1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes are one of the most well known biblical passages to come from our scriptures. Written by both the evangelists Matthew and Luke it has come to us not only in our bibles but in such things as lovely art prints, embroidery pieces and plaques. You can even get the beatitudes on wallpaper. Yes you heard me right, wallpaper, I found it on the internet yesterday! Talk to me after church if you would like to get the website address. (1) But all decorating aside; it is important to note that these words written by the evangelists Matthew and Luke have been misinterpreted and watered down through the years. It’s like the game telephone, where you whisper something to someone next to you, who whispers it to the person next to them, who whispers it to the person next to them and so on and so on. When you get to the last person in line, you ask them what was whispered and they are lucky if they can recite 10 percent of the original message.
Monty Python portrays a very funny rendition of the Sermon on the Mount in the movie, “The Life of Brian.” This illustrates the game of telephone. Love the movie for its humor or hate it for its blasphemous material, there are some kernels of truth within this humorous portrayal of life in Galilee during the time of Jesus. The scene opens with the great crowds gathering around Jesus on the hillside. Jesus is on the top of the hill and you can barely understand what he is saying. The people in the back of the crowd can only catch a word or two and what they think they heard is quite nonsensical:
"What did he say?
I think it was “Blessed are the cheesemakers.”
Aha, what’s so special about the cheesemakers?
Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
You hear that, “Blessed are the Greek”
“The Greek?”
“Apparently he’s going to inherit the earth”
“Oh it’s meek…Blessed are the meek! That’s nice, I’m glad they are getting something because they have a heck of a time.” (2)
While we have the advantage of the written word the beatitudes have still lost much of its power in the translation. It has been used as a staple of piety throughout all of Christianity. Many have thought that this text spelled out who would get into heaven and what they needed to do to get there. You must be poor, you must be meek, you must be merciful, you must be pure in heart in order to get into heaven. In a world that is mired in sin these virtues are impossible ideals to follow and so the beatitudes have been used to teach the necessity of grace. (3) With this kind of attitude one can fall into an attitude of quietism, why try to change the ways of a sinful world when our reward waits for us in heaven.
The key to understanding the true meaning of any scripture is to figure out what life was like for the community to which the scripture was written for. Under the tyranny of Roman Occupied Palestine, most of Jesus’ audience consisted of the oppressed people living under the thumb of Roman imperialism. Scholars note that in the first century under Roman rule, a small elite class controlled all the production of wealth, resources and land. Those who were not of the elite class, which was most of the population of Palestine, lived in wretched poverty. The majority of the people living in under the Roman Empire lived in misery, danger, fear and despair. (4) The people to whom Matthew wrote the scripture to were Jews and Gentiles who followed Jesus. They were excluded from the synagogues because they claimed Jesus as the Messiah. They were persecuted by the Roman Empire because they claimed that Jesus was their Lord and Savior and not the Roman Emperor.
The Beatitudes is the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Some have said that if the Sermon on the Mount is the church’s constitution, the beatitudes would be the pre-amble where it describes “the purpose of every holy law, the foundation of every custom, the aims of every practice of this new society, this colony of the kingdom, the church called and instructed by Jesus.” (5) However what Jesus does with this pre-amble is turn the world’s values on its head. Jesus is preaching what the kingdom of God will look like when God’s realm is complete. It is grounded in this world, not a heavenly world. It is the world as God would have it where all of God’s creation lives in shalom, which means that all would have everything they need to live full, sustainable lives. What Jesus assured these oppressed people that when God’s will is done, when God makes things right according to God’s will, their suffering will end and they will be joyful.
Where society says, “The rich are blessed because their money will give them security.” Jesus says, “Those who are living in impoverished conditions that are so harsh, that their spirit is broken…when God’s kingdom comes they will be happy because they will be lifted from their poverty.” Where society says, “The world is perfect just the way it is, blessed are we who enjoy the riches of the world.” Jesus says, “Those who mourn, who lament, those who grieve because they see the injustices of this world. Those cry out because all of God’s creation is not living in right relationship with each other. Those who know that God’s abundance has been horded for the benefit of the few at the cost of the many…when God’s kingdom comes they will be the first to sigh a breath of relief and comfort because God will make things right again.”
Jesus goes on…
“Blessed are those who are perceived as weak because they refuse to use violence for when God’s kingdom comes their ways of nonviolence will become the world’s way.”
“Blessed are those who want peace and social justice, for when God’s kingdom comes they will be satisfied.”
“Blessed are those who are slow to anger and quick to forgive…because they have given mercy so easily, it will be given back to them.”
“Blessed are those who are pure of heart, those who easily trust, those who believe in the goodness of everyone they encounter…When God’s kingdom comes they will be happy because they will see the same image God that they have seen all along in humankind.”
“Blessed are those who seek peace in all matters…when God’s kingdom comes God will call them good and faithful for living according to God’s way.”
“Blessed are those who are excluded, picked on, persecuted for refusing to live according to the sinful ways of this world…when God’s kingdom comes, it will be theirs.”
These are not commandments of how people should live, but rather these are statements of comfort to those who seek to live according to God’s ways. No matter what you may suffer because the world thinks you are foolish for following Jesus’ way, in the end…when God’s kingdom comes through the work of the hands, feet and voice of God’s people, you will find joy. In his letter to the church in Corinth Paul writes “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18) Paul knew that the early Christians were being persecuted, excluded and even ridiculed by the society surrounding them because they had the audacity to claim as their Lord and Savior Jesus who had had suffered the shameful execution of dying on the cross. It goes against all conventional wisdom to follow the one who was killed by those who feared him. “But” as Paul puts it, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are so that no one might boast in the presence of God.” (1:28-29) The salvation of the cross was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead on Easter morning. By raising Jesus from the dead, God shows the world that ultimately good does overcome evil and that not even death can contain God’s aim for the well being of all creation.
The beatitudes speak to us whom the world would perceive as foolish because we follow Christ. We’re called trouble makers or unrealistic dreamers. We get hassled, hounded and intimidated by those who want to keep the world just as it is. (6) It is to us Jesus gives the final beatitude, “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt 5:11-12) May it be so. Amen.
(1) http://www.customwall.com/ilbe.html
(2) Python, Monty. Life of Brian. 1979.
(3) Marcia Riggs, “Matthew 5:1-12: Theological Perspective” FOW 312.
(4) Bridges, Linda McKinnish, "Preaching the Parables in Matthew's Gospel in Ordinary Time: The Extraordinary Tales of God's World," Review & Expositor (2007): 325-362.
(5) Thomas G. Long Matthew. Westminster Bible companion. (Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997. Matthew), 47.
(6) Ibid., 50.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Follow Me
Matthew 4:12-23
Have you ever been in a public place say a waiting room or an airport terminal and listened in on a conversation. I know, it is not polite to eavesdrop but the topic of conversation is so irresistible that you cannot help yourself but crane your ear surreptitiously towards your conversation partners unbeknownst to them. As they continue on this topic you are so interested in you find yourself reacting to what they say. You chuckle as one of them makes a humorous turn of phrase. You frown as the other makes a statement that you don’t agree with. Then you hear something from one of these folks that is so interesting and mind boggling that you have to put aside all politeness and join in on the conversation. What are they talking about? What is it that is so intriguing that you have to say, “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but overhear you talking about…” Therein lays your passion. That irresistible voice of Jesus saying, “Follow me.”
Anyone who knows me would say that I am a peace and social justice kind of girl. That anytime there is a conversation about politics, the state of the world and you mix in a bit of God and Jesus, I am there! My whole life I’ve never been shy about sticking up for myself or for those who are unable to stick up for themselves. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved God with my whole heart and was interested in the rites and rituals of my church. Undergirding these passions was Jesus’ voice calling, “Follow me.”
In this morning’s Gospel, we see Jesus beginning his ministry by calling his first apostles in the midst of their ordinary lives to follow him. Peter and Andrew are casting nets out into the sea and Jesus calls out to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus. James and John are in the boat with their father Zebedee and Jesus calls out to them, “Follow me.” And immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. Some note that what is striking about this passage was the immediacy of the disciple’s response to Jesus’ call. “It is as if they were compelled to follow Jesus and to obey him, almost as if they had been waiting all their lives to hear this voice, to be issued this call, so that when it came, they dropped what they were doing.” (1)Augustine, one of my favorite theologians of all time states, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.” Indeed these disciples hearts were restless-so restless they could do no other than to leave everything behind to follow Jesus as soon as they heard Jesus’ voice calling them. Some note, “Perhaps they were simply responding to what had already been imprinted on their souls from birth—the knowledge of the voice of God—so that when they heard the voice, all they could do was obey.” (2)
Obedience to God’s call wasn’t always my strong suit. Rather listening to the irresistible voice calling, “Follow me.” I listened to the voice of fear saying I had to find work that would provide enough money to pay the rent, find health benefits, buy necessities and start paying off my student loan. Rather than persevering and getting extra training to go into the career where I could serve God and seek justice, I panicked and went into a job that gave me immediately the money, benefits and security I needed. I went into banking and finance because that was where the jobs were at that time. I was good at banking, but not great. I moved up the ranks a bit and floated from job to job hoping that, “this would be the position that will make me happy.” But I never found what I was looking for.
