Luke 1:26-3826 Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [h]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?” 35 Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “[i]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.
Observation:
"Do not be afraid!" This powerful gospel-imperative is preceded, immersed, and proceeded by proclamation.
Before Mary can begin to be afraid, Gabriel greets her with the news, "The Lord is with you."
God's presence manifests in reality-transforming activity, "For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible."
God's presence with and activity for Mary begets her willing participation in something beautiful if not painless, for she will not only bear Our Savior but the after-birth of salvation for all of creation. "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."
Application:
Of late, I have been struggling somewhat with the magnitude of my role as pastor of the faith community I serve. Some days it seems the work is too great. Most days it seems that I am just too small.
I have an emergent sense of what is possible for us. I have identified several directions in which we might travel faithfully. Still, I am wary of moving us forward because I don't know how to get us moving towards a destination I can only vaguely make out.
Can you identify with these feelings of being called to embark upon a journey with no definite destination in sight? Do you find yourself dragging your heals and hedging your bets? In your case, delaying might be practiced prudence. As for me, I have been afraid.
Mary must have been tempted to fearfulness too, otherwise why would Gabriel speak those words? Human beings must be pretty pre-disposed to fear, otherwise why would scripture bid us, "fear not" with such great regularity?
Still, Mary found a way through fear to faithfulness and joy even in the midst of hardship. For her, God's active, playful presence was key. And, you know what? God's word for her is God's word for us. Even though none of us will be called to physically birth Christ Jesus, each of us is called to bear the light of Christ into the dark corners of our families, neighbourhoods and offices.
Fear not, God-bearer! The Lord has found favour with you and is working to deliver you even as you are called and equipped to bring forth redemptive love and justice into the world. Seriously, God is with you, so anything is possible.
Prayer: (From Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006)
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown Give us faith to out with good courage, not knowing where we go,
but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
5 In the days of Herod [the Great], king of Judea, there was a certain priest whose name was Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron [the first high priest of Israel], and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They both were righteous (approved) in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years.
8 Now it happened while Zacharias was serving as priest before God in the appointed order of his priestly division, 9 as was the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense [on the altar of incense]. 10 And all the congregation was praying outside [in the court of the temple] at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
Observation:
What does Zacharias have to be afraid of?
He is from a respectable family line. He has married well. He is living life full of faith. Luke even goes out of his way to tell us that both Zacharias and Elizabeth "were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord." ... BUT ...
But, they were childless and advanced in years.
Now, its possible that Zacharias was overcome with fear at the overwhelming glory of Gabriel. A person does not need to be guilt stricken or possessed of unworthiness in order to be painfully aware of their own smallness and fragility in the face of something eminently awesome. Try standing on a cliff-side lookout or next to an elephant with frisky feet: you'll see!
Today I'm struck by another possibility. Did you know that the phrase "Do not be afraid"
(along with other analogous terms such as "Fear not") appears throughout scripture one hundred eleven times?
Of those occurrences, about ninety follow the pattern of individuals or groups receiving encouragement from the Divine assurance (either through direct revelation; or, more frequently, through a messenger) that God is present with them, active for them and calling them to respond in trust.
So, what if Zacharias is not afraid of the awesome otherness of God that radiates in righteous judgement from Gabriel? What if the source of his troubled spirit is that, seeing this messenger of God, he actually anticipates the message: "I am with you! I am acting for you! Come and join me!"?
What if the source of his fear is the prospect of God delivering
a disruptive blessing into their tolerably dissatisfactory lives?
Application:
I usually hear the imperative: "Be not afraid, for I am with you!" as a call to courage. But, what if it is less an injunction to bravely summon my own resolve in order to endure a scary situation, and more an invitation to look beyond myself (my composure, my plans, my actions ...) to God who is faithful and reliably active in bringing about the thriving of my (and of all) life.
As I get older, and failures are added to defeats, I am aware of my own flagging "youthful enthusiasm". I am more and more tempted to look around and accept the notion that the best I can expect is this "world-as-it-is". ... But ...
...The Gospel - while never minimizing or despising the "world-as-it-is", God's Good News For All is always more focussed upon the "world-as-it-shall-be".
Where there is emptiness --> fulfillment.
Where there is barrenness --> fecundity.
Where there is loneliness --> community.
Where there is shame --> restoration.
Where there is disease --> wholeness.
Where there is hunger --> feasting.
Where there is injustice --> right relations.
Where there is shrivelling death --> abundant life.
Let me be the first to confess, I don't know how we're gonna get there. There is a lot of corruption and hurt all around us. I'd be afraid to take the lead.
Thanks be to God, neither you nor I have to.
That position has been filled indefinitely by Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, when I look to the world: heartache. God, when I look to myself: fearful despair.
Father, when I look to you: hope. Jesus, lead the way. Amen.
