Worship December 26, 2010

Worship for Sunday, December 26, 2010

The first Sunday in Christmastide

Theme: In-Carna-Tion

Morning Prayers

We come here today to sing our songs of celebration and to uncover the light that burns within us and in our world

in both the day times and the dark times,

in both the broken times and in the times that are whole.

God you are with us in the fields we stand watch in,

In the stars we follow,

In the ways we are angels to each other

And in the new life that is born to us every minute

of every day of this earth’s time.

Today we sing joy to the world that your mystery is all around.

So hear us when we tell you that we know we are a blessed people here.

And there is a heavenly peace in many of our lives because the gifts we have are many

And the love that surrounds us is strong.

But we also know that in other parts of the world,

And even for some of us here,

This day is cracked with the noise of sickness, sorrow, And of war,

And the voice of loved ones lost.

For these places and these people we ask that

every one of our hearts prepare for them a room

Where heaven and nature sing the sounding joy

Of all that is hopeful and full of promise in this life.

Come, let us adore each other,

All of us who are faithful and triumphant.

Come, let us adore each other,

All of us who have doubts and feel defeated.

Let us sing together in exultation

About the glory of all that is highest and

most lovely in our world.

And when our songs are over,

And when we have returned to our own, ordinary time, May we know, if only for a moment,

That all is calm and all is bright.

All is calm. All is bright. Amen.

Isaiah 63:7-9

⁷ I will recount the gracious deeds of the LORD, the praiseworthy acts of the LORD, because of all that the LORD has done for us, and the great favor to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

⁸ For he said, "Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely"; and he became their savior ⁹ in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Message “The Saving Presence”

Everybody has a favorite verse. Maybe a whole chapter. Maybe a whole book.

And chances are, that even if you don’t set about to memorize that favorite slice of the Bible. You can recite at least part of it. You know…

“The Lord is my…”

“For God so loved…”

Mine is, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” Those are my very favorite words in all of the Scriptures. Not even a whole verse. The Word became flesh and lived among us.

God became human like us. Like us, in every way but sin. The Word became flesh…

David, a Presbyterian friend of mine in Oregon once told me how he answers those who ask him about his salvation, and I think I’ve told you before. If I have, I’m telling you again.

To those who ask David, “When did you get saved?” he answers, “Same time you did--two thousand years ago on a hill outside Jerusalem.”

A good answer, don’t you think?

For many people, the notion of Substitutionary Atonement rings right--the idea that it is in Jesus’ crucifixion that we are saved, in that he takes our place as a divine/human sacrifice. In so doing, he achieves for us at-one-ment with God.

This whole idea grows out of the agrarian society into which Jesus was born, a society for which animal sacrifice made sense. God (and all the gods with lower-case “g”s) could be appeased by offering a sacrifice. In more primitive cultures, Death needed to take place in order to preserve life.

Frankly, I never got that.

Growing up in New Orleans--where the closest thing to animal sacrifice was the loss of an occasional slow-moving dog to one of the alligators which periodically crawled out of the drainage ditch in our neighborhood--I simply don’t have a reference point for understanding killing something to make God happy.

And so--brace yourselves--you won’t hear me saying something like, “Jesus died to take away our sins.” It’s just not something that is a part of my thinking. I admit that it’s one of several metaphors for salvation in the scriptures, and I understand that it means a lot to many Christians. It just doesn’t mean much to me.

There are many metaphors for God’s salvation in Jesus Christ that are rooted in the scriptures. The reason is this--God’s love and grace are beyond human understanding. We have so many ways of thinking about it because one way of thinking about doesn’t begin to address the matter.

Substitutionary atonement is a pretty dominant model of atonement--Jesus is the sacrificial lamb that appeases a God who demands satisfaction and justice for a sinful world.

There’s the Christus Victor model which understands the place of salvation in the Risen Christ--not in the image of the crucified Jesus--but in the empty tomb and in the appearances to the Disciples. Jesus’ triumph over death is a victory for all of us. We have freed from death by Jesus’ conquest over the grave has given us eternal life with God.

