Winthrop Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
No matter who you are. No matter where you are on life's journey. You are welcome here.
Mark 9-2-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Dazzling: Mark 9:2-9
“Confusion is but the first stop on the journey to knowledge.” That sure sounds like a thing a famous philosopher would say. I heard it from a fuzzy, blue mutant called Beast in a superhero movie called The Marvels. If you don’t want to hear a few spoilers from the movie, I suggest you plug your ears for a moment (or skip the next two paragraphs). He said that line about confusion and knowledge to a superhero named Monica Rambeau who has end up trapped in a parallel timeline to her own, one where her beloved mother Maria, who had died of cancer in her own time, was still alive. And, it appears, one in which Monica had not been born. Also, her mom is now a superhero herself, hanging out with the professor/mutant hero Beast. When Monica wakes up in the wrong dimension and sees her mother alive, she is clearly confused. And, Maria is confused about why this woman who is about her same age is calling her mom. In walks Beast, brilliant and hairy, who notes that confusion can be useful if you are willing to pay attention to what is confusing you and put in the work to figure it out. This scene, which follows the official end of the movie, serves as a teaser for movies that have not yet been filmed. It’s leading us to believe that we will eventually understand where Monica is and learn how she will get home. This post credit scene is made to assure us: things might be confusing now, but an answer will come. (If you wanted to skip the spoiler, you can start reading here.) It was interesting to watch a superhero movie about making big sacrifices and making amends, living into your calling and finding your co-workers while I was working on a sermon about the Transfiguration. Both feature three glowing figures (did I say that there’s lots of glowing in the movie... the three main superheroes all glow when they use their powers). Both feature meditations on vocation and what it means to work alongside someone. And, both feature lots of confusion, confusion that we hope might be cultivated into knowledge. Our scripture for the day begins not in a futuristic hospital room but on a mountain. The scholar Rolf Jacobsen, on an episode of the Sermon Brainwave podcast that is about this scripture, reminds us that we’ll have mountains at the beginning and end of Lent. And, today, on the cusp the season of Lent, at the end of Epiphany, we find ourselves on the first mountain. Peter, James, and John have found themselves in great confusion. You see, they see Jesus, fully glowing like an ancient Messiah-shaped light bulb, standing alongside two heroes of the faith, Moses and Elijah. To be clear, neither of these things are everyday occurrences in Peter, James, and John’s lives. So, confusion and astonishment are appropriate responses, as far as I’m concerned. Important things happen on Mountains. Dr. Bonnie Bowman Thurston talks about that in her commentary on Mark. God tells Moses about the covenant on a mountain in Exodus. God gives Elijah a divine mission on a mountain in 1st Kings. These aren’t the only examples. I’ll leave you to look the rest up on your own. And yet, even if we just read these two, we can see that people often receive clarity on a mountain... clarity of mission, clarity regarding relationships... clarity around God’s power. Isn’t it interest that, though Peter, James, and John have likely heard that divine knowledge is often found on a mountain top, they are still surprised and astonished by what they are seeing on their own mountaintop with Jesus. There's a point earlier in the movie The Marvels where a superhero named Carol asks Monica how she got her superpowers. Monica responds with what sounds more like an odd collection of words than a coherent answer. She says she “walked through a witch’s hex” and now can see waves of energy and particles of light and somehow this allows her to also walk through walls. I think it’s interesting that the movie just gives you this short explanation and goes right on with the story, inviting the audience not to worry too much about a wild backstory they might not know. I think the writers of this film understand that there are hours of tv shows and years’ worth of comic stories that give the details of Monica Rambeau’s power, and that they know not every audience member will have all that knowledge. Rather than leave out those who don’t know the backstory or dedicate hours in this film to retelling other stories, the writers explain her powers in a weird, short burst. They have Monica say just enough so you know some weird stuff happened to her and now she can save people more effectively. They want you to remember great power exists right alongside some weird stuff. I’m going to follow the recommendation of the scholar Melinda Quivik and invite you to read this story from Mark in a similar spirit. Please do not to think the only way you can appreciate the Transfiguration is if you have a detailed schematic of how Jesus could glow and an affidavit offering a rational explanation for the presence of dead prophets. We