May 29, 2025
We are often inclined to make the living of the Christian life far more complicated than it needs to be. If you don’t believe me, you might want to step into your local Christian bookstore or venture online to consider the latest offerings in the Christian literary world. There is, I believe, a book for just about every conceivable topic and, often, several books that have very different opinions about those topics! No surprise there.
While a healthy difference of opinion is always a good idea, the problem is that, in all our discussion and debating, we can end up complicating something that is really quite simple. While some seem to delight in engaging in deep theological discussion about “how many angels can fit on the head of a pin,” the truth of the matter is that this can become nothing more than a distraction that keeps us from the real work of Christian living.
This is why I so appreciate the perspective of my United Methodist colleague, Steve Garness-Holmes, who shares the reflection that is provided above. As he suggests, we, as human beings, have this tendency to conclude that our witness of faith is essentially all about what we do or say or think that might add to our list of accomplishments and the impressive resume we have compiled. While our credentials may be impressive to others or to ourselves, Pastor Steve suggests that the list of our accomplishments doesn’t really do much to “move the needle” in God’s eyes.
What gets God’s attention, indeed, what gives “the Beloved” great joy is that we do the best we can with what we have, often in limited circumstances, to “act justly, love mercifully and walk humbly with God.” There it is—in a nutshell—our marching orders, our daily assignment. While it may be fascinating to consider theological topics from many different angles and perspectives, at the end of the day, the question remains before us: Did you act justly? Did you love mercifully? Did you walk humbly with God?
In a day and age where social media is running wild with all kinds of outrageous posts and conspiracy theories, there is wisdom in reminding ourselves that the real evidence of the Christian life isn’t to be found in our intellectual theories about faith, nor in our resume’ of accomplishments. The real evidence is to be found in whether or not we acted justly, loved mercy and walked humbly with our God.
As you move through the rest of this week, I invite you to use this bit of wisdom and insight that comes from the Prophet, Micah (Micah 6:8) as your daily guide. If you are, in fact, doing these things and living in this way, there can be no question that you are on the right track. And that is enough, I believe, to give God deep joy.
May 22, 2025
We are often inclined to make the living of the Christian life far more complicated than it needs to be. If you don’t believe me, you might want to step into your local Christian bookstore or venture online to consider the latest offerings in the Christian literary world. There is, I believe, a book for just about every conceivable topic and, often, several books that have very different opinions about those topics! No surprise there.
While a healthy difference of opinion is always a good idea, the problem is that, in all our discussion and debating, we can end up complicating something that is really quite simple. While some seem to delight in engaging in deep theological discussion about “how many angels can fit on the head of a pin,” the truth of the matter is that this can become nothing more than a distraction that keeps us from the real work of Christian living.
This is why I so appreciate the perspective of my United Methodist colleague, Steve Garness-Holmes, who shares the reflection that is provided above. As he suggests, we, as human beings, have this tendency to conclude that our witness of faith is essentially all about what we do or say or think that might add to our list of accomplishments and the impressive resume we have compiled. While our credentials may be impressive to others or to ourselves, Pastor Steve suggests that the list of our accomplishments doesn’t really do much to “move the needle” in God’s eyes.
What gets God’s attention, indeed, what gives “the Beloved” great joy is that we do the best we can with what we have, often in limited circumstances, to “act justly, love mercifully and walk humbly with God.” There it is—in a nutshell—our marching orders, our daily assignment. While it may be fascinating to consider theological topics from many different angles and perspectives, at the end of the day, the question remains before us: Did you act justly? Did you love mercifully? Did you walk humbly with God?
In a day and age where social media is running wild with all kinds of outrageous posts and conspiracy theories, there is wisdom in reminding ourselves that the real evidence of the Christian life isn’t to be found in our intellectual theories about faith, nor in our resume’ of accomplishments. The real evidence is to be found in whether or not we acted justly, loved mercy and walked humbly with our God.
As you move through the rest of this week, I invite you to use this bit of wisdom and insight that comes from the Prophet, Micah (Micah 6:8) as your daily guide. If you are, in fact, doing these things and living in this way, there can be no question that you are on the right track. And that is enough, I believe, to give God deep joy.
