​I was reminded of something interesting during our confirmation mini-retreat a few weeks ago. There were people who sued to keep the United Church of Christ from forming. For those who haven’t been in confirmation class or a new member class lately, I’ll offer a quick recap of the history of our denominational history. The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 as a union between two denominations that were, themselves, products of unions among five other traditions that happened in the early 1930’s. One of those denominations was a combination of the two traditions brought to this continent by German immigrants: The German Reformed Tradition and the German Evangelical Tradition. This became known as the Evangelical and Reformed Church. The other denomination, the Congregational Christian Church, developed from the union among Congregational Churches and two strands of a group of churches known as the Christian Church, one that was predominantly white and one called the Afro-Christian Convention that developed in the tidewater area of Virginia and North Carolina.

     Our church was a part of the Congregational Christian Church. And, I know some folks who were active here at the time when our particular Congregational Christian Church began to discuss becoming part of the United Church of Christ. It was actually a contentious issue in our congregation. While I’m sure it wasn’t the only issue of concern, a central issue of concern was one of authority- in joining the UCC, would our church lose the authority to organize ourselves into a body of Christ as we felt called?

     While eventually, the majority of this church became convinced that the covenantal structures of the United Church of Christ were strong enough to connect us to other churches in ways that were useful and flexible enough to allow us to follow the Holy Spirit where we were called, some folks were not. They ended up leaving. This is a strength of a covenantal relationship. You can choose not to be a part of it. Some folks chose not to and joined other congregations. We who are here today are the ones who stayed and the ones who came later.

     Ok, so what does this have to do with the lawsuits I mentioned? Those lawsuits were also about a question of authority. The Congregational Christian Churches and Evangelical and Reformed Churches were in conversation about a potential union for a long time. Their shared theological backgrounds in European Reformed traditions and their similar styles of being church that de-emphasized strict adherence to creeds while strongly emphasizing service to the world were the foundations of their early conversations. However, within Congregational Christian circles, people began to ask questions about authority- would a union take away authority from local churches? Did elected leaders of the denomination even have the authority to enter into conversations about a union? Some people said no, and they sued leaders who they thought were acting outside of their authority.

     An article on the UCC website shares that from 1950 to 1957, “thousands of hours and dollars were spent on court litigation of suits brought against the General Council by autonomous bodies and individuals of the Congregational Christian Churches.” The General Council was a leadership board in the Congregational Christian Churches. Justice Archie O. Dawson, of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, who was a part of the lawsuit that the Cadman Memorial Congregational Church in Brooklyn and other Congregational Christian churches filed against Helen Kenyon, who was the moderator of the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches, had this to say about that particular suit: “It is unfortunate that ministers and church members, who purport to abide by Christian principles should engage in this long, expensive litigation...”

     Eventually, all litigants would run out of appeals, with those granting authority to the General Council to engage in the conversation about the union prevailing. The same article, citing a scholar named Fred Hoskins, shared this: “the Court of Appeals issued the assurance that the union ‘would in no way change the historical and traditional patterns of individual Congregational Christian churches’ and that none would be coerced into union. Each member was assured of continuing freedom of faith and manner of worship and no abridgement of congregational usage and practice.” This is the interpretation of our faith tradition that carried the leaders of the Congregational Christian churches into the conversation about union that would eventually create the United Church of Christ, and I think, what ultimately allowed our church to take the time to consider whether we wanted to join the UCC. This ruling assured that we could not be coerced into covenant, and once in covenant, we would be allowed to be the church we are called to be in each generation. It would take us 10 years, but eventually we would join the UCC.

     So, what does all of this have to with Jesus exorcising an unclean spirit in the synagogue? While I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the midst of all of the arguments and all the lawsuits that some people might have grumbled something about the demonic character of their opponents, however, that’s not where I’m heading with this. Instead, I want us to note that from the time of Jesus’ own ministry, the people who would come to follow Jesus have been concerned about authority: who has it? who gave it to them? what are they going to do with it? After Jesus had rounded up some coworkers, the next Sabbath, he and they went to the synagogue in Capernaum, and Jesus began to teach. This is where the question of authority pops up. Scripture says, “They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

     Richard Horsley’s notes on this chapter explain that the scribes were learned scholars who represented the priests in Jerusalem. Dr. Wil Gafney reminds us in her commentary that these were people who knew their faith well, not people who simply copied scripture and interpretations down to share with others. Dr. Osvaldo Vena says that they were skilled and respected teachers. When Jesus shows up at synagogue that day, we are to understand that he is demonstrating more knowledge of their faith than the most skilled teachers. And, Jesus had not been trained to be a teacher. He’s just some guy who shows up acting like he knows what he’s doing. He has this internal sense of authority that the people around him clearly observe. And, they are amazed. And, the demon, at least, is afraid.