This hits a little bit closer to my heart than the substitutionary model. Salvation doesn’t take place at Calvary on Good Friday, but in the garden on Easter morning. I think that’s why that old hymn, “In the Garden” is such a favorite--because we share that experience of the risen Christ with Mary Magdalene who was the first to experience him.

But for me, the model or metaphor of at-one-ment that works is Incarnational--word-made-flesh, or as we sang on Christmas Eve, “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing…” It’s a theme that runs through the Gospel of John--from the first verse--“in the beginning was the Word…and the Word became flesh and lived among us…” Or in John 3--for God so loved the world that he gave his Son. And in the tradition of John in 1 John 4, “showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life.”

This is where it’s at. So many models of atonement or salvation are transactional, but Incarnation is relational. Substitutionary atonement, at least for me, is something that happens. But, the Word becoming flesh is someone that happens. When God becomes human in Bethlehem of Judea some two-thousand years ago, nothing can ever be the same. Humanity can never be the same--and dare I say it--God can never be the same after drawing in that 1^st breath as a babe in the stable.

If this sermon sounds familiar to you, it’s because I preach some version of it every year--and I going to keep doing it until I get it right!

But, today, the jumping off point was from Isaiah--third Isaiah, which is written to give comfort and direction to the nation of Israel after the Persian Emperor Cyrus permitted them to return home after being exiled in Babylon. While they were in Babylon, they dreamed going home, but home didn’t solve their problems. Rebuilding the Temple didn’t solve their problems.

And the prophet reminds them of how it is that God saves them:

⁸ For he said, "Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely"; and he became their savior ⁹ in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

The people are not saved by anything they do. Not by worship. Not by sacrifice. Not by keeping the rules.

They are saved by God’s presence. By simply being with God.

And this is the season that we remind ourselves of God’s presence revealed in the life, death, and life again of Jesus, born in Bethlehem so long ago. We read again and again of the Messiah--the Anointed One, the Son of God--born, not in a palace, but a stable. Cradled, not in a crib, but a feed trough. Descended from kings, but born in a working-class family. Coming to save, not as a military leader as so many had hoped, but as a tiny, helpless baby.

Reminding us that God is not “out there” but “right here.” Reminding us that salvation is not so much transactional, but relational. Reminding us that atonement--at-one-ment--is not something that happened, but someone who happens again and again in our hearts.

I don’t know about you, but the next time someone asks me, “when did you get saved?” I’m going to answer, “Same as you--2000 years ago in a Bethlehem stable.”

What would you say?

Offering Invitation

In Matthew, Jesus says, “If you want to save your life,e you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” In Luke, he says, give and you’ll get back way more. Will it work? Let’s try.

Offertory Prayer

O God, our loving Creator and Giver of all good gifts, bless your church and these offerings, strengthen our faith and grant us the spirit of Christian stewardship so that we may give generously of our time, talent and treasure to the spreading of your Kingdom, here in our community and throughout the world. This we ask through Jesus, our Savior. Amen.

Benediction

The Lord bless you and keep you

and make His face shine on you

and give you peace.

Let the hope that was born in a stable

be a sign that God can change the world

through one small child.

May the spirit of Christmas warm our hearts all year long.

Grace and peace be with you

in the name of the Father

and the Son

and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Christmas Eve, 2010

Worship for Christmas Eve 2010 10:30 o’clock

Hymn 143 Joy to the World

Worship for Christmas Eve 2010 10:30 o’clock

Hymn 143 Joy to the World

(Choir, Readers, Elders, Deacons, and Pastor process)

Dialogue Shealyn Scott

Leader: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Congregation: The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has never mastered it.

Leader: Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness,
on them light has shined.

Congregation: We have beheld Christ's glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father.

Leader: For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given.

Congregation: In him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

Opening prayer

Almighty God,
you have filled us with the new light of the Word
who became flesh and lived among us.
Let the light of our faith shine in all we do;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Lighting the Christ Candle

Candle liturgy The Morris Family

One: Hope, peace, joy, and love. Four candles, four promises continually offered to us by God, and all of them manifest in this one we light tonight: the Christ candle. In Christ we find the hope of transformation, the peace that follows justice, the joy of self-fulfillment in community, and the love that encompasses us in all our diversity, empowering us to make our own unique contribution to this world. In Christ we find light and life, and the courage to be like him, answering his call and following in his footsteps.

