What would you give a king?

This morning I had the privellage to preach at Faith Lutheran Parish in Prince George, VA. The congregation is very small- there were only about 14 people in the pews today, but very responsive.  For the first time I think I made the transition from being "ok" with preaching (already an improvement from being terrified to preach) to having a lot of fun preaching.  Since it was a Lutheran church, there were four scriptures read, three of which are referenced in the sermon so I will include all three of those.  This isn't my best sermon, but it was definitely my best delivery so far and just a very enjoyable experience!  I am definitely looking forward to going back again. (I apologize for the formatting in the sermon... something didn't transfer write in the copy/ paste and I gave up trying to fix it!)

Isaiah 60: 1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. ²For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. ³Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ⁴Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. ⁵Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. ⁶A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.        

Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14

¹Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.
²May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
³May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
⁴May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
⁵May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
⁶May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
⁷In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
¹⁰May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
¹¹May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
¹²For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.
¹³He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
¹⁴From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight. 

Matthew 2: 1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ⁶‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” ⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

           Baby showers- they almost seem as if they are a right of passage in a young woman’s life.  A woman’s friends and family plan a day that focuses on her and her soon-to-be-born child, playing games, eating themed snacks, opening gifts and holding clothes up to a very pregnant belly as if she can tell if it will fit the baby or not.  Baby showers have become a very exciting tradition for most women.  I don’t have any children yet, but I do know that I have enjoyed shopping for the perfect gift for my friends' children.  Should I get a blanket or stuffed animal? Or are diapers a better idea… that will definitely save my friends some money.  When buying these gifts I have to keep in mind what my friends have registered for, what the nursery is going to look like, how much room they will have, and of course if the baby is a boy or girl.  If it takes this much thought to give a gift for a “normal” baby, I can only imagine the stress that would come with trying to figure out what to give to a baby who was the Son of God and the King of the Jews- a baby so important that a star shone to guide the way for all those who came to visit.

The story of the magi is a significant one that serves as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that was read this morning.  In this story we find a group of magi who are travelling east to see the child who was born King of the Jews.  Word has spread of this baby and these magi are travelling to pay homage and leave gifts that have become very iconic over the years - gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  For any other baby these gifts might have seemed a bit extravagant- I definitely wouldn’t give them to my friends’ babies even if I could afford them, but I have never heard anyone question their presentation to Jesus, the baby King of the Jews.  The gift of gold would have been a very common gift for anyone in monarchy and fit for this king.  In addition to myrrh being a royal favorite due to its aromatic nature, it would have been used for anointing purposes- appropriate for the one who would later be called “The Anointed One”.  Frankincense was a holy perfume only used in the sanctuary, possibly looking forward to when this baby would be worshiped as Messiah with his Father.  However, as interesting as the possible meanings behind each gift are since we have the knowledge of all that happened following this night in the house, I seriously doubt that the magi thought anything more than “what would be an appropriate gift for a king?”  One thing is for sure- these gifts are a far cry from the stuffed animals and blankets that we continually debate over when shopping for baby gifts.

            The magi chose to bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the king of the Jews because of their royal qualities.  These weren’t gifts for just anyone and were probably heavily guarded throughout their journey to the east.  This morning’s Psalm tells us of all that the people asked God to give to the coming Messiah- justice, righteousness, long life through multiple generations.  However, I can’t help but think about those who weren’t able to bring such extravagant gifts to the house the night that the star appeared, reminding me of  two stories that I have grown to love over the years.

The story of the other wise man tells Arteban’s story.  Arteban wanted to travel to see Jesus with the others so he collected three gifts to take with him- a ruby, a sapphire, and a pearl. On his way to meet the others, Arteban stopped to care for a sick man and missed the other guys so he had to sell his ruby to pay for transportation with a caravan. The night before he was to arrive to see Jesus, Joseph and Mary fled with Jesus after what the angel told them about Herod’s search fro the child in order to destroy him, so Arte stayed at an inn. While at the inn, the soldiers came to kill all the baby boys but Arte saved one by paying off the guards with his sapphire. At this point, he had lost Jesus' trail, but he didn't give up. Arte took different jobs over the years so that he could have money to live off of, but continued to save the pearl for when he did finally find Jesus. Word started to spread of the crucifixion and Arte rushed to see his Lord. On the way, he ran into a woman who was going to be sold as a slave so he gave up his last gift, the pearl, to save her. All of the sudden, an earthquake came and caused a wall to fall on Arte. As he lay there, he called up to God "O Lord, how often have I failed you?" to which God replies, "You have not failed me, for you have given to the least of your brothers..."

            A second story that has become quite important to me is the story of the “Three Wise Women” by Mary Hoffman.  This story tells of the journey that three women made when a star appeared- the first woman was baking bread when she saw a star in the distance and suddenly her bread began to rise and was filled with the light of the star.  When her bread was finished baking she took it and followed the star.  The second woman was singing a lullaby to her baby son when they were both distracted by a star in the distance, the light of which made her baby smile so they got up and followed it.  The third woman was telling stories to her grandchildren when she saw a star and became so distracted by it that the star became the focus of her stories.  After finishing her story, the grandmother got up and followed the star just as the other two ladies did.  The three women met just outside of a small village, not knowing how long they had travelled because they were not tired or hungry.  They followed the star for the remainder of their journey, all the way to a small building where they found a young family- mother, father, and baby.  The women asked if they could come in- the first woman gave the loaf of bread to the mother and the baby reached out as if to bless it.  The grandmother apologized for having nothing to offer, but told the family a story of the starlight while the second woman held her own baby as he reached out to the baby in the crib.  The three women left and went back their own separate ways, comforted and filled with the hope of starlight.  The young baby in the crib grew up and showed that fresh bread tastes better when shared, he told stories to anyone who would listen, and taught that the greatest gift that anyone can offer is love.