     “Have you come to destroy us?” Isn’t this a question many of us are tempted to ask when meeting a new authority? You obviously have power. Will you use it to harm me? Will you use it to overpower me? I would never say that questioning authority is demonic. Jesus himself does it all the time. But I do think the unclean spirit’s question is useful in that it shows us what the fearful believe is at stake around questions of authority. It must be clear how authority will be used. It must be clear what the limits to, and gifts of, any expression of authority are. Authority itself is not a bad thing. But, it must be used in allegiance to God’s priorities of love and justice.

     Ultimately, we should read the presence of the unclean spirit as a doing a great harm to at least one person in this synagogue, and possibly to the whole community that knows this person. How we see Jesus using the authority afforded to him at his baptism is to heal the one who has been taken over by a power without his consent. Authority here is clear and assertive, as well as loving. Authority is a tool for healing.  And, ultimately, this authority will be shared. It was first shared with Jesus, and Kenyatta Gilbert points out in her commentary on the text, in chapter 3:14, Jesus will share it with his disciples.

     Today is our annual meeting, a day when we will practice how we share the authority passed down to us. I hope you took time to read the reports that I, along with the officers, and boards of the church wrote to describe how we used the authority you all have entrusted in us over the last year. We will consider together other questions of authority, like how we decide who is a covenant member and who will be granted the authority that comes with service on our boards. These are no small questions. On our best days, we are living into the authority passed down to us by the Holy Spirit and our ancestors in the faith. May we wield this authority well, for the purpose of love and healing. And, may we step into the next year of ministry together feeling authorized by the Spirit and our covenant with one another to serve our town and our world.
​
Resources consulted while writing this sermon:
The history article that talks about the lawsuits: https://www.ucc.org/about-us_short-course_the-congregational-christian/
A nice 20 minute introduction to UCC history: https://vimeo.com/showcase/4814431/video/238494317
Richard A. Horsley's notes on Mark in The New Oxford Annotated Bible: The New Revised Standard Version with Apocryphya, ed. Michael Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001)
Wil Gafney, "Advent II," Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year B (New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2023)
Osvaldo Vena: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fourth-sunday-after-epiphany-2/commentary-on-mark-121-28-5
Kenyetta Gilbert, "Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany," Preaching God's Transforming Justice: A Lectionary Commentary, Year B Featuring 22 New Holy Days for Justice, Ronald J. Allen, Dale P. Andrews, and Dawn Ottoni- Wilhelm, eds. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011).

     This is the closest I have ever lived to the ocean. I was kinda of close the summers I lived in DC in college, but that doesn’t exactly feel like it counts. I only went to the ocean once or twice, with work, and I had to keep my eye on a whole bunch of little kids to make sure nobody went so far out into the waves that they couldn’t get back. If I just think about places that I’ve lived long enough to have bills come to my house and get called up for jury duty, this is the closest I’ve lived to the ocean by far. And, this is the first time I’ve lived around people who fish for a living.

     Now, I am the granddaughter of an angler. My maternal grandfather loved to go fishing and take his grandkids with him. “Grandkid holding a fish” is one of the most common genres in our family pictures. He especially liked to fish for trout near the Qualla Boundary, the home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, in North Carolina. If we couldn’t make it to the mountains, we’d fish in the pond on my great-grandfather's land. He kept it stocked with fish. Once, over two days, I caught 14 bluegill. I was very proud of myself. We let each one of those little fish go. Who knows if I caught any of them more than once.  It was from this same pond that I caught my largest ever fish, an eight-pound catfish. Nobody wanted to fry it up so great-granddaddy fed it to his cats. They were thrilled.