[All candles are lit.] Sing all verses of “One Candle Is Lit" #128

1. Come surely, Lord Jesus, as dawn follows night,
   our hearts long to greet you, as roses, the light.
   Salvation, draw near us, our vision engage.
   One candle is lit for the hope of the age.
2. Come quickly, shalom, teach us how to prepare
   for a gift that compels us with justice to care.
   Our spirits are restless till sin and war cease.
   One candle is lit for the reign of God's peace.
3. Come, festively sing while awaiting the birth,
   join angels in dancing from heaven to earth.
   Wave banners of good news, lift high thankful praise.
   One candle is lit for the joy of these days.
4. Come, wander where lion and lamb gently play,
   where evil is banished and faith takes the day,
   a babe in a manger to fool the world's eyes.
   One candle is lit for God's loving surprise.
5. Come, listen, the sounds of God-with-us ring clear,
   and signs of a cross in the distance appear.
   The Word once made flesh, yet the Word ever near.
   One candle is lit for the Christ-birthday here.

All: We rejoice in God’s steadfast presence in our lives,
and in God’s unique presence in the life of Jesus of Nazareth—
born of Mary, growing through childhood into an adult ministry,
in all his life manifesting the peace, love, and justice of God;
his voice undimmed by the centuries-
his call and his promise as clear to us as it was to his disciples so long ago.
Come to us, Lord Jesus,
Be born in us this night, in our hearts, our minds, our lives.
May the light of your life be kindled in us,
And lead us to the shining truth,
of God with us, God for us, God in us. Amen.

The King Will Come from Bethlehem

Lesson Micah 5: 2, 5a Craig Smith
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." And he will be their peace.

Carol 165 “Once in Royal David's City” (solo, v.1; all v. 4)

The Annunciation to Mary

Lesson Luke 1: 26 - 35, 38 Carrie Dyson
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Carol 161 “I Wonder as I Wander”

The Birth of Jesus

Lesson Luke 2: 1 - 7 Cody Baker
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Carol 144 “O Little Town of Bethlehem

Carol 155 “Angels We Have Heard on High”

The Shepherds Go to See the Savior
Lesson Luke 2: 8 - 16 Brynli Scott


And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

Carol 170 “How Great Our Joy”

Carol 167 “Go Tell It on the Mountain”

Jesus Receives His Name
Lesson Luke 2:21 - 36 Deejay Whitehead

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Carol 164 “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice”

The Magi Follow the Star

Lesson Matthew 2: 1 - 11 Shealyn Scott

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Carol 172 “We Three Kings” (Men Solo on vv. 2,3,4)

The Gathering at the Table

Carol 148 "O Come, All Ye Faithful"

Invitation to the Table Chris Whitehead

Meditation Beth Armwstrong, Elder

Prayer & Lord’s Prayer Connie Baker, Elder

Words of Institution Chris

Distribution

The Elders will pass the chalices and trays to four Deacons, and then the elders will step down with the servers (and the loaves), taking their positions at the base of the chancel.

The people will be invited to step down the center aisle to receive Communion. The Elders will tear off a piece of bread and hand it to each worshiper, then the people will step to the outside with their choice of dipping or taking a cup from the tray. They will then move further to the outside, take a candle, and begin to form a ring in the sanctuary.

The Mystery of the Incarnation (and passing of the flame)

The flame will be passed by tipping the unlit wick toward the flame.

Lesson John 1:1 - 14 Chris Whitehead
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it.
The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Carol 145 “Silent Night”

Dismissal

Let us extinguish the flames from our candles, but not our hearts.

May our hearts always burn with the fire of the Spirit.

May our faces always shine with the light of Christ.

May our lives always reflect the love of God so that God, through us, may be a beacon of light in a dark and fragmented world. Amen.

Worship. December 19, 2010

Worship for Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

Theme: Love

Candle liturgy

One: We have lit three candles—for hope, for peace, and for joy. Today we light the fourth candle—the candle of love. With this flame we signify the love of God that surrounds and fills us at all times, but that we recognize in a special way in the Christmas story. There is no greater power than love. It is stronger than rulers and empires, stronger than grief or despair, stronger even than death. We love, because God loves us.

