to name a few. Are these not the actions that we should be undertaking with the gracious gifts our God has poured out in our midst? Here is what we never find Jesus doing—watching others protect, heal, comfort, feed and find those who have needs. I can say with utmost assurance today—that Jesus does not call any of us to the ministry of watching others, critiquing others, or, God forbid, demeaning the honest actions others. Let’s go back to the question of “what’s in a name?” The meaning of Jesus or Yeshua is “God’s salvation” or, in verb form, “God saves”. Jesus spent his whole life showing us how deep and wide, boundless and all-encompasing God’s salvation really was. “Christ” was the royal name given to Jesus to link his human side to his divine side. And, we are called, Christians, those who follow the Christ. I know that many of you know the story regarding Gandhi who was, of course, Hindu. He regarded Jesus as a wonderful teacher and powerful prophet. Missionary E. Stanley Jones once met with Gandhi and asked him, “Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?”

Gandhi replied, “Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ. If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today,” he added. That is an amazing statement made by one of the most admired men of recent times. And so, we as Christians, and as a church are called to look harder at what we do in the name of Jesus. Those things which we do in Jesus’ name determine who we as people and as a church become. Many of you have told me and others in the church, how being in this church and discovering the Jesus who loves and does not condemn has changed your life. Are you telling those outside this church? Many of you have told me of ministries that you hope to see arise in our midst. Are you praying for God’s guidance as to whether or not you are being prepared to step forward and lead that, or some other, ministry? Many of you have told me of your excitement about realizing the dream to have our own sanctuary. Are you also praying for God to show you what role you might play in the capital campaign that we must undertake? Some of you may be aware that there is a commonly held principle with regard to congregational life in most churches—that is, 20% of the people do all the work, while 80% of the people are primarily observers. It is my deepest desire that Open Circle turn that statistic on its head. What if 80% of you were involved in the work of the church and the 20% who truly could not be involved were loved and treasured for their presence among us? What will we do in the name of Jesus in 2013? That answer depends on you—each of you. Where will we see Jesus active in our midst because of our own commitment to participate fully in this body of Christ in the world? Hear again who we say we are—the mission of Open Circle is to share the unconditional love of God and to call us, through the grace of Jesus Christ to ministry by all for all. There are only two verbs in this mission statement—to share and to call. We know what we are to share—the good news that God loves and welcomes everyone to this place and to the larger family of God. The second half might be a little harder to understand. In our mission statement, we have said that Open Circle, the church itself, will call each of us—all of us—to ministry—ministry by all for all. If we are only implementing the first half of our mission, we have much room for growth. Here is the name change I would like for us to consider in the coming weeks and throughout the new year. What if, what if, instead of calling yourself a member, or friend, or regular attender of Open Circle MCC—what if you began to call yourself a “minister” of Open Circle MCC? You see, I believe that our mission statement is not, in fact, misguided in its second half. I believe that our mission statement stands as a constant reminder of who we want to become—all of us ministering to anyone who needs the love, grace, and peace of God, through Jesus Christ in their lives. The name of Jesus still has the power to heal, to restore hope, and to set the captive free. But that power is dependent on you to take on the role of doer instead of watcher, minister as well as ministered to. In three weeks, we will celebrate our second anniversary as a fully affiliated MCC church and our third anniversary as a faith community. We are an amazing people, but we have much to learn. I see the next year as a year of listening and following, praying and discerning, seeking and finding our confidence as children of God. This is a pivotal year for Open Circle MCC—I am glad that you are on this journey with me and look forward with sacred anticipation at what God will do in our midst in the name of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Amen and amen. New Year—New Name 12-30-12 Holy God, on this last Sunday of 2012, we thank you for all the blessings of the past year. We thank you for all we have learned about you and about ourselves. We thank you for your forgiveness when we have fallen short of your call to love each other, ourselves, and you. Fill my mouth with your words and our hearts with your peace. Amen How many of you know the story of how you were named? Here’s my story—I was named for the famous actress Carole