May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: EPIPHANY 3
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 26, 2003
TEXT: Mark 1:14-20 The Calling of Disciples
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”. . . . . . “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”
ISSUE: Jesus is not a solo performer in his ministry, but calls others to join him in his new community. He calls them to accept the good news that God is with them, near, and is the dependable patron in a world of situations that are uncertain. He calls them into the service of fishing for people with all its risks, but in persistent compassion and love for God’s people.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In this Epiphany Season, which refers to the manifestation of Christ to the world as its light, we have another story of Jesus calling his disciples from the Gospel account of Mark. What is always striking about this account is its simplicity. Jesus says, “Follow me.” And, they do. Dropping nets, and leaving family behind they begin a new life with Jesus proclaiming good news to a largely oppressed and hopeless world of the time. As one biblical scholar puts it, they appear to be acting rather recklessly in their quick abandonment of home and work. Jesus’ command to follow him, and the quick response of some disciples seems almost magical, like a kind of Pied Piper. It is a curios passage of Scripture.
From this passage, we given the possibility that Jesus was very likely for a period of time, a disciple himself of John the Baptist. King Herod had executed John. Jesus now strikes out on the ministry of his own. At first it sounds a lot like John’s theme of ministry and preaching. Jesus calls men to repentance, that is, change of mind and direction in their lives. Remember that a persons could not survive on their own in this period; you needed family or group support of some kind. Jesus left his own family to join John the Baptist’s community. Once Jesus strikes out on his own, he must have a support system. He is not a solo act. He begins immediately to call disciples to follow him and work with him in his ministry. They are an obvious support to one another, and their working together expands their coverage and enhances their ministry. The importance of people working together to spread the gospel is always important to the life of a growing church community. Churches where too many people do everything on their own are rarely effective, and lose the focus of being a servant community for the world.
It is not likely that James and John, Simon Peter and Andrew merely dropped everything on a whim to follow Jesus. While their were no news papers, and limited ways of spreading news in Jesus’ time. One way worked very well by necessity, and that was by gossip, from which the word Gospel comes. It is most likely that Simon and Andrew, James and John had some pretty good idea of what Jesus was about. These men were themselves a part of a rather big industry, that of fishing. They were all common men, who like carpenters and other artisans suffered many injustices and indignities. In the fishing industry taxation is reported to have been about 40% by the Romans. By the time fish were sold, and middle men got their cut, there was often very little left for the fishermen. For folks in financial difficulty, there were few places to look for help.
Jesus comes preaching a message of hope, and a call for men and women to turn to the only one who can give them any sense of well being and worth. Jesus proclaims the need for caring compassion for all people in need, and new sense of worth and dignity and love given by God. He reveals the healing hope and deliverance of God. “Follow me,” says Jesus, “And I will have you fish for people.” Peter, James, John, and Andrew are ripe for the mission to bring to their world some new hope. While they leave their family and business, it is not abandonment. The fathers and the hired hands will carry on. In one way, the following disciples are not really acting recklessly in that they must have known something about Jesus, and had fallen in love with him, his message, and his hope. Yet on the other hand, to strike out the way they did with Jesus demanding a reversal of many of the values of the time, it was indeed reckless and dangerous work. These men, however, were used to hard and dangerous work. Fishing was dangerous. Anyone who has read or saw the recent motion picture, “The Perfect Storm,” is going to be well aware of the dangers of fishing.
Today we must be very careful as to what we mean when we talk about the disciples fishing for men. We all know that each of us is also called to following Christ as part of the Christian community, and fishing for men. Fishing for us is often thought of as hooking the fish. There’s a kind of violence in that aspect of fishing. The kind of commercial fishing that Jesus was taking about was net fishing. A weighted net was dropped over the back of the boat. While trawling, it was hoped that the net would capture a school of fish.
Sometimes we Christians think of “fishing for people” as a kind of entrapment or snaring people into the church. It is often done with fear tactics: “You’d better join,” or “Go to Church,” or “Be saved.” “Lest you endure the fires of hell.” We think of fishing for men in terms of quantity. After the conversion of Emperor Constantine in the 300’s A.D. everybody in the Empire was expected to be baptized into the Christian faith automatically. The church became quantitative in terms of numbers of participants. Bigger is better.