(Four candles are lit. Sing verse four of “One Candle Is Lit " #128")

Come, wander where lion and lamb gently play,
where evil is banished and faith takes the day,
a babe in a manger to fool the world's eyes.
One candle is lit for God's loving surprise.

All: Loving God, we open ourselves to you this Christmas season.
As these candles are lit, light our lives with your imagination.
Show us the creative power of hope.
Teach us the peace that comes from justice.
Fill us with the kind of joy that cannot be contained, but must be shared.
Magnify your love within us.
Prepare our hearts to be transformed by you,
That we may walk in the light of Christ. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Father - we rejoice at this time in your most gracious will - a will that

is so shaped by your love that has held nothing back from us. As we ponder

this day the message of the angels to Mary and to Joseph and how their

lives were changed by their acceptance of that message - we pray that our

lives too may be changed - that we may be people who trust in your word

despite the obstacles - despite the impossibilities - that at first present

themselves to us as we hear it. Grant that like Mary we may be your

willing and humble servants - and that like Joseph we may place obedience

to the vision you give us over any thoughts of our reputation or

convenience... In your gracious love, Lord hear our prayer....

We thank you God, that is since it is to the needy and the lost, and to the

least that you sent Jesus, we can know that he also comes to us. We thank

you that in Him, the Mystery of Love was born and is known, the love that

names us good and the power that makes us good. Help us to always

celebrate the radiance of Christ, he who was born in Bethlehem to be our

light and the light of the whole world. In your gracious love, Lord hear our prayer...

Lord - we pray today for those who need the gift of Christmas in their

lives - those who have not understood your unique statement of their worth

in your sight... We pray for our cities, and those who govern, that you will give them wisdom and courage. We pray for those who feel empty, that they may discover

the Babe of Christmas who fills the soul with peace and hope... We pray

for those who feel alone - that they may discover that you are with them -

that Jesus is still Emmanuel, and that in him and through him you inhabit

every heart and transform every life open to his Spirit.. We pray for those who are sick and hurting, whether from ailments that are obvious, or perhaps more subtle. We pray for those who serve this nation at home and abroad, especially those who are apart from their families. In your gracious love, Lord, hear our prayer...

We ask all things through Christ Jesus - the babe of Bethlehem, the lamb

that was slain, the one who is both our brother and our Lord. Amen.

Matthew 1:18-25

¹⁸This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David's family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God's Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Joseph was a good man^a and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding.

²⁰While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her. ²¹Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus,^b because he will save his people from their sins."
²²So the LORD'S promise came true, just as the prophet had said, ²³"A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel," which means "God is with us."
²⁴After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the LORD'S angel had told him to do. ²⁵But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus.

“I Know It to Be True”

Many of you know that I am one-eighth Cherokee, but you may not know that Kate has Mayflower passengers in her family tree. And so, in our house, we often have discussions about what “her people did to my people.”

Native American wisdom is interesting to me—not just because of my background, but because of how grounded it is in simplicity, and how compatible it is with the Gospel.

A friend of mine in Oregon—who is of Nez Perce tribal lineage-- once told the way in which his people would begin a story. The storyteller would start by saying, “I don't know whether it happened this way, but I know it to be true.”

Do you see what he was getting at? The factual details of the story are secondary to the point, or truth, of the story. The truth of the story stands on its own, no matter where the narrative might take off from reality.

And in that regard, I've got to tell you that this story of the birth of Jesus makes me a little uncomfortable. I mean, I know it to be true, but I wonder if it really did happen this way.

Matthew's version of the birth is a stripped down, bare-bones tale. Mary and Joseph are already in Bethlehem, so there's no need to set the story against the national census like Luke does. No need to have the couple travel from Nazareth to be counted. No need for a full inn leading to a birth in the stable.

Matthew does not deal with all of that. He is far more concerned with the relationship of Joseph, Mary, God, and the Holy Spirit.

Joseph and Mary were engaged, which in that culture meant you were already married—that your fathers had selected your partner in our to form a family alliance of the type needed to survive. We used to ask, “who gives this woman...” in the wedding ceremony because the wedding in history was a transaction in which one man gives a woman—his property—to the next man who will own her.