Lombard. I was supposed to be Carol Ann, but when my mother unexpectedly found out there were two babies instead of one, she split the chosen name. First one out—that’s me—was to be Carol Lynn and the second one Cheryl Ann. Probably, most of you have a naming story. If not for yourselves, for a child or other relative. Let’s think about how children are named and for whom. My son, David, was named for my favorite uncle because I wanted for my son the same gentle sweetness that I experienced in my Uncle David. And, whether it is because of his namesake or not, from my perspective, naming him after my beloved Uncle played a role in who he would become. We are still telling parts of the Christmas story as this is what is known as Christmastide in those churches which observe a liturgical calendar. For me, the story is simply too deep and too long to tell in only one or two sermons. So, I’m glad I have time—this week and next—to finish telling it. We are celebrating the naming of Jesus this week. We know that most names have meaning in other languages—beyond the Carole Lombard story, the name “Carol” actually comes from two sources. In the old German, it actually means “a person who is free”. Eventually, it was connected to Christmas as in Christmas Carol which means “song”. I long ago determine that for me, my name simply means “freedom song”. In our brief portion of the story today, the shepherds have gone home and eight days have passed. Mary and Joseph, in obedience to the Jewish law, wait until the time of circumcision to name their baby. He is named “Jesus” as revealed by an angel messenger to Joseph now some 9 months ago. The name “Jesus” actually builds upon the most holy name of God—Yahweh, Jehovah, I AM! We have all grown accustomed to the Greek version of the name— “Jesus”; but, the name in Hebrew was probably “Joshua” or “Yeshua”. We, in churches that proclaim themselves to be Christian, do many things in Jesus’ name. I want us to think about that today as we turn our eyes toward the new year. It is easy to throw the name of Jesus around—to use it as a magical word, something akin to abracadabra. And, although we know better, we still sometimes forget the power in using the name of Jesus rightly and the sinfulness of using the name of Jesus wrongly. Think of all the things that have been done in the name of Jesus—the Crusades of Medieval times come to mind. How about the taking of the United States away from her original inhabitants, or slavery or bigotry or hate! You see, claiming the name of Jesus alone does not make our actions just or in keeping with the right relationships in which we are called to live. The name of Jesus has time and again been used by folks who believe they are in the right to keep out those who they think are in the wrong. Think about it—Wartburg Seminary professor Duane Prielle says, “Every time you draw the line between who’s in and who’s out, you’ll find Jesus on the other side.” Now, those of us in denominations like UFMCC—Metropolitan Community Churches—tend to think that by being comprised of mainly marginalized persons, those of us who are LGBT—we have some inherent right to claim that what we do in the name of Jesus automatically falls on the side of right. But God calls us to take a second look and, in that second look, is where we find ourselves on the cusp of a brand new year. There are many of you who have told me in the last few weeks that you are excited about where God may take Open Circle in the coming year—what new ministries, new forms of outreach, new teaching, new everything God may do in our midst. Here’s the catch—God cannot and will not do those things in our midst without our taking seriously what we are doing in the name of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. We have studied many passages in 2012 about what Jesus did while physically present here on earth. I presume that those acts model for us what we are to do in His name. Think back with me. We heard of Jesus protecting and defending the weak among us, liberating those who are in prisons of mind and heart, healing the sick, teaching the confused, comforting the broken-hearted, feeding the hungry, and finding the lost—to name a few. Are these not the actions that we should be undertaking with the gracious gifts our God has poured out in our midst? Here is what we never find Jesus doing—watching others protect, heal, comfort, feed and find those who have needs. I can say with utmost assurance today—that Jesus does not call any of us to the ministry of watching others, critiquing others, or, God forbid, demeaning the honest actions others. Let’s go back to the question of “what’s in a name?” The meaning of Jesus or Yeshua is “God’s salvation” or, in verb form, “God saves”. Jesus spent his whole life showing us how deep and wide, boundless and all-encompasing God’s salvation really was. “Christ” was the royal name given to Jesus to link his human side to his divine side. And, we are called, Christians, those who follow the Christ. I know that many of you know the story regarding Gandhi who was, of course, Hindu. He regarded Jesus as a wonderful teacher and powerful prophet. Missionary E. Stanley Jones once met with Gandhi and asked him, “Mr. Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?”