The full context of the life and ministry of Jesus has to be understood if we are to more deeply appreciate what Jesus meant by fishing for people. I can think of no passage of Scripture, and no Biblical story of Jesus that tells of Jesus tricking, manipulating, or trapping people into loyalty and faithfulness. The ministry of Jesus is based entirely from the motivation of servanthood. His ministry was intentional in his desire to heal people that were sick. His ministry was intentional in its effort to raise-up the fallen, and those who were paralyzed. The ministry of Jesus was given to opening the eyes of blind people to have new understandings of God as love. The ministry of Jesus was given to opening the ears of the deaf, so that they could hear that a merciful and compassionate God loved them. People that were untouchable, like lepers, were touched, healed, and embraced by Jesus. Jesus grieved for the injustices of the time. Peasants were expendable by government and religious authorities. They were not cheated, and often without help or recourse. Remember the old widow lady who has to beg and plead for justice. Jesus saw these people, as God’s own, and worthy of justice, and their full day’s wage. Jesus reportedly in some instances raised the dead, the depressed and hopeless to give them a new chance at life.
What we see in this passage of fishing for people is like the passage of the Shepherd in search of the one lost sheep. The shepherd is not seen as bringing the flock to slaughter or seeking the lost to condemn, but as the great protector. In the same way to fish for people, is not to catch and kill, but to serve people, reveal the love of God, and be in the service of God.
This Scripture holds up to the light what it means to be in the discipleship of Jesus. There are risks. In the same way that there are people in the world who hate democracy and the American way of life. There are people who do not like the Christian Faith that proclaims change of mind, forgiveness, renewal, and hope. The status quo, keeping things the way they are, holding a grudge, and maintaining a system of vengeance for some people is by far preferable. So to stand on Christian ground may seem as reckless and dangerous in threats and the storms of the world.
There are still others who will resist the fact that the Christian Faith calls people to work for justice, and to have their eyes open to the fact that some people are getting the shorter end of the stick, by virtue of their race or by the place or position in the social strata. Jesus himself stood up, even to death, in his embracing the justice of God calling for freedom and justice for all people. By the powers, both secular and religious powers, of his time, he was indeed seen as dangerous and disturbing.
But the truly remarkable ministry of Jesus was one of caring witness to love and affection for all the people of God. He dared to be different and intent and focused on his ministry of love without manipulation or violence, or insult of people with basic human need.
Jesus did not work his wonders alone. He called simple folk, men and women too, to join him in that ministry. His fishing net became a net of love that encompassed the known world, and his church was and is to be the symbol of God’s love embracing the whole world.
Jesus knew only too well that he and his little band of disciples, and even the growing early church would not bring down the Roman Empire. He know only that love, compassion, and caring for the human condition would melt human hearts, shaping and molding them into something radically new would change the world. In St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (I Cor. 7:17-23), Paul called the early church into just being what they were, and stand firm in their place in love and not become slaves of the world, but stand firm in their commitment to the ways and teachings of Jesus Christ, and live in love and hope always. In this way of following Paul knew, like Jesus, that the world sees God through his people in their efforts to embrace the world of God with his love. Then all shall know the Kingdom of God, the Reign and Realm of God has come near.
Sunday, January 26, 2003
Sunday, January 19, 2003
Epiphany 2
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: Epiphany 2
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 19, 2003
TEXT: John 1:43-51 – Call of Disciples
“Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
See also: I Samuel 3:1-20 – The Call of Samuel in the Temple.
ISSUE: The lessons of the day deal largely with the calling of the disciples. It appears in John a calling of Nathanael, as representative of Israel, to come out from under the fig tree and take on the discipleship that he is called to by Jesus. The church today can be comfortable under its ways and teachings, but also needs to be called for to work for justice in the world, and to proclaim and tell the story of Christ coming into the world. The world needs to see the greater things of the heavens of God’s love revealed through the ministry, love, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For the next several weeks, the church around the world will celebrate the Epiphany Season. It is the season of making manifest the Jesus is Lord. In the earlier weeks of this season in this year, the scripture readings deal with the calling of the disciples who carry on with Jesus and his mission The season is intended to be our missionary season, or the time in which we recollect that we as the church are called to mission, proclamation of the love of God. The stories of the calls of some of the early prophets and disciples give us clues and instruction as to what it means to be a disciple of the Lord, and what we are to proclaim.