shouldn’t approach the Bible the way we approach math. This is a story. In storytelling, the fantastical is utterly unquantifiable and still yet shows us something true. Bonnie Bowman Thurston offers up similar advice. Read the Transfiguration as a wild, unquantifiable, story with one purpose- to help the audience to know this as true: like Moses and Elijah, God gave Jesus a calling. And the disciples should listen to him like the Hebrews were supposed to listen to the prophets. It's no wonder that Peter wanted to build a structure to commemorate the wild event he observed up on that mountain. It’s like Peter thinks there should be a signpost that says, “On this day, Jesus blew all our minds.” But, this isn’t supposed to be a story about a monument. This is a story about a mission. Thank God that God gave the disciples some clarity while they were lost in that cloud: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” They will still get confused in the listening, but at least they know their next step. Listen. And after that, follow. Here’s a thing that continues to confuse me: Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone what they saw. I mentioned last week that we’re going to see a pattern in Mark of Jesus asking for a certain level of secrecy from those who see him in miraculous moments. One explanation I have found that I think is more convincing comes from one of Rev. Dr. Fred Craddock’s sermons called “Tell No One Before Easter.” In that sermon, Dr. Craddock asks the question: what if Jesus asked them to wait because there was no way they understood the miraculous thing they just saw mere moments after they saw it. Dr. Craddock thinks Jesus was saying “Take some time to tell this story right. It's ok to not understand everything immediately. Stick around and keep learning.” You know, confusion is the but the first step on the journey to knowledge, and all that. The pastor and poet Maren Tirabassi talks about it this way: The Transfiguration is but one of the small epiphanies, hills on the way to the mountain, from which the disciples will gather yet one more insight into of the mystery of Jesus. We should also remember: the valleys will bring their own clarity. In the same way that the confusion of Beast, Maria, and Monica foreshadows the next movie in their series, today’s confusion on the mountain foreshadows a different mountain, one will come later, this time with the women disciples watching from a distance. The second set of disciples will also learn something about Jesus on a mountain, the mountain of Calvary. Rolf Jacobsen reminds us that bystanders will think they hear Jesus call for Elijah when he is crying out in anguish to God. At the second mountain, no voice from God will cut through the cloud of the disciples’ grief. They won’t get clarity on the mountain this time. Clarity will come in the valley, at the tomb. And, at least in Mark’s version of the story, they appear unclear what to do with it. I’ll offer another spoiler for the movie: The moment before Monica Rambeau saves Earth by pulling together a hole that has been ripped between her dimension and the dimension next door, thereby trapping herself in the wrong dimension, she speaks to a weeping Carol, who we have come to know is her aunt. She says, “I always knew I would have to stay.” This fantastical superhero knew what was true: sacrifice and salvation are often tightly bound. In today’s story, Peter, James, and John do not yet know of the sacrifice to come. They simply know that they are called to listen. Perhaps that is how we also begin. We listen. May what we hear be dazzling. Resources consulted while writing this sermon: Melinda Quivick: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/transfiguration-of-our-lord-2/commentary-on-mark-92-9-5 Sermon Brainwave Podcast: https://www.workingpreacher.org/podcasts/768-transfiguration-of-our-lord-b-feb-14-2021 Bonnie Bowman Thurston, Preaching Mark, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002). Maren Tirabassi: https://giftsinopenhands.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/strongholy-communion-liturgy-for-february-7-2021/ Fred Craddock, "Tell No One Before Easter: Mark 9:2-9," The Collected Sermons of Fred B. Craddock (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011)
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Mark 1:29-39 Jesus Heals Many at Simon’s House As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. A Preaching Tour in Galilee In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. . Does anyone here know who Elmo the monster is? Yes, he is a small, fuzzy monster on Sesame Street. He is 3 and half years old. Did you know that Elmo has social media accounts? He does! One of the grown-ups who takes care of him must help him manage it. If you’ve ever watched Sesame Street, you know that Elmo tries to be a good friend. This week, on January 29th, Elmo and whomever help run his account on the site that used to be called Twitter, decided to ask a question that a friend might ask. He made a post that said, “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” Well, lots of people responded. Probably more than Elmo and his grown-ups imagined. And lots of people are having a hard time.