Gandhi replied, “Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ. If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today,” he added. That is an amazing statement made by one of the most admired men of recent times. And so, we as Christians, and as a church are called to look harder at what we do in the name of Jesus. Those things which we do in Jesus’ name determine who we as people and as a church become. Many of you have told me and others in the church, how being in this church and discovering the Jesus who loves and does not condemn has changed your life. Are you telling those outside this church? Many of you have told me of ministries that you hope to see arise in our midst. Are you praying for God’s guidance as to whether or not you are being prepared to step forward and lead that, or some other, ministry? Many of you have told me of your excitement about realizing the dream to have our own sanctuary. Are you also praying for God to show you what role you might play in the capital campaign that we must undertake? Some of you may be aware that there is a commonly held principle with regard to congregational life in most churches—that is, 20% of the people do all the work, while 80% of the people are primarily observers. It is my deepest desire that Open Circle turn that statistic on its head. What if 80% of you were involved in the work of the church and the 20% who truly could not be involved were loved and treasured for their presence among us? What will we do in the name of Jesus in 2013? That answer depends on you—each of you. Where will we see Jesus active in our midst because of our own commitment to participate fully in this body of Christ in the world? Hear again who we say we are—the mission of Open Circle is to share the unconditional love of God and to call us, through the grace of Jesus Christ to ministry by all for all. There are only two verbs in this mission statement—to share and to call. We know what we are to share—the good news that God loves and welcomes everyone to this place and to the larger family of God. The second half might be a little harder to understand. In our mission statement, we have said that Open Circle, the church itself, will call each of us—all of us—to ministry—ministry by all for all. If we are only implementing the first half of our mission, we have much room for growth. Here is the name change I would like for us to consider in the coming weeks and throughout the new year. What if, what if, instead of calling yourself a member, or friend, or regular attender of Open Circle MCC—what if you began to call yourself a “minister” of Open Circle MCC? You see, I believe that our mission statement is not, in fact, misguided in its second half. I believe that our mission statement stands as a constant reminder of who we want to become—all of us ministering to anyone who needs the love, grace, and peace of God, through Jesus Christ in their lives. The name of Jesus still has the power to heal, to restore hope, and to set the captive free. But that power is dependent on you to take on the role of doer instead of watcher, minister as well as ministered to. In three weeks, we will celebrate our second anniversary as a fully affiliated MCC church and our third anniversary as a faith community. We are an amazing people, but we have much to learn. I see the next year as a year of listening and following, praying and discerning, seeking and finding our confidence as children of God. This is a pivotal year for Open Circle MCC—I am glad that you are on this journey with me and look forward with sacred anticipation at what God will do in our midst in the name of Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. Amen and amen. . .