The Hebrew Scripture today address the call of Samuel to his prophetic mission. At the time Samuel is a small boy about 12 years old, whose mother had sent him to live in the temple at Shiloh with the priest Eli. In the middle of the night Samuel hears a voice calling him. He thinks that it is the priest Eli, and Samuel responds, “Here I am.” After this scene is repeated several times, Eli tells Samuel that the next time he hears the voice he should respond: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Samuel does has he is told, and God reveals to the boy all of the corruption of Eli and his sons, who are also priests. Reluctantly Samuel tells Eli what God has spoken to him. In time the leadership of the corrupt house of Eli is removed, and Samuel becomes the respected prophet for the nation. What seems important in this story is that Samuel becomes bold enough to speak out about the injustice plaguing the temple and the people’s worship. The story implies that the call to discipleship is related to making a call for justice in the world.
Luke’s Gospel account tells the story of Jesus at the age of 12 years staying at the Temple in Jerusalem, much to the dismay of his parents. Jesus, like Samuel, becomes a prophet and preacher of justice and a revealer of the injustices of priests in the Jerusalem temple in his own time of ministry.
In the gospel account of John, we have the story of calling of disciples by Jesus. John’s account is somewhat different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John is the last of the gospels to be written. It is inclined to be more symbolic, and addresses of period when eyewitnesses to Jesus have all died. There is a very definite demand and immediacy for faithfulness by John’s community. In John’s Gospel Jesus calls some of the disciples, and then by a process of networking, the disciples themselves call others. Even John the Baptist was supposed to have directed Andrew to follow Jesus, who in turn brings his own brother Simon (Peter the Rock.) Philip, called by Jesus, calls Nathanael. While Jesus did not call Nathanael, the main part of the passage for this morning centers around the relationship of Jesus and Nathanael.
Like in so many of the stories and miracles in the Gospel of John, there is a sparring that goes on that eventually leads to moments of decision and faith. Philip calls Nathanael to come and see Jesus whom he believes to be the long anticipated royal messiah, Son of God King of Israel! He is Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth. Nathanael responds with that skeptical and demeaning remark: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth was a small town, buried in a valley, and hard to see. And there is no mention in Hebrew Scriptures of the town, much less than the anticipation of anything good or messianic coming from there. Philip says to Nathanel, “Come and see.” In the Gospel of John, the word “see” means to believe. Notice the urgency here. Come and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel.
Jesus’ exchange with Nathanael gives the clues that Nathanael is symbolic of something more than just a one particular person. The name Nathanael was a Jewish name, whereas Andrew and Philip had more Hellenistic names, even though they were themselves Jewish. “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” says Jesus and continues, “I saw you under the fig tree.” You have to remember Jacob in the Old Testament that was one of the fathers of the nation Israel, but who himself was a rascal and a master of deceit stealing his brother’s birthright and blessing. Nathanael is seen as an Israelite who was better than old Father Jacob. It’s the paying of a real compliment. The fact that Jesus saw him under the fig tree is of even more importance. The expression, “under the fig tree” means “I saw you at home.” Jewish men studied the Law of Moses, and meditated under their fig trees. It is as if Jesus is calling Nathanael and all of Israel from out of their homes into follow him and being in his service. What you have here is a small miracle in which Nathanael immediately responds in faith, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus assures Nathanael that he will see great things. Just as Jacob, the father of Israel, had seen angels ascending and descending Jacob’s ladder in a dream, Nathanael and all the people of Israel will see the heavens opened, and angels of God along with the Son of Man will be aware of the descent of God in the Christ, his crucifixion on the cross, and the ascension of his resurrection to new life.
While this interpretation may seem a bit cumbersome, it is typical of John’s style. But lets look more deeply at what the calling of Nathanael means for us today, as we explore, and try to embrace what it means to have a mission and be a follower of Jesus Christ. One thing is clear to me no one called to be a disciple is forced or cajoled into it. It is always a person’s free trust in what they see of the work and ministry of Jesus. It is decision based on an act of personal faith. Nathanael says, “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!” Much later in John’s Gospel, Thomas makes that great leap of faith at the resurrection, “My Lord, and my God!” It is important that the Christian community is well versed in the teachings and the story of Jesus and what it means as redeeming, renewing, resurrecting, and uplifting. It is of great concern to me that small children who are baptized continue in their teaching and instruction, in order that they can make their own decisive decision to follow a Lord who gives meaning and purpose to life. We all need time under the fig tree of study, meditation, and contemplation as legitimate followers of Jesus Christ.