     I tell you this because, while people I grew up with may have supplemented their diet with fish they caught and may have found fishing to be relaxing and fun, no one I knew relied on it to make a living. Tourism was the only industry that really relied on fishing, and, again, it was sport fishing. Not the kind of fishing that gets large amounts of seafood to stores for the broader community to purchase. There are not entire industries keeping working boats afloat, nets and traps functioning, and processing catches for consumption. It’s a whole new world for me when I spend time on a working waterfront. I certainly don’t know what it is like to make your living in a job that is so dependent on a mix of good weather, the right tools, and deep knowledge of where fish usually are along with the discipline to get out to the fish at the right time to catch them and just plain luck.

     Even though the technology has changed a bit in 2000 years, the risks of this work and the forces that shape it would have been familiar to Jesus’ disciples. Because when he realized that he needed co-workers, he left the wilderness where he had been and headed to the water. Maybe the people who fished for a living, in uncertain conditions often out of their control, had a skillset that matched up neatly with the unpredictable, demanding work of the Gospel.

     Now, to be fair, the Sea of Galilee wasn’t an ocean. Richard Horsley reminds us in his notes on Mark that it was, and is, a large and deep inland lake, large enough that many people fished in it for people beyond their own direct families. It is from their ranks that Jesus called his first disciples. We’ve kind of jumped all over the Gospels to hear call stories the past few weeks, so it is probably worth it to be reminded what is going on in Mark just before today’s reading. Like all things in Mark, chapter one is intense and fast-paced. Karoline Lewis reminds us in her commentary, we’ll hear the word “immediately” a lot in this book.
Mark has no stories of Jesus birth and begins with John the Baptist calling people to repent. Jesus follows John into ministry, asking to be baptized himself. Jesus feels great affirmation from God at this baptism. And, yet, the Spirit will drive him into the wilderness for forty days. In this temptation filled wild place, he will discern what it means to be the Messiah. In that time, he also seems to realize that he needs coworkers. That is where we begin today.
​
     Dr. Vargas points out that John has been arrested. That’s a bit of foreshadowing. Things will not go well for John. And, Vargas invites us to consider if we might wonder, if Jesus is building on the work of John, might he too face similarly powerful opposition? If it does, it won’t be fore a while. Because the first people he meets respond to him remarkably positively. He says to Simon and Andrew, “follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And, immediately (there’s that word), they leave their nets behind and follow him. He walks a little farther and sees two more people, James and John, who are also fishermen. He called them to follow, and immediately they left their dad and everybody and followed.

     Horsley’s notes on Mark point out that Nazareth was in Galilee, about 16 miles from the Sea of Galilee. This may explain some of the reason why these two sets of brothers were so eager to follow him. Maybe they didn’t know him in particular, but he was from the area and, therefore, they were more likely to trust him. I read somewhere that I can’t remember and couldn’t find to cite in this sermon that some scholars even argue that that it is possible that Jesus and these brothers even grew up together, or at least knew Jesus by reputation. I’m not sure I buy that. The author of Mark seems to want us to believe this calling is out of the blue. Jesus being unfamiliar to them makes the fact that they followed all the more miraculous.

     I have read some folks who wondered if these brothers had ever listened to John preach. When they heard Jesus building on John’s message, saying “repent!” but also adding “believe in the good news!” Perhaps when Jesus showed up, they had been primed by John to receive him. It was like Jesus said, “All that stuff John was talking about... that's happening now. Come and be a part of it," they could have already been ready to go. I find this theory interesting. It certainly helps me understand more easily how they can shift so quickly from what Cynthia Briggs Kittredge calls from one kind of “drawing, catching, and harvesting” to another.

     But, maybe we don’t actually need a full explanation about why they chose to follow. Karoline Lewis argues that the nature of epiphanies is that “they just happen.” She offers this line that I think is worth pondering: “There you are — and what will you do?” Kittredge notes that the fishermen will “offer a different kind of provision” in this new calling. Sometimes they will actually feed people, even with fish. But, most of the time, they will offer a different kind of nourishment. I can’t help but think that the patience, flexibility, and discipline from their work as fishermen will help carry them into their next catch. I hope that each of us will find ways to use the skills we’ve cultivated in service of Christ in the world. The disciples have gone fishin’. When Jesus invites us to come with, I hope that we, too, will have the courage to follow. 