In order to pursue God’s calling to become part of the body of Christ I had to let go of a lot of my fears for my own survival in order to go after that irresistible voice saying, “follow me.” God knew me, my gifts and my liabilities and God knew how this world would react to what I had to offer. I had to learn how to ask for help and know that it wasn’t all up to me. When I made the decision to turn my life towards God, God provided me with more than enough of the things I needed in order to take care of myself and my family. The lesson I learned through all of was that it was fear that led me away from listening to God’s still speaking voice and it was love and grace that brought me back to God. I had to let go of my worries of this world in order to take my particular part in Christ’s body building the kingdom of God here on earth.
This morning’s gospel reading has a very interesting beginning. “Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee” (v. 4:12) He left Nazareth and moved 20 miles to Capernum to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah and “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (v. 17) Why is it that Jesus’ public ministry begins at the end of John the Baptist’s?
Biblical Scholar John Dominic Crossan notes that Jesus began his spiritual life as a disciple of John the Baptist before he embarked on his public ministry. We remember that Jesus got chest deep in the muddy waters of the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. John was quite a controversial character according historians of his time. The authorities feared John because the crowds would become agitated by his sermons. The fear was that John’s sermons would stir up crowds that would lead to an uprising against the Roman occupation.
John’s sermons were quite fire and brimstone. He spoke to those who were oppressed by the Romans occupation of how God would come as a violent avenger to destroy the Roman power structure to set things right and restore the kingdom that God promised to Israel. John was an apocalyptic prophet who gave hope to those lived under the crushing thumb of the Roman power that through divine intervention God would end their oppression to bring a new, just world into being. (3) Jesus had a high opinion of John stating, “no one born of a woman is greater than he, yet the least of God’s kingdom is greater than he.” (v. 11:11) Eventually, Jesus’ view of the kingdom of God had become different from John’s apocalyptic vision of an avenging God. Perhaps when John was arrested Jesus realized that it wasn’t enough to wait for God to change the world but that maybe God was waiting for disciples to become God’s hands, feet and voice in building God’s kingdom here and now. (4) It was then that Jesus began his irresistible call to his disciples to follow him.
I began my sermon with an overheard conversation that is so irresistible that you cannot help yourself but join in. Within that conversation is your greatest passion, the gift that God has given you to use in building God’s kingdom here on earth. It is Jesus’ call to you to discipleship. Drop your nets, get out of the boat, surrender to Jesus’ call and there you will find your greatest joy. May it be so. Amen.
(1) Rodger Nishioka, Feasting On The Word “Matthew 4:12-23-Pastoral Perspective” 286.
(2) Ibid., 286.
(3) John Dominic Crossan, Who Is Jesus?: Answers to Your Questions About the Historical Jesus. (Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), 32-36.
(4) Ibid., 37.
Have you ever been in a public place say a waiting room or an airport terminal and listened in on a conversation. I know, it is not polite to eavesdrop but the topic of conversation is so irresistible that you cannot help yourself but crane your ear surreptitiously towards your conversation partners unbeknownst to them. As they continue on this topic you are so interested in you find yourself reacting to what they say. You chuckle as one of them makes a humorous turn of phrase. You frown as the other makes a statement that you don’t agree with. Then you hear something from one of these folks that is so interesting and mind boggling that you have to put aside all politeness and join in on the conversation. What are they talking about? What is it that is so intriguing that you have to say, “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but overhear you talking about…” Therein lays your passion. That irresistible voice of Jesus saying, “Follow me.”
Anyone who knows me would say that I am a peace and social justice kind of girl. That anytime there is a conversation about politics, the state of the world and you mix in a bit of God and Jesus, I am there! My whole life I’ve never been shy about sticking up for myself or for those who are unable to stick up for themselves. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved God with my whole heart and was interested in the rites and rituals of my church. Undergirding these passions was Jesus’ voice calling, “Follow me.”
In this morning’s Gospel, we see Jesus beginning his ministry by calling his first apostles in the midst of their ordinary lives to follow him. Peter and Andrew are casting nets out into the sea and Jesus calls out to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed Jesus. James and John are in the boat with their father Zebedee and Jesus calls out to them, “Follow me.” And immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. Some note that what is striking about this passage was the immediacy of the disciple’s response to Jesus’ call. “It is as if they were compelled to follow Jesus and to obey him, almost as if they had been waiting all their lives to hear this voice, to be issued this call, so that when it came, they dropped what they were doing.” (1)Augustine, one of my favorite theologians of all time states, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.” Indeed these disciples hearts were restless-so restless they could do no other than to leave everything behind to follow Jesus as soon as they heard Jesus’ voice calling them. Some note, “Perhaps they were simply responding to what had already been imprinted on their souls from birth—the knowledge of the voice of God—so that when they heard the voice, all they could do was obey.” (2)
Obedience to God’s call wasn’t always my strong suit. Rather listening to the irresistible voice calling, “Follow me.” I listened to the voice of fear saying I had to find work that would provide enough money to pay the rent, find health benefits, buy necessities and start paying off my student loan. Rather than persevering and getting extra training to go into the career where I could serve God and seek justice, I panicked and went into a job that gave me immediately the money, benefits and security I needed. I went into banking and finance because that was where the jobs were at that time. I was good at banking, but not great. I moved up the ranks a bit and floated from job to job hoping that, “this would be the position that will make me happy.” But I never found what I was looking for.
In order to pursue God’s calling to become part of the body of Christ I had to let go of a lot of my fears for my own survival in order to go after that irresistible voice saying, “follow me.” God knew me, my gifts and my liabilities and God knew how this world would react to what I had to offer. I had to learn how to ask for help and know that it wasn’t all up to me. When I made the decision to turn my life towards God, God provided me with more than enough of the things I needed in order to take care of myself and my family. The lesson I learned through all of was that it was fear that led me away from listening to God’s still speaking voice and it was love and grace that brought me back to God. I had to let go of my worries of this world in order to take my particular part in Christ’s body building the kingdom of God here on earth.
This morning’s gospel reading has a very interesting beginning. “Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee” (v. 4:12) He left Nazareth and moved 20 miles to Capernum to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah and “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (v. 17) Why is it that Jesus’ public ministry begins at the end of John the Baptist’s?
Biblical Scholar John Dominic Crossan notes that Jesus began his spiritual life as a disciple of John the Baptist before he embarked on his public ministry. We remember that Jesus got chest deep in the muddy waters of the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. John was quite a controversial character according historians of his time. The authorities feared John because the crowds would become agitated by his sermons. The fear was that John’s sermons would stir up crowds that would lead to an uprising against the Roman occupation.
John’s sermons were quite fire and brimstone. He spoke to those who were oppressed by the Romans occupation of how God would come as a violent avenger to destroy the Roman power structure to set things right and restore the kingdom that God promised to Israel. John was an apocalyptic prophet who gave hope to those lived under the crushing thumb of the Roman power that through divine intervention God would end their oppression to bring a new, just world into being. (3) Jesus had a high opinion of John stating, “no one born of a woman is greater than he, yet the least of God’s kingdom is greater than he.” (v. 11:11) Eventually, Jesus’ view of the kingdom of God had become different from John’s apocalyptic vision of an avenging God. Perhaps when John was arrested Jesus realized that it wasn’t enough to wait for God to change the world but that maybe God was waiting for disciples to become God’s hands, feet and voice in building God’s kingdom here and now. (4) It was then that Jesus began his irresistible call to his disciples to follow him.
I began my sermon with an overheard conversation that is so irresistible that you cannot help yourself but join in. Within that conversation is your greatest passion, the gift that God has given you to use in building God’s kingdom here on earth. It is Jesus’ call to you to discipleship. Drop your nets, get out of the boat, surrender to Jesus’ call and there you will find your greatest joy. May it be so. Amen.
(1) Rodger Nishioka, Feasting On The Word “Matthew 4:12-23-Pastoral Perspective” 286.
(2) Ibid., 286.
(3) John Dominic Crossan, Who Is Jesus?: Answers to Your Questions About the Historical Jesus. (Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), 32-36.
(4) Ibid., 37.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Greatest Commandment
Deuteronomy 34:1-5
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 22:35-40; Matthew 5:43-48
Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing peace activist and theologian Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite speak about how social justice oriented people of faith can move from a defensive position to one where we can articulate our biblical and theological message of peace and social justice in the public square. I listened with interest to what she had to say but felt that the mainline church needed to “pack more punch” so to speak in order to stand up against the vitriol of the religious right. During the question/answer period I asked her if we should start using the same psychological techniques and language to grab the general public’s attention and get them to see things our way. She very emphatically said no, we should not. We cannot bring people to the same kind of peace and social justice thinking we do if we use the same fear-filled manipulative methods that our adversaries use. I was frustrated by her response but now in light of the tragic shooting in Tucson Arizona, I finally get what she was saying.
When I first heard the news that a lone gunman had shot and killed several people at Representative Gabrielle Gifford’s meet and greet at a grocery store in Tucson Arizona my mind flashed through the rhetoric of this past year’s election campaigns. I remembered all the de-humanizing talk of good and evil, all the anger toward those in opposition and all of the name calling. I remembered the imagery of hit-lists where targets were placed over key states, Arizona being one of them. I thought of how all political fury was absorbed by one unstable man who then acted out on the violence that surrounded him. Then I realized that I had to own up to my own participation in the hostile political environment. All the times where I made snide remarks about politicians whose views were different from mine. All the times where I thought those who didn’t agree with me were less intelligent than myself or less enlightened.