May 8, 2025
We are often inclined to make the living of the Christian life far more complicated than it needs to be. If you don’t believe me, you might want to step into your local Christian bookstore or venture online to consider the latest offerings in the Christian literary world. There is, I believe, a book for just about every conceivable topic and, often, several books that have very different opinions about those topics! No surprise there.
While a healthy difference of opinion is always a good idea, the problem is that, in all our discussion and debating, we can end up complicating something that is really quite simple. While some seem to delight in engaging in deep theological discussion about “how many angels can fit on the head of a pin,” the truth of the matter is that this can become nothing more than a distraction that keeps us from the real work of Christian living.
This is why I so appreciate the perspective of my United Methodist colleague, Steve Garness-Holmes, who shares the reflection that is provided above. As he suggests, we, as human beings, have this tendency to conclude that our witness of faith is essentially all about what we do or say or think that might add to our list of accomplishments and the impressive resume we have compiled. While our credentials may be impressive to others or to ourselves, Pastor Steve suggests that the list of our accomplishments doesn’t really do much to “move the needle” in God’s eyes.
What gets God’s attention, indeed, what gives “the Beloved” great joy is that we do the best we can with what we have, often in limited circumstances, to “act justly, love mercifully and walk humbly with God.” There it is—in a nutshell—our marching orders, our daily assignment. While it may be fascinating to consider theological topics from many different angles and perspectives, at the end of the day, the question remains before us: Did you act justly? Did you love mercifully? Did you walk humbly with God?
In a day and age where social media is running wild with all kinds of outrageous posts and conspiracy theories, there is wisdom in reminding ourselves that the real evidence of the Christian life isn’t to be found in our intellectual theories about faith, nor in our resume’ of accomplishments. The real evidence is to be found in whether or not we acted justly, loved mercy and walked humbly with our God.
As you move through the rest of this week, I invite you to use this bit of wisdom and insight that comes from the Prophet, Micah (Micah 6:8) as your daily guide. If you are, in fact, doing these things and living in this way, there can be no question that you are on the right track. And that is enough, I believe, to give God deep joy.
February 27, 2025
From time to time, I hear various people talk about their “God moments,” that is those moments in their lives in which the Spirit of God moved in ways that they could not ignore or overlook. They are moments that are often described in hushed tones with a look of reverence in their eyes. Often the backdrop for those moments was a retreat center or a camping trip, a quiet moment of prayer and reflection when the power and presence of God could be tangibly felt. I often find myself nodding my head in agreement as I then reflect upon my own similar experiences.
For some reason, “God moments” are often associated with “moments on the mountain top” when the pressures and challenges of everyday life are far removed. Yet, as I read this week’s lesson from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 9: 28-43) I am challenged to think about my own “God moments” a bit differently. To be sure, there is, in this reading about the transfiguration of Jesus, a literal description of the mountain top moment that Peter, James and John experience as they witness Jesus, in his glory, talking with Moses and Elijah. In fact, Peter is so moved that he wants to stay there and build a retreat center!
But it was not to be. The moment that arrived so suddenly disappears all too quickly—leaving the three disciples to make their way down the mountainside in silence. What I find to be interesting, however, is that the lesson doesn’t end with that description. Instead, it merely leads to yet another story, this one taking place upon their return to the valley below and the request that an anxious father makes of Jesus—the request to heal his tormented son. Jesus proceeds to do just that as he restores the boy to his rightful mind.
It would seem to me that what we have here are two very different stories that would naturally form two very different readings—readings that should be considered separately. But this is not the way that they are presented in our assigned readings for this week. They are presented as a package, something to be considered together, in tandem with each other.
In thinking about the reason why, I am inclined to believe that there is an intent here to suggest that the “God moments” that we so desire in our lives are not necessarily limited to the mountain top. While we often are inclined to think of them that way, the truth of the matter is that “God moments” happen not only on the mountain top in the serenity of nature, but they also happen in the valley below in the midst of stress and struggle of everyday life.
The challenge for many of us is to simply recognize that God is not limited in the ways in which God chooses to become known to us. The only limitation is the one that we tend to place upon ourselves. This Sunday in worship, I will be thinking out loud about the ways in which we can be open to the God moments that happen in the midst of doing the laundry, buying our groceries and waiting in traffic. Surely God is present in those moments as well. Our job, it seems to me, is to simply cultivate the ability to see the presence of the holy in the midst of the ordinary.