Who always prosper and are at ease [in the world]; they have increased in wealth.
Numbers 24:1-2
When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as he had done each time before [superstitiously] to seek omens and signs [in the natural world], but he set his face toward the wilderness (desert). 2 And Balaam raised his eyes and he saw Israel living in their tents tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came on him.
Observation:
The first part of Psalm 73 really convicted me this morning. Those that live in constant and increasing prosperity and ease are equated in no uncertain terms with the "ungodly".
If I'm honest, "constant and increasing prosperity and ease" actually describes me and my family fairly accurately. I am especially aware of this given the recent realities in Alberta where many are homeless and starting over from scratch because of savage wildfires. Many more still are either without work or working on reduced schedules because of very low world oil prices and the crisis they have created in our economy - which has become dependant upon the export of natural resources.
My spouse and I both enjoy meaningful and fulfilling paid work.
Our work is not likely to be threatened or interupted by any natural or economic disaster.
We may live in a modest house, but it would not be considered modest in about 70% of communities around the world.
We don't own a timeshare or a holiday property, but we are planning multiple international holidays this year alone.
Every person in our household has more clothes than they can actually wear.
We worry more about extra pounds from too much rich food than we ever will about where our next meal might come from. And, for us dining out is a regular activity as opposed to a very special treat.
So, are we "ungodly" in our privilege and relative ease? My mind races to justify and excuse us...
we volunteer...we tithe...we try to live within our means...
But, I also make note of houses that are bigger and nicer than mine.
I spend a lot on inessential luxuries.
My daily coffee money is more than many around the globe have to live on each day.
So, are we "ungodly"? Truth be told, I'm afraid to answer that.
But, I'm not sure a quick answer is what God is after here either. I feel God drawing alongside me, freely pouring out grace to put away my excuses, jealousies and greed long enough to remember what - or, rather WHO - is genuine.
Isn't that just like God:
...to show up and spend time with the ungodly!?!
...to open and fulfill and redeem us with not-4-sale grace!?!
Application:
Today, I hear God saying, loud and clear, "Take a long hard look at your lifestyle and be brutally honest about the obvious and hidden costs of maintaining it." What does the ecological footprint of my family look like? (click here for more information and a cool calculator)
How might I better "love my neighbour as myself"?
Amidst, this call towards a searching moral inventory, emboldened by grace, Balaam's blessing grabs me and shakes me awake.Where is Israel when they receive this blessing - the pronounced favour of God; but, tenting in the desert?
They are no longer enslaved. They are not yet established. They are free to wander and learning to follow the lead of the LORD who hems them in, going out before them and protecting their flank.
Perhaps there is here a vital metaphor for us
as we seek to be the body of Christ in this period
of great change, upset and possibility.
What do you think?
Might we be transitioning from an epoch of established Temple worship
to an age of liberated Tabernacle roaming?
Prayer:
I thank you LORD, that I can never be finally accounted as ungodly,
because you refuse to let it be so.
Your parenting love is wondrous.
Now, grant me grace to run toward your invitation
into a life ever-more-worthy of your incredible love for all your creation. Amen.
"All artists love what they give birth to - parents love their children; poets love their poems; craftspeople love their handiwork.
How then could God hate a single thing since God is the artist of every thing?
... God is an artist and the universe is God's work of art.
All natural things are produced by divine art and can rightly be called God's works of art."
--Thomas Aquinas
Scripture:
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.”
Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him, 7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let the rebellious not exalt themselves.
Selah
Observation: No one really knows exactly what "selah" means. The word in its original language is difficult to translate literally or in a way that is definitive. That said, a lot can be inferred from the context in which it occurs within scripture (71 times in the Psalms and a three more times in Habakukk).
The upshot, is that the word Selah always underlines a statement of important (yet illusive) truth. Selah is a rubric that invites us to "pause and ponder;and, pondering be transformed".
Two times in this short passage we are invited to "pause and ponder with purpose".
In general, this discipline of stopping to make room for reflection and discernment is important.
This passage invites us specifically to ponder upon the paradoxical statements:
1) All the earth worships (G-D) and 2) There are some who are at least tempted to rebel against this good and orderly direction by choosing to exalt not G-D but themselves.
Application:
Today is a day for pondering with purpose.
What does it mean for me, that
"all the earth worships God, singing God's praises"?
Is this a prompt affirmation of the original blessing that dwells within the goodness of all creation?
Is this an invitation to engage others who do not share the external trappings of my particular religion as fellow worshippers of the One, Living God?
I shall pause. I shall ponder with purpose.
Who is the warning to avoid self-exaltation aimed at? Is it the godless, the heathen, who fails to repent and believe who is here put on notice?
Could it be that it is the rebel in me - the one who would be so bold as to distinguish between the god forsaken and the genuine chosen ones of G-D?
I shall pause, I shall ponder with purpose.