Someone who goes by the name Marsroseo replied: “Elmo we are tired.” The account for the video game called Among Us replied with one word: “suffering.” The actor Rainn Wilson said: “I’m kind of a crossroads and frankly could use a little support.” People replied talking about arguments in their family, problems at work, and about football games where their favorite teams lost. While not everyone said they were having a bad time, and some of the people were obviously making jokes, it was clear that many people needed someone to talk to, even if the someone was a muppet on a TV show they watched when they were little kids. Whoever helps with Elmo’s social media didn’t try to answer everyone, which is good. There were tens of thousands of replies. But, the next day, Elmo posted: “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you. Heart emoji #emotionalwellbeing.” Also, because monsters who are only three and half years old shouldn’t have to try to take care of other people on their own, the adults who run the main Sesame Street account shared Elmo’s post about being glad he asked, and added, “Thank you, Elmo, for checking in with a reminder for us to pause and take a mindful moment to focus on how we’re feeling.” They also shared resources to help adults and kids take care of their mental health. It was a good example of people knowing that they have resources to share to help someone and then making the choice to help. The Bible stories we’re reading together right now come from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. We’ve seen him prepare for his ministry by asking to be baptized. We’ve seen him make it through the harrowing time of temptation in the wilderness and call his first co-workers. And, then, last week, we heard about the first time he did two of the things that will be the hallmarks of his ministry: teaching and healing. He would continue those two activities in today’s reading. The first thing he does is help someone when he finds out that she is not doing ok. The first part of the scripture is a story that is in Matthew and Luke, as well as Mark, but is told slightly differently in each Gospel. The people who compiled stories about Jesus into the books of the Gospel each tell a story shaped by what they think is important for the listener to learn about Jesus. Dr. Wil Gafney notes that while Matthew has Jesus seeing the Peter’s mother-in-law sick and choosing to help her and Luke has the disciples ask about what might be wrong with her and Jesus healing her with only his words, in Mark, the disciples tell Jesus about her fever as soon as he got in the house. I guess when they saw how he healed in the person with the demon in the previous story, they thought he could help Simon Peter’s mom. Jesus seemed to know that he could help her. So, he uses his holy resources and makes the choice to help her. He takes her by the hand and lifts her up. In the time it takes to move from lying down to standing up, her fever disappears. The last part of her story is interesting. In Greek, it says, “καὶ διηκόνει αὐτοῖς.” You might know an English word that came from one of those Greek words. Has anyone ever heard the word “deacon” before? Excellent. Has anyone who is here today ever been a deacon before? What are some things that deacons do? (help set up worship, check in on people when they need help, serve communion) The word deacon comes from the Greek word διακονέω, which can mean both “to serve” and “to minister.” The scripture you heard read today says that she got up and began to serve them. This could mean serves them dinner or offers them hospitality in her home. Dr. Gafney has a translation of this passage that reads: “she ministered to them.” This could lots of things: She helped prepare them for the next part of her journey, she preached to them about her experience of healing, or even offered them a blessing as they had blessed her. Whether she fed them dinner or fed their spirits, I like to think that, like Jesus, she knew that now that she was well, she would have the resources to help these men, two of whom were family, prepare for the ministry that was ahead of them. If she had resources to share, she realized that this was the time to share them. It is good that she offered them some manner of care, because the very evening, Jesus and the disciples would