February 20, 2025
Admittedly, the title for this column is a shameless play on words, designed to get your attention and, hopefully, invite you to read what I have written! The inspiration for it comes from a song originally recorded by Shorty Long in the early 60’s which was entitled, “The Function at the Junction.”
As you can see, I simply chose to substitute the word, “dysfunction” for “function” to illustrate my preaching theme for this week. Indeed, it is my intention to preach about the “dysfunction” that took place at the “junction” of the lives of Joseph and his brothers as recorded in the Book of Genesis. And believe me, there was a lot of dysfunction!
If you will recall, the story of Joseph is one that is filled with jealousy, doubt, hatred, kid-knapping, dishonesty, revenge. Now, if this isn’t an example of family dysfunction, I don’t know what is! And yet, the good news of Joseph’s story is that ultimately, forgiveness would also play a part—one that would change them from a truly dysfunctional family into one that would learn to function rather well together—well enough in fact, to be regarded as Israel’s “first family.”
In preparation for worship this week, I invite you to refresh your memories by reading over the “Joseph story” as recorded in Genesis 37-50. As you do so, you may want to reflect upon your own experience with your family and the ways petty jealousy and misunderstanding can lead to alienation and even estrangement. To be sure, it happens all the time and sometimes it tends to take on a life of its own.
In my message this week, I will consider the way that God was at work not only in Joseph’s story, but the way God works in our own story, moving behind the scenes, as it were, to free us up from the weight of bitterness, jealousy and revenge that often prevents us from living fully and deeply in the present moment of time. Forgiveness is, after all, the choice that sets us free to live the life that we really want to live.
February 13, 2025
Being the human beings that we are, we often have, I believe, a pronounced tendency to deflect or defer the challenges of life in favor of the comforts that it has to offer. While this is true in quite a number of respects, it appears to be especially true when it comes to the matter of the ways in which we choose to embrace and live out our faith. It is so much easier to be drawn to the images of a God who comforts us rather than the One who challenges us. I recently tried to look up images online that focused on the God who both challenges and comforts us. Not unexpectedly, I discovered dozens of images of the God who comforts, but only one of the God who challenges us. When it comes to our relationship with God, most of us would prefer to experience God’s comfort rather than God’s challenge.
But the fact is that there are times in which our faith seeks to challenge us to “move out of our comfort zones” and embrace a life of risk and service. There are times in which we are dared to see the message of Jesus as it is and not as we would prefer it to be. I have discovered and perhaps, you have as well, that there are times in which Jesus makes me downright uncomfortable by what he has to say.
Take, for example, our Gospel lesson this week. It comes from the Gospel of Luke 6: 17-26 and features Luke’s version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Luke’s version, however, is a bit different from that of Matthew. For one thing, it takes place not “on the mount,” but “on the plain.” For another thing, Luke is a bit more direct and less “soft” in the words he quotes from Jesus’ message. Instead of using Matthew’s phrase, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Luke simply records, “Blessed are the poor.” There is, you see, a bit of a hard edge to Jesus’ message that suggests that, not only is it a blessing to be poor, but that it is also a curse to be rich.
In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, there are blessings for those who are poor, hungry and grieving and curses (woe’s) for those who are rich, full of food and full of laughter. In other words, quite the opposite of what Jesus’ culture (and our own as well) believed to be the case. In effect, Jesus, in Luke’s version, takes the conventional wisdom of his day (and ours as well) and stands it on its head! In doing so, he suggests that, in the emerging reign of God, there is a great reversal of values, of those things in life that we believe to be a “given.”
While it might be tempting to simply overlook this passage and pretend that it isn’t there, I am choosing to address it “head-on” this Sunday in worship. I must admit that it tends to make me a bit uncomfortable and I recognize that this might not be a bad thing! In fact, it might even be a needed thing.
I would like to invite you to take some time this week to review this passage and to reflect upon the meaning that it holds for us today. How could there be a blessing in being poor, in being hungry and in being consumed by grief? Where is the benefit in that?
On the other hand, why might being rich be viewed as a curse? And what is wrong with being filled with food or being consumed by laughter? Why would Jesus refer to these things as reasons for woe?
While these are not easy questions to answer, I do believe that it will be worth our while to attempt to do so—even if it makes us, (shall I say it?) uncomfortable. This Sunday in worship, I will plan to share my responses if you will plan to share yours! As always, I am looking forward to it!