            None of these three women nor Arteband were able to give the new born king of the Jews gifts that were seen as suitable for royalty.  Poor Arte never even made it to see the baby because he continued to be  stopped along the way and  had to give away each of the fine gifts that he did have.  However, both stories emphasize that the material gift was not necessary, bringing a whole new light to the question “what do you give a king?”

            Imagine you are busy with life - maybe sitting in the office, working over-time as you try to beat a looming deadline or maybe just like the grandmother in the story, you are spending time with your grandchildren.  You look up from what you are doing because you notice that the room got brighter, and you see a star in the distance that you haven’t ever noticed before.  Imagine that you drop what you are doing and follow the path that is lit by the star and find a house where a young family is resting.  What will you offer to this family? 

Just as Arte brought himself to the Lord by way of giving his most precious gifts to those he met along the way, the least of his brothers and sisters, we can bring our most precious gifts to God because it isn't about the material gifts. While material gifts are nice and we can all enjoy them for a time, the most precious gift that we have is OURSELF. As we reach out and help others, whether that be giving food to the food bank or listening to our friends problems, we should give OURSELVES. WE can be one of the magi.

            There is no better time to give ourselves to our Lord than now, as we are making our New Year's resolutions. Why not set aside some time each week to reach out to those that we might otherwise ignore. It could be that we spend some time on the phone with our brother or sister that we haven't talked to in a while because we were "just too busy" or we might visit a church shut-in and let her tell us some stories from when she was younger.  Maybe we can go to the food bank and help sort food or help build a house with the church at Habitat for Humanity. The monetary gifts help the organizations, but they also need help working with what it is they are buying.  Remember, we don't have to go abroad to help someone. Help is needed right outside our front door, and sometimes, sitting across from us at the dinner table.

Nowhere in the Gospel of Matthew are we told that there are only three magi- we are only told that there were three gifts.  For all we know, there was a crowd of twenty in the house that night.  We may not be able to offer such precious gifts as gold, frankincense, and myrrh but we can offer many other things.  We also don’t have to be in a Christmas pageant in order to be one of the magi.  All we have to do is realize that our own life is gift enough and offer it to our Lord who showed us the way in which to live.

            So, this year as decisions are made about New Year’s Resolutions or even just ways that 
we can live in a way that responds to Christ’s life here on earth, a gift in itself, let us remember- we 
don’t have to track down gold, frankincense, or myrrh on amazon.com- we only need to give our life 
and live in the way that the baby king of the Jews and Son of God grew up to teach us.  When we 
hand our life over we are doing more than just giving ourselves- we are recognizing that there is so 
much more that can be done with our life than we can do on our own, and we are entrusting that to our 
Lord.

            A classic hymn for this time of year and today’s prelude, entitled “In The Bleak Midwinter” sums all of this up quite nicely in the final verse-  What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; yet what I can, I give him:  I give my heart.

Are we really Christian?

I have been struggling a lot lately, and only a few people have actually been in the loop about it.  It sucks… a lot, however I feel like it is giving me a whole new view point that will be very important later on when I am called to a church.  I will probably have a few follow-ups to this post in the coming months as I continue to think about this and read a book or two, but here is the initial thought:  I can’t blame people for leaving the church.  Now, before you freak out thinking I am running away or talking trash about God or anything absurd like that… I’m not.  However I spent a lot of time thinking about my actions and those around me and looking at the way we interact and I see it- I see why people hate the church.

One of the biggest criticisms of Christians is that we are hypocritical, and all too often I hear Christians saying “NO! Of course we aren’t! We are GREAT Christians!” blah blah blah. Right.  But we ARE hypocritical.

Over the last several months I have looked at different communities from an outsiders view, paying attention to the way in which they interacted with each other and those on the outside.  What is funny is the communities that claim no faith base but are instead gathered because of another common interest are the ones who are the most inclusive and welcoming.  The Christian communities? Not so much.

I have seen people preach one thing and do the opposite all too often.  “Well Jesus said we need to welcome all people… (10 minutes later) I have no reason, but I just don’t like them and I will give them a hard time because of that.” And that is Christian how, exactly?  Or “We are all brothers and sisters in Christ…. Except for them.”  I can’t say that we help ourselves at all though because we continually say that it is an open table but exclude a list of people.  Basically if they don’t think, look, and act like us they are not allowed.

The most interesting part? I have continually been excluded from various “Christian” communities but the ones that I really have nothing in common with except for the fact I know one person? I am welcomed with open arms.  Now, I can’t sit here and say all this and not be honest- I have done my own excluding in my time so I am in no way saying that I am free of guilt.

This is my question though- why can’t we just embrace each other’s differences and truly live in the way that Christ did? I can’t think of any part of the Bible when Christ said that any person was excluded, but instead he taught that we should reach out to those who otherwise would be excluded, living together as one body.  Just because someone thinks differently from us doesn’t mean that we can’t spend time with them and it definitely doesn’t mean that we should discount them as being “dumb” or “not understanding”.

Now, I have to admit that the reason I began to pay more attention to this situation was because I saw it happening more to myself and heard about it happening to people that I am very close to.  I will also admit that I have made some different choices than I would have months ago because I have taken the time to really think about the situation and who would be affected and how.  I still screw up sometimes, but at least I am trying.  I lose patience too easily with those that “don’t think” and realize that I am losing patience because I am falling back into bad habits.

We exclude people from communities that preach inclusion.  When people come in our doors expecting to find an inclusive community and don’t, can we blame them for leaving? Can we blame people for being fed up with us because we preach one thing and act another? I think not.  What we can do is become more intentional about making sure that our actions and words follow the teachings of Christ- that we listen to what others believe and think and do and reserve our judgment.  No one gave any of us a paper saying that all that we do and say is right, so how can we say that because someone isn’t exactly like us is wrong?

Our country is built on a system that allows for people to think, vote, and lead differently.  We live in a world with hundreds of religions and government systems, allowing all of us to live in different ways.  In any situation where there is more than one person, there will be differences.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  What is wrong is when we force our own beliefs on others and fault them when they don’t conform.  I am a Christian and am even studying to be a minister, but nothing makes me sicker to my stomach than when someone decides they need to preach to me and tell me why I am destined for Hell or need to be saved.  Don’t ask me what I think and then don’t even give me a chance to tell you before you tell me what is wrong.