Prayer: Lord, You alone are worthy of my trust, my faith, my hope, my praise. Selah. Grant me grace to pause and ponder with purpose. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 55:1-855 Listen to my prayer, O God,And do not hide Yourself from my plea.2 Listen to me and answer me;I am restless and distraught in my complaint and distracted3 Because of the voice of the enemy,Because of the pressure of the wicked;For they bring down trouble on me,And in anger they persecute me.4 My heart is in anguish within me,And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.5 Fear and trembling have come upon me;Horror has overwhelmed me.6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!I would fly away and be at rest.7“I would wander far away,I would lodge in the [peace of the] wilderness. Selah.8 “I would hurry to my refuge [my tranquil shelter far away]From the stormy wind and from the tempest.”
Observation: It's the words "restless, distraught, and distracted" from verse 2 that stand out for me today. Now, I'm not facing the kind of adversity that David sounds like he is facing. I don't feel actively persecuted or set upon. I have experienced such times, and in those times I have always been surprised and grateful to perceive God clearly with me, guarding my steps and preparing a path for me. Those times of great difficultly are not ones I long to repeat, but I will say this about them - they have been times that sharpened my focus upon what God was doing, cleared my vision to see the Divine direction beckoning and strengthened my resolve to do what I understood to be required of me. By contrast, I find myself at present in a period of relative ease and comfort. My focus has drifted and I found myself now navigating through a thick fog of white-noise. I feel "restless, distraught, and distracted". Ironically, though I know God to have been present with me in times of struggle, I am finding it more tempting now in this time of relative ease to imagine that God is "hiding from my pleas".
Application: I just came back from a time of holiday that was very renewing. The opportunity to rest was much appreciated and needed, but our family chose to do (or rather, not do) something that made the vacation all the richer. We turned off our cell phones and computers for the whole week. (Well, that was the goal, at least. I'll admit we didn't completely adhere to it. Imagine what might have happened if we had?) The result was similar to the limited experience I have with snorkeling: The stiller I am, the less sand and silt is stirred up, and the more clearly I can see the miraculous evidence of God at work all around me.
In the midst of this Kairos, I hear God saying to me:Phil, you have my undivided attention. Phil, imagine what I could do with your undivided attention. I'm still working on what God would have me do in response to this word of abundant grace.
What do you think? What helps you to deal with feelings of
restlessness or distraction? What activities or social pressures make it difficult for you to focus on God's love and plan for us?
Prayer:
God, I believe you are here. I am coming to realize that many of my own choices are creating the cloud that make it difficult to see and hear You clearly. Jesus, be my centre. Calm my anxious brain. Hold my erratic heart. Grant me grace to be still and to exult in knowing that you are God. Amen.
The hymn “We Are
Called” (by David Haas) is a favorite of mine.
The chorus goes like this…
We are called to act with justice.
We are called to love
tenderly.
We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.
It’s a favorite hymn, but today this line bristles…
“We are called to love tenderly.”
Though it is surely true that we are called to love tenderly, that sweet lyric
doesn’t seem to do justice to the breadth and depth of the invitation and
challenge we receive by way of the “new mandate” Jesus charges us with in John
13.
There are at least two ways in which we are tempted to misunderstand today’s
Gospel reading:On the one hand, we might
sentimentalize Jesus’ command to “Love one another!”making it out to mean that we ought to be
nice to everyone in a way that makes us feel good while demanding very little
of anyone – this approach is high on syrupy, greeting-card affirmations but
woefully low on substance.Then again,
we might succumb to the temptation to seek to justify ourselves to God through
works of well-meaning, but misdirected love: of ourselves, and our neighbours-as
ourselves.
In order to avoid these pit-falls, it is important for us to begin, not with
Jesus’ command to “love one another!”, but with his statement to the disciples
on the eve of his execution.
“Where I am going you cannot come.”
What does Jesus mean by this?The
setting is an Upper-Room in Jerusalem where the disciples and their teacher
have gathered to partake of the Passover meal.Jesus has just finished washing his disciples’ feet and predicting his
own betrayal at the hands of Judas.Immediately after the passage we read today follows the prediction of
Peter’s denial of Jesus.
Today we encounter Jesus, poised at the decisive moment of John’s Gospel. Until now, Jesus has often remarked that his
“appointed time” has not yet arrived.As
Judas leaves the intimate and warmly lit upper-room, fleeing into darkness, the
pivotal moment has arrived.His path to
the cross is now assured, and yet he declares this to be his moment of
Glory.As Jesus is “lifted up” on the
cross, His Father will be “lifted up”, magnified, glorified, exalted, honored.For The Son and The Father are one.A few verses later in John 14:10, 11 Jesus
will make this explicit:“I Am in the
Father and the Father is in Me.”