January 30, 2025
In the so called, “good ol’ days,” the days when the Church was a notable presence in the life of the community, it didn’t take much to generate attention and interest. All that was needed was a public invitation to a dinner, a rummage sale or fund-raising event and the response of the public was
generally pretty favorable. People had the time and the willingness to support local community building efforts—even if they didn’t happen to be members or attenders.
Now, however, things have changed and changed dramatically. The Church no longer occupies a special place of public interest or support. In today’s fast- moving culture, we (the Church) find ourselves scrambling to generate the interest and support that is no longer a given. We have discovered that it is
important to re-think our approach of connecting with the community that we serve. It is important to discover new ways of connecting and building a relationship with those who are not a part of our own community of faith. It is with this understanding in mind that we (Grass Valley UMC) have launched the “Church Street Concert Series.” This musical concert series is designed to enable us to become a more active part in our local Grass Valley/Nevada City community by providing quality musical entertainment at an affordable price. In doing so, it is our hope that we will be able to attract our local community members to experience our church facility and, in the process, learn a bit more about who we are and what we represent. While this is certainly a very different approach to evangelism than the old “door to door” invitation to church campaigns, it is, I would contend, a better and more respectful way of giving witness to our presence in the community.
I happen to think that there are quite a number of people in this area who would be interested in what we have to offer—even if it is only an excellent musical concert. In a time when there are so many stereotypes about what churches are and are not, these concerts will offer an opportunity for us to demonstrate what we are all about. It is in this understanding that I would like to invite your supportive efforts in promoting our first concert on the evening of Saturday, February 22 nd at 7:00 P.M. in our sanctuary. We are fortunate to have Matthew Linaman, an award- winning cellist, who will perform “Cello by Candlelight.” We are excited to welcome Matt for this performance and pleased to announce that the proceeds will be given to the “Bell Tower Restoration Fund.” Matt has generously agreed to donate his fee to this cause as well. We are most grateful! So, there you have it—your “invite to invite!” I hope that you will not only plan to attend, but that you will invite friends and neighbors (hopefully they are one and the same) to join you. We are living in a different day that requires a different approach, but our message of hope, love and compassion is the same that it has always been. Let’s do what we can to share this message with our community.
January 23, 2025
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been thinking about the importance of the revelation (manifestation) of God’s glory in the witness of Jesus. That glory was revealed at Jesus’ baptism when the heavens parted, a dove descended and a voice declared, “This is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.”
It was also revealed at Cana when Jesus brought life to a wedding feast by changing water into wine. It was a moment that provided a “sign” of the abundance of God’s grace at work in the everyday moments of everyday life. As I mentioned last Sunday, the true focus of this story is not upon the “miracle” of Jesus changing water into wine, but upon what this “sign” has to tell us about the nature of Jesus. This “sign,” I believe, tells us that Jesus was one to savor and celebrate the beauty and wonder, love and grace that life has to offer.
I referenced the child who suggested that, “If you are going to have a party, it’s a good idea to invite Jesus.” Good advice!
This week, we encounter yet another revelation of the nature of Jesus in Luke’s account of Jesus’ return home to Nazareth and his opportunity to teach in the synagogue. (Luke 4: 14-30) We can imagine that this was quite a moment in this small village. It was all that anyone was talking about and on one would dare miss this opportunity to celebrate the success of one of their own.
And things went well—initially. Jesus read from the Book of Isaiah, quoting those familiar words, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind…” (Isaiah 61:1) The people admired the way that he read with boldness and confidence. Everyone was bursting with pride!
But Jesus was not finished. He had still more to say and, as it turned out, more than the people wanted him to say. He dared to suggest that the people of Israel (including them) were not his only audience, that God’s vision also included those who lived outside the borders of their homeland—including Sidon and the hated Syria! This was simply too much for the hometown folks to accept. Their pride suddenly turned to anger and hostility. The story ends on an unhappy note as they try to push him off a cliff! Talk about a whiplash reaction!
As I reflect upon this passage, it occurs to me that sometimes the glory that God reveals is glory that we would rather not see or hear. Sometimes, God’s revelation might offer more of a glimpse (or hearing) than we would prefer. Sometimes, we would prefer that God wouldn’t trample on our long-accepted prejudices or challenge our comfortable biases. We would prefer to see only what we want to see and hear only what we want to hear.