begin their healing ministry in earnest. People of all manner of illness were brought to Jesus, so many that it seemed like the whole city was at the door. He healed many people. He also kept any demons floating around from telling people who he was. That’s an odd tidbit in this story, right? Dr. Osvaldo Vena thinks it was because Jesus was trying to avoid become popular through gossip or wild stories, with the assumption that the demon-possessed people would tell wild stories about him. He wanted people to believe in him because they saw him and experience healing through him. The last thing Jesus does in this story is to go to a deserted place to pray. Chandra Taylor Smith notes in her commentary that Jesus’ approach to healing and just love is to love himself enough to take time to replenish his own spirit. There will be multiple times that he does this in Mark. Dr. Smith said that it’s a model for us to have a devotional practice that sustains us in challenging work, too. He came to the realization that it was time to go to the next place to teach and heal there, too, “for that is what I came out to do.” He would leave the deserted place, and begin his ministry in earnest. Now, I don’t know if you’re feeling like you need to tell Elmo the monster that you’re stressed out or if you could use Jesus to lift you up so that you can serve the ones who have come to your home. What I do know that is that Jesus has clearly equipped us to take care of one another as an extension of the love he has for us. Be it through prayers in the wilderness, a meal served to strangers and family alike, or through a note of compassion over social media, may you feel renewed by Jesus’ spirit of love and justice in this time and this place. And, may you share that renewal with those who need it. This ministry is just starting. We’ll need all the sustenance we can find to continue it. Resources consulted while writing this sermon: Chandra Taylor Smith: "Fifth 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) Elmo asks a kind question: https://twitter.com/elmo/status/1751995117366296904?t=_VQmvVR1JUHJZeDWzHhMBg&s=19
Sesame Street's follow-up: https://x.com/sesamestreet/status/1752069858160758885?s=20 Osvaldo Vena: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fifth-sunday-after-epiphany-2/commentary-on-mark-129-39-5 Wil Gafney, "Advent III," A Women's Lectionary, Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year B (New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 2023) This page has the Greek version of the text: https://biblehub.com/text/mark/1-31.htm Mark 1: 21-28 The Man with an Unclean Spirit They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. 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). Mark 1: 14-20 The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ Jesus Calls the First Disciples As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. 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.
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 Matthew 2:1-12 The Visit of the Wise Men In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Matthew 3:13-17 The Baptism of Jesus Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ 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. 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. Resources consulted while writing this sermon: Shively Smith: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3526 Luke 1: 46b-55: Mary’s Song of PraiseAnd Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ Songs are all over the Bible. It can be easy to miss because they aren’t written with musical notation and occasionally aren’t even described as songs when you read them. But they are there. And, they are often there to mark a celebration. When the people were saved from Pharaoh’s army in Exodus, Moses and Miriam led their people in song. When Hannah wanted to celebrate her much hoped-for pregnancy, she prayed her thanksgiving in Song. When David wanted to welcome the ark of the covenant, the very resting place of God, into Jerusalem, he danced as the people sang. It should not surprise us that when God invited Mary to carry the Messiah, God’s incarnation, into the world, she would respond in song. Mary is a child of her people, after all. She learned that sometimes, when you come close to God, the best response is to sing.