What I think we also see in this event is the calling forth of Nathanael as a man, and as a part of a faithful Jewish community into the active participation of walking with Jesus Christ, the actual following of him through life, the best of times, and through times of ordeal. Nathanael is invited out and called and blessed by Jesus to be a follower in the mission, and living into the faith of love, forgiveness, and in the pursuit of justice for all.
One of the great witnesses of our time to following the Lord and living out the faith was the work of Martin Luther King. King was pretty content for the most part to be under the fig tree in his pastorate in Montgomery, Alabama, and in the safety of other family members. But he was called by God to move beyond the fig tree and into active servanthood in the cause of justice and respecting the dignity of all human beings. Without force or violence he pursued a determined path of non-violence and witness to the love of God and the call for justice.
The church today, can be very much like Israel of Jesus’ time relatively content under the fig tree. We can find our own consolation, our personal salvation and peace with God. We can be a very cozy and comfortable community. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. A community of people comfortable, accepting, friendly, and supportive of one another is also a powerful witness to the hatred and violence of the world. Lord knows we need places of consolation. Jesus had his own inner group. But it was an inner group with mission to the outside world: to the sick, the lonely, the suffering, to those suffering from injustice.
Many of us will never have the acclaim of the disciples in the Bible, many of the saints we know, or of the likes of Martin Luther King. But we are called to be disciples by our belief and loyal trust that Jesus is Lord. That he is the very expression of God revealing what makes sense and what will bring peace and understanding to the world. We embrace that and live it. Teaching and training our children, and living in a way that embraces the very heart of God’s Gospel of Jesus Christ by the way we drive, by the way we vote, by the way we interact with others, family, friends, and strangers, by the energies we expend in compassion and response to human need in the community and around the world. The light under the bushel will not enlighten the house. Living comfortably under the fig tree will not bring peace to the world. Only through the embracing of Jesus Christ and walking his way do we bring hope and light to the world.
SEASON: Epiphany 2
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 19, 2003
TEXT: John 1:43-51 – Call of Disciples
“Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
See also: I Samuel 3:1-20 – The Call of Samuel in the Temple.
ISSUE: The lessons of the day deal largely with the calling of the disciples. It appears in John a calling of Nathanael, as representative of Israel, to come out from under the fig tree and take on the discipleship that he is called to by Jesus. The church today can be comfortable under its ways and teachings, but also needs to be called for to work for justice in the world, and to proclaim and tell the story of Christ coming into the world. The world needs to see the greater things of the heavens of God’s love revealed through the ministry, love, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For the next several weeks, the church around the world will celebrate the Epiphany Season. It is the season of making manifest the Jesus is Lord. In the earlier weeks of this season in this year, the scripture readings deal with the calling of the disciples who carry on with Jesus and his mission The season is intended to be our missionary season, or the time in which we recollect that we as the church are called to mission, proclamation of the love of God. The stories of the calls of some of the early prophets and disciples give us clues and instruction as to what it means to be a disciple of the Lord, and what we are to proclaim.
The Hebrew Scripture today address the call of Samuel to his prophetic mission. At the time Samuel is a small boy about 12 years old, whose mother had sent him to live in the temple at Shiloh with the priest Eli. In the middle of the night Samuel hears a voice calling him. He thinks that it is the priest Eli, and Samuel responds, “Here I am.” After this scene is repeated several times, Eli tells Samuel that the next time he hears the voice he should respond: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Samuel does has he is told, and God reveals to the boy all of the corruption of Eli and his sons, who are also priests. Reluctantly Samuel tells Eli what God has spoken to him. In time the leadership of the corrupt house of Eli is removed, and Samuel becomes the respected prophet for the nation. What seems important in this story is that Samuel becomes bold enough to speak out about the injustice plaguing the temple and the people’s worship. The story implies that the call to discipleship is related to making a call for justice in the world.