As you prepare for worship this Sunday, I invite you to think about the ways in which you might find yourself reluctant to see, hear or fully experience the revelation of God that the witness of Jesus provides. Are there teachings of Jesus that you find difficult to hear? What are the demands that he makes of you and your time that you struggle to accept?
Suffice it to say that it is certainly not easy to choose to follow Jesus. All of us are likely to struggle with some of what the revelation of his ministry may require of us. The temptation may be to ignore those demands rather than face up to them. While this is certainly understandable, it is not especially helpful. Our challenge, of course, is to dare to see and hear the full nature of the invitation that Jesus reveals, whether or not we want to do so.
Hopefully, in the good company of one another, we will find a way to do that!
Have a great week-end—one that includes the experience of sharing worship together with your church family. See you in church!
January 16, 2025
It is interesting to note that, these days, “organized religion” is often perceived in a negative light. The mere mention of it is enough to conjure up images of strict, legalistic, no-nonsense, holier-than-thou personalities who are intent on sucking all the fun out of life. While these images may, in fact, fit some
expressions of contemporary faith, they certainly don’t fit any that have chosen to take the witness of Jesus to heart. In case you haven’t noticed, Jesus was hardly a grim practitioner of legalistic dogma or puritanical wisdom. In fact, in many cases, he was just the opposite. The religious leaders of his day even
accused him of being a “drunkard and a glutton.” This week in worship, our focus turns to the familiar story of Jesus at the wedding feast in Cana (John 2: 1-11). This is a fascinating account for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the writer of John’s Gospel chooses to begin his account with this “sign” of God’s revelation in Jesus. In contrast with the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), John makes no mention of “miracles,” but instead, refers to the “signs” of God’s Spirit at work
in Jesus.
I find it especially interesting that John would choose to open his own account of Jesus’ ministry with this “sign” of Jesus changing water into wine. You would think that he might have chosen a miracle story with a bit more drama—something that would have to do with healing the sick or raising the
dead. But no, John chooses to begin with this story of Jesus changing water into wine. The question is “why?” Why would John place this, story, first and foremost, at the beginning of his gospel?
In my message this week, I will seek to provide an answer to this question.
Allow me to give you a “sneak preview” by suggesting that I believe that this “sign” was intended to depict the true nature of Jesus as being contrary to that of the religious leaders who were so intent on being serious and somber that they had forgotten about the importance of gracious generosity and joy. John, in effect, is declaring that, in Jesus, we find one who was the “life of the party,” and enjoyed having a good time. When the wine ran out at the wedding feast, it was Jesus who stepped in and performed a sign of God’s grace by turning water into wine. This then, is a story that tells us something important not only about Jesus, but something important about God. It tells is that God is a God of abundant grace, grace that is just as evident in times of celebration as it is in times of crisis or challenge.
There is, I believe, a message here that we dare not overlook. Faith and life is meant to be celebrated at every opportunity and it is God who chooses, as an act of abundant grace, to celebrate with us. While we may not have thought about Jesus in this light before, I think a strong case could be made to suggest that he was, in fact, the life of the party, the one was more than eager to savor and celebrate the power of God’s grace.
Maybe this is why the writer of John’s Gospel chose to place this “sign” of God’s grace and glory first in his account. Maybe the writer wanted people to know, first and foremost, that Jesus came into this world to remind us of God’s joyful, generous and abundant grace. It’s a thought worth hanging onto as we think about our lives and the ways in which we go about living them.
January 9, 2025
Now that the Christmas decorations have been packed away for another year and the angels, shepherds and wisemen have all gone home, we enter into a new season in the church year—the season of Epiphany.
The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek, “Epiphaneia,” meaning “manifestation, appearing or revealing.” In this season, we consider the way God’s presence is revealed to us not only in the witness of Jesus, but in the ordinary moments and events of life. Writing in the journal, “Journey With Jesus,” Rev. Debi Thomas observes: “In the Gospel stories we read during this season, God parts the curtain for brief, shimmering moments, allowing us to look beneath and beyond the ordinary surfaces of our lives, and catch glimpses of the extraordinary.”