Christmas Eve 2012

Joy to Be Shared Christmas Eve 2012 Some of you may be familiar with the name of Karl Barth. He was a Swiss theologian who died in 1968. He wrote, among other things, a thirteen volume series of books titled Church Dogmatics. He wrote hundreds of pages outlining great theological thought. It seems that late in his life, he was asked to give a lecture to a group of young seminary students at Chicago Divinity School. It was quite a lecture although he was already failing in health. At the close of the lecture, the president of the seminary said this to the students, “Dr. Barth is not well and while he would like to take your questions, he is unable to do so.” He then turned to Barth and said, “I would like to ask you just one question on behalf of all of us. Of all the theological insights you have ever had, which do you consider to be the greatest of them all?” What an amazing question for a man who had penned some of the most complicated explanations of theology ever written. Apparently, the students put their pens to paper, ready to record the answer. It is reported that Dr. Barth, closed his eyes for just a moment, and then replied, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” And, that was that. As I reflected on these profound words of Karl Barth, well-known to me through my childhood, I tried to grasp what those words really mean—Jesus loves me, this I know. Now I will admit to you that I have thought about this reflection for weeks—you know, it’s Christmas Eve, and all preachers know that their words should reflect the importance of this night. And, then, I came across this story of Dr. Barth and the seminarians and it knocked me to my knees. Forget all the lofty words, the deep theological insights—this is Christmas Eve and Jesus loves me—this is what I know and of this is what I should speak. Jesus, this tiny babe in a manger, loves us. Jesus, this man who walked and talked with the poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick, loves us. Jesus, this man, both God and servant of God, loves us. Jesus, the Rock of Salvation, Wonderful Counselor, and Prince of Peace, loves us. US! Beckoning to us to come and see, the Light of God shows us the way. And we come, not as children, the passage of time knows better; but we come as children of God—each year, welcomed anew to deepen our relationship with all that is Holy in our lives and with the God, who created all things. We come to be forgiven and healed, comforted and made whole, embraced and filled with joy. And, so, together we go—these are some of my private musings with this tiny baby, loving teacher, servant God. I picture myself standing in front of Mary, gazing at the child. I remember to tell Mary that her baby is beautiful and she smiles. Then my eyes and my heart rest on him. My soul sings as Mary’s did just a few months before. And I know that I am blessed. I know that God has chosen me to love and to use in this world as a servant of Divine Love. God fills my heart with Joy and sets my feet to dancing to the rising of a heavenly song. I am aware on this night, like no other, that God has created me to be the person that I am—all that I am—and has guided me through all my life. It occurs to me that I am twice the age that Jesus was when he began his ministry on earth. And, here I am, still a beginner in this experience called life; but God calls me to learn more and more of the Sacred Truths of what it means to be God’s child. And, here in front of this baby, I begin anew, on the holiest of nights to seek and find the peace that surpasses all my understanding but is freely given in the light of this Holy Child. Tonight, I open my heart wider still to receive the grace that God longs to pour into my life. Tonight, I invite you to place yourselves in front of the manger, for I believe that God has Sacred Truths in store for every one of us. I invite you, to find a place of quiet even if only for a moment, to seek out what God has nestled in the manger along with this baby that is your gift from God tonight. This Christmas Eve may you find the song that shapes your souls and may you travel to Bethlehem and stand with lowly shepherds and proud new parents and see the child that was born for you. May you hear and feel God’s gracious and loving embrace of you and all that you are. May you know the blessed peace that comes from journeying to the silent place in your heart where God waits ready to speak your name and call you to joy. Tonight, all God’s people whisper, Amen and amen. And we are family tonight. I invite you to turn to those around you and say “Merry Christmas, Jesus loves you!” Joy to the World

THe One-of-a-Kind Glory 12-23-12