It seems ironic that we are celebrating the ministry and life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the greatest peace maker of our time in the middle of trying to make sense of the tragedy of Tucson. But then again who better to reflect on than the minister who brought about civil rights reform through non-violent resistance. We remember that Rev. King grew up in the segregated south where people of color couldn’t drink out of the same drinking fountains as white people did, or eat at the same restaurants, go to the same schools, or worship in the same churches. In these ways and many more, the dehumanizing of people of color was legally sanctioned. However Rev. King did not become embittered by the racism that surrounded him nor did he hate those who hated him just because of the color of his skin. Instead he met hatred with love.
In his sermon, “Loving Your Enemies” Rev. King tells his congregation that they need to take seriously Jesus’ command to love your enemies. As Rev. King puts it, “He wasn’t playing.” Rev. King continues, “He realized that it’s hard to love your enemies. He realized that it’s difficult to love those persons who seek to defeat you, those persons who say evil things about you. He realized that it was painfully hard, pressingly hard. But he wasn’t playing…because he was serious. We have the Christian and moral responsibility to seek to discover the meaning of these words, and to discover how we can live out this command and why we should live by this command.” (1)
Everyone of us here in this sanctuary has been hurt by unfair discrimination of one form or another. However, we remember that whenever we encounter injustice we do have choices in how we react. We can react by retaliating in kind, “he called me stupid so I’m going to call him stupid back” or we could be passive and allow ourselves to think we are stupid just because the other guy says so. However there is a third way, the way of overcoming hatred through the redemptive power of love. Rev. King preached that this redemptive love begins first by looking within ourselves. Sure there are situations where we are treated wrongly for things that are out of our control but in each situation we are called to reflect on how we might have contributed to the other person’s reaction. Are they reacting negatively to me just because the color of my skin, my age, my gender, my orientation etc etc. or is it possible that I may have come off a bit defensive because of my own insecurity.
Next we need to realize all people have the potential for good and all people (including ourselves) have the potential to behave badly. Knowing this, if we are seeking transformation it must begin with us looking for that which is good in the other person. Rev. King puts it this way, “When we come to see this…that within the best of us, there is some evil, and within the worst of us, there is some good...we take a different attitude towards individuals. The person who hates you most has some good in him; even the nation that hates you most has some good in it; even the race that hates you most has some good in it. And when you come to the point that you look in the face of every man and see deep down within him what religion calls ‘the image of God,’ you begin to love him in spite of it. No matter what he does, you see God’s image there. There is an element of goodness that he can never sluff off. Discover the element of good in your enemy. And as you seek to hate him, find the center of goodness and place your attention there and you will take a new attitude.” (2)
The third step to loving our enemies is remembering to never, never, never render evil for evil. That when the opportunity comes for us to defeat our adversaries in kind, that we do not bring ourselves down to their level. This was the meaning of love that Jesus was talking about when gave the command to love our enemies. Love does not mean liking the person or that person’s bad behavior. What it does mean is having a desire for the goodwill of all human kind. This goodwill seeks to defeat systems that are evil, but it does not seek to defeat other people. Rendering evil for evil only intensifies the cycle of evil.
This morning we read from Paul’s letter to the Roman Church. The young church in Rome was trying to make its way as a counter-cultural spiritual community within the Roman Empire. In claiming Jesus as their Lord and Savior instead of the Emperor, they were persecuted for not conforming to Roman rule. Paul exhorts his followers to resist this evil with non-violent resistance. This is not about being passive but rather it is about being pro-active in resisting persecution with redemptive love. “Hold fast to what is good (12:9) “Bless those who persecute you” (12:14) “Do not repay anyone evil for evil (12:17) “If it is possible, so far as depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (12:18) He even goes so far as to say ,”If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads” (12:20). Paul knew that the impact of good deeds was far more humiliating than returning evil for evil because good acts exposes evil for what it truly is.
I have a deep respect and honor for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King jr. I take what he has to say to heart because of how he dealt with the systemic evil or racism. Even though he suffered abuse and was called terrible names to his face, even though he and his family had been violently attacked by those who were threatened by his ministry, he could still stand behind a pulpit and with integrity preach about Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies. The same Jesus who suffered persecution and died for his cause.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, the tragedy of the violent shooting in Tucson is our wakeup call. The incivility of our political discourse has to stop and it begins with us as individuals. Just as Rev. King tells us, “Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and that’s the strong person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil. And that is the tragedy of hate, that it doesn’t cut it off. It only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. Somebody must have religion enough and morality enough to cut it off and inject it within the very structure of the universe that strong and powerful element of love.” (3) It begins with us taking responsibility for whatever part we may have played in contributing to this hostile political environment. It begins with us always looking for that which is good in other people even those who may try to dehumanize us. And finally it begins with us refusing to defeat those who oppose us because defeat only begets more defeat.
In spite of the vitriol of racism that Rev. King faced every day of his life he was able to say these words from his pulpit, “I love you, I would rather die than hate you. And I am foolish enough to believe that through the power of this love somewhere, men of the most recalcitrant bent will be transformed. Then we will be in God’s Kingdom.” (4) May it be so. Amen!
(1) Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, “Loving Your Enemies” sermon delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Montgomery, Alabama, 17 November 1957. http://www.loveyourenemies.org/mlking.html. Accessed January 15 2011
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 22:35-40; Matthew 5:43-48
Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing peace activist and theologian Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite speak about how social justice oriented people of faith can move from a defensive position to one where we can articulate our biblical and theological message of peace and social justice in the public square. I listened with interest to what she had to say but felt that the mainline church needed to “pack more punch” so to speak in order to stand up against the vitriol of the religious right. During the question/answer period I asked her if we should start using the same psychological techniques and language to grab the general public’s attention and get them to see things our way. She very emphatically said no, we should not. We cannot bring people to the same kind of peace and social justice thinking we do if we use the same fear-filled manipulative methods that our adversaries use. I was frustrated by her response but now in light of the tragic shooting in Tucson Arizona, I finally get what she was saying.
When I first heard the news that a lone gunman had shot and killed several people at Representative Gabrielle Gifford’s meet and greet at a grocery store in Tucson Arizona my mind flashed through the rhetoric of this past year’s election campaigns. I remembered all the de-humanizing talk of good and evil, all the anger toward those in opposition and all of the name calling. I remembered the imagery of hit-lists where targets were placed over key states, Arizona being one of them. I thought of how all political fury was absorbed by one unstable man who then acted out on the violence that surrounded him. Then I realized that I had to own up to my own participation in the hostile political environment. All the times where I made snide remarks about politicians whose views were different from mine. All the times where I thought those who didn’t agree with me were less intelligent than myself or less enlightened.
It seems ironic that we are celebrating the ministry and life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the greatest peace maker of our time in the middle of trying to make sense of the tragedy of Tucson. But then again who better to reflect on than the minister who brought about civil rights reform through non-violent resistance. We remember that Rev. King grew up in the segregated south where people of color couldn’t drink out of the same drinking fountains as white people did, or eat at the same restaurants, go to the same schools, or worship in the same churches. In these ways and many more, the dehumanizing of people of color was legally sanctioned. However Rev. King did not become embittered by the racism that surrounded him nor did he hate those who hated him just because of the color of his skin. Instead he met hatred with love.
In his sermon, “Loving Your Enemies” Rev. King tells his congregation that they need to take seriously Jesus’ command to love your enemies. As Rev. King puts it, “He wasn’t playing.” Rev. King continues, “He realized that it’s hard to love your enemies. He realized that it’s difficult to love those persons who seek to defeat you, those persons who say evil things about you. He realized that it was painfully hard, pressingly hard. But he wasn’t playing…because he was serious. We have the Christian and moral responsibility to seek to discover the meaning of these words, and to discover how we can live out this command and why we should live by this command.” (1)
Everyone of us here in this sanctuary has been hurt by unfair discrimination of one form or another. However, we remember that whenever we encounter injustice we do have choices in how we react. We can react by retaliating in kind, “he called me stupid so I’m going to call him stupid back” or we could be passive and allow ourselves to think we are stupid just because the other guy says so. However there is a third way, the way of overcoming hatred through the redemptive power of love. Rev. King preached that this redemptive love begins first by looking within ourselves. Sure there are situations where we are treated wrongly for things that are out of our control but in each situation we are called to reflect on how we might have contributed to the other person’s reaction. Are they reacting negatively to me just because the color of my skin, my age, my gender, my orientation etc etc. or is it possible that I may have come off a bit defensive because of my own insecurity.
Next we need to realize all people have the potential for good and all people (including ourselves) have the potential to behave badly. Knowing this, if we are seeking transformation it must begin with us looking for that which is good in the other person. Rev. King puts it this way, “When we come to see this…that within the best of us, there is some evil, and within the worst of us, there is some good...we take a different attitude towards individuals. The person who hates you most has some good in him; even the nation that hates you most has some good in it; even the race that hates you most has some good in it. And when you come to the point that you look in the face of every man and see deep down within him what religion calls ‘the image of God,’ you begin to love him in spite of it. No matter what he does, you see God’s image there. There is an element of goodness that he can never sluff off. Discover the element of good in your enemy. And as you seek to hate him, find the center of goodness and place your attention there and you will take a new attitude.” (2)
The third step to loving our enemies is remembering to never, never, never render evil for evil. That when the opportunity comes for us to defeat our adversaries in kind, that we do not bring ourselves down to their level. This was the meaning of love that Jesus was talking about when gave the command to love our enemies. Love does not mean liking the person or that person’s bad behavior. What it does mean is having a desire for the goodwill of all human kind. This goodwill seeks to defeat systems that are evil, but it does not seek to defeat other people. Rendering evil for evil only intensifies the cycle of evil.