Epiphany then, is essentially a season in which we are able to discover the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary. Sometimes that means learning to see, or listen, or feel differently. Sometimes that means learning to let go of our pre-conceived notions of how God is at work in the world and simply be open to what God happens to be doing here and now, in this very moment.
In Isaiah 43: 18-19, God speaks through the prophet, saying: “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Epiphany invites us to see the “new thing” that God is doing—not only in our own lives, but also, in the lives of others and the life of our world. The real question, however, is, “How do we learn to do that? How can we learn to see differently?”
National Geographic photographer, Dewitt Jones, has made a career out of his ability not only to take extraordinary photographs, but also to help people understand how they too, can learn to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary. He suggests that, “If we want truly extraordinary vision, then we have to continually expand your horizons and take risks. If we don’t push our edge, we will never expand our view. It’s not trespassing to go beyond our own boundaries.”
That is an intriguing thought, is it not? Sometimes, it is our own self-imposed boundaries that actually limit what we can see and experience. It isn’t trespassing to move beyond those boundaries by choosing a lens that will enable us to see and think and act differently. We simply need to give ourselves permission to do so!
I trust that this season of Epiphany will provide you with the invitation to do just that—to move beyond any self-imposed boundaries that may be keeping you from seeing, knowing, and experiencing God in a new way.
This week in worship, we will focus our attention on the revelation of God’s glory in the baptism of Jesus. To quote Debi Thomas, it was a moment in which “God parted the curtain for a brief, shimmering moment that allowed us to look beneath and beyond the ordinary surfaces of our lives and catch glimpses of the extraordinary.”
I look forward to the privilege of not only celebrating worship with you, but the possibility of learning to see more clearly the “new thing that God is doing.” We just might find that it is, in fact, extraordinary!
January 2, 2025
As we take our first tentative steps into a New Year, it’s a good time to reflect upon how we want to live in the twelve months that lie before us. One of the ways that some people do that is to create a list of New Year’s resolutions. That can be a helpful approach, but it, often times, is one that is short lived. Usually, by February, those resolutions have faded in their attractiveness as they are relegated to the “it was a good idea, but…” pile.
There is another approach that I believe can be helpful and that is to spend some time thinking about the true “nuggets of wisdom” that we will use to guide our path in the year ahead. These can be wise or thoughtful sayings and teachings that we have picked up from family or friends along our way. As such, they can provide a useful reminder of what really matters in the living of life and what doesn’t.
I recently read a column in the New York Times by Melissa Kirsch in which she simply chose to share the wisdom of her readers as they as they shared their best advice of 2024. She writes, “The best advice for how to live well comes from other people, from their actual process of trying and failing and trying again.” She then proceeded to share some of these nuggets with her readers.
Here are a few of these bits of wisdom…
“Do something today your tomorrow self will thank you for.” Ava Shaffer, Cincinnati.
“The real game doesn’t start until the fourth quarter.” Annelisse Median, Los Angeles.
“People who avoid their own feelings will neglect yours.” Jennifer Pagliaroli, Bethlehem, Pa.
And then, there is always that “nugget” of practical advice…
“If you have a plant with mealy bugs, spray it with rubbing alcohol.” Jodi Holmberg, Minneapolis
It’s fascinating to consider all the wisdom that can be shared merely from our experiences of living life every day. The Bible, of course, has a whole section of writing that has catalogued these wise thoughts and sayings. It is known as the Wisdom Literature and includes such books as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and the Psalms.
With this understanding in mind, I think it might be helpful to take some time this coming Sunday in our worship service to share some of the wisdom sayings/teachings that have given shape to our own thinking and living. What words of wisdom have proven to be important to you in the living of your life? In what ways have they served to make a difference in the quality of your living?
I would like to invite you, therefore, to bring a “nugget” or two with you to worship in order to share them with others. Write the quotation(s) on a slip of paper and, if you wish, sign your name (not required). You can then leave them in a designated receptacle in the narthex as you enter the sanctuary.
I will then plan to draw upon your bits of wisdom along with some other sources to give shape to my “sermon time.” I think it will be interesting to share these bits of wisdom and what they have to teach us as we begin a New Year. I have little doubt that there will be much for us to think about and learn.
December 19th, 2024
During this Season of Advent, we have been considering the witness of certain individuals who would hardly fit the profile of the “most likely to succeed.” In fact, it would be fair to suggest that their profile would point in the opposite direction—that of the least likely to make a favorable impression.