The Reading—Isaiah 2: 1-5 The Message Isaiah got regarding Judah and Jerusalem: There’s a day coming when the mountain of GOD’s House Will be The Mountain— solid, towering over all mountains. All nations will river toward it, people from all over set out for it. They’ll say, “Come, let’s climb GOD’s Mountain, go to the House of the God of Jacob. He’ll show us the way he works so we can live the way we’re made.” Zion’s the source of the revelation. GOD’s Message comes from Jerusalem. He’ll settle things fairly between nations. He’ll make things right between many peoples. They’ll turn their swords into shovels, their spears into hoes. No more will nation fight nation; they won’t play war anymore. Come, family of Jacob, let’s live in the light of GOD. The Middle Reading--from “How the Light Comes” by Jan Richardson I cannot tell you how the light comes. What I know is that it is more ancient than imagining. That it travels across an astounding expanse to reach us. That it loves searching out what is hidden, what is lost, What is forgotten, or in peril, or in pain. … I cannot tell you how the light comes, but that it does. That it will. That it works its way into the deepest dark that enfolds you, though it may seem long ages in coming or arrive in a shape you did not foresee. And so may we this day turn ourselves toward it. May we lift our faces to let it find us. May we bend our bodies to follow the arc it makes. May we open and open more and open still to the blessed light that comes. The Gospel—John 1:1-18 The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one. Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing! came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness: the darkness couldn’t put it out. There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light. The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten. The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of- a-kind glory, like Parent, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.” We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, this endless knowing and understanding—all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God- Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Creator, has made God plain as day. The One-of-a-Kind Glory 12-23-12 God, Source of all Light and life, call us to sit up and watch for the coming of the Life-Light anew in our hearts. It’s almost Christmas, and we’re not sure we’re ready for all you have in store for us. Open our hearts wide that we may receive every blessing you for us. May the words of my mouth be inspired by your Holy Spirit and may our listening be an upturning of our faces to greet your light this day. Amen Do you know the first recorded words of Biblical history? I’ll give you a moment---“Let there be light!” That’s what God said upon seeing the creation of the world. And there was light! And we, the people of God, have been searching ever since for ways to experience that light which God called into being before life itself. You’d think it would be easy for us to understand—why look around “light” is everywhere. And, if the day is gray or night has fallen, we simply flip a switch and light abounds. And yet, we struggle and struggle and struggle some more to know how to make that same light alive in our spirits, our minds, and yes, even our bodies. Isaiah tells us that to live in the light is to live in the way we were made. Living in God’s light, in tune with the plans of our Creator, produces change in the world—right and fair relationships between all nations and peoples, swords changed into shovels and spears into hoes, war a thing of the past. Christ has come again at almost 2000 Christmases and, still, we fail to comprehend the radical righting of relationships when we live as God called us to be as people of the Light. The verses in the Gospel of John that were read today are called the Prologue. There are no pretty angels here, rugged shepherds or well-heeled sages—nothing to get in the way of understanding that which John would have us understand. Poet that John was—he speaks in words that call us to have to try hard to grasp their meaning. But grasp we must if we are to participate in this Life-Light that blazes out of the darkness in John’s interpretation of the coming of Jesus into the world. Jesus and God, intimately linked from the beginning of time, waiting for the right time to be revealed to the world. And when this divine Life-Light was revealed in the coming of Jesus to earth, it could not be extinguished. Building on the basics from Moses, Jesus gives us an in flesh expression of God that we can all understand. In fact, this Jesus has made God plain as day. Most of us may say today, “Really? God plain as day?” We’ve been asking a lot of questions in the last two weeks or so about where God is. Several of you asked me the question all preachers fear. “Why does God let things like that happen?” It doesn’t matter what the “that” is in the sentence, it’s all the same question. Who is this God, anyway? And, if omnipotent and all powerful, why did this (whatever the this may be) happen?” I’m going to give you an answer that is horribly unsatisfying and dangerously honest. “I don’t know.” But, I do know where God is in the seconds after the evil (wherever it is—in Connecticut, Tucson, the Pentagon, New York City or Uganda) is perpetrated. God is in the teachers who shielded children with their own bodies, God is in the first responders at every single scene where evil has played out its torturous renunciation of all things holy, God is in the words of the pastors called upon to preach in circumstances that no one can prepare for. God is in the songs of the Children’s