Resources consulted while writing this sermon:
Richard A. Horsley’s notes on Mark in The New Oxford Annotated Bible: The New Revised Standard Version with Apocryphya, ed. Michael Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001)
Alicia Vargas: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/third-sunday-after-epiphany-2/commentary-on-mark-114-20-6
Cynthia Briggs Kittredge: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/third-sunday-after-epiphany-2/commentary-on-mark-114-20-4
Karoline Lewis: https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=3500
​

John 1:43-51: Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ 

Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’

​Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ 

Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ 

Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

     “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” These are the first words we hear Nathanael say in this scripture and they are a little judgey. Can you imagine if anyone ran into you and said to your face, “Can anything good come out of Winthrop?”... “Can anything good come out of Monmouth?”... “Can anything good come out of Readfield?” I imagine that if someone said that to you about your hometown, you might take offence. Thankfully, Phillip is from Bethsaida and does not appear too phased by the exclamation. Maybe he himself had said something similar. After all, Nazareth was a small town, a village really, according to Obery Hendrick’s notes on the scripture. There’s no way that the one that Moses and the prophets were writing about came from there.

     To be fair, not everyone is as quick a study as Phillip... or Andrew... or Simon for that matter. Jesus didn’t work alone, and early in his mission began to invite people, strangers it seems, to join him. In the verses just before today’s reading, Jesus’ baptism had been observed by Andrew and a friend, who, when he saw them following him and asked what they were looking for, they recognized he was the teacher they had been seeking. Andrew found his brother Simon and introduced him to Jesus, saying “We have found the Messiah.” When Jesus decided to go to Galilee, these men were ready to go with him. It hardly took any convincing. Just a simply “Follow me.” And, they did. Nathanael, though, needed a little more convincing. You see, even though we don't know much about Nathanael, we know one important thing. It seems like Nathanael was pretty sure he knew where and how God would show up.

     It is useful to remember a few things about the people and places in this story. For one, Audrey West points out in her commentary that Nathanael isn’t usually listed among the 12 disciples, despite being called early in Jesus’ ministry. He is only in one other story in John, a story which occurs after the resurrection. Jesus appears to him and several other disciples in their hometown of Cana. We also have a sense that Nathanael carried hope that God would provide the promised Messiah who could restore their nation's fortunes (Remember, Israel had been conquered by Rome at this point and Rome was often cruel to the territories they conquered).

     It’s also clear that Nathanael expected a royal Messiah, which, to be fair, is kind of how the messiah is portrayed in prophecy. He was not wrong to assume that’s how he’d encounter the anointed one: as a king to stand up to Caesar. West puts it this way: “Surely, they thought, he would appear in or near the great city of Jerusalem, site of political and economic power, religious authority, and God’s own dwelling place in the Temple.” It is hard to blame Nathanael for initially doubting that the Messiah could come from a dinky village like Nazareth. Why on earth would God work through someone from a community that everyone else thought was insignificant?

     It is interesting to see how much Nathanael trusts Philip despite his initial misgivings.  Phillip hears his initial hesitation, and sticks with him. “Come and see,” he says. To his credit, Nathanael goes and looks. Despite some misgivings, he is willing to go and see Jesus himself. Jesus says something unexpected when he sees Nathanael. He says of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Audrey West notes that this is a reference to Jacob from the book of Genesis. Jacob was actually known for being a trickster before he wrestled with God and took the name Israel. Perhaps Jesus knew that Nathanael could gain what he needed without trickery. This sparks another question from Nathanael, “Where did you get to know me?” Because how could Jesus know his character without ever having spoken a word to him before?
Jesus answers him with something that must be a story best understood by insiders, because I have no idea why this response would move Nathanael so. He says to him “I saw you under the fig tree before Phillip called you.” In her commentary on this text Jan Schnell Rippentrop points out that scripture does not tell us why this statement from Jesus so moved Nathanael. We have no idea what was going on under the fig tree. Is this a metaphor for something that was going on in Nathanael’s life that only Nathanael would recognize? Did Jesus literally see him under a tree when Nathanael had assumed no one had? I have yet to see a good explanation of why seeing him under the fig tree might matter to Nathanael, but it definitely does. This one pronouncement changes his whole outlook on who Jesus is and how God might be working through him.

     Nathanael will cry out in amazement and call Jesus three very important and good things: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Rippentrop helpfully unravels the meaning of each of these terms in her commentary on this text.

• Rabbi: this is a term used for religious teachers, she calls it “an honorific term appropriate to Jesus since he taught, debated, and gathered disciples”
• Son of God: This is a special term for someone with a close relationship with God. In Jewish scripture, the term “Son of God” usually refers to someone who is “commissioned with a divine task”
• King of Israel: Given that we’ve been talking about how Jesus came from a humble family, this title might be surprising. We would do well to remember that the Messiah was thought to be a political role. Rippentrop notes that in John, “king of Israel” is a positive term, though it’s not in all books of the Bible. She also is clear that this is a political term. It implies that someone has the power to rule over someone else.