This song, which is often called the Magnificat in Christian tradition, is not simply a lullaby for her baby, though, as I have said before, I relish the idea of her whispering the hopes and promises contained in this song into her son’s ear. This song is beautiful, but it is a song created on a grander scale than just one family’s joy. Mary sang a song of salvation for her entire nation. In fact, Jesus’ birth will matter for the whole world, and Mary knew that from the very beginning. There is a popular song where Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd ask “Mary did you know?” The answer is yes. It is always yes. Mary sings her song with the power of a prophet and the confidence of one who has survived the unthinkable. It is probably because she had. You may have read Rev. Nicolette Peñaranda’s artist statement about her piece “Embroidered Borders” in our Advent devotional for this week. She noted that that one of the worst public executions of the Roman empire took place very close to where Mary grew up, just two years before Jesus was born. There was a rebellion, a failed rebellion. When Herod the Great died, Judeans attempted to regain control of their land from Rome. It did not go well. They were decimated by the Romans legions stationed in what is now Syria. These same legions burned the city of Sepphoris, a city that was only about four miles from Nazareth. The legions brutalized the people of the region, enslaving, assaulting, and killing people. According to Rev. Niveen Sarras, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor and scholar who was raised in Bethlehem, the people from Sepphoris who survived lost everything but their lives. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Mary, all the people we know from Jesus’ early family, would have seen this massacre. When we hear Mary say these words, "God has shown strength with God's arm; God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts," I can’t help but wonder if Mary was remembering the legions of Rome. When we hear Mary say these words, "God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty," was she remembering the straggling survivors of Sepphoris? When Mary said, "God has helped God's servant Israel, in remembrance of God's mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham, and to his descendants forever," was she asserting her faith that, though Rome controlled the throne at the moment, Rome could not break God’s relationship with the people? She said, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior,” was it because she knew that another life was possible, not just for her family, but for the world? Dr. Sarras argues that Mary sang for the world to come, where God promises to save the people. I learned several years ago that in 1985, the apartheid government of Cape Town South Africa banned Christmas carols. They were called “too emotional,” and the authorities said that they were inciting too much unrest against the unjust government. They banned caroling in the townships where the people of mixed racial background lived and the ones where the indigenous Black people lived. If a church wanted to have a candlelight service for Christmas, like the one we will have later tonight, they had to get a special permit, the same kind of permit that they would have had to get to have a political rally. This reminds me of how in our own country, after Rev. John Sullivan Dwight translated “O Holy Night” from the original French in 1855, slavers were scandalized by the third verse. Imagine owning humans and then being asked to sing this verse, a verse that espoused a theology not far off from the Magnificat: Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His Gospel is Peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother And in His name, all oppression shall cease. It appears that the pro-apartheid authorities and slavers knew what Mary knew. Songs can shape our feelings and become foundational to our actions. If we sing songs of love and justice, we can be inspired to live out love and justice. Several years ago, I went to a retreat where we talked about what it means to cultivate a vibrant, engaged Christian faith. The presenter, the Rev. Aisha Brooks-Lytle called upon the story of Mary and the tradition of calling her Theotokos- Greek for “God-bearer.” She helped God to come into this world in a brand-new way and trusted that God would use this incarnation to redeem the lost and heal the broken. She said that, while Mary might have been a particular God-bearer, we, as ones who carry the Holy Spirit and our own divine spark of creation, are called to be God-bearers, too. Meister Eckhart, German theologian and mystic, put it this way, “We are all meant to be mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born.” If you are listening to Mary’s songs and the hymns inspired by it, you can hear