After all, prophets (both Isaiah and John the Baptist) were hardly regarded with respect and honor—especially by those who found themselves in positions of power, privilege and authority. And peasants were, of course, not highly regarded at all—especially female peasants such as Mary. Yet, over the first three weeks of the Advent season, we have observed that God chose to conspire with precisely these individuals in order to announce God’s intentions to usher in a new day and a new reign of justice, love, mercy and peace.
It’s interesting, is it not, that God didn’t bother to check in with the powerful and the prominent in order to secure their assistance. Or, maybe God did that, but they simply were not interested. Whatever the case, the fact is that the Advent Conspiracy was launched by a cast of characters that, more often than not, found themselves “on the outside, looking in.” They were the very ones that no one seemed to pay much attention to.
This Sunday in our concluding Advent focus, I will lift up the perspective of yet another group of “outsiders,” who chose to conspire with God. While we don’t have their individual names, we do refer to them as “the shepherds” who were keeping watch over their sheep on the night that Jesus was born. It is interesting to note that, like the other “co-conspirators,” they lived on the bottom rung of the social ladder and yet, they were the first to be invited to go and witness the miracle unfolding in a Bethlehem stable.
If you are familiar with the Gospel of Luke, this will not surprise you as Luke consistently placed a special focus on “outsiders” who were privileged to be on the “inside” when it came to the acceptance and inclusion that God offered. It’s fair to suggest that Luke had a “soft spot in his heart” for those whom the privileged and powerful considered to be unworthy, unclean and unacceptable. Certainly, that was the case with those nameless shepherds who became the first to, not only see the baby born in a manger, but to tell others about what they saw and felt. Based on Luke’s account, we can suggest that the shepherds were the first evangelists (sharers of the “good news”) in history!
As you prepare for worship this Sunday, I invite you to reflect upon the ways in which God so often chooses to work with those who are considered to be, “outsiders” in order to fulfill the vision that God has in mind. Why do you think that this is so? What does it suggest to us about our own assumptions and speculations? In what ways might we choose to be more open and receptive to the ways in which God continues to work in our own time and place?
I look forward to tackling these questions together with you as a part of our worship experience this Sunday. I hope you will be able to worship with us as we have a very special service planned with lots of music and a wonderful reason to celebrate.
December 12, 2024
Ann Weems, in her delightful book, “Kneeling at Bethlehem,” asks the questions of Mary that many of us would want to ask, had we the opportunity. While the answers to those questions will not easily be determined, they are, nevertheless, worth the asking. There is much about Mary that we may wonder
about—especially at this time of year.
As I read and re-read Mary’s story in the Gospel of Luke, I also get the feeling that there is much that she wondered about. Luke, in fact, informs us that,
“Mary pondered these things in her heart.” This week in worship, I will invite you to “ponder these things” right along with me as we consider Mary’s role in the Advent Conspiracy that we have been exploring. Thus far, of course, we have looked at the role that both the Prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist played
in the unfolding drama of the Christmas story. In my message this week, I will be taking a look at Mary’s song of praise (also known at “The Magnificat”) that is found in Luke 1: 46-55. I invite you read this
passage in preparation for Sunday. As you do so, you may want to ask yourself why this expression of joy and thanksgiving has come to play such an important role in the thinking of so many people. Scholar Richard Jensen writes that “All that follows this passage in the Gospel of Luke is essentially commentary on this song.” If that is, in fact, the case, what does that commentary suggest to us today? In what ways might Mary’s song and the ensuing commentary be perceived, by some, as a threat?
The fact is that the Gospel of Luke is not exactly a tame document that calls for its readers to “make nice” with the “principalities and powers” (i.e., Caesar and Herod) that ruled the day. In fact, let me be so bold as to suggest that Mary’s conspiracy with God’s Spirit was one that would serve to provoke not only the rulers of her own day, but the rulers in many ages to come. Her vision of what God was about to do through the birth of a baby was (and is) one that suggests that it is God’s intention to bring liberation, justice and love to those living under the threat of fear, oppression and injustice.
In what ways and in what places in our world does this message of Mary apply?
In what ways might we choose to take it to heart and live accordingly? I look forward to the opportunity of exploring Mary’s witness with you on Sunday.
Have a great rest of the week and I will see you in Church!!