     With these words, Nathanael changes from the one who was, at first, cautious, to one who is all in, and ready to go. Even though we won’t see him again until after the resurrection, he must have been there, if not in the closest 12, then in the bigger group of disciples who followed Jesus. His commitment to Jesus continued to be strong enough to merit, here in John at least, a post-resurrection visit where Nathanael certainly saw the “greater things than these” that Jesus promised him.

     We are in the season of Epiphany, a season where we attend to the ways that Christ may appear in our lives with surprising clarity. May we be grateful for the fact that, as West says in her commentary, “God is not obliged to be confined by Nathanael’s (or our) limiting expectations.” May we be reminded that Jesus was not disappointed by Nathanael’s questions, and he wouldn’t be disappointed in ours. Questions aren’t the opposite of faith. They are a vital part of it. May you ask good questions this week. And, may you see Christ more clearly through them.
​
Resources consulted while writing this sermon:
John Obery M. Hendricks Junior's notes on John in The New Oxford Annotated Bible: The New Revised Standard Version with Apocryphya, ed. Michael Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001)
Aubrey West: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/second-sunday-after-epiphany-2/commentary-on-john-143-51-6
Jan Schnell Rippentrop:  http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3529
​

     ​It is good to be reminded, from the start, that the Magi were not of the same religious tradition as Jesus. In her commentary on this texts, Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder notes that these wise people were from Persia and were scholars, astrologers, and practitioners of Zoroastrianism. They were learned in the ways of the stars, watching for signs and portents. They saw something inspiring enough to draw them to Judea. Divine inspiration has made it clear to them that a new leader had been born. And, as J. Andrew Overman shares in his notes on this portion of Matthew 2, it was appropriate for neighboring royal courts to send emissaries to greet new rulers. They would often bring them gifts. Of course, they knew something holy was happening from the very start. They’d been watching for it and waiting. Of course, they’d set out towards Judea to greet the child who would one day lead.

     It is also good to be reminded, from the start, that this child is no longer an infant. Dr. Crowder clarifies for us in her commentary that it has probably been about two years since the child was born. Dr. Crowder says we know this because we know when Herod reigned. And, because the tyrant would order the death of all children under two who lived in and around Bethlehem, it seems that the time frame of the child’s birth was somewhat in question. Sometimes it takes a while to make it to the destination when God is guiding you. It is good that, from the start, we know this might not be a fast trip. But, regardless of how long it takes to make the case that you need to go, to gather what you need to get there, and to actually make the trek, it is clear that going is the right call.

     It is good, from the start, to be reminded that not all people in power are trustworthy. Some, like Herod, have a great deal of power and maintain it through cruelty and brutality. Aubrey West describes his reign as “a terrifying era fueled by chaos and trauma for the Jewish people.” He would do just about anything, harm just about anyone, including his own wife and sons, to shore up his power. His rule would always be precarious because his power was always based on what Rome was willing to give him. Rome would always protect their interests over Judea’s. Herod would only be around as long as he was useful. It is wise not to put your faith in a leader who only comes to power because someone more powerful wants them there. Thank God for the Magis dream that led them home by another route so they wouldn’t betray the toddler and family. If only the other families in and around Bethlehem had had similar warnings and had been able to protect their children.

     I know that it has come somewhat in fashion to question the practicality of the Magis gifts. I am certain that I have a decorative Christmas towel that records what the “Wise Women” would have brought, which is largely practical things like diapers and bottles and maybe they’d watch the baby for a bit while his mother slept. The poet Jan Richardson has a beautiful poem about the Wise Women who could have accompanied Mary through labor. A portion of it reads:

Wise women also came,
at least three of them,
holding Mary in the labor,
crying out with her
in the birth pangs,
breathing ancient blessings
into her ear.

Now, both of these are largely examples of theological imagination, reading what we know to be likely true based on what we know about traditions around births and also a reclamation of women’s leadership and wisdom, in both serious and tongue-in-cheek ways.