I have said it before and will say it again- I don’t write this blog to impose my opinions on others, but rather to work through my opinions, beliefs, and thoughts for myself.  I might ask questions and urge whoever might read this to think about something, but I never tell anyone that they must do what I write about.  If I do, I hope you will let me know so that I can make sure I don’t accidentally do it again.  With that in mind, here is my question from all of this…

What can we do, Christians or not, to live a life that welcomes the lives of others in a way that we truly can be free… after all, we live in the United States of America.  This is where people who are persecuted in other countries escape to, in hopes of finally finding freedom… but are they really?  Are we living our lives in a way that encourages differences or forbids them?  What can we do so that no one suffers because we couldn’t deal with the fact that they are different?

The Ultimate Gift

This was my sermon for December 30 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC.

⁴¹Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. ⁴³When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” ⁴⁹He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s domain?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Luke 2: 41-52

One of my favorite shows lately is “Little Mosque”- the story of a growing Muslim community in a very small Canadian town where a small protestant church, about the same size as Westminster, has opened its doors and converted their fellowship hall into a mosque.  Each episode chronicles the struggles, both humorous and serious, of the community as people of many beliefs come together.  One of my favorite episodes deals with a wedding gift for a young Muslim couple that no one knows anything about.  The young couple goes to everyone they know and talks about how wonderful this gift is and how they can’t wait to use it, hoping to trick their friends into actually saying what it is used for.  After a long day of “research” they find out that the family member who sent the gift to them actually re-gifted because they had no idea what it was for.  We have all been there at some point, trying to figure out why we were given something or what its function is.  About ten years ago our family was given a very pretty and interesting plate shaped like a flower- huge purple petals, yellow center, and green leaves.  There was no denying that it was a pretty plate but there was also no denying that it matched absolutely nothing in our house.  Mom tucked it away in a cabinet for us to see again and again over the next five years, always wondering if we had any use for it yet.  It finally found a new home where it was loved in a white elephant gift exchange.  Maybe some of us are struggling with that now as we try to find the right place to put that “wonderful” gift from your co-worker where you can confidently say that you set it out right away while only you know that it was strategically placed behind a few things.

            I wouldn’t be surprised if people felt the same way about Jesus when he was born- all of this excitement and traveling and for what?  Mary was told that her son was the son of God, however I am sure that did not make the labor process any easier.  Joseph probably had high expectations for this kid, maybe expecting him to be born and immediately pick up a hammer and work beside Joseph.  Shepherds were called to by angels and went immediately to see this precious child, and all he did was lay there in the manger and probably cry.  The animals saw this baby in their food and doing nothing but knew that for some reason, even though it wasn’t terribly visible at the time, this was ok.  This child is the son of God, but he looks like a normal baby!  

            Thankfully, Luke doesn’t take long to get to the point and almost immediately we find the twelve-year old Jesus in the temple.  It is left to our imaginations what happens in the twelve years that have passed but I can only imagine that Jesus had his fun and caused his own amount of trouble just like any other kid.  I’m sure Mary and Joseph wanted to wring his neck after the third time he came running through the house with muddy feet and he probably didn’t always go to bed when he was told to.  However, that is not important.  What is important is what we find in today’s New Testament reading.

            In today’s text we find what is supposed to be the role model family as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus travel to Jerusalem to observe Passover according to the Torah just as they always do.  Everything seems to have gone smoothly until the return- Jesus is missing.  Now, remembering that Jesus is only twelve and thinking about our own children both at home and at the church we can probably understand why Mary and Joseph thought little of his disappearance at first, figuring that he was with some other travelers in the crowd.  However after a few days have passed they realize that something wrong and they return to Jerusalem, probably wishing they had given Jesus that Camel Phone he had asked for on his last birthday.  The fun begins when they finally reach Jerusalem a few days later and find a completely unphased Jesus in the temple and acting quite unlike most twelve year old boys today- he is sitting with and asking questions of the teachers and my guess is it must be a pretty great conversation if they aren’t shooing him away as if he was any other twelve year old boy. 

Now, I don’t have children but I do have nieces who can be very troublesome, so I can almost understand how Mary probably felt when she found him- and it wasn’t the warm fuzzy feeling that her son was the Child of God.  Right away she asks her son why he has put his father and herself through all of this and making them sick with worry.  This is when we find Jesus’ very first words in the Gospel so of course they carry a whole lot of meaning- the young Jesus asks his mother why they even looked for him, that surely they knew he would be in his Father’s domain.  While Jesus may not necessarily be referring directly to the building of the temple itself but rather among the activity and people of his Father, it is very interesting and important to note that the temple served as the center for Israelite life all the way back to the time of Samuel when the temple was finally built in a permanent location.  Jesus’ response is a loaded response if I ever heard one- not only was he not concerned, but he cancelled out Joseph as his father.  Here we find what one commentator refers to as Jesus’ “precocious understanding of himself” not as the son of Mary and Joseph, but rather as the Son of God.  This is probably the first time that Mary has thought of her special gift in a very long time.  This is when we see that the angels were right in all that they told the Shepherds in the field- that baby in the manger wasn’t just any other baby and gift from God, he was THE baby and the ULTIMATE gift from God.  Jesus’ twelve year old escapades bring that to the surface for the first time, and from here on out we are never given the opportunity in the Gospel to forget it.  