Luke’s Gospel account tells the story of Jesus at the age of 12 years staying at the Temple in Jerusalem, much to the dismay of his parents. Jesus, like Samuel, becomes a prophet and preacher of justice and a revealer of the injustices of priests in the Jerusalem temple in his own time of ministry.
In the gospel account of John, we have the story of calling of disciples by Jesus. John’s account is somewhat different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John is the last of the gospels to be written. It is inclined to be more symbolic, and addresses of period when eyewitnesses to Jesus have all died. There is a very definite demand and immediacy for faithfulness by John’s community. In John’s Gospel Jesus calls some of the disciples, and then by a process of networking, the disciples themselves call others. Even John the Baptist was supposed to have directed Andrew to follow Jesus, who in turn brings his own brother Simon (Peter the Rock.) Philip, called by Jesus, calls Nathanael. While Jesus did not call Nathanael, the main part of the passage for this morning centers around the relationship of Jesus and Nathanael.
Like in so many of the stories and miracles in the Gospel of John, there is a sparring that goes on that eventually leads to moments of decision and faith. Philip calls Nathanael to come and see Jesus whom he believes to be the long anticipated royal messiah, Son of God King of Israel! He is Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth. Nathanael responds with that skeptical and demeaning remark: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth was a small town, buried in a valley, and hard to see. And there is no mention in Hebrew Scriptures of the town, much less than the anticipation of anything good or messianic coming from there. Philip says to Nathanel, “Come and see.” In the Gospel of John, the word “see” means to believe. Notice the urgency here. Come and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the King of Israel.
Jesus’ exchange with Nathanael gives the clues that Nathanael is symbolic of something more than just a one particular person. The name Nathanael was a Jewish name, whereas Andrew and Philip had more Hellenistic names, even though they were themselves Jewish. “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit,” says Jesus and continues, “I saw you under the fig tree.” You have to remember Jacob in the Old Testament that was one of the fathers of the nation Israel, but who himself was a rascal and a master of deceit stealing his brother’s birthright and blessing. Nathanael is seen as an Israelite who was better than old Father Jacob. It’s the paying of a real compliment. The fact that Jesus saw him under the fig tree is of even more importance. The expression, “under the fig tree” means “I saw you at home.” Jewish men studied the Law of Moses, and meditated under their fig trees. It is as if Jesus is calling Nathanael and all of Israel from out of their homes into follow him and being in his service. What you have here is a small miracle in which Nathanael immediately responds in faith, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus assures Nathanael that he will see great things. Just as Jacob, the father of Israel, had seen angels ascending and descending Jacob’s ladder in a dream, Nathanael and all the people of Israel will see the heavens opened, and angels of God along with the Son of Man will be aware of the descent of God in the Christ, his crucifixion on the cross, and the ascension of his resurrection to new life.
While this interpretation may seem a bit cumbersome, it is typical of John’s style. But lets look more deeply at what the calling of Nathanael means for us today, as we explore, and try to embrace what it means to have a mission and be a follower of Jesus Christ. One thing is clear to me no one called to be a disciple is forced or cajoled into it. It is always a person’s free trust in what they see of the work and ministry of Jesus. It is decision based on an act of personal faith. Nathanael says, “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!” Much later in John’s Gospel, Thomas makes that great leap of faith at the resurrection, “My Lord, and my God!” It is important that the Christian community is well versed in the teachings and the story of Jesus and what it means as redeeming, renewing, resurrecting, and uplifting. It is of great concern to me that small children who are baptized continue in their teaching and instruction, in order that they can make their own decisive decision to follow a Lord who gives meaning and purpose to life. We all need time under the fig tree of study, meditation, and contemplation as legitimate followers of Jesus Christ.
What I think we also see in this event is the calling forth of Nathanael as a man, and as a part of a faithful Jewish community into the active participation of walking with Jesus Christ, the actual following of him through life, the best of times, and through times of ordeal. Nathanael is invited out and called and blessed by Jesus to be a follower in the mission, and living into the faith of love, forgiveness, and in the pursuit of justice for all.