     It must be said though that there’s nothing in the reading that indicates that women weren’t among the Magi. Magoi, in Greek, doesn’t indicate only men, as Dr. Wil Gafney and Dr. Crowder note in their commentaries, just the presence of at least one man. Dr. Crowder notes that similar caravans traveling from Persia for similar reasons often had women in the party. And, in regard to the gifts, we must remember that the baby is a toddler. He and his parents have likely already received anything like a baby shower that the family, poor as they were, would have thrown. These gifts are for something other than the practical. Like the star, they tell us something special about this child. God, frankincense, and myrrh were, as Dr. Overman reminds us, gifts for a king. At this point in the story, this child is barely walking. But, from the start, those who are wise know that he will lead.

     Our second reading for today is a different start... the start of Jesus’ ministry. We have another jump in time, with the toddler now a grown man, seeking out his prophet cousin in the wilderness. Jesus will begin his ministry not in some grand display of power, but in placing himself in the vulnerable position of one who is to be baptized. Dr. Crowder argues that Jesus is doing what good leaders do, allowing the people whom they serve to also “equip and nurture” the leader. At the start of this encounter, John does not believe has the right to baptize Jesus, the one with the more powerful calling of the two of them. But, Jesus is clear that baptism is a surrender that is necessary to his calling. John is called to baptize. Jesus is called to be baptized in order as a preparation for all that is to come.

     As Dr. Crowder points out, though Jesus played host to emissaries and dignitaries as a toddler, his ministry will primarily be among those who are poor like him, as well as though who are of even lower status. Those who reside in the wilderness are often people cast aside from the main community or, as those who found John in the wilderness were, people seeking some deeper connection with the divine. What better place to start than among those who need him the most.... right there in the water, in recognition of the calling of his cousin, humble before God. What will come next will not be easy. But it is what will bring him to us, oh these centuries later. May the first weeks of the year in the Gregorian calendar bring you closer to God who is with us. I pray for the stars to guide you and the water of your baptisms to remind you of Emanuel. May you, too, have a good start, and may it carry you into the future Christ is building with our help right now.

Resources consulted while writing this sermon:

Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder:
-https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-9
-https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/baptism-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-313-17-5

J. Andrew Overman's notes on Matthew in The New Oxford Annotated Bible: The New Revised Standard Version with Apocryphya, ed. Michael Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001)
Wil Gafney, "Feast of the Epiphany," Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year B (New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2023)

Audrey West: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-13
​
Wise women also came.
The fire burned
in their wombs
long before they saw
the flaming star
in the sky.
They walked in shadows,
trusting the path
would open
under the light of the moon.
Wise women also came,
seeking no directions,
no permission
from any king.
They came
by their own authority,
their own desire,
their own longing.
They came in quiet,
spreading no rumors,
sparking no fears
to lead
to innocents’ slaughter,
to their sister Rachel’s
inconsolable lamentations.
Wise women also came,
and they brought
useful gifts:
water for labor’s washing,
fire for warm illumination,
a blanket for swaddling.
Wise women also came,
at least three of them,
holding Mary in the labor,
crying out with her
in the birth pangs,
breathing ancient blessings
into her ear.
Wise women also came,
and they went,
as wise women always do,
home a different way.
-- by Jan Richardson

​Luke 2:22-40 Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation,    which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles   and for glory to your people Israel.’

And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
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The Return to Nazareth
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

     Happy sixth day of Christmas! I hope that you have received your six geese-a-laying and I hope your geese are not the mean agents of chaos that geese can be. It is a shame that commercialization has made people so stressed out about the several weeks before Christmas. When everything and everywhere is pushing you to buy more and more things, it is tempting to feel relieved with Christmas Day is over. Just throw away all the wrapping paper and toss the tree into the goat pen across the street. Be done with it all. I would like to invite you to not be done with Christmas yet. All the shopping madness has very little to do with Christ’s birth anyway. We are finally in the Christmas season now. How about we take the next two Sundays to sit with the story just a little longer.

     A professor named Shively Smith encourages readers to pay attention to the ways Jesus' own family is described at the time of his birth and in the days that follow. Today’s scripture happens eight days after Jesus’ birth. Notice how Jesus’ parents are shown to be pious Jews. We’ve already seen that Mary is responsive to the movement of God in her life. Once she said yes to being Jesus’ mother, she makes clear that she understands her family to be fulfilling the prophecies of her people. She knows that God stands with the lowly and will use her family to lift up the downtrodden. After Jesus is born, his family remains devout. As a symbol of their commitment to God, Mary and Joseph fulfill the ritual obligations of their people. They have their son circumcised and named according to what God said to name him. They also presented him at the temple and offered a sacrifice in thanksgiving. According to Smith, the author of Luke is telling all of us this so that we can remember that Jesus is deeply situated in his religious tradition. He is a child of devout parents who will grow into a devout man.