One of my favorite movies to watch this time of year is “The Ultimate Gift”, based on the novel by Jim Stovall.  This movie tells the story of a young man named Jason, probably in his late twenties, who has always had everything handed to him on a silver platter and never wanted for anything.  His grandfather has recently passed away and has supposedly left Jason a gift, only he has to complete a series of tasks to receive this gift.  At the end of a very long twelve months Jason has completed the twelve tasks set out by his late Grandfather and has consequently received a series of immaterial gifts such as friendship and hard work.  In the end, Jason also receives just a few billion dollars to use in a way that gives these same gifts to others and is appropriately called “The Ultimate Gift”.  I have recently read the sequel to this book and movie, “The Ultimate Life” in which Jason is taken to court by his very jealous and greedy family.  In order to keep control of the Ultimate Gift, Jason must once again prove that he did truly learn his lesson from each task and can pass the lesson and gift on to others.  Throughout the year-long trial, Jason not only passes the gifts onto others, but must keep continue to remember the words of his grandfather as he gave each gift to him through a series of videos, as well as all that he experienced first hand as he received them.

Jason is not terribly unlike Mary who, having been reminded that Jesus is God’s Son, has to remember all that she was told and saw when she conceived her son and gave birth.  From this point on, she will continue to raise Jesus with her husband Joseph, but they have been reminded and Jesus is obviously very aware that there are far greater things waiting for him beyond working next to Joseph in the woodshop.  As much as Mary has likely enjoyed her time with her son as they celebrated birthdays, enjoyed family dinners, went to temple, and were simply a family she must now take the time to remember a much greater layer that exists in her little boy and begin to allow that layer to come to surface for the rest of the world to see.

Jesus’ time in the temple is only the first of many, many occasions in which he begins to show his family and the world the way in which we should live.  Jesus has laid the first of many, many stepping stones and it is up to not just Mary, but to all of us to remember the promises that came before and all that comes after in a way that doesn’t just live in our minds, but rather in our hearts and most importantly our actions.

This past Tuesday many of us gathered with our families and friends to celebrate a very joyous holiday.  Presents were given and received, food was consumed, and laughs were shared.  We may not have known what to do with some of our gifts or maybe we did and just didn’t quite see why it was given to us.  The what is not the point though, but rather the how.  The gifts that we received over this past week were given with love, in hopes that they would bring a smile to our face and joy to our heart and show us how much our friends and family care for us.  Just as the friend sent the mysterious gift to the young couple in “Little Mosque” to recognize their engagement and celebrate with them, and just as our family friend gave us a very pretty plate for Christmas to show us that they remembered us and were thinking of us, God gave Mary and the whole world his one and only Son to remind us that God is with us always and to give us a new way to hear God’s word in our lives.  The fact that Jesus’ first words in the Gospel of Luke relate him as the Son of God is not anything to take lightly- this is a reminder of the true gift that the little baby in the manger was, and all that he will one day be.

Beginning in the temple and continuing throughout the rest of his life, Jesus laid out a path for us to follow- a path that showed us how to share the love of God through the way that we live our lives, a way that doesn’t just reach into our own lives but into the lives of those that are around us.  When Jason’s grandfather left him “the ultimate gift” it wasn’t so that he alone would learn these twelve important life lessons, but so that he could share them with the world.

Jesus started his journey as the true ultimate gift by sitting with the teachers in the temple and asking them questions.  We can start our journey by reaching out to our neighbors, family, and friends with the love of God and Christmas joy in our hearts.  Maybe we simply need to give them a hug or maybe it includes spending an afternoon at a soup kitchen.  For others it might be sending a card just to say that you are thinking of them.  

Jesus was given to the world as the one and only, true ultimate gift.  He isn’t the kind of gift that gets put on the shelf to be admired from afar and only brought down to be dusted.  He definitely doesn’t belong in a kitchen cabinet until we find a use for him.  Jesus is the gift that gets carried around with us everywhere we go, just as young children carry around their favorite Christmas presents to show off to any and everyone that they meet in the coming days.

It turns out there really was a reason for the shepherds to come to the stable, for the animals to relinquish their food, and for Mary to go through the pain of childbirth.  Sure, Jesus may have appeared to be like any other baby at first but there was so much more to come and even after he reminds his earthly parents of his purpose, even Jesus recognizes that he has some growing to do and returns home with Mary and Joseph and the text says, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”

 

Santa and Christ: A Followup

            After receiving some various feedback against my last post I just want to clarify a few things from MY perspective.  I understand that many people believe many different things and I have absolutely no problem with that, in fact I support it.  I refuse to force my opinions and beliefs on to other people and that is one reason I am incredibly fed up with Facebook and Twitter and debating deleting both accounts- I am tired of being told that everything I think is completely wrong because I don’t agree with one person.  So that being said, first I want to make sure that whoever reads this knows that I am voicing MY thoughts from MY perspective and have never asked for you to believe me, follow what I say, or care at all- I simply use this blog as a way to get my thoughts out there, not directed at any people in particular and if it makes one person think than great.

            NOW, in regard to the issues brought to my attention regarding my blog about bring Christ and Santa back into Christmas.  There are two key things that you need to know about me before we go any further- I am a Christian and celebrate Christmas from the Christian standpoint AND I am 24 years old and believe 100% in the SPIRIT of Santa.

            We never really had a big Christmas in my family.  Sure, there was one year that I got a trumpet… my sister got a cell phone another year… my other sister got some American Girl dolls… but they were special years.  In general my family celebrates Christmas in what I have learned to be a very unique way- we never focus on the gifts.  Yes, we do give gifts but the Santa gifts especially always had an important reminder with them- we got three.  Yes… only three Santa gifts and I guess one from my parents.  Don’t go running away with your imagination though thinking these were huge gifts- they were and still are a book, a piece of jewelry (never anything super nice but always something beautiful, unique, and special each of us), and something else.  We got three gifts because Jesus got three gifts.  When we bought gifts for each other we didn’t go overboard either- usually a CD or stuffed animal for the sisters and I honestly don’t remember what we did for my parents before we could go out on or own at which time we generally combined on something nice for them.  We never focused on the gifts, but always on the meaning behind the three and more importantly the togetherness.  Christmas morning has always been a special time for my family and probably one of the few times my sisters and I can be in a room without fighting (mostly because stockings had already been placed and that fight was big enough for two days :D).