This morning we read from Paul’s letter to the Roman Church. The young church in Rome was trying to make its way as a counter-cultural spiritual community within the Roman Empire. In claiming Jesus as their Lord and Savior instead of the Emperor, they were persecuted for not conforming to Roman rule. Paul exhorts his followers to resist this evil with non-violent resistance. This is not about being passive but rather it is about being pro-active in resisting persecution with redemptive love. “Hold fast to what is good (12:9) “Bless those who persecute you” (12:14) “Do not repay anyone evil for evil (12:17) “If it is possible, so far as depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (12:18) He even goes so far as to say ,”If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads” (12:20). Paul knew that the impact of good deeds was far more humiliating than returning evil for evil because good acts exposes evil for what it truly is.
I have a deep respect and honor for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King jr. I take what he has to say to heart because of how he dealt with the systemic evil or racism. Even though he suffered abuse and was called terrible names to his face, even though he and his family had been violently attacked by those who were threatened by his ministry, he could still stand behind a pulpit and with integrity preach about Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies. The same Jesus who suffered persecution and died for his cause.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, the tragedy of the violent shooting in Tucson is our wakeup call. The incivility of our political discourse has to stop and it begins with us as individuals. Just as Rev. King tells us, “Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and that’s the strong person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of evil. And that is the tragedy of hate, that it doesn’t cut it off. It only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. Somebody must have religion enough and morality enough to cut it off and inject it within the very structure of the universe that strong and powerful element of love.” (3) It begins with us taking responsibility for whatever part we may have played in contributing to this hostile political environment. It begins with us always looking for that which is good in other people even those who may try to dehumanize us. And finally it begins with us refusing to defeat those who oppose us because defeat only begets more defeat.
In spite of the vitriol of racism that Rev. King faced every day of his life he was able to say these words from his pulpit, “I love you, I would rather die than hate you. And I am foolish enough to believe that through the power of this love somewhere, men of the most recalcitrant bent will be transformed. Then we will be in God’s Kingdom.” (4) May it be so. Amen!
(1) Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, “Loving Your Enemies” sermon delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Montgomery, Alabama, 17 November 1957. http://www.loveyourenemies.org/mlking.html. Accessed January 15 2011
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Baptism of Jesus
Isaiah 42:1-9
Matthew 3:13-17
Remember John the Baptist whom we met during Advent of last year. He was that crazy guy dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and honey, telling everybody to repent because, “The kingdom is near! The Messiah is coming! Prepare the Way!” He was the Ancient Near East’s version of the bumper sticker, “Jesus is coming…look busy!” An important part John’s ministry was baptizing people in the waters of the river Jordan so that their sins may be forgiven. Through baptism the sinner is transformed to a disciple where they are inspired to turn away from their worldly desire and turn towards God’s desire for the world. To repent, which literally means to turn, is really all about re-orientation so that the baptized becomes open to God’s surprising will.
So imagine if you will John chest deep in the water, dunking people one by one in the river when suddenly he finds that the next man in line is none other than Jesus. This is the Messiah, the one whom John said he was not worth to carry his sandals. This is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and here he is, standing in front of John waiting to be baptized in the muddy waters of the Jordan. This is downright scandalous!
In her sermon on the Baptism of Jesus, Barbara Brown Taylor tells us that the Christian church has always had a certain discomfort with the baptism of Jesus. She says, “Compare the accounts of each of the four gospels and you cannot miss the un-ease of the authors.” (1) “Mark tells it urgently: Immediately after Jesus came out of the water he saw the heavens torn open and the spirit, like a dove descending upon him.” (2) “Luke will not even come out and say it was John who did it. The fourth gospel [the gospel of John] is the most ticklish of all. In it, John bears witness that he saw the Spirit descend like a dove upon Jesus, but he does not mention anything about the baptism at all. Scholars ay all this embarrassment is our surest proof that John Jesus really was baptized by John, because when someone tells you something that is not in his best interest for you to know, then you can be reasonably sure he was telling you the truth.” (3)
Matthew’s version of the baptism story conveys the questions that many of us have regarding Jesus getting in line with the sinners to be baptized. Jesus is the Messiah, he is the one anointed by God to do the will of God. Jesus had nothing to be forgiven of. What is he doing getting chest deep in the muddy waters of the Jordan with John to be baptized? John discomfort shows as he tries to talk Jesus out of getting baptized, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matt 3:14) Jesus replies “Let it be so now” or some note what Jesus meant by this phrase literally was “permit it now…at this specific time—because it must be done under these circumstances and in this way ‘to fulfill all righteousness.’” (4) Basically God was mandating that Jesus was to begin his ministry by affirming his humanness. That in act of getting chest deep in the water with John, Jesus’ baptism is as some note “a righteous act of solidarity with those to whom and for whom he has come. The one who is now being baptized by human hands, amid a call to repentance, is also the one who will usher in God’s kingdom and bring the good news of forgiveness to those same human hands.” (5)
We remember that Jesus’ baptism occurs at the beginning of his public ministry, in essence it was his coming out party. Echoing the words of Isaiah’s Servant Song which we read this morning, God presents Jesus to the world with the following words, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (3:17) Hear again the words of the Isaiah’s servant song. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1) Scholars have long debated the identity of the servant that Isaiah is singing about in this passage. Some believe that it was Cyrus the Persian king who freed the exiles from Babylon, others believe it is God calling the nation of Israel to be a servant to the other nations. (6) What is most important in this passage is what God is calling the servant to do which is “to bring forth justice to the nations.” The justice that the servant is called to bring forth is a fair distribution of the worlds resources so that all of God’s creation will have what they need in order to live whole prosperous lives. This passage has particular concern for the weak, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” (42:3) These very words shaped Jesus’ ministry. Jesus came to establish justice through being the embodiment of God’s grace and love freely given to all. Jesus was to carry out his justice making ministry through tenderness and not violence, through the care of the weak and not alliances with the strong. This is the same model of ministry that we are called to as baptized disciples of God in Christ.
Through the waters of baptism we are named as children of God, beloved and pleasing to God. In baptism, God works in us the power of forgiveness, the renewal of the spirit and the knowledge of the call to be God’s people always. Baptism with water and the Holy Spirit is the sign and seal of our common discipleship. Since baptism is God’s gift, the Holy Spirit is called to be upon the water and those being baptized. The act of baptism marks the beginning of new life of discipleship with Christ, the human response to the gift of God’s grace. In every Christian Church we share this sacrament of baptism within a worship service in order to welcome the newly baptized into our community of faith and vow to always remind them that indeed they are a children of God.
This indwelling grace, this beloved-ness comes to sustain us through the challenging and hard times that we encounter through life’s journey. Many of us know that the way of Christian discipleship can be difficult and at times can take us to places that we would rather not go. I know this has been true for me. I’ve faced trials and been in situations where I’ve been wounded while witnessing to Jesus’ message of peace and justice in this world. At times, I’ve lamented my call, knowing the difficulties I face as a Christ’s disciple. However in these dark times, I remember my baptism. I remember that with the water that was poured over my head oh so long ago that God had claimed me and named me as God’s beloved child.
At each of our baptisms we hear God’s voice saying, “This is my son, my daughter, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” As well as being an affirmation of our worthiness, this is also our call to discipleship. This is our call to participate in the establishment of God’s justice in the world. This is our call to do this ministry with the same gentleness and endurance as Jesus did when he was among us. Some note that “His ministry did take care with the bruised reed; he cupped his hands around the dimmest wicks until they began to shine. The practices that the prophet Isaiah called the people to cherish captured Jesus’ imagination and ought to capture ours as well.” (7)
Jesus got chest deep into the muddy waters of the Jordan to be in solidarity with us in our humanness. When he emerged from these waters, he began his active ministry soaked in the vision of Isaiah given to him by God. Jesus ministry was “guided by mercy and a hunger for justice. Jesus’ whole life was a passionate response to God’s call for this new way of living. Let us hear this text as Jesus did, with our whole hearts and to respond as he did, with our whole lives.” (8)
May it be so. Amen!
(1) Barbara Brown Taylor. Home by Another Way. (Cambridge, Mass: Cowley Publications, 1999.), 34.
(2) Barbara Brown Taylor Mixed Blessings. (Cambridge, Mass: Cowley Publications, 1998.), 55.
(3) Taylor Home by Another Way, 34.
(4) Troy Miller, “Matthew 3:13-17 - Exegetical Perspective.” Feasting on the Word. 239.
(5) Ibid., 239.
(6) Stephanie Paulsell, “Isaiah 42:1-9 – Pastoral Perspective.” Feasting on the Word, 222.
(7) Ibid., 222.
(8) Ibid., 222.