One of the great witnesses of our time to following the Lord and living out the faith was the work of Martin Luther King. King was pretty content for the most part to be under the fig tree in his pastorate in Montgomery, Alabama, and in the safety of other family members. But he was called by God to move beyond the fig tree and into active servanthood in the cause of justice and respecting the dignity of all human beings. Without force or violence he pursued a determined path of non-violence and witness to the love of God and the call for justice.
The church today, can be very much like Israel of Jesus’ time relatively content under the fig tree. We can find our own consolation, our personal salvation and peace with God. We can be a very cozy and comfortable community. There’s nothing wrong with any of that. A community of people comfortable, accepting, friendly, and supportive of one another is also a powerful witness to the hatred and violence of the world. Lord knows we need places of consolation. Jesus had his own inner group. But it was an inner group with mission to the outside world: to the sick, the lonely, the suffering, to those suffering from injustice.
Many of us will never have the acclaim of the disciples in the Bible, many of the saints we know, or of the likes of Martin Luther King. But we are called to be disciples by our belief and loyal trust that Jesus is Lord. That he is the very expression of God revealing what makes sense and what will bring peace and understanding to the world. We embrace that and live it. Teaching and training our children, and living in a way that embraces the very heart of God’s Gospel of Jesus Christ by the way we drive, by the way we vote, by the way we interact with others, family, friends, and strangers, by the energies we expend in compassion and response to human need in the community and around the world. The light under the bushel will not enlighten the house. Living comfortably under the fig tree will not bring peace to the world. Only through the embracing of Jesus Christ and walking his way do we bring hope and light to the world.
Sunday, January 12, 2003
1st Epiphany
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: 1st Epiphany
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 12, 2003
TEXT: Mark 1:7-11 – The Baptism of Jesus – Mark’s Christmas Story
See also Isaiah 42:1-9 – “I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.”
ISSUE: For Mark, the baptism of Jesus is his birth as the Good News and Savior of the world. The heavens are ripped open and the Father declares “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well please.” The event marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry of servanthood. In our baptism, we are also born again, and are incorporated into servanthood with Christ. It is the call to justice, and bring light and sight to the world, and setting free those who sit in despair and hopelessness.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In the past weeks of our celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as our Lord in the world, I have talked with you about the meaning of the several accounts of the birth of Jesus Christ, and what each of the evangelists had in mind as they addressed their various communities. The beloved story of Luke, addressing a largely Gentile community, tells of the angels and the shepherds and the birth of Jesus in the little town of Bethlehem. To the poor and expendable, the Christ comes, announced by angels in the absence of others to proclaim his glory and honor.
The Gospel of Matthew, addressed a largely Jewish Community and tells of the star, the Magi bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew tells of the birth of Jesus, associating it with and giving it the flavor of the Hebrew Scriptures: Joseph being a great protector. Joseph, Mary, and the child take flight to Egypt and return to Nazareth, reminiscent of Moses in Egypt and delivering his people. An evil King who would destroy all little boy children pursues Jesus, like Moses in his infancy pursued by the Pharaoh. This emphasis is the darker side of the Christmas Story, indicating just how some from the very beginning rejected Jesus.
The Gospel of John is the theological hymn and statement to both the Jewish and Gentile world, that Jesus is the very Word of God, the logic and rationale, the very expression of what God has to speak or say to the world. Each of the accounts are rich in symbol and meaning and offer the anxious world, hope and justice in the acceptance of the ways and teachings of the Lord.
The Gospel of Mark also has a Christmas or birth story of Jesus. It was read to you this morning from the very first chapter of Mark beginning at the 7th verse. The Gospel of Mark, the oldest and simplest of the Gospel accounts says that the birth of Jesus Christ comes essential at his baptism. The baptism of Jesus is a birth story. It is very reminiscent of the Genesis creation story. John the Baptist for Mark is the voice crying in the wilderness. The wilderness was at the time a symbol of chaos and evil spirits. John reveals a chaotic world, which is in need of renewal and redemption. Just as in Genesis the spirit of God is hovering over the chaos Jesus is baptized by John. He is scooped up out of the chaos and God’s spirit comes down upon him. He is born out of the wilderness and water of chaos. The new man, the new Adam has come. The Spirit of God like a dove comes down upon him, and God declares from the heavens: “You are my Son, the Beloved; who you I am well pleased.” Remember at the Genesis creation God declares and saw that it was good. Here God is well pleased. The ministry of the new Adam, of Jesus the Christ, begins and he is claimed to be God’s.