While the transaction was not finalized—as in consummated—it was a done deal. The Hebrews regarded this relationship with such honor, that it was considered adultery to violate it. If a woman who was promised to one man slept with another, then the woman and the man were both put to death. Women belonged to men—either their fathers or their husbands—and that arrangement was not be violated.

This was a patriarchal society—both in Roman and Hebrew terms. Women were not terribly important in the general scheme of things—vessels for childbearing mostly. The important part of a marriage is that the line and the name of the father would be carried on through his heirs, especially male heirs, who would then make alliances with the daughter of other powerful men to be certain that the future of the family lineage was secure.

And so, when Joseph finds out that his bride is carrying a child not of his making, it must have really ticked him off. Can you imagine him walking around Bethlehem muttering to himself? “How could she? And who did this with her? Was it Ezra? Simon? I'll kill him!”

Except, he wouldn't have to, by Levitical code, both Mary and the violator of Joseph's property would be killed by stoning from the whole community.

But Joseph loved Mary, and he was a better man than his traditions would allow him to be. He was just going to quietly divorce her—in which case she'd simply be an outcast and not the victim of a lynching.

Joseph was good guy—not so good that he would just pretend the baby was his—that was too much. But to have Mary put to death for her mistake, well, that was too much, too.

And then the angel—the messenger of the Lord appears to Joseph and tells Joseph that his bride is not an adulterer, but rather a chosen one—impregnated by God through the Holy Spirit. She will give birth, not to any ordinary boy, but to the son of God, whose name would be Emmanuel—God with us.

Boy, if Joseph hadn't been confounded and bewildered already, now the situation was downright, well, bizarre. And so, Joseph takes a leap of faith, and keeps Mary as his wife.

I worked for several years in a Catholic hospital named for Joseph. In the garden outside the main entrance stood a marble statue with a plaque which read, “Saint Joseph: foster father of our Lord.”

In our culture, calling Joseph a foster father might make sense. But, what would that have meant to him? To raise a child that was not his own? To pretend that his name, his line would be continued through this child—knowing that it wasn't so had to have painful in that culture. We call Mary “the first in faith,” but I think Joseph has the much longer leap to make. Mary, after all, knew what she did or didn't do, but Joseph...?

I gotta tell you, this is just beyond reason. I'm just not able to say with confidence that I know it to have happened just this way.

But, yet, I know it to be true.

Flash forward 80 years.

The stories that have surrounded the life, death, and life again of Jesus that have been swirling about are compiled by a writer which the tradition has named Matthew—and he includes this part of the story; that Jesus was divinely conceived by a virgin. Yes, in part, he does so to match the story to the prophet Isaiah, and yet the case can be made that the translations of Isaiah were influenced by Christian tradition.

And yes, it's true that Roman mythology was full of virgin birth stories—virgins impregnated by the gods to produce demi-gods. But, those stories were told of the gods raping young women in order to assert their power over humans.

The story of Joseph and Mary and God and the Spirit is not that kind of story. Rita Nakashima Brock, a Disciples theologian who teaches at Starr King School of Theology, wrote this month in a very provocative article in The Huffington Post of the scandal that this telling of the story would have—not in the Jewish community of Joseph's peers—but in the Roman Empire in which it was set.

Told in this way, this story was an in-your-face challenge to the Roman Empire—where male emperors carried on their father's line in power.

Listen to the words of Mary in Luke's account of the annunciation:

And Mary said,
"My soul magnifies the Lord,...
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, ...
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

A story told of a woman, conceiving and bearing a child with no human father who was not only God, but King was a direct challenge to the emperors who demanded that they be worshiped as gods. This Son of God who is born to Mary is one who will topple kingdoms and turn on its head the world in which the rich always win and the poor are always trampled underfoot.

The communities which formed around these stories did nothing short of change the world in the name of Jesus. Did they take the stories as literal fact and accurate portrayals of events, or understand them in the metaphorical sense like we do? I don't know, but I know they knew it to be true. And they so changed the world that there were for them no more “our people versus your people,” because even the Romans became a part of the body.