            In addition to the three gifts, my parents were always great at reminding us what we were really celebrating- it wasn’t Santa coming to see us or the gifts we were given (of which I can maybe tell you 3-4 today) but instead it was the birth of Jesus Christ.  Our house was full of gorgeous nativity scenes, we never missed church during Advent or on Christmas Eve (I blame Mom being Director of Christian Ed), and it was a continual discussion in our house all through the season.  That being said, Santa was never absent from our home either.

            Every year we did and still do leave out cookies or some kind of snack for Santa.  We still hang stockings.  We still go to bed “early” so that Santa can come (i.e. Mom and Dad can get to bed too lol).  Every Christmas morning we still stop what we are doing and listen to our Santa letter- a letter that addresses each child individually and gives advice, sometimes “scolds”, but always gives hope based on what has happened over the past year and is to come.  Apart from Christmas, we went to the mall every year and got a Santa picture until sometime when Felicity was in college.  I still try to go and do it.

            That gives you a brief background of how I see Christmas- as someone who always tries to remember the Christian Christmas and celebrates with Santa, even at 24 years old.  Now- people brought up issues of Christ and Santa coexisting and the negative aspects of Santa from a variety of places and times.  So here is the requested response-

            Yes, I full heartedly believe that Christ and Santa can in fact coexist.  Santa is not about getting, but about giving.  The man that Santa is based off of, Saint Nicholas, was a very prominent Christian who set a wonderful example for all of us to live by and one that follows the path laid out by Christ.  There are those who have turned Santa into a figure that represents the receiving of gifts and has only focused on what they want from Santa, but believe it or not they seem to be few and far between.  You cannot tell me that people are only focused on themselves and that Santa isn’t important anymore because I have watched hundreds of children (and heard about thousands more) sit on Santa’s lap when my Dad has gone to Ft. Bragg to sit as Santa- many of them asked for something for themselves, but many more asked for something for a friend or family member.  Letters to Santa aren’t always lists of things that kids want- I have talked to people who volunteered with the post office and read these letters and read stories of kids who were in trouble in school, wanted jobs for their parents, were worried about the world and showed to be so much more self-less than we ever gave them credit for.  Santa serves as an adult figure for many to look to when they can’t talk to someone else.  As a child I knew that I could pray to God and bring my problems to God, but I also saw that Santa was physical and I saw things on the news and TV of Santa making people’s lives better.  There is nothing wrong with keeping both in my life.  I have also had to sit down with kids who just told a younger kid that Santa wasn’t real, explaining to them why the younger kid was devastated and crying and the importance of keeping the secret that Santa isn’t real.  There is so much good represented in Santa when you let go of the commercialism (which I will admit is way out of hand and I am the first one to tell you I am against it- even the coca-cola red suit).

            There are cultures and people that do not see Santa in this way and I will never fault them.  Something has happened that has changed the outlook on Santa in many places and I may never understand it because I have never lived in those situations.  However I also know that when I traveled to Ghana and Chiapas, Santa was a bonding point.  That being said, there are many many places where Christians are persecuted and every fault that can be thought of is brought to surface about God but does that mean that we can’t celebrate our own faith?

            I can sit here and address everything on the lists that were sent to me, but I don’t think it is necessary.  Things can be summed up like this- the true spirit of Santa focuses on giving to those in need and following a path set forth by Jesus Christ, God’s son.  I fully believe that this spirit is still alive in many- I see it in the kids that come to see Santa, I see it in the men who sit as Santa (and yes, I do know many of these men and they are incredibly special and I would venture to say that 98% of them are truly living the spirit of Santa year round), I see it in strangers that I pass at the mall.  Further, I fully believe that this spirit of Santa can and does co-exist with Christ and serves as another representation of the Christian life.  I also believe that the spirit of both should not only be looked to and celebrated during the month of Advent, but year round.

Were Santa and Jesus given a one way ticket?

The last few Christmas’s  have been very disappointing for me with the exception of one.  I wasn’t disappointed because of presents or anything like that (I really am not a present receiving person… I hate trying to find somewhere to put stuff or even worse, what if I don’t like it?)- I was disappointed because it never felt like Christmas because I was so busy with everything else, hence the only exception is right after I graduated and had nothing to do but sit back and relax.  Now, for any of you who really know me even a little bit you know that I LOVE Christmas so when I wasn’t feeling it this year I started to think a little deeper about what the problem is and thankfully (and not) heard from friends that they had the same problem.  My conclusion? Christmas is missing two things- Santa, and more importantly, Christ.

Think about it- when you were a kid and still believed in Santa the world was glittery and nothing could go wrong during the moth between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We wrote letters to Santa and checked the mailbox every day until we got our reply.  We wondered in amazement at the fact that there were so many Santa’s at the mall and tried to figure out which one was real.  We “ALWAYS” behaved just in case Santa found out and we lost our presents.  I remember laying awake in bed on Christmas Eve listening for any little sound that could be Santa- one time I even heard him break a mug when he was making coffee! I could go on and on but don’t need to- we all remember those days.  Then, one day in fourth grade Dad asked me to go shopping with him.  I will never forget that day- I even remember exactly where we were when he told me the truth (sitting at the light at the intersection of Atlantic Ave and New Hope Church Rd) that he and Mom helped Santa out because there are too many kids for him to get to in one night, and now that I knew I got to help as well.  The next few years were great- I knew Santa didn’t come to our house but I got to help Mom and Dad (and Felicity) pick out things for stockings and keep it going for Noel.  Over the years we didn’t pick out stocking gifts anymore- that was back to Mom and Dad and since Noel knew the secret there wasn’t any reason to keep playing around.  Then came the point when I really didn’t want anything for Christmas, probably because I realized just how expensive things got and knew the difference between need and want.  Studying for exams took precedence over preparing for Christmas… then it was figuring out schedules and how everything was actually going to happen when I finally got home.  This year my focus turned from exams almost immediately to writing sermons and preparing for interviews.  I let life take Santa away.