the possibility of the Incarnation changing the world. You can feel the pulse of love justice within the beat of the song. You can know and believe in your soul that love and justice are real when you hear of this God who, inspired by love, came into the world in a body as fragile and beautiful as our own. In fact, this God will lift up the lowly by joining with the lowly, being born, breathing, growing, playing and singing among those who dwelled in the deadly shadow of Rome. If you listen to this song, and really hear it, you will know that humanity was not created to be trampled under tyrants’ feet, wallowing in hunger and pain. When we sing Mary’s words, as we did in our first hymn today, we just might begin to believe the love we hear in them, and we might begin to want to act with God to help make that love come alive. The author James Baldwin once said, “If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving.” Any notion of God that does not inspire in us love and generosity is a notion of God that is different from the God Mary’s introduces us, and her son, to in the Magnificat. And, any actions of destruction that claim to be divinely inspired but lack the love for the lowly described by Mary fail to live up to the idea of God that she has shown us. God is coming alive in this world, all the time, reaching from under the rubble of destroyed homes, walking through the muck of flooded streets, hanging out in warming shelters, and laying in hospital beds. Because we know God has lifted us up, we are called to help lift one another up, moved by the faith that Mary once sang about. And, we’ll sing her words, too, adding new verses, because the world that she was confident God began in her child has not completely come to fruition. There is still much for Christ to do through the world and through us. We are still hopefully waiting and working, filled to the brim with God’s love, sharing that love with the world. May we be inspired by Mary’s moral clarity and the beautiful vision of God that she shared with the world. God’s might is clearest in God’s love. And, God’s love is clearly in Jesus. May we live in and pass along the love that was first shared with us. Resources consulted while writing this sermon: Nicolette Peñaranda's artist statement about her piece called "Embroidered Borders, " in How Does A Weary World Rejoice? An Advent Devotional (A Sanctified Art LLC 2023) Niveen Sarras:
Story about lack of festivities in Bethlehem this year: https://www.npr.org/2023/12/16/1219245873/bethlehem-christmas-gaza-israel An article about the history "O Holy Night": https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2023/11/26/o-holy-night-history-slavery-246556 The story of Christmas carols being banned in South Africa: http://articles.latimes.com/1985-12-25/news/mn-21091_1_black-christmas Mark 1:1-8 The Proclamation of John the Baptist The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” ’, John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ Can someone remind me what the name of the church season that starts today? Advent! That’s right. So, I have another question (the manger is on the communion table). What is this? A manger! And what are these? (I hold up animals, Holy Family, minus Jesus, shepherds, Magi, and angel). Now, remember the scripture that we just heard? Did you hear anything about animals? Angels? Shepherds? Joseph? Mary? Even Baby Jesus? No. That’s right. You didn’t. Who did you hear about? John the Baptist! And, can you remember what job John the Baptist would have? He’s going tell people to repent and offer them a ritual of baptism as a sign of their repentance. He’s going wear itchy clothes and eat bugs and argue with bad kings. And, he’s going to say, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” He will be the one who tells other people that the Messiah is coming and will tell them that it is Jesus.
Just a few minutes ago, I said that the word Advent comes from a Latin phrase that means “until the coming.” The season that we are starting today, Advent, is all about doing what John did: prepare for Jesus to come into this world. We prepare our churches and ourselves in a couple different ways. What are some things that are different in the sanctuary from the last time you were here? (Wait for people to list the things they notice: paraments are a different color, Christmas tree with Chrismons, Advent wreath and candles, Advent banner, manger) When we change how things look in a space, it can remind us that something special is getting ready to happen. The purple paraments, the special ornaments and candles, and the manger scene are all signs that the season has changed, and we are now making preparations to welcome the one John was talking about into the world. While Matthew and Luke start off by telling us about Jesus’ birth and his parents, Mark starts off with John, an