Matthew 3:13-17
Remember John the Baptist whom we met during Advent of last year. He was that crazy guy dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and honey, telling everybody to repent because, “The kingdom is near! The Messiah is coming! Prepare the Way!” He was the Ancient Near East’s version of the bumper sticker, “Jesus is coming…look busy!” An important part John’s ministry was baptizing people in the waters of the river Jordan so that their sins may be forgiven. Through baptism the sinner is transformed to a disciple where they are inspired to turn away from their worldly desire and turn towards God’s desire for the world. To repent, which literally means to turn, is really all about re-orientation so that the baptized becomes open to God’s surprising will.
So imagine if you will John chest deep in the water, dunking people one by one in the river when suddenly he finds that the next man in line is none other than Jesus. This is the Messiah, the one whom John said he was not worth to carry his sandals. This is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and here he is, standing in front of John waiting to be baptized in the muddy waters of the Jordan. This is downright scandalous!
In her sermon on the Baptism of Jesus, Barbara Brown Taylor tells us that the Christian church has always had a certain discomfort with the baptism of Jesus. She says, “Compare the accounts of each of the four gospels and you cannot miss the un-ease of the authors.” (1) “Mark tells it urgently: Immediately after Jesus came out of the water he saw the heavens torn open and the spirit, like a dove descending upon him.” (2) “Luke will not even come out and say it was John who did it. The fourth gospel [the gospel of John] is the most ticklish of all. In it, John bears witness that he saw the Spirit descend like a dove upon Jesus, but he does not mention anything about the baptism at all. Scholars ay all this embarrassment is our surest proof that John Jesus really was baptized by John, because when someone tells you something that is not in his best interest for you to know, then you can be reasonably sure he was telling you the truth.” (3)
Matthew’s version of the baptism story conveys the questions that many of us have regarding Jesus getting in line with the sinners to be baptized. Jesus is the Messiah, he is the one anointed by God to do the will of God. Jesus had nothing to be forgiven of. What is he doing getting chest deep in the muddy waters of the Jordan with John to be baptized? John discomfort shows as he tries to talk Jesus out of getting baptized, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matt 3:14) Jesus replies “Let it be so now” or some note what Jesus meant by this phrase literally was “permit it now…at this specific time—because it must be done under these circumstances and in this way ‘to fulfill all righteousness.’” (4) Basically God was mandating that Jesus was to begin his ministry by affirming his humanness. That in act of getting chest deep in the water with John, Jesus’ baptism is as some note “a righteous act of solidarity with those to whom and for whom he has come. The one who is now being baptized by human hands, amid a call to repentance, is also the one who will usher in God’s kingdom and bring the good news of forgiveness to those same human hands.” (5)
We remember that Jesus’ baptism occurs at the beginning of his public ministry, in essence it was his coming out party. Echoing the words of Isaiah’s Servant Song which we read this morning, God presents Jesus to the world with the following words, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (3:17) Hear again the words of the Isaiah’s servant song. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1) Scholars have long debated the identity of the servant that Isaiah is singing about in this passage. Some believe that it was Cyrus the Persian king who freed the exiles from Babylon, others believe it is God calling the nation of Israel to be a servant to the other nations. (6) What is most important in this passage is what God is calling the servant to do which is “to bring forth justice to the nations.” The justice that the servant is called to bring forth is a fair distribution of the worlds resources so that all of God’s creation will have what they need in order to live whole prosperous lives. This passage has particular concern for the weak, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” (42:3) These very words shaped Jesus’ ministry. Jesus came to establish justice through being the embodiment of God’s grace and love freely given to all. Jesus was to carry out his justice making ministry through tenderness and not violence, through the care of the weak and not alliances with the strong. This is the same model of ministry that we are called to as baptized disciples of God in Christ.
Through the waters of baptism we are named as children of God, beloved and pleasing to God. In baptism, God works in us the power of forgiveness, the renewal of the spirit and the knowledge of the call to be God’s people always. Baptism with water and the Holy Spirit is the sign and seal of our common discipleship. Since baptism is God’s gift, the Holy Spirit is called to be upon the water and those being baptized. The act of baptism marks the beginning of new life of discipleship with Christ, the human response to the gift of God’s grace. In every Christian Church we share this sacrament of baptism within a worship service in order to welcome the newly baptized into our community of faith and vow to always remind them that indeed they are a children of God.
This indwelling grace, this beloved-ness comes to sustain us through the challenging and hard times that we encounter through life’s journey. Many of us know that the way of Christian discipleship can be difficult and at times can take us to places that we would rather not go. I know this has been true for me. I’ve faced trials and been in situations where I’ve been wounded while witnessing to Jesus’ message of peace and justice in this world. At times, I’ve lamented my call, knowing the difficulties I face as a Christ’s disciple. However in these dark times, I remember my baptism. I remember that with the water that was poured over my head oh so long ago that God had claimed me and named me as God’s beloved child.
At each of our baptisms we hear God’s voice saying, “This is my son, my daughter, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” As well as being an affirmation of our worthiness, this is also our call to discipleship. This is our call to participate in the establishment of God’s justice in the world. This is our call to do this ministry with the same gentleness and endurance as Jesus did when he was among us. Some note that “His ministry did take care with the bruised reed; he cupped his hands around the dimmest wicks until they began to shine. The practices that the prophet Isaiah called the people to cherish captured Jesus’ imagination and ought to capture ours as well.” (7)
Jesus got chest deep into the muddy waters of the Jordan to be in solidarity with us in our humanness. When he emerged from these waters, he began his active ministry soaked in the vision of Isaiah given to him by God. Jesus ministry was “guided by mercy and a hunger for justice. Jesus’ whole life was a passionate response to God’s call for this new way of living. Let us hear this text as Jesus did, with our whole hearts and to respond as he did, with our whole lives.” (8)
May it be so. Amen!
(1) Barbara Brown Taylor. Home by Another Way. (Cambridge, Mass: Cowley Publications, 1999.), 34.
(2) Barbara Brown Taylor Mixed Blessings. (Cambridge, Mass: Cowley Publications, 1998.), 55.
(3) Taylor Home by Another Way, 34.
(4) Troy Miller, “Matthew 3:13-17 - Exegetical Perspective.” Feasting on the Word. 239.
(5) Ibid., 239.
(6) Stephanie Paulsell, “Isaiah 42:1-9 – Pastoral Perspective.” Feasting on the Word, 222.
(7) Ibid., 222.
(8) Ibid., 222.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Messiah”
Matthew 2:1-12
To say I love my GPS would be an understatement. I need my Global Positioning System, I adore my GPS, many times I have wanted to pay homage to my GPS for all the wondrous things it has done for me. Yes the great theologian Augustine would have issue with my inordinate love for my GPS coming close to my love of God but I’ll save that for a later sermon, or confession. Suffuse it to say, without my GPS I would not be able to get out of my apartment. You see, God has given me many gifts, but a sense of direction is not one of them. Friends have observed that my sense of direction is so bad that I have the unique ability to get lost in a broom closet. So you can imagine the glee I feel when I have reached my final destination and I hear that friendly voice on the GPS say, “You Have Arrived.”
Now my GPS works great in bigger cities such as Smallcity and Bigcity, but when you try to use in rural towns such as say…Smalltown, well the usefulness of the GPS becomes quite limited. The GPS can only take me so far. Many of your addresses do not register on my GPS. So as I journey to your homes the GPS will lead me way past the point that I was trying to get to or stop just short of it. As many of you know, quite well unfortunately, whenever I’ve come to visit, about 2 minutes before I am supposed be there, you get a frantic phone call from me where I tell you that I’ve ended up on an unmarked dirt road in the wilds of Smalltown and that I need your guidance to get out.
Now today’s gospel finds the wise men in a similar situation. The wise men have been following their form of astrological GPS, a star from the east, so as to find the child who had been born king of the Jews. We don’t know why they stopped but we can guess that the star could only take them so far, like my GPS in most of rural Smalltown, the place that they sought was not registering completely on their astrological global positioning system. I wonder if they did find where Jesus was born but passed it up thinking, no that can’t be it. No king would be born in a stable!
Eventually, the wise men realize that they had to stop and ask for directions. They go to the nearest big city, Jerusalem, hoping to find someone who knows about the baby Messiah. Imagine if you will, these strangely dressed foreign men coming up to anyone on the streets asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews. We want to pay him homage.” I am sure most of the Jerusalem folk reacted in fear and trepidation. Wanting to avoid the charge of treason, the citizens directed the wise men to the palace of King Herod Antipas, the one whom the Roman Empire crowned as King of the Jews. However, the wise men knew that Herod was not the king they were looking for.
Word gets back to Herod in the palace about these foreign guys from the east running around town asking for directions to a child recently born King of the Jews to whom they wanted to pay homage to. This frightens Herod because he knew there were prophesies that a ruler would be coming from the Davidic family line who would become the Messiah, the one anointed by God to rule over all of Israel. He just didn’t think it would happen in his lifetime. Herod met with his chief priests and his scribes to find out where the Messiah was to be born and they confirmed his worst fears, indeed the Messiah was already born in Bethlehem as it was written by the prophets. So Herod meets with the wise men secretly and sends them to Bethlehem asking them to send word back to Herod so that he may go and pay homage to the child. Really Herod had other plans which thank goodness are later thwarted through a wise man’s dream.