Christmas pageants that continue to take place in every church determined to let God’s light shine for all to see, and God is in the prayers of the broken-hearted and desolate. The world comes dangerously close to extinguishing the Light in my opinion. Wars, wounded soldiers, murdered children, abused women and men, and people dying by the thousands of AIDS—a disease we should have been able to eradicate decades ago—all cause us to ask “why?” We, much like Mary, ponder all these things in our hearts as we watch the unfolding of the Christmas story again this year. But, John calls us back to reality—the Light shines in this darkness because the darkness has not overcome it. Everyone is invited to experience this one-of-a-kind glory. That’s a close as John gets to celestial beings or magical messages in dreams and visions. This glory is for all, that is, all who participate in this Reign of Light and Life. Here, we encounter more than a little resistance. How does this work, this experiencing of glory? Many of us will say, I can’t identify with this. My religion is practical, none of this mystical, soul-shifting stuff for me. Here’s where “Glory” gets a bad name. We convince ourselves that this interior, life-altering experience of God is just for monks, nuns, preachers or others who devote their lives to walking with God. Not so. If Jesus came to make God known for all of us, then we can truly understand God by looking to the incarnation of God. I believe that God intends for the experience of God’s presence to be universally available. But we must want it, we must want to experience God’s fullest fullness. Fr. Henri Nouwen describes it like this: “We must be attentive and interiorly alert. For some people the experience of the fullness of time comes in a spectacular way, as it did to St. Paul when he fell to the ground on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-4). But for some of us it comes like a murmuring sound or a gentle breeze touching our backs (1 Kings 19:13). God loves us all and wants us all to know this in a most personal way.” What does it mean for us to know that God loves us in a “personal way”? This, I think, is the crux of the Christmas story, at least for John. We know that, later in life, the teacher and prophet, Jesus, turned the world order upside down when he called the humble to the front of the line, the meek to rule the earth, and told the hungry that they would never be hungry again. Are these just stories? You must know, by now, that I would not have dedicated myself to the telling of mere stories over and over. No, I believe with everything in me, and I know that there are others here, too, who believe that the story of this Christ child can and will change our lives if we are fully open to hearing, digesting, pondering and interacting with the Divine in our inner, sacred lives. So when, we find ourselves craving something more this Christmas time, we are called by John to experience this glory for ourselves. Ah, this may be it—we have told the story so many times, or heard the story so many times, that it is something we rarely stop and take inside our hearts. We may plan, each time Advent or Christmas rolls around to spend more time in preparation for our encounter with Christ anew. But, rarely, do we actually manage to do so. And, so today, I call us to the quiet, to that sacred alone place where we can hear the call of God. It is in this quiet space, this open, humble space where God can be heard above all that clamors for our attention. And when, we are in the manger of our hearts, God is born again, clothed in humble clothes and worshipped by poor and probably dirty shepherds. Friend to our troubled hearts, this Baby calls to us in soft infant smiles and troubled infant tears. And we reach out to lift and love this baby into our hearts—those hearts made tender and whole by our encounter with this divine infant—this Light in the world. And we, in turn, will light the world for all to see. Marianne Williamson reminds us: “Christ is born into the world through each of us. As we open our hearts, he is born into the world. As we choose to forgive, he is born into the world. As we rise to the occasion, he is born into the world. As we make our hearts true conduits for love, and our minds true conduits for higher thoughts, then absolutely a divine birth takes place. Who we're capable of being emerges into the world…” And, so, today, we wait. We wait for the holiest of nights to unfold tomorrow. And, as we wait, God waits to show us all that we were planned to be. God loves us and has a plan for our lives—and that plan involves growing and becoming, recognizing and reclaiming. We are, in many cases, a wounded people, but God calls us to wholeness—a divine wholeness that comes in God’s time, filling us with the unmistakable knowledge that God shines the Light so that we would come to love ourselves, each other and the world with the passion and power of sacred servanthood to God. And to God we say, we are open to your calling, your words, and your silence. Perhaps this is what Mary, epitome of sacred servanthood, pondered as she encountered God in Jesus in the manger right where he lay. Amen and amen.