Notice in this story, the unique cultural influence. By the time Jesus come to John the Baptist, he has long since left his family behind. A person without a family in this time was really a lost soul. A person depended upon their family for everything. Jesus is a wanderer, without honor. Like the story of the Prodigal Son, the prodigal fails to survive with returning to his father and the family. Jesus a wanderer comes to John the Baptist and is baptized by him, and born again. God the Father claims him: “This is my Son.” He is the child of God’s creation, claimed by God, given great honor, and declared as good, the one with whom God is well pleased. This is Jesus Christ’s birthing into the world as the Son of the Father.
How does the world come to an appreciation of the fact that Jesus is the Son of God? The Isaiah 42:1-9 Lesson is appropriately coupled with the Gospel reading. Isaiah had a vision and hope for his conquered and depressed people. Isaiah trusts that the nation of Israel will be redeemed and s Servant of God, of some kind would bring about her deliverance, and the nation would be come a new nation and bring new light to the nations of the world. Isaiah describes a Servant of God who will be a figure of peace. He will not be noisy and obnoxious. He will not break a bruised reed, or blow out a dimly burning wick. He will be determined no matter what to work for justice in the world. This description gives an image or vision of the Messianic hope.
When we look back in retrospect, as Mark did as well as Matthew and Luke, you see Jesus as the great leader of peace. He raises no army and starts no war, but is still a champion of the people who were expendable and oppressed. Jesus peacefully becomes the champion of the poor in a determined and faithful commitment to justice, even if he must die on the cross. He brings new hope and healing to the oppressed, sick, and dying, and an assurance that in his company, the world begins to build and enter into the Kingdom of God’s peace, forgiveness, and love. The blind sighted are seeing that there is hope, that God has come to touch them in the world, and that they are not condemned to perpetual darkness, hopelessness and despair. The poor and the oppressed who have been trapped, degraded, ignored by the powers of the time, are set free to a new realization that God in Christ seeks liberation and freedom for those who sit in the darkness of hate, prejudice, and slavery to evil systems and governments.
For Isaiah’s Jewish community, it was hoped that the nation would, under the leadership of the Messianic Servant, become a light to all the nations of the world. For the Christian Community, Jesus Christ is that Messianic Servant and hope, and all who are baptized into Jesus Christ and born with him are also to become lights to the peoples and nations of the world, opening the eyes of the blind and of those sitting in dungeons of darkness and despair to recognize that through Christ and their participation in the Servant ministry of Christ, the Christian Church, its people of Christ become new enlightenment and hope, a new creation for the world.
In the Gospel of Mark, the Christmas story says simply that there is a new Adam, Jesus Christ, and he is a child or Son of God. In him you see the new humanity with the indwelling Spirit of God, claimed by God. He is the peacemaker without force and manipulation, but essentially bearing witness in love and faithfulness (loyalty). He wants justice for all people and all nations, regardless of race, creed.
Notice what the covenant is that we make to join with Jesus Christ in our own baptismal covenant. We pledge loyalty to God the Father, the Son who came into the world, and to the acceptance of the Spirit of God. We promise a continuing fellowship with Christ through the teachings and the worship of the church. We promise to persevere in resisting anything that separates us from God and his love. We make a commitment to proclaiming through our words and deeds the Good News of God in Christ. Being careful about our words is so important. Think of Trent Lott and how his words got him into trouble. We seek to serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors, not always easy, and striving, working, becoming involved in bringing justice to all people. We respect the dignity of every human being.
You see how Mark, the oldest Gospel account makes it clear that Christmas is not just about angels and shepherds, stars and wise men, but about the coming of the Christ into the world as God’s servant of justice. If members and the church is to live into its covenant relationship with Christ the servant, we have to see ourselves as a servant church, and not merely a comfortable community relishing our own personal salvation that we are freely awarded by the grace of God.
Sometimes there is injustice that people are not even aware of. The poor souls at Enron saw only the glitz and glitter of an affluence that was blinding. Greed and injustice brought it crushing down to the great loss of many blinded innocent people. The folks riding on the maiden voyage of the Titanic were blinded by its grandeur, and could not see how vulnerable they really were in the demand for prestige in cruel winter ocean that spelled disaster.