Then there is the more immediate problem, and a quite ironic one for someone in seminary- we have let Christ slip slowly away from CHRISTmas.  You think I’m kidding? If you have one, go look at your ADVENT calendar.  What is on it? Mine has a pretty nativity scene… but under the doors are simple pictures dealing with Christmas and not Advent.  When looking on Pinterest I keep finding cute ideas for making advent calendars- my favorite is a muffin tin with magnetic circles to cover the holes that are filled with a present for each day.  City governments are passing laws that ban nativity scenes in public areas.  We are getting so caught up in all of our party planning and exam studying that we skip church (I’m guilty), which has been turned into a month-long production rather than worship (this is the best time of year to find new members, right?).  Just the other day I was talking to a minister friend who was stressed and frazzled and told me that she misses enjoying Christmas- now it is all about getting the right presents for her kids, getting everything ready for her family vacations, and of course preparing for every service and event at her church while ministering to those who are in great need during this time.  Gave me a whole lot to look forward to.  Schools can’t even celebrate Christmas because of its relation to Christianity and it would be a terrible thing to bring Christ into the schools.

So, here is my proposal.  Let’s bring Santa back and especially let’s bring Christ back.  You still have a few days- write a letter to Santa.  It doesn’t have to be a list of toys, but maybe there is something you want (material or otherwise) and going back to your childhood and sending that request to Santa could do wonders.  Make a point to get to church this weekend and on Christmas Eve.  Sit down and read the birth narrative in the Bible (this year’s lectionary is using the Luke account).  Even better, tie the two together.  My absolute favorite decoration at Christmas is Santa kneeling at the manger- I have the image on an ornament that hangs at the very front of my tree.  On the back of my ornament is this prayer-

“Lord, you know that you’re the reason I take pleasure in this season.  I don’t want to take Your place, but just reflect your wondrous grace.  And so when they       begin to open gifts which they have been hoping, may they give You all the glory, for you’re the one true Christmas story.”

SO, in these last few days of ADVENT bring both Santa, who works on behalf of Christ, and Christ back into the season.  My nieces have it right- they listen when Mommy reminds them that Santa is watching and they worry because they can’t find the Baby Jesus ornament. Let’s learn from that toddler innocence.

To Do Lists

This is the sermon that I wrote for my Preaching and Worship class.  It is based on the lectionary for the 2nd Sunday in Advent (December 9). 

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God's salvation.' " (Luk 3:1 TNIV)

We spend our life in a state of constant preparation- picking out the perfect outfit the night before our first day of school; nervously pacing as we wait for our first date and deciding last minute to change outfits for the fifth time; loading the car up with our favorite things from home so that we can have them with us at college; studying for exams; buying that perfect ring and figuring out the best way to tell that special someone that they are the one you want to spend the rest of your life with; the excitement of finding out that you are about to do it all over again with a little one that is your own; planning for retirement and maybe even looking for more full-time care.  As a church we are preparing our building for new adventures and preparing a new budget.  Whether we have only experienced a few of these, or all of them, we have all spent time in preparation.  In fact, many of us might even be in this sometimes stressful state right now as we clean house, bake cookies, hang lights, and prepare for family from all over to come take over our house and eat all of our food… I mean visit.  We have “to-do” lists a mile long, all things needing to be done yesterday and no time to do it today.  In fact, if I were sitting where you are right now, I would probably have a bulletin covered in different lists- alas, that will have to wait until later.

This state of preparation is nothing new- in fact it has been around much longer than our preparation for the first day of school.  We have been told to prepare ourselves since the 6^th century, BCE when the prophet Isaiah told the people to prepare the way for the Lord.  Those to-do lists that cover today’s bulletin? They were not the first to be put there- Isaiah’s call is found once again in today’s reading in Luke.  Here, we find John the Baptist moving attention away from himself and to the messiah that is to come.  'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'  This to-do list only has one thing on it though- to prepare by making straight paths. Right. So is this when we call in our city governments and have them find a way to straighten out all of our roads real quick and fill in those potholes? I know Capital Blvd. isn’t a road that is ready for anyone of any status above “common” to be on- I am convinced my car has to go in the shop every time I drive on that road.  I think it is safe for us to agree that Isaiah and John are NOT talking about the condition of their roads though, but rather about the lives that serve as a pathway for the Lord to move through.

In his commentary on Luke, John Carroll suggests that when John the Baptist announces this word from the Prophet Isaiah, John is issuing “an urgent summons for a commitment to justice”.  There is no direct situation pointed to in this call, likely meaning that John is issuing this summons to all people in a very general circumstance- essentially telling them to reevaluate their life and make any changes that would make it better. This commitment to justice does lead them to focus outside of their own selves though and to look at how they relate to others around them.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is lighting luminaries.  My appreciation for this tradition came when I was young and used to go around the neighborhoods with my Dad’s Boy Scout troop passing out fliers about the upcoming luminaries, packing the sand bags, and then delivering them with instructions of how to set them up on Christmas Eve.  Following the worship service at our church, we would drive around the surrounding neighborhoods where we passed out supplies and drove up and down the streets that were lined with these beautiful candle lit bags.  Even today at 24 years old, my favorite part of preparing on Christmas Eve is lighting the luminaries around our own cul-de-sac, a job that was graciously relinquished to me when my neighbors realized my excitement saved them some extra work.  For me, one of the most exciting parts of this tradition was waking up throughout the night as a child and peering out my window, not just looking for Santa but making sure the candles were still lit because I had been told as that we lit these candles as a way of lighting the path for Mary and Joseph as they traveled to Bethlehem and later gave birth to the baby Jesus- so needless to say, I thought it was very important to make sure they stayed lit throughout the night to make sure that Mary and Joseph could find their way (the fact that we were just a few miles away from Bethlehem did not matter to me).  This form of preparation has recently been taken on as a way to light the road of preparation in other ways- the University of North Carolina at Greensboro lights up all of campus the night before “Reading Day” as students begin their studying for final exams.  I can’t help but look to this image of the luminaries on Christmas Eve and my former nights of studying at UNCG as an example of how we should live in accordance to Isaiah’s call to his people- as guiding points along the long and sometimes dark path. 