When the wise men are told by Herod that the Messiah is in Bethlehem they set out and there ahead of them came back the star they had first seen at its raising. Their GPS was working again. When they saw the star had stopped they were overwhelmed with joy. Finally they found the place they were looking for, perhaps the place that they had passed by many times before they asked Herod for directions. There in this place was the child with Mary his mother and the first thing the wise men did was kneel down and give the child homage.
The key phrase throughout this text is “to give homage” “Where is the child has been born king of the Jews? For we…have come to pay him homage” (2:3) “When you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage”(2:8) “On entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother and they knelt down and paid him homage.” (2:11) Some note that the Greek word used for paying homage was quite intense, the word in the original text describes “the custom of prostrating oneself at the feet of a king. The physical posture dramatically expressed the idea of giving not just gifts but our entire selves to Christ.” (1)
The wise men’s act of seeking Jesus so that they may worship him was not an easy task; it comes at the end of long and arduous journey, full of wrong turns and missteps. Looking at this text in the metaphorically, the wise men’s journey could be compared to the journey of a life of faith. It is noted that the wise men’s journey “begins with the need to give themselves utterly and completely to the only one worthy of worship.” (2) The journey of a life of faith begins with the need to connect with that which is greater than ourselves. The journey of the wise men was dangerous, as they risked life and limb to travel through unknown lands just so they could worship the Christ. The journey of faith is also quite dangerous because in order to get to the place where we can utterly and completely give ourselves over to God in Christ, we have to leave the security of the familiar worldly things to pursue God’s will and way in the world. The journey of the wise men required guidance, a divine revelation, a GPS if you will, because they did not know where they were going and needed the external presence of the star and then they had to ask for directions from those who could guide them with the prophecy of scripture. The journey of faith also requires the guidance of divine revelation, a GPS that combines the power of the Holy Spirit with the revelation of Scripture to lead us toward God in Christ whom we give our lives utterly and completely to. And there are times where the GPS can only take us so far, where we may pass the place we are looking for over and over again occasionally taking a wrong turn or maybe the destination doesn’t seem to register, it is in those times that we rely on the members of this community of faith, the folks whom we know we can frantically call when we are lost, confident that they direct us towards our final revelation. “You have arrived!” May it be so. Amen.
(1) Thomas H. Troeger "Matthew 2:1-12 - Homiletical Perspective" Feasting on the Word - Year A: Advent to Transfiguration. pg. 215.
(2) Ibid., 215.
To say I love my GPS would be an understatement. I need my Global Positioning System, I adore my GPS, many times I have wanted to pay homage to my GPS for all the wondrous things it has done for me. Yes the great theologian Augustine would have issue with my inordinate love for my GPS coming close to my love of God but I’ll save that for a later sermon, or confession. Suffuse it to say, without my GPS I would not be able to get out of my apartment. You see, God has given me many gifts, but a sense of direction is not one of them. Friends have observed that my sense of direction is so bad that I have the unique ability to get lost in a broom closet. So you can imagine the glee I feel when I have reached my final destination and I hear that friendly voice on the GPS say, “You Have Arrived.”
Now my GPS works great in bigger cities such as Smallcity and Bigcity, but when you try to use in rural towns such as say…Smalltown, well the usefulness of the GPS becomes quite limited. The GPS can only take me so far. Many of your addresses do not register on my GPS. So as I journey to your homes the GPS will lead me way past the point that I was trying to get to or stop just short of it. As many of you know, quite well unfortunately, whenever I’ve come to visit, about 2 minutes before I am supposed be there, you get a frantic phone call from me where I tell you that I’ve ended up on an unmarked dirt road in the wilds of Smalltown and that I need your guidance to get out.
Now today’s gospel finds the wise men in a similar situation. The wise men have been following their form of astrological GPS, a star from the east, so as to find the child who had been born king of the Jews. We don’t know why they stopped but we can guess that the star could only take them so far, like my GPS in most of rural Smalltown, the place that they sought was not registering completely on their astrological global positioning system. I wonder if they did find where Jesus was born but passed it up thinking, no that can’t be it. No king would be born in a stable!
Eventually, the wise men realize that they had to stop and ask for directions. They go to the nearest big city, Jerusalem, hoping to find someone who knows about the baby Messiah. Imagine if you will, these strangely dressed foreign men coming up to anyone on the streets asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews. We want to pay him homage.” I am sure most of the Jerusalem folk reacted in fear and trepidation. Wanting to avoid the charge of treason, the citizens directed the wise men to the palace of King Herod Antipas, the one whom the Roman Empire crowned as King of the Jews. However, the wise men knew that Herod was not the king they were looking for.
Word gets back to Herod in the palace about these foreign guys from the east running around town asking for directions to a child recently born King of the Jews to whom they wanted to pay homage to. This frightens Herod because he knew there were prophesies that a ruler would be coming from the Davidic family line who would become the Messiah, the one anointed by God to rule over all of Israel. He just didn’t think it would happen in his lifetime. Herod met with his chief priests and his scribes to find out where the Messiah was to be born and they confirmed his worst fears, indeed the Messiah was already born in Bethlehem as it was written by the prophets. So Herod meets with the wise men secretly and sends them to Bethlehem asking them to send word back to Herod so that he may go and pay homage to the child. Really Herod had other plans which thank goodness are later thwarted through a wise man’s dream.
When the wise men are told by Herod that the Messiah is in Bethlehem they set out and there ahead of them came back the star they had first seen at its raising. Their GPS was working again. When they saw the star had stopped they were overwhelmed with joy. Finally they found the place they were looking for, perhaps the place that they had passed by many times before they asked Herod for directions. There in this place was the child with Mary his mother and the first thing the wise men did was kneel down and give the child homage.
The key phrase throughout this text is “to give homage” “Where is the child has been born king of the Jews? For we…have come to pay him homage” (2:3) “When you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage”(2:8) “On entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother and they knelt down and paid him homage.” (2:11) Some note that the Greek word used for paying homage was quite intense, the word in the original text describes “the custom of prostrating oneself at the feet of a king. The physical posture dramatically expressed the idea of giving not just gifts but our entire selves to Christ.” (1)
The wise men’s act of seeking Jesus so that they may worship him was not an easy task; it comes at the end of long and arduous journey, full of wrong turns and missteps. Looking at this text in the metaphorically, the wise men’s journey could be compared to the journey of a life of faith. It is noted that the wise men’s journey “begins with the need to give themselves utterly and completely to the only one worthy of worship.” (2) The journey of a life of faith begins with the need to connect with that which is greater than ourselves. The journey of the wise men was dangerous, as they risked life and limb to travel through unknown lands just so they could worship the Christ. The journey of faith is also quite dangerous because in order to get to the place where we can utterly and completely give ourselves over to God in Christ, we have to leave the security of the familiar worldly things to pursue God’s will and way in the world. The journey of the wise men required guidance, a divine revelation, a GPS if you will, because they did not know where they were going and needed the external presence of the star and then they had to ask for directions from those who could guide them with the prophecy of scripture. The journey of faith also requires the guidance of divine revelation, a GPS that combines the power of the Holy Spirit with the revelation of Scripture to lead us toward God in Christ whom we give our lives utterly and completely to. And there are times where the GPS can only take us so far, where we may pass the place we are looking for over and over again occasionally taking a wrong turn or maybe the destination doesn’t seem to register, it is in those times that we rely on the members of this community of faith, the folks whom we know we can frantically call when we are lost, confident that they direct us towards our final revelation. “You have arrived!” May it be so. Amen.
(1) Thomas H. Troeger "Matthew 2:1-12 - Homiletical Perspective" Feasting on the Word - Year A: Advent to Transfiguration. pg. 215.
(2) Ibid., 215.
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Magic of Christmas
When I was a child Christmas was the biggest day of the year! It was magical. My family would begin our celebration by putting up and decorating the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, festooning it with lights, stars, angels, even little disco balls and a flashing star on top of the tree. I still have a few of these disco balls much to my spouse’s chagrin. Underneath the tree would lay our nativity set. My brother Mark and I used to love playing with the nativity set. We’d make up stories with the Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and animals figurines, everything was there but the baby Jesus because he would not appear until Christmas day. However it was not unusual to find a Barbie doll or rocket ship in the middle of the porcelain figures of my family’s crèche as my brother and I liked to play out our own creative spin on the story of the Nativity.
But the best part of the Christmas season was the presents. Slowly the wrapped boxes would come. First one box would appear under the tree, then another and then another. Brown boxes would come in the mail filled with even more presents to put under the tree. By Christmas Eve the presents were so abundant that my parents had to set up another little tree in the kitchen to handle excess. Yes. we kids knew that the true meaning of Christmas was about the birth of God’s son, our Savior the baby Jesus, but really, if you asked us what Christmas was really about…we would say it is all about the presents.
In my family’s tradition we opened all of our gifts after supper on Christmas Eve. That was the longest supper ever for a bunch of kids who could barely wait to tear into the presents under the tree. We would cram our food into our mouths in lightning speed with no appreciation for the work my mom put into making this lovely meal. And unlike any other night in our house, we would refuse our dessert so as to get to the presents just that much faster. There was nothing my parents could do to slow us down.
The Christmases that we remember as children were the greatest days of our lives. We remember the magic of the trees, the music, the cookies and the presents. We remember the joy of watching holiday specials that were shown on TV once a year: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. We remember brothers and sisters coming back from far away places to spend the holiday with us. We remember that for one night of the year, it felt like all the troubles of the world would disappear and as we basked in the glory of tearing through wrapping paper to reveal the toy that we longed for.