Jesus and the Father are one.But from
long ago, they have been separated from their beloved human creatures by a gulf
of sinful hard-heartedness and willful disobedience.Now, as “the appointed time” arrives for Jesus,
the Son of Man, He rejoices in the pending completion of what Father and Son
have so longed for…the re-establishment of right-relations with their
creatures.
[Reading John 13:31-32 … standing at altar, elevate
bread, indicating two sides, one loaf… slight pause, then read verse 33.]
31When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now
is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him,[a] God will glorify the Son in
himself, and will glorify him at once.
33"My
children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and
just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
It is clear in Jesus’ mind where he is
going, even if it is a mystery to us and the other disciples.The Son is going to the cross … to an
encounter with death.Jesus is on the
road that is descending into Hell…hell being absolute “apartness” from the
Father.
[Rip bread in two]
This one body is broken into two, and separated as in two hands spread wide on
a cross…So that You, and I, and all others who would trust in and follow Christ
might be joined once more to the Creator who longs to be known by us.Jesus said, “Where I am going you cannot
come.”The Son went into absolute
“apartness” from the Father, AND returned so that we all could become
absolutely and permanently connected.So
that we might all have a place at the Lord’s Table.
And now that we have been accepted into this wonderful community, this glorious
communion, we have been invited to respond by sharing that which we have first
received…by loving one another as Jesus has loved us.For God desires that our active, suffering,
servant love for one another be our witness to the world regarding what God is
doing.As we love one another with the
love we have so freely received all those who long to experience such life-giving
love will be drawn in.
Lawrence O.
Richards put it this way:
“Within the Upper
Room, the vision of a new community was being shaped. In the last few hours of
His life on earth, Jesus sketched for His friends a picture of a future that
they—and we—are to experience. It’s important to realize that this revelation
is for us. Here is a picture of your life and mine as Christians, a picture of
our experience in Christ. The key to this experience is relationship: relationship
with each other as members of a new community, and relationship with Jesus, the
Enabler of the new community. … The foundation of Jesus’ new community is a
unique relationship. Here is how Christ explained it: “A new command I give
you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All
men will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.” These are familiar words, yet
strange ones. Love is nothing new; the Old Testament speaks often of love and
reminds us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (LEV 19:18)…
[But] there
is a new standard by which to measure love. Love of neighbor was to be “as you
love yourself.” But here we are told to love each other “as I have loved you.”
Love as Jesus did? Love with a love that gives self? Yes, this is new.
My [community] becomes more important to me than I am!”[1]
Family, this Love
of Jesus which we have been immersed in cannot be summed-up by such a timid
word as “tender”.Rather, to adequately
describe the depth and breadth of this Love defies dictionaries full of
adjectives.This Love is Glorious in its
largess, magnificent in its nuanced richness.
Jesus’ Love Is:
Incarnate, Embodied, Flesh and Blood, Material.It is experienced through the real smiles of
greeters and the physical sharing of the peace with one another.Jesus’ love is tangible when we visit the
sick, care for an aging parent or spouse, and when we provide counsel and
encouragement to those who are hurting.
Jesus’ Love Is:
Expensive, Costly,
Lavish, Precious, Rich.It is
experienced through the pain that being in meaningful relationships brings when
those among us are called away in life or death.Jesus’ love is expressed through the
sacrificial putting to death of our sinful impulses to “look out for number
1.”It is made known among us by those
who offer their time, talents and money to build up the community at Our Savior.
Jesus’ Love Is:
Obedient, Dutiful,
Humble, Intentional, Deliberate, Intricate.At OSLC it is expressed in the ongoing production of sandwhiches by the ICPM
volunteers and by the behind-the-scenes work of those who labour at the
unglamorous work of maintaining and cleaning the building.
Jesus’ Love Is:
Courageous,
Powerful, Challenging, Agitational, Transformational, Reconciling.Where this love shines, darkness abates and
lives are changed.We see it at work in
our joint efforts with PALN churches to Sponsor a Refugee family and the Kids
On Track After School Program at Ormsby School.It is perhaps most visible in our midst among those who have experienced
conflict with one another and yet have found a way to share in the life of Our
Savior.
Jesus’ Love Is:
Unconditional, Preferential, All Inclusive, Invitational,
Indiscriminant.This love accepts all
who desire to come to it.It is embodied
in the physical accessibility of OSLC’s building and the warmth of her
people.Jesus’ demonstrated preference
to dwell among those who were shunned or held to be worthless is born out in
the welcome shown to the Ormsby food share group, and The Tuesday Night AA
group.
We have been loved
substantially, lavishly, dutifully, transformationally, unconditionally.
And so we are invited and empowered to Love one another - and the world - generously.
May our love for
one another be sufficiently Glorious that all might be drawn to its light.Amen.
[1]Richards, Larry ; Richards, Lawrence O.: The Teacher's Commentary.
Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1987, S. 740