While our own individual lives should serve as their own pathway and even vehicle for the Lord, I can’t help but think how much easier it is to see on a dark, cold night in December when there is more than one single luminary.  When we drove down the streets that were lined with bags, we almost didn’t need the street lights overhead.  As a college student on UNCG’s campus, I could have studied by the light of the couple-thousand candles throughout campus.  However, the only reason that the multiple luminaries are as bright as they are together is because each light is holding its own individually.  As we look at our own lives, we should find ways to make our own light shine brighter whether that is big or small, and then continue to find ways to shine brighter as we go further down our own paths.  Once our lives are shining brighter, we can then look to our relationships with others and find ways to make the multiple lights shine brighter together.  This is when we find the pathway full of light and it is ready and prepared for the Lord.

It is not always about preparation though- preparation leads up to something, otherwise there would be no point to it.  Isaiah assures us that our preparation of a straight path for the Lord leads to the valleys being filled and mountains and hills being made low, crooked and rough roads being made straight and smooth.  Just think- if you didn’t make to-do lists, spend time choosing outfits for school and dates, setting up a nursery for the baby on the way, or planning for retirement what would happen when the big day finally came? What if we didn’t take the time in session meetings to go over changes to our budget a hundred times? Well, you would be late for school or that date, the baby would never make it out of your room because you definitely wouldn’t have time to set-up a nursery once it arrived, you would be without a job and nothing else to do, and we would have no idea how much money we have or what can be done with it. We prepare so that when the big day or event comes, nothing goes wrong.  We prepare so that we can enjoy.  The valleys are filled and mountains made low so that we can easily maneuver and see better what is happening thanks to our preparation.

To me, the greatest point of all in John’s recount of Isaiah’s words is what happens after we prepare- all of humankind will see salvation, a point that is unique to this Lukan account.  All of humankind.  Not just the Disciples that followed Jesus on his journey to the cross.  Not just those hearing Isaiah’s or John’s voice at that time.  Not just Presbyterians, or Baptists, or Methodists, or Lutherans- ALL of humankind.  This is the point when everyone hearing these words probably realized that whoever was coming was much more than they could ever imagine if EVERY human would see salvation when they came.  Throughout the last few weeks we have spent time talking about how we relate to others that may or may not be like us- well, this assurance is exactly why that is important.  ALL of humankind will see salvation so it doesn’t matter what it is that we think about others because they are in this mix as well, whether we like it or not.

I am sure that all of us remember the excitement of getting ready for a big day- the world seems to be moving faster and there is not enough time, your palms might be sweaty, your mind is racing, you double check every last detail to ensure that it is perfect.  The craziest thing to think about is that in this time of Advent and preparation, we are not just preparing for family to come visit or for the new Church budget year- we are preparing our lives and our hearts for the one who will be born, the baby that did and continues to change the world.  We all know that babies don’t stay babies for long- sometimes it even seems like they are only a baby for one short day, and it is as this baby grows up into to the man that we know as Jesus Christ that we see the valleys filled, mountains made low, and crooked and rough roads made straight and smooth.

So, take a moment and think about how you can make your own life’s path a little straighter… how can you make the pathways of your relationships straighter?  Maybe this means that we relax a bit more, or become more aggressive in the way we take things on.  Maybe we need to spend more time focusing on ourselves rather than everyone else, or maybe we need to spend more time focusing on others than ourselves.   These changes can be any number of things for any person, but what is important to remember is that we all have our own light burning right now, we just need to continue to make it burn brighter. The brighter each individual light, the brighter the pathway as all of the lights come together. Because sometimes you can't make the path straighter until it is lit enough that you can see the bends.

All thanks be to God, the one who gave us our only to-do list and lit our candle so that we could see it and prepare appropriately.  Amen.

                               

Life in a Fishbowl

This is a sermon that I recently wrote for my preaching and worship class, meant for congregation that is small and trying to grow.  On a day when the nation seems to be more split than it was two days ago, I think that this text and sermon carries a heavy message that applies to this situation as well.  My only prayer is that we can come together as nation, standing firm in our faith and working together to bring our nation back.  Think about what you say before you post on someone's facebook status and think before you post your own- one of the things I love so much about the United States is that we are able to have our own opinion and we should not be losing friends over the way in which we post it (this goes both ways y'all...).  But I digress- here is the sermon.



^"12Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. ¹⁴Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4: 12-16

“You live in a fishbowl”—this is something that has been told to me in warning since my sophomore year of college when I took a job as a Resident Advisor.  Every student that I worked with was watching my every move and would base their actions off of that.  Since taking that job, I have never moved out of my little fishbowl.  Not only do I report to multiple committees now, but I live next to my professors.  At Union, we even have a classroom that is referred to as “the fishbowl” because of its rounded shape and the fact that the top half of the room is all glass and anyone walking around the second floor of the Early Center can look down into the class room and see everything that is going on.

Today’s technology helps no one in this fish bowl situation, and unless you have been one of the lucky few to avoid not just Facebook or Twitter, but any search engine, cookies on your internet browser, or even a smart phone, you live in a fishbowl as well- one where everyone knows everything that you are doing.  Even if you do not post updates on Facebook, people can tell what you are doing (or at least assume) based on what your friends are doing or what organizations you like or even what the basics in your profile say.  When you search for something on Google, you can now expect that product to show up in ads on every other page you visit while on the internet.  There are constant warnings going out about how Company X is tracking your phone and knows where you are and what you are doing in some way or another.

The downside to this fishbowl (as if there is actually an upside) is that we are constantly being judged based on the decisions that we make on a day to day basis.  Just think about the last few months and two big decisions that people were asked to make- Did you go to Chick-Fil-A or boycott when people split because of the company’s stance on gay rights? Who are you voting for in today’s election?  Now, think about how people have responded to your actions.  I imagine that you had people both support you and also those who became very upset with you.