And today, we claim this story as our own—knowing it to be true. But, in order to live out its truth, we must allow this child to be born in the manger of our hearts and change our very being, so that we, too, can change the world in his name.

This Advent season is that opportunity we have each year to welcome the Christ-Child once more, and to hear Mary's words anew of God's turning wealth and power on its head. It’s our chance to use Joseph as our model of faith—faced with an overwhelming situation that defied everything he knew about reality, he trusted in God and knew it to be true. True, not in his head, but in his heart. True, not as an intellectual assent, but a something that touched his very being. Once again, this opportunity is before us.

Let's not blow it.

Offering Invitation

The theme for this fourth Sunday of Advent is love. For God so loved the world, that he gave... We too, give, not from compulsion, but from love. Let us now lovingly present our tithes and offerings to God.

Offering Prayer

Father, teach us how to listen for your call in our lives. Teach us how to be faithful stewards with the gifts you have entrusted to us. Teach us how to use this offering as a source of your ministry and mission. Teach us how to bow down on our knees and to spend time beholding the miracles all around us. In the name of the greatest teacher, Emmanuel, we pray. Amen.

Benediction/Commission and Blessing (Minister and Congregation)

Depart in peace, and take with you the certain knowledge
That God is always coming into the world.
We will seek God, not in a long ago stable or ancient manger,
But in the people we meet and the depths of our own hearts.
May the blessing of Christmas make you a blessing to others;
May the peace of the season pervade all that you do.
We will welcome the challenge of discipleship.
We will offer ourselves as God’s ministers.
We will go forth in hope, peace, joy, and love.

Worship. December 5, 2010

Worship for Sunday, December 5, 2010

Prayers of the People

For the peace of the world, and for our unity in Christ.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

For all who serve in ministry in all the expressions of the church--in Congregations, in Regional Church, and in our General Church.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

For the church throughout the world and the faithful in every place.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

For the leaders of the nations and all in authority, especially for our President Barack, our Vice-President Joe, our Senators George and Sherrod, and our Representative Jim.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

For justice, peace, and freedom among peoples of the earth.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

For travelers, for the sick and the suffering, for the hungry and the oppressed, and for those in prison.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

For the dying and the dead.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

For our deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need.

Come, Lord Jesus, and save us.

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

Sermon: “Appearing Now in Our Wilderness; John the Baptist!”

When I was a kid, I used to pretend to go to sleep, so that my mother would think I was asleep, then she would go to sleep. Then I would sneak out to the family room and turn on the TV at 11:30 to hear Ed McMahon announce “The Tonight Show, starring Johnny Carson!”

Then, he’d name all the guests and himself, and then came that wonderful sound, “Heeeeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny!”

And then that wonderful Paul Anka theme would play and the great man himself would appear. And the next ten minutes would be s great treat--if Johnny’s jokes didn’t wake my mother, and I’d have to go back to bed.

I was thinking about Ed McMahon this week, and how important his job was. On one level, he was just an announcer performing a perfunctory job. Say the name of the show, the names of the guests, then introduce Johnny and get out of the way.

But Ed put himself into that every night, and I came to appreciate and look forward to the sound of his voice, knowing that something good would follow.

Today, we have Andy Richter, whose voice brings Conan O’Brien into our homes every night.

The announcer--at least with Ed and Andy--can become so identified with the star that you can only think of the two of them together. When you hear the name of one, the other pops into your head.

Such is the case with Jesus of Nazareth--the star--and his announcer/cousin John, know as the Baptist. You can’t think of John without Jesus’ face popping up in your memory. And when Advent rolls around each year, John makes an appearance and you know that it’s almost time for Jesus to arrive.

And so, John goes to the theatre in Israel, gets the microphone, warms up the audience with a few jokes, and then says,, “The kingdom of God is near--and now, heeeeere’s Jesus!”

At least that’s what I’d like to have happen.

But, instead, we get John, dressed like a goofball, eating a weirdo diet and quoting from some Old Testament prophet.

And then he addresses the people in the crowd by saying, “You brood of vipers!”

I’ve got to tell you, nobody ever wins over an audience or a congregation by calling them reptiles. I know of some churches that are reptilian, but you would call them that. Out loud. To their faces.

But John does.

And then he yells at them, “who warned you of the wrath to come?”