But as we grow up into adulthood, it seems that the magic of Christmas disappears bit by bit. Work, school, relationships and bills take over. Christmas becomes more of an obligation, a reminder of what we’ve lost instead of the wonder of what’s possible. As adults we try desperately to get that magic back and we’d do anything to feel the same way we did as children at Christmas but all the trees, presents and mistletoe can’t get at what we most long for on Christmas, a longing of which we cannot name but whose ache we feel nonetheless.
Some of us come this night with our hearts aching. Whether it is dealing with the grief over the recent loss of a loved one or the tension of a relationship that is strained, or even just plain homesickness for those of us who can’t be with our families tonight, we know that Christmas is not the perfection that Hallmark cards make it up to be. It is confusing, it is stressful, it is messy. However it is in the middle of this very mess that God chooses to incarnate God’s self to the world. God elevates the messiness of humanity by becoming human just like us through the birth of Jesus.
The circumstances around Jesus’ birth were quite messy. Jesus’ earthly parents Mary and Joseph were dirt poor and Mary was pregnant out of wedlock, thus tarnishing Jesus’ reputation before he was even born. Mary and Joseph were forced to travel to a chaotic town where the roads were dusty and crowded with travelers in order to be counted in a mandatory census by Caesar Augustus. And on the night that Jesus was born Mary and Joseph were homeless because they could not find a room in an inn. Mary ended up giving birth to Jesus in the only shelter they could find, a smelly dirty barn where animals ate and slept. The first people to hear the announcement of Jesus’ birth were not kings, soldiers or even priests, no, it was a bunch of shepherds in a field with their sheep. In Jesus’ day the shepherds were not considered respectable folk. They were dirty and smelly living out on the fields with no family or home to speak of. They were the marginalized, the outsiders, the throw away people of Judean society and it is to these outsiders that the angels sang, “To YOU is born…a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) To YOU outsiders, to YOU throw away people, to YOU, knee deep in the mess is born a Savior.
This friends is the magic of Christmas. The Prince of Peace, the Messiah was not born in a palace the son of a great king or queen, no he was born in a stable the son of God. The first people to know of his birth were not people of power and influence; no these were the outsiders, the marginalized, the people whom Jesus would associate with throughout his ministry. The birth of Jesus is a living testament that God is for us. That God’s amazing grace is freely given to us. Too often we think that God can only be found in that which is most perfect and beautiful but the good news is that God seeks us in the places where life is the most messy, most gritty, most chaotic. God shows up in the in the midst of our messy lives to say to us, “Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people.” (Luke 2:10)
On Christmas we remember that God came to us as a helpless little baby boy born into a poor family to become the greatest glory the world. For this baby born of humble circumstance would grow up to satisfy the ache of our deepest longing. The gift of Jesus is the messy embodiment of God’s love, peace and joy for the world.
“On a cold moonlit night,
In the sleepy town of Bethlehem,
Born in silence, in holiness,
In beauty and tenderness...
It all came together one precious moment,
The promise, the purpose, the gift of our Savior
For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only son
so that whosoever believes in him
will not perish but have everlasting life.” (1)
May it be so. Amen.
(1) Jaci Velasquez, “One Silent Night.” Touched by an Angel The Christmas Album.New York , NY
But the best part of the Christmas season was the presents. Slowly the wrapped boxes would come. First one box would appear under the tree, then another and then another. Brown boxes would come in the mail filled with even more presents to put under the tree. By Christmas Eve the presents were so abundant that my parents had to set up another little tree in the kitchen to handle excess. Yes. we kids knew that the true meaning of Christmas was about the birth of God’s son, our Savior the baby Jesus, but really, if you asked us what Christmas was really about…we would say it is all about the presents.
In my family’s tradition we opened all of our gifts after supper on Christmas Eve. That was the longest supper ever for a bunch of kids who could barely wait to tear into the presents under the tree. We would cram our food into our mouths in lightning speed with no appreciation for the work my mom put into making this lovely meal. And unlike any other night in our house, we would refuse our dessert so as to get to the presents just that much faster. There was nothing my parents could do to slow us down.
The Christmases that we remember as children were the greatest days of our lives. We remember the magic of the trees, the music, the cookies and the presents. We remember the joy of watching holiday specials that were shown on TV once a year: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. We remember brothers and sisters coming back from far away places to spend the holiday with us. We remember that for one night of the year, it felt like all the troubles of the world would disappear and as we basked in the glory of tearing through wrapping paper to reveal the toy that we longed for.
But as we grow up into adulthood, it seems that the magic of Christmas disappears bit by bit. Work, school, relationships and bills take over. Christmas becomes more of an obligation, a reminder of what we’ve lost instead of the wonder of what’s possible. As adults we try desperately to get that magic back and we’d do anything to feel the same way we did as children at Christmas but all the trees, presents and mistletoe can’t get at what we most long for on Christmas, a longing of which we cannot name but whose ache we feel nonetheless.
Some of us come this night with our hearts aching. Whether it is dealing with the grief over the recent loss of a loved one or the tension of a relationship that is strained, or even just plain homesickness for those of us who can’t be with our families tonight, we know that Christmas is not the perfection that Hallmark cards make it up to be. It is confusing, it is stressful, it is messy. However it is in the middle of this very mess that God chooses to incarnate God’s self to the world. God elevates the messiness of humanity by becoming human just like us through the birth of Jesus.
The circumstances around Jesus’ birth were quite messy. Jesus’ earthly parents Mary and Joseph were dirt poor and Mary was pregnant out of wedlock, thus tarnishing Jesus’ reputation before he was even born. Mary and Joseph were forced to travel to a chaotic town where the roads were dusty and crowded with travelers in order to be counted in a mandatory census by Caesar Augustus. And on the night that Jesus was born Mary and Joseph were homeless because they could not find a room in an inn. Mary ended up giving birth to Jesus in the only shelter they could find, a smelly dirty barn where animals ate and slept. The first people to hear the announcement of Jesus’ birth were not kings, soldiers or even priests, no, it was a bunch of shepherds in a field with their sheep. In Jesus’ day the shepherds were not considered respectable folk. They were dirty and smelly living out on the fields with no family or home to speak of. They were the marginalized, the outsiders, the throw away people of Judean society and it is to these outsiders that the angels sang, “To YOU is born…a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) To YOU outsiders, to YOU throw away people, to YOU, knee deep in the mess is born a Savior.
This friends is the magic of Christmas. The Prince of Peace, the Messiah was not born in a palace the son of a great king or queen, no he was born in a stable the son of God. The first people to know of his birth were not people of power and influence; no these were the outsiders, the marginalized, the people whom Jesus would associate with throughout his ministry. The birth of Jesus is a living testament that God is for us. That God’s amazing grace is freely given to us. Too often we think that God can only be found in that which is most perfect and beautiful but the good news is that God seeks us in the places where life is the most messy, most gritty, most chaotic. God shows up in the in the midst of our messy lives to say to us, “Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people.” (Luke 2:10)
On Christmas we remember that God came to us as a helpless little baby boy born into a poor family to become the greatest glory the world. For this baby born of humble circumstance would grow up to satisfy the ache of our deepest longing. The gift of Jesus is the messy embodiment of God’s love, peace and joy for the world.
“On a cold moonlit night,
In the sleepy town of Bethlehem,
Born in silence, in holiness,
In beauty and tenderness...
It all came together one precious moment,
The promise, the purpose, the gift of our Savior
For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only son
so that whosoever believes in him
will not perish but have everlasting life.” (1)
May it be so. Amen.
(1) Jaci Velasquez, “One Silent Night.” Touched by an Angel The Christmas Album.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Mary's Song
Luke 1:39-55
"My Soul Magnifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of God's servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,” (Luke 1:46-49)
These words recited in the Gospel of the Luke and beautifully sung by our choir this morning came from a woman who was sat on the margins of the marginalized. Mary had everything going against her; she was young, unmarried and poor. She was pregnant outside of wedlock, the cause scandal and pain. She was at risk of losing everything she had, her betrothed Joseph, her standing in her community and her place in her family. And yet she sings a song of rejoicing in God’s blessings in her life and of God’s vision of a world made right. The song we call the Magnificat.
It has been said that “well behaved women rarely make history.” The Magnificat definitely puts Mary within this category. The Magnificat was testimony of Mary’s rebelliousness to the status quo, imagining a different world where “The powerful are brought down from their thrones and the lowly are lifted up, the hungry are filled with good things and the rich are sent away empty.” A terrifying thought for those in power.