Today’s text takes this fishbowl to a whole other level as we are not only assured that the Word of God is alive and active in the world, but that it is so active that it can judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts- that there is no part of us that is hidden and we are laid bare to the eyes of God.  We are essentially living in a crystal clear, smudge free, and decoration free fishbowl where every part of us is known, not just our outward actions or miniscule thoughts- we have been made vulnerable, a state that no one likes to be found in.  Even further, the text says that there is ONE who must render an account- not two, three, or four.  So now, we are not only laid bare and every little perfection and flaw is made known, but there is no second opinion.  This is not the presidential election where millions have a say in whether or not one person deserves or can do a job, and there is no “like” or “comment” button for all of our Facebook friends to have their say in the matter.

Before we get hung up on the fact that we have no option for a second opinion, let’s look further into the text.  Now that we have been assured that God not only beyond our actions, but sees our intentions as well (something that is both comforting and not) we are reminded that we are not the only ones to be put through these daily tests that may make those intentions not look so great.  Here, we are assured that our high priest Jesus Christ is able to sympathize with us, that he too was tested as we are.  Jesus, too, was laid bare before God’s scrutinizing word but remained faithful, as we are reminded throughout the preceeding text in this sermon to the Hebrews- “He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house” and later “But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house”.

The twist then comes in the way in which we respond to this very vulnerable situation that we are in.  In his commentary on Hebrews, Stephen Long says “True faith must be bold both when it is under attack and when it is not.”  When we look back at the very first verse of today’s passage, we do in fact find words that point to the fact that our faith is being heavily scrutinized and is seemingly under attack- the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, separating soul from spirit and joints from marrow.  However, this is not saying that God is trying to attack us, but rather that God is looking so much further than any person you meet in the grocery line or in the world of technology. 

This is when our true faith comes out- knowing that we are being so heavily scrutinized, are we able to stand firm?  In knowing that we have been laid bare and examined in such a way, we can find comfort that we can and do find grace and mercy from the single one that is able to render an account on our lives and thus stand firm.  No where in this text does it say that we will be shut out or up, or that we will be told how disappointed God is because of the flaws that are found.  Because of this, we find ourselves able to approach the throne of favor and we can be confident that we too will find mercy and grace for the many ways both known and unknown to us, in which we need it.

In today’s world we are all too eager to render our own account for each situation we come across.  One that I hear all too often is that of smaller churches.  I hear that as a small church, we all talk in a country accent and can’t sing a hymn without an organist.  We have no choir and the pastor is the only one in the office.  I also hear that we have lost hope and are barely hanging on.  I hear this though, from those who do not look at what the church is actually doing, those who do not see every last bit as God does.

Sure, we have our faults- our roof might be a bit leaky sometimes, our parking lot is small, our pews are not filled.  Some might even become upset with us when they hear that we are not purchasing the new hymnals, even though it is because we know that we cannot afford it right now if we are going to make other things happen.  We even make changes to the way that things are run, not necessarily to better preach the Word of God, but to appeal to visitors.

However, when I look at everything else that our church is doing today, I see events like our recent health fair that took place despite the rain- an event that only happened because of the dedication of every person in this room who came out and set-up, manned tents, mingled with visitors, and cleaned up.  I think of the times when people have driven down to Camp Albemarle for the day, to help clean up a camp that is only recently being utilized by one of our youth.  I see the packages of food that show up on doorsteps of those members that are in need, or absent from church for whatever reason.  Finally, I see the love that radiates from the pews every Sunday morning, the love that gathers in the lounge both before and after worship, and the love that circles around the dinner table downstairs once a month.  The incredible thing is that is only what is one the surface- what do you think God would see?

I would beg to argue that God doesn’t care about the leaky roof, small parking lot, empty pews, or choice of hymnals- but rather God simply wants our hearts to be in the right place and our faith to remain strong.  This is why we can find comfort and motivation to keep pushing BECAUSE we are laid bare before God and God sees the reasons behind everything, offering us nothing but grace and mercy the whole way through and that this is the only account that matters.  Being vulnerable is not something that anyone wants to do- especially when they are working so hard to change in a positive way.  It is hard to ignore the opinion of the person who comes through the door and sees the cosmetic flaws and leaves, but we need to remember that what matters is the opinion of the one who sees the heart of every person who is sitting in the pew, as well as those outside these walls.

When we turn our hearts to God, ready and willing to receive God’s unending grace and mercy that is given despite all of our flaws, we are not only admitting that we are not perfect but that we do need assistance.  When we do not give into the tests of this life and give up but rather stand firm in our faith, we are recognizing all that our merciful high priest can and does do for us in our daily lives.

This confident yet very vulnerable turn to God goes two ways though when we move into our daily lives- when we are tested and judged by others, and when we feel the urge to the do the same.  Knowing this, take a moment to imagine that neighbor or friend whose Facebook posts you don’t agree with, who came to the office with a Chick-Fil-A cup when you drove past, or who has the opposing election sign in their front yard.  Think about that person who came through the church doors however long ago that you thought, “Oh, they just won’t fit”.  Now, think about whose account matters--- it is the account of the same one who accounts for you and me.  These people, even though they are not of the same mind, action, or appearance as our own individual selves or as our church, will find grace and mercy from the same God that we find grace and mercy with, the very same God who sees every last bit of our lives and hearts but does not turn us away.

When you leave this place today, do not try to cover up yourselves from others but be your true self, standing firm in what you believe.  Do not fear what is said but find comfort in the fact that these are only earthly opinions and have no claim on any part of your life.  Find comfort in the fact that God knows your true self, your intentions, and your heart and that this very same God who sees what you might prefer to remain hidden, will not push you away or say “tough luck” but rather give you unending grace and mercy- you must only stand firm in your faith and approach God knowing that only God can get you through, just as God got Jesus Christ through.

Thanks be to God, Amen.