Uh, you did, John.

And they kept coming and coming to hear more and more of this kind of abuse.

I’ve got to tell you, I can do without this--this--John the Baptist.

There’s actually an ever-lengthening list of things I can do with out at this time of year.

I can do without the stores blasting “Frosty the Snowman’ and “The First Noёl” back-to-back as if there’s no difference between the two.

I can do without Santa kneeling before the manger in a nativity scene.

I can do without the imaginary “War on Christmas” stirring up problems that don’t exist. (Though there is a war on Advent!)

And I can do without judgment.

And, I bet you can, too.

Let’s face it--if given our druthers, we’d skip John the Baptist and move on to the babe in the manger. We’d dispense with the minor key hymns and plow right on into the Christmas Carols. And we’d be done with this “you brood of vipers” stuff and read about the light of love coming into the world.

But, there’s a reason why we move slowly into Christmas--unlike the surrounding culture, where Frosty and Noёl start playing before the Halloween candy is gone from the shelves.

We still have a few more verses of “O Come. O Come Emmanuel” to sing in a minor key before we can get to “Joy to the World.”

Advent is about preparation. Not just the preparation of the sanctuary and our homes with greenery and lights. Advent is about preparing for the coming of Christ by greening our hearts and putting our lives in the light of God for scrutiny.

Advent is about serious self-examination. We talked about the whys and whats of the decorations last Sunday, but here’s the reason that the color of Advent is purple--the same as in Lent. Purple is the color of royalty, but in traditions of the church it is associated with penitence. It is asking, “Is the manger of my heart fit for the arrival of the Christ child?”

I said I can do without the judgment, but I won’t. And neither will you, you brood of vi-tal and wonderful folks. Today, we ask, “Who are we as followers of Jesus Christ?”

One of my heroes was a wonderful man who died this past summer. He was an Elder at First Christian Church in Santa Monica, California. He had a quiet dignity and an ability to work with young people that is unsurpassed in the field in which he was best known--basketball. I’m speaking, of course, of John Wooden, who coached UCLA to ten national titles. In the world of college basketball, he was peerless.

But, he was also a man of great faith whose life in and out of the church and on and off the court was lived with the purpose of letting Christ shine in all he did.

He was known for his pithy aphorisms and his words reflected the devotion he lived. He once said, “If I were ever prosecuted for my religion, I truly hope there would be enough evidence to convict me.”

That’s what Advent is about. It’s looking for evidence by the light of a purple candle. It’s holding that light to our hearts and asking if the evidence for conviction is there.

And yet, it’s also a realization that nothing we can do on our own can make us any better than anyone else. Christ comes as a helpless babe to remind us of our own helplessness, and reinforces our dependence on the grace of God. Christ comes, not of our doing, but as a true gift.

Gifts in our culture are not gifts at all. Jacques Derrida, the late French philosopher said that there are no such things as gifts, because in our human societies, something--even if it is only a spoken, “thank you,” is expected in return. There are no gifts he says--only transactions. When someone gives us a gift, we scramble to reciprocate if we haven’t already gotten one for them. We pore over stacks of Christmas cards to make sure that we haven’t left any one off our Christmas card list!

But, the gift of Christ asks only that we receive him, and let him live in us. Can we ever really be ready for that? I doubt it, but we we’re here to try. And we’re going to have to listen to the announcer for awhile until it is time for the star to emerge.

Offering Sentence & Prayer

In this busy season, our most important preparations will happen here in our hearts when we make a way for God to come into our lives, when we "prepare the way of the Lord." In the midst of our preparations, we bring gifts to share so that God's love will shine brightly through the ministry of this church and in our own lives as well. Let us now present our tithes and offerings.

Righteous and just God, we give thanks for the sun and moon, and the rain and grass. May the gifts we offer help justice and peace to abound, reflecting your glory throughout the whole earth. Amen and Amen.

Benediction

Take your encouragement from Christ,

that your joy may be complete.

We will share in the Spirit;

We will find consolation in love.

Practice a ministry of humility and compassion

For God is at work in you, empowering you

We will welcome Christ into our hearts.

We will lives worthy of the Gospel.

We will go forth in hope and in peace.