     Dr. Smith also thinks we need to pay attention to what kind of sacrifice Jesus' family makes at the temple. You may remember from other Bible readings that people often brought animals for sacrifice, especially during important holidays and life events. While everyone is expected to make a sacrifice, Jesus' people believed that God understood that not all people have the same resources. If you were someone of limited means, you were not required to bring the same sacrifices as someone who was quite wealthy. In fact, there are lists of appropriate sacrifices for poorer people to make in Leviticus 5, 12, and 14. If you were to look at these lists, you would see Mary and Joseph's offering, two turtledoves. This is an offering set aside for those with the lowest income.

     Why would it be so important to emphasize to the reader that Jesus was both rooted in his religious faith, and, also from simple means? I mean, these details only take up a tiny portion of this passage of Scripture. The more important parts of the story come later, when Anna and Simeon offer prophecies about the child's future. Simeon's prophecy is both lovely and important for setting our expectations for the rest of Jesus' life and his death. We’re going to sing a setting of it later in worship. While we don’t have Anna’s full prophecy, we know that she, too, praised God for the child and spoke about him, preaching that he would have a part to play in the redemption of Jerusalem. Why even notice those two little birds that we’re told about early in the reading?

     For Smith, this small detail helps us put something very important in perspective. In the book of Luke, Jesus will spend much of his time advocating for the poor. In just a few chapters, an adult Jesus will spell out his own mission statement, reading aloud the words of the prophet Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor." A few chapters after that, in the Sermon on the Plain, he will assert, like his own mother once did, that God takes special note of, and care for, the hungry, the poor and the excluded. He will go on to assert that part of serving God is tending to the poor, and that God's kin-dom will welcome most quickly those who need the most help.

     Smith argues that Jesus speaks so passionately about serving the poor not because poverty is merely a cause for him to champion. Smith said, "When Jesus is talking about the poor, he is talking about himself." We would do well, then, to remember that when God chose to raise up a savior, God did so from among the ranks of the impoverished. Jesus' own experience on the economic margins of his community gave him a helpful perspective on the work of building a kin-dom of love and justice with God.

     Now, imagine the difference paying attention to these two little birds makes in this story. A prophet named Simeon sees a poor family with a very young child. Against all odds, Simeon sees greatness in this child. He sees God in this child. He is so inspired that he sings about it. He sees this little boy and knows that he has seen salvation. Simeon is certain that this child, deeply rooted in his family’s faith but also at the economic margins of his own community, will be able to draw people in towards God.

     And, it is clear to Simeon that it won't just be for his own religious community. It will be for the whole world. Simeon calls Jesus a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to the people of Israel. This is a broader call of Messiahship than most of their community imagine. In fact, not everyone is going to be excited about the ways that Jesus engages with people outside of his community. Nevertheless, even from the earliest days of his life, this appears to be what he will be called to do. Simeon offers this family a blessing, but also a warning. Jesus will be opposed. But, just because he's opposed doesn't mean he's not right. Just know, he says to the boy's parents, that your son's calling will not always be welcome.

     A second prophet comes up to this small family, Anna. She, too, praised God for this child. She will go and speak about the child to anyone who was concerned about the redemption of Israel. I wish I knew what she said. Did she tell them that the family was devout, but poor? Did she tell them that she could see a sparkle in the child's eye and determination in his mother's jaw? Did she warn them they all would be surprised to see from where God would draw up a teacher?

     People had expectations about this Messiah and this child fell short of many of them. He wasn’t a king or a military leader. And yes, these two prophets could see God in him.  Even though we don’t have Anna’s exact words recorded for us like we do Simeon’s, I imagine that when she spoke of the child she said, “God is with us, especially with those of us who need God’s presence the most.” How are you speaking about this child these days? That’s the question I am left with. How am I speaking of Jesus, born into a poor family, raised to deeply love the poor, and certain that God will care for those in the greatest need? May how I speak of Jesus help me follow him more closely, from these last days of Christmas and beyond.
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Resources consulted while writing this sermon:
Shively Smith: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3526
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