adult whose birth we learn of in Luke, doing the thing he is called to do: call people to repentance and prophecy of the one who is to come. If you come expecting to hear about Mary or Joseph or even Zechariah and Elizabeth and a baby, it might be a surprise to start off the season with grown up John and no sweet baby in sight. There’s a pastor and professor named Timothy L. Adkins-Jones who said it is “like a splash of cold water on the face.” Does anyone here remember their baptism or remembering seeing a baptism where the water surprises people? Babies notoriously don’t love getting wet heads out of nowhere. And, I certainly remember baptisms I’ve done in a cooler than expected Maranacook Lake. The cold water can wake you up... make you pay attention. And, John wants us to pay attention. In his commentary on this text, Dr. Adkins-Jones says that “Advent is a time of new beginnings for our contexts, for a reminder of the foundations of our faith, a recommitment to what defines us, and an opportunity for us to wake up and make pathways straight for Jesus to come into our communities anew.” I don’t plan on wearing scratchy shirts or eating locusts while I prepare the way for Jesus this Advent. I generally prefer cookies to bugs. But, there are some things I will do. I’ll be lighting an Advent wreath here and at home. I’ll be reading the “How Does a Weary World Rejoice” devotional. Tasha and I have been looking out for ways to help people who need financial assistance because we know that Jesus called for those who have a lot to share with those who don’t have enough. I’ll probably also be writing legislators about ceasefires and gun control, because I know that the coming Christ calls for peace and justice. There are often many pressures in what is called the Christmas season- the pressure to buy the perfect gift, to buy any gifts if you don’t have money, the pressure to craft a picture-perfect family, the pressure to feel cheery even if you are missing someone who is no longer here. I hope that Advent can give you some space for feeling other things than the cheer that a big box store requires while you are out shopping. If you need some cheer, I hope you take it. It’s been and continues to be a hard season. But, if you need some space for more complicated feelings or for stillness or for deeper meaning, Advent is here for that. Dr. Adkins-Jones says that we can take this time for “return, repentance, and rededication.” What are the traditions and communities that we can return to in order to help us to make a path clear for Jesus into our hearts and our world? What are the behaviors that we need to give over to God that separate us from God and each other? What are the practices of love and justice that we can commit to, once again or maybe for the first time, because they give us strength for journeying alongside Christ in the world? Today, we talked some about what has been giving us hope lately. Maybe that’s one way Advent can be of use for you as you prepare for Christ once again. What would it mean for you to intentionally name places of hope for you not just here in worship, but each day this week? I don’t want this to feel like homework in an already busy time. But, I do think 5 minutes of thinking about hope while you brush your teeth or feed the cats might be helpful right now. Maybe you decide that you don’t have the brain space to add one more thing to your plate. That’s ok. We don’t make the baby come by working ourselves into the ground. Jesus will come whether we do much of anything at all really. But the arrival will be sweeter if we have prepared for it. May you find your way through this wilderness, led by John and all who call us to turn towards the God we seek. And, may this Advent help return a little bit of hope your way. Resources consulted while writing this sermon: Carolyn Brown: https://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2014/10/planning-for-advent-and-christmas-year.html Timothy Adkins-Jones: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/second-sunday-of-advent-2/commentary-on-mark-11-8-6 Psalm 95 KJV 95 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I swear in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken. Welcome to worship today, those who are here and those who are joining us online. Thank you for this opportunity to share this time with you. My name is Marge Kilkelly, over the years I have worn lots of hats, now I am mostly a farmer and a foodie. My husband and I raise cashmere goats. I am also a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine Council of Churches and attend Christ Church Episcopal in Gardiner. I am so pleased to be joined by fellow Board Member Diane Dicranian- thank you Diane for sharing the work of the Maine Council. And thank you to all of the people of this congregation who have been so helpful and supportive today.