Blessed Among Women 12-9-12

The Reading— Isaiah 42: 1-8 “Here is my Servant, whom I uphold my chosen one, in whom I delight! I have endowed you with my Spirit that you may bring true justice to the nations. You do not cry out or raise your voice, or make yourself heard in the street. So gentle that you do not break a bruised reed, or quench a wavering flame, faithfull you will bring forth true justice. You will neigher waver nor be crushed until justice is established on earth, for the nations await your teaching! Thus says Yahweh, who created the heavens and spread them out, who gave shape to the earth and what it produces, who gave life to its peoples and spirit to its inhabitants. I, Yahweh, have called you to serve the cause of right; I have taken you by the hand, and I watch over you. I have appointed you to be a covenant people, a light to the nations: to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and those who sit in darkness from the dungeon. I am Yahweh! This is my Name!” The Middle Reading--from Jan Richardson and is entitled Drawing Near. It is difficult to see it from here, I know, but trust me when I say this blessing is inscribed on the horizon. Is written on that far point you can hardly see. Is etched into a landscape whose contours you cannot know from here. All you know is that it calls you, draws you, pulls you toward what you have perceived only in pieces, in fragments that came to you in dreaming or in prayer. I cannot account for how, as you draw near, the blessing embedded in the horizon begins to blossom upon the soles of your feet, shimmers in your two hands. It is one of the mysteries of the road, how the blessing you have traveled toward, waited for, ached for suddenly appears as if it had been with you all this time, as if it simply needed to know how far you were willing to walk to find the lines that were traced upon you before the day that you were born. The Gospel Reading: Luke 1: 39-43 Within a few days Mary set out and hurried to the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why am I so favored, that the mother of the Messiah should come to me? The moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who believed that what our God said to her would be accomplished!” Oh, I see you’re all here. She told me you would be. I’m Elizabeth. I want to tell you a story, several stories actually—it all took place a long time ago, but I want to tell you my story of miracles. It all started with my husband, Zechariah. A good man, my Zechariah—anyway, Zechariah was a priest. Out of thousands of priests it came to be Zechariah’s turn to go the Sanctuary to offer sacrifices and to pray. This is how he tells the story. While everyone waited expectantly outside, he went into the Sanctuary. There he saw an angel that told him several incredible things—my poor Zechariah, how he must have trembled in the sight of the angel. This angel told my dear husband that I would become pregnant and bear a child. Now, this, my chosen friends, was pretty hard to believe. We were too old to think about having children—why my body was already telling me that childbearing days were over and, quite frankly, we had given up. Zechariah was even older than I was, so I can imagine that Zechariah was more than doubtful. But the angel insisted and told him that I would bear a very special boy, one who would grow to be a very important man—the man who would announce the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah—the one we had waited for all those years. My poor Zechariah couldn’t believe his ears—in fact, he didn’t believe his ears and for that God struck him deaf and dumb. He came back out of the Sanctuary, but he couldn’t tell anyone what happened—even when he tried to draw pictures. Everyone knew he had been touched by God, they just didn’t know how. Zechariah came home and I comforted him and, well, then, and this causes me to blush, I became pregnant. I did, in fact, have a baby boy, and we named him “John” just as God insisted. Just at the time we named our baby, Zechariah could again speak. There he was, my Zechariah, who had been silenced during my pregnancy, praising God and telling all who would listen about his time with the angel, Gabriel, who had told him all that John would do. The announcer of the Messiah, my John was chosen to clear the way for the coming of the Messiah. But, in my excitement to tell you of my own child’s birth, I’ve gotten way ahead of myself. I know that you will forgive me, I waited so long to even have a child and that God would choose me to bear this special baby, filled me with such wonder and joy that it is very hard for me to stop talking about my John. So, please, be patient with me. My John was not the only miracle in my family that year. So let me tell you about Mary, and her son, Jesus. Mary was my cousin, sort of. I can’t remember exactly how we were related, but we were. She was much younger than I—much, much younger. She was only just starting the time when she could become pregnant when I was long done—trust me, long, long done. During the same time as I was pregnant with John, something very strange and wonderful happened to Mary and her husband-to-be, Joseph. Mary, why she couldn’t have been more than 14 or 15 at the time, was promised to Joseph. Joseph was a kind man, and I was thrilled for her that she was so fortunate as to be engaged to such a wonderful man. Now, there is something you need to understand—when you were engaged, it is the same thing as being married in our law. And then—the real miracle happened. I tell it to you the way Mary told it to me, so young and trusting she was. Mary said