It seems that the Magnificat has been watered down through the ages however this song has not lost its radical-ness. Theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer who was later executed by the Nazi’s stated in his sermon on the Magnificat, “The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings; this is the passionate, surrendered, proud, enthusiastic Mary who speaks out here. This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about collapsing thrones and humbled lords of this world, about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind. These are the tones of the women prophets of the Old Testament that now come to life in Mary's mouth." (1) It is no wonder that the powerful have feared the message of the message of the Magnificat. In the 1980s the Government of Guatemala banned the public reading of the Magnificat because the authorities feared that it would agitate the oppressed to riot against them. (2)
In order to truly understand what the words of the Magnificat mean we have to imagine what the world was like for Mary in her time and place. Mary lived in Roman occupied Palestine. Judea was under the rule of Herod Antipas who had an insatiable appetite for power, palaces and extravagance. Herod reported to Caesar Augustus who was lifted up by the Romans as the Savior, the son of God, because when he seized power, he ended the civil wars in the Roman Empire to bring about the era of Pax Romana.(3) Mary’s people were marginalized, living in utter poverty, crushed under the boot of the Roman Army and ruled by their corrupt deputy Herod Antipas.(4) Some note that Herod grew wealthy from the poverty of people like Mary and her family. They were serfs and peasants who paid such high taxes to support Herod’s building projects and extravagant life style that the citizenry did not have enough sustain themselves, often losing the very farmland that fed them.(5) To further complicate things, Mary was a woman living in a patriarchal society. At that time a woman’s standing in Mary’s culture depended on the men that she was related to and Mary was only betrothed but not yet married to Joseph, she was pregnant not by him and stood to lose him. Yes, Mary stood on the margins of the margin and yet in spite of everything going against her, she is able to sings a song that was ahead of her time. (6)
Some note that The Magnificat is Mary’s heartfelt release of her deepest longings, for God to establish justice through the birth of her son so that there would be no more poor, oppressed or down trodden. In her song she sings of reversals, the proud are scattered, the powerful are taken down from their thrones and the lowly lifted up. Mary is not afraid to proclaim that God will bring the unjust leaders Caesar Augustus and Herod down from their positions of power so that the poor of Israel will finally experience God’s justice through the coming of her son the Messiah. She knows that all future generations shall be called her blessed because she will play an intimate part in the incarnation of God’s son on earth. All of this hope and expectation of a better future was sung from a powerless, penniless, unwed pregnant teenager. The Magnificat is not just a sweet song Mary sang to her aunt to celebrate their pregnancies, no this was a proclamation, this was a speech that could be heard at any protest rally telling all who would hear that God is working in history and this is what the world will look like when God establishes God’s reign on earth.(7)
Mary saw the world as God sees it. She knew that God’s great desire for the world was for all to live in the spirit of Shalom, where all of God’s creation would have what is needed to be whole, well and prosperous. Mary was so sure that God will do what God has promised that as she sang her song, she used the past tense as a way of expressing her confidence and certainty of God’s work in the world. (8)
“He has shown strength with his arm” (v. 51)
“He has brought down the powerful” (v. 52)
“He has filled the hungry with good things” (v. 53)
“He has helped his servant Israel.” (v. 54)
In this time of uncertainty, we know the world is not the way God way would have it. There is still suffering in the world; there are still millions of children who go to bed homeless, hungry and afraid at night. (9) There is still war, tragedy and violence in every corner of the world tearing families asunder. However in this advent season as we contemplated our deepest longings, we were able imagine a different world where sharing by all means scarcity for none. Where peace, love and joy is manifest throughout all of creation. Mary’s song the Magnificat proclaims this new world order where suffering will end, everyone has enough and all nations will be brought to peace through the birth of her son our savior Jesus. As we move through these last days of Advent into the Christmas season let our longing voices join in Mary’s song of rejoicing in the hope of God’s future.
May it be so.
Amen.
(1) Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J. “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.” U.S. Catholic, 68:12. (December 2003), 12-17.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Scot McKnight, “The Mary We Never Knew” Christianity Today, December 2006. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/december/8.26.html
(4) Johnson, “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.”
(5) John Ortberg, “Living by the Word: Sunday, December 20 Luke 1: 39-45 (46-55)” Christian Century, 15 December 2009, 20.
(6) Kate Huey “Sermon Seeds: Luke 1: 47-55” http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/december-12-2010-third.html
(7) Mcknight, “The Mary We Never Knew.”
(8) Fred B. Craddock Luke. Interpretation, a Bible commentary for teaching and preaching. (Louisville, Ky: John Knox Press, 1990.), 30.
(9) Huey “Sermon Seeds: Luke 1: 47-55”
"My Soul Magnifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of God's servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,” (Luke 1:46-49)
These words recited in the Gospel of the Luke and beautifully sung by our choir this morning came from a woman who was sat on the margins of the marginalized. Mary had everything going against her; she was young, unmarried and poor. She was pregnant outside of wedlock, the cause scandal and pain. She was at risk of losing everything she had, her betrothed Joseph, her standing in her community and her place in her family. And yet she sings a song of rejoicing in God’s blessings in her life and of God’s vision of a world made right. The song we call the Magnificat.
It has been said that “well behaved women rarely make history.” The Magnificat definitely puts Mary within this category. The Magnificat was testimony of Mary’s rebelliousness to the status quo, imagining a different world where “The powerful are brought down from their thrones and the lowly are lifted up, the hungry are filled with good things and the rich are sent away empty.” A terrifying thought for those in power.
It seems that the Magnificat has been watered down through the ages however this song has not lost its radical-ness. Theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer who was later executed by the Nazi’s stated in his sermon on the Magnificat, “The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings; this is the passionate, surrendered, proud, enthusiastic Mary who speaks out here. This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about collapsing thrones and humbled lords of this world, about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind. These are the tones of the women prophets of the Old Testament that now come to life in Mary's mouth." (1) It is no wonder that the powerful have feared the message of the message of the Magnificat. In the 1980s the Government of Guatemala banned the public reading of the Magnificat because the authorities feared that it would agitate the oppressed to riot against them. (2)
In order to truly understand what the words of the Magnificat mean we have to imagine what the world was like for Mary in her time and place. Mary lived in Roman occupied Palestine. Judea was under the rule of Herod Antipas who had an insatiable appetite for power, palaces and extravagance. Herod reported to Caesar Augustus who was lifted up by the Romans as the Savior, the son of God, because when he seized power, he ended the civil wars in the Roman Empire to bring about the era of Pax Romana.(3) Mary’s people were marginalized, living in utter poverty, crushed under the boot of the Roman Army and ruled by their corrupt deputy Herod Antipas.(4) Some note that Herod grew wealthy from the poverty of people like Mary and her family. They were serfs and peasants who paid such high taxes to support Herod’s building projects and extravagant life style that the citizenry did not have enough sustain themselves, often losing the very farmland that fed them.(5) To further complicate things, Mary was a woman living in a patriarchal society. At that time a woman’s standing in Mary’s culture depended on the men that she was related to and Mary was only betrothed but not yet married to Joseph, she was pregnant not by him and stood to lose him. Yes, Mary stood on the margins of the margin and yet in spite of everything going against her, she is able to sings a song that was ahead of her time. (6)
Some note that The Magnificat is Mary’s heartfelt release of her deepest longings, for God to establish justice through the birth of her son so that there would be no more poor, oppressed or down trodden. In her song she sings of reversals, the proud are scattered, the powerful are taken down from their thrones and the lowly lifted up. Mary is not afraid to proclaim that God will bring the unjust leaders Caesar Augustus and Herod down from their positions of power so that the poor of Israel will finally experience God’s justice through the coming of her son the Messiah. She knows that all future generations shall be called her blessed because she will play an intimate part in the incarnation of God’s son on earth. All of this hope and expectation of a better future was sung from a powerless, penniless, unwed pregnant teenager. The Magnificat is not just a sweet song Mary sang to her aunt to celebrate their pregnancies, no this was a proclamation, this was a speech that could be heard at any protest rally telling all who would hear that God is working in history and this is what the world will look like when God establishes God’s reign on earth.(7)
Mary saw the world as God sees it. She knew that God’s great desire for the world was for all to live in the spirit of Shalom, where all of God’s creation would have what is needed to be whole, well and prosperous. Mary was so sure that God will do what God has promised that as she sang her song, she used the past tense as a way of expressing her confidence and certainty of God’s work in the world. (8)
“He has shown strength with his arm” (v. 51)
“He has brought down the powerful” (v. 52)
“He has filled the hungry with good things” (v. 53)
“He has helped his servant Israel.” (v. 54)
In this time of uncertainty, we know the world is not the way God way would have it. There is still suffering in the world; there are still millions of children who go to bed homeless, hungry and afraid at night. (9) There is still war, tragedy and violence in every corner of the world tearing families asunder. However in this advent season as we contemplated our deepest longings, we were able imagine a different world where sharing by all means scarcity for none. Where peace, love and joy is manifest throughout all of creation. Mary’s song the Magnificat proclaims this new world order where suffering will end, everyone has enough and all nations will be brought to peace through the birth of her son our savior Jesus. As we move through these last days of Advent into the Christmas season let our longing voices join in Mary’s song of rejoicing in the hope of God’s future.
May it be so.
Amen.
(1) Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J. “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.” U.S. Catholic, 68:12. (December 2003), 12-17.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Scot McKnight, “The Mary We Never Knew” Christianity Today, December 2006. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/december/8.26.html
(4) Johnson, “Mary, Mary Quite Contrary.”
(5) John Ortberg, “Living by the Word: Sunday, December 20 Luke 1: 39-45 (46-55)” Christian Century, 15 December 2009, 20.
(6) Kate Huey “Sermon Seeds: Luke 1: 47-55” http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/december-12-2010-third.html
(7) Mcknight, “The Mary We Never Knew.”
(8) Fred B. Craddock Luke. Interpretation, a Bible commentary for teaching and preaching. (Louisville, Ky: John Knox Press, 1990.), 30.
(9) Huey “Sermon Seeds: Luke 1: 47-55”
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