A friend of mine who was a supply priest in the parish I attended, always started the service by saying: Today we are governed by Rule 42. What is rule 42? Whatever happens is exactly how we planned it. Rule 42 lets us all just take a deep breath and enjoy our time together. Over the past few weeks we have all been impacted by the tragedies that have surrounded us ...local, national, and international... it hurts to walk through that pain, it causes us to question everything and can have us feeling deflated, overwhelmed, and helpless. Worshipping is our way to hold up each other, to walk together and to find the light and love of God in even the most difficult situations. This is the last Sunday of the Liturgical year, next Sunday we celebrate Advent and the New Church Year. It is also, in old English tradition, the end and beginning of the agrarian/agricultural calendar. So today as we celebrate the Reign of Jesus, a door closes on the past year and we prepare for the next. The beginning of the agrarian calendar for the old English farmers- provided time to prepare for the coming season. The crops were in and now it was time to reflect, review, repair, and especially plan to improve during the next season, the next crop. Agriculture, then and today, is all about creation- caring, cycles of life, and continuing to try and improve crop or livestock yields – learning from mistakes made and improving moving forward. Our Faith is about loving God and Gods creation - and it is important for us not to ever be complacent. The liturgical calendar also provides time for us to assess our actions, to learn from our mistakes, to repair those relationships/things needing repair, to improve how we live in the world, to contemplate what we can do to make a difference, and to look to the new year with a sense of renewal. The assigned readings for today- from Ezekiel to Matthew- which are filled with references to shepherds, sheep, goats and care made me smile. When you invite a farmer to preach and have those readings you have to believe that God has a sense of humor and it shows. As I thought about being with you this morning, I was aware of a number of things that I had recently seen or heard that had been hanging around in my head: the shocking headlines, pictures that broke my heart, comments from friends saying “ I don’t know what to do to help!” and even posts on FB. A week or so ago I saw a quote from Julian of Norwich “We are not created by God but made of God...” that has continued to circulate in my head for days- I love it. “We are not created by God but made of God...” A post in response to the tragedies we have seen in Maine and around the world was “We should not ask Why God but Why we let things happen...” Somewhere in all of that was a message I needed to hear and would not be silenced. To prepare for this morning I was forced to face them, to hear them and to attempt to make sense of them. For me the truth is that we could spend forever asking why- but, if we believe as Julian says we are made of God the answer actually lies inside of us not outside of us. Therefore, I believe we must spend our time figuring out how we can be the change needed in the world. Creating change is a process as old as time itself. Creation itself is change and Change is creation. Every single one of us was created with the ability to make change. We all have some strengths and some challenges- but when we work together all of our strengths and challenges fit together like a puzzle and make the whole- strong. We were created with all the tools we need...
By making choices to do what we can to help another person we are doing God’s work on earth. We are not just talking about Love but showing by example the Love of God for the world. Doing God’s work can sound intimidating. What can I do?? How can I make a difference? Doing God’s work does not have to be headline worthy, the opportunity to do Gods work is folded into our everyday lives-
During October, I know you studied Mathew 25: 35-45 where Jesus honors the people who choose to help others and further shows his deep love for all of us by actually identifying himself with those that suffer and are struggling- when you cared for the least of these you cared for me. Just as important Jesus does not shy away from criticizing those who choose not to help. He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me. … without choice the word love is meaningless. The biblical references also show us that the choices that have been made throughout history are the same as the choices that we make today- every day. And God has chosen through the Prophets and Jesus to give us models of how we can do Gods work on earth. Jesus as shepherd caring, leading to lush pasture, assuring water, protecting the sheep improves the lives of those sheep. But just as important are the other benefits of that care- for example sheep, and in my case cashmere goats, also provide amazing fiber. When a shepherd cares for the flock, one of the products was wool. Wool is spun into yarn. Yarn is woven into strong fabric for clothing and blankets. When we make the choice to do Gods work on earth – to create hope, to show others the power of God’s love by how we act- we change individual lives. At the same time, we also are creating change, when we do our tiny part we are in fact spinning strong yarn, strand by strand- then that strong yarn creates the fabric of a strong community. As shepherds we are living into God's call to us in the
Let us pray- Father-Mother God Thank you for creating in us the tools to do your work on earth. Watch over us as we look towards the new year, be with us as we consider the ways that we can be the good shepherds to our brothers, sisters and all of your creation. Thank you for the knowledge to read, hear and understand scripture to strengthen our relationship with you and each other. Thank you for the ability to choose our actions and learn from those choices. Help us every day to grow in our faith and to do your work on earth by taking the time listen, to share, to be kind, and to be aware of the needs around us as we endeavor to share in the job of shepherd; weaving the strong fabric of our community that always reflects your Love and the model of Jesus. Amen Resources used: Maine Council of Churches website and Facebook for folks to reference. https://mainecouncilofchurches.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/mainecouncilofchurches |
AuthorPastor Chrissy is a native of East Tennessee. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. She is a graduate of the Divinity School at Wake Forest University and Chicago Theological Seminary. Archives
March 2024
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