that the Angel Gabriel, I suppose the same one as visited my Zechariah, came to see her. He told her some very strange things indeed. He told her that she was one of God’s favored ones. She was scared, poor little thing, and who wouldn’t be—some angel appearing out of nowhere. She said the angel told her not to be afraid, and that God was going to use her to bear the child who was the Messiah—the Messiah, she said she couldn’t believe her ears. But Mary, was a smart one, she knew just how babies come to be, if you know what I mean. So she says that she worked up her courage and asked the angel how this was going to happen, since she and Joseph were not married. But the angel goes right on and says that the Holy Spirit would enter her and she would become pregnant with God’s son. Now, I’ve got to stop this story right now and ask you, what would you have done? 14 or 15—knowing that being pregnant before she married Joseph would cost her everything, everything, Joseph, her family, everything. But Mary kept listening and then the angel told her about me and Zechariah and the baby I was carrying at the time. The angel said, “with God, nothing is impossible”. Well, I was living proof of that, you know, so she couldn’t argue with that. And then, it seems that this sweet young child surrendered to the will of God, and told the angel that she would do exactly what God told her to do. I’m so proud of my little cousin-of sorts, what a brave young woman she became in those few moments. At least I had Zechariah, she didn’t know if she had anyone. Did you know that she could have been disowned by her family or even killed for her so-called Holy pregnancy? It was all up to Joseph to decide her fate. So, she came to see me. I wasn’t going out anymore, as I was pretty big, that John was a big baby, don’t you know. But, wait, I forgot to tell you about Joseph. Joseph was a good man, but couldn’t bear the thought of having a wife made pregnant by someone else. But he wanted to spare her public disgrace—he was working on what to do when he got his own visit from an angel. After that, he was a changed man and he agreed to marry Mary anyway and raise her baby as his own. So, through the door she comes. I am rising slowly, seems as if I was doing everything slowly those days. As she entered the room, that baby inside me started doing flip-flops. And, I knew immediately that something very special was happening. I told Mary that I knew the baby she was carrying was God’s son. I felt so blessed to be in her presence, like a great white light was pouring peace into the room. I couldn’t tell where the light was coming from but it flooded over us both as I just stood and gazed at her. In my heart, I wanted her to truly know how honored I felt to be in her presence, it was as if I encountered God in a completely new way. I told her that she and her baby were blessed. I told her that I could barely believe that I was standing in the presence of the mother of God. I told her that my baby knew, too—that he recognized that her baby was the Son of God. It so amazed me that this mere child was carrying the earthly incarnation of God. I wish I could help you understand—to you the coming of Jesus is nothing new—happens every year, so I hear. But, not in my time, our people had waited hundreds of years for this baby—this baby who now filled Mary’s belly as she stood in front of me. As I was trying to take this all in, Mary sang the most beautiful song. Let me see if I can remember most of the words. My soul belongs to God. My spirit is full of the joy of God. God cared for me, a woman of no importance— Until now. Now, I am blessed and all will know of God’s work in me. I am humbled, even to say the Name of God is a holy act. Those who know God intimately believe in this sacred love— And not just at this moment but for all time. Every generation who walks this God-created earth know of God And of God’s acts of power and might. God disarms those who are proud and think they know it all— Confuses them in their hearts and minds. God, our Creator, fills all the hungry people--those who are Hungry for food and those who are hungry for God. But those who feel no need for God because they think they are Rich have been sent away. God remembers the promise to Israel—the promise to always be Our God. The mercy and love that flows from that promise Are for all of us, now and forever. And, then she was just Mary again, but somehow different, always changed, never the same. She stayed with me right up to the time of John’s birth—it was such a joy to have her with me during those months and watch her grow into a beautiful young woman, called to be the Mother of God. Well, you know the rest of the story, I guess. You certainly don’t need me to tell it to you. I wanted to tell you my story, though, to tell you of the miracles that I saw, that I experienced, that I know to be true. Most of all, I wanted to tell you what it felt like to be in the presence of God, even before that baby who would change everything was born. I felt so humbled and yet so lifted up at the same time. This God, the God of our forefathers and foremothers, of Abraham and Sarah—this same God had visited me and filled me with a divine sense of the grace and love of God, and my life was never the same. Is that what happens for you, I wonder—this time, each year. Do your hearts open so that you can feel the presence of God in your heart, in your mind, in your body and spirit? I wish for you, what I had—an encounter with God that changes you for now and forever. My time with you is over, but I pray for you this day. And so, as I leave you, I say, amen and amen.