When we look around at the world as it is, where some people just do not have the wherewithal to get reasonable medical care, when others have more than enough, and when we see some schools having all the best, and others suffering from educational and maintenance needs, we know that these kinds of situations need help and readjustment. It’s easy to say that the world is too complicated, or there are situations in which we are helpless to assist. Yet remember the image of the peaceful servant who simply carries on in the face of what seemed so overwhelming, like the Roman Empire. And yet is was the persistent servant Christ who has long outlived the Roman Empire, and who in the face of overwhelming odds calls his people to be the light, the sight, and hope for the world.
SEASON: 1st Epiphany
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 12, 2003
TEXT: Mark 1:7-11 – The Baptism of Jesus – Mark’s Christmas Story
See also Isaiah 42:1-9 – “I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.”
ISSUE: For Mark, the baptism of Jesus is his birth as the Good News and Savior of the world. The heavens are ripped open and the Father declares “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well please.” The event marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry of servanthood. In our baptism, we are also born again, and are incorporated into servanthood with Christ. It is the call to justice, and bring light and sight to the world, and setting free those who sit in despair and hopelessness.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In the past weeks of our celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as our Lord in the world, I have talked with you about the meaning of the several accounts of the birth of Jesus Christ, and what each of the evangelists had in mind as they addressed their various communities. The beloved story of Luke, addressing a largely Gentile community, tells of the angels and the shepherds and the birth of Jesus in the little town of Bethlehem. To the poor and expendable, the Christ comes, announced by angels in the absence of others to proclaim his glory and honor.
The Gospel of Matthew, addressed a largely Jewish Community and tells of the star, the Magi bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew tells of the birth of Jesus, associating it with and giving it the flavor of the Hebrew Scriptures: Joseph being a great protector. Joseph, Mary, and the child take flight to Egypt and return to Nazareth, reminiscent of Moses in Egypt and delivering his people. An evil King who would destroy all little boy children pursues Jesus, like Moses in his infancy pursued by the Pharaoh. This emphasis is the darker side of the Christmas Story, indicating just how some from the very beginning rejected Jesus.
The Gospel of John is the theological hymn and statement to both the Jewish and Gentile world, that Jesus is the very Word of God, the logic and rationale, the very expression of what God has to speak or say to the world. Each of the accounts are rich in symbol and meaning and offer the anxious world, hope and justice in the acceptance of the ways and teachings of the Lord.
The Gospel of Mark also has a Christmas or birth story of Jesus. It was read to you this morning from the very first chapter of Mark beginning at the 7th verse. The Gospel of Mark, the oldest and simplest of the Gospel accounts says that the birth of Jesus Christ comes essential at his baptism. The baptism of Jesus is a birth story. It is very reminiscent of the Genesis creation story. John the Baptist for Mark is the voice crying in the wilderness. The wilderness was at the time a symbol of chaos and evil spirits. John reveals a chaotic world, which is in need of renewal and redemption. Just as in Genesis the spirit of God is hovering over the chaos Jesus is baptized by John. He is scooped up out of the chaos and God’s spirit comes down upon him. He is born out of the wilderness and water of chaos. The new man, the new Adam has come. The Spirit of God like a dove comes down upon him, and God declares from the heavens: “You are my Son, the Beloved; who you I am well pleased.” Remember at the Genesis creation God declares and saw that it was good. Here God is well pleased. The ministry of the new Adam, of Jesus the Christ, begins and he is claimed to be God’s.
Notice in this story, the unique cultural influence. By the time Jesus come to John the Baptist, he has long since left his family behind. A person without a family in this time was really a lost soul. A person depended upon their family for everything. Jesus is a wanderer, without honor. Like the story of the Prodigal Son, the prodigal fails to survive with returning to his father and the family. Jesus a wanderer comes to John the Baptist and is baptized by him, and born again. God the Father claims him: “This is my Son.” He is the child of God’s creation, claimed by God, given great honor, and declared as good, the one with whom God is well pleased. This is Jesus Christ’s birthing into the world as the Son of the Father.
How does the world come to an appreciation of the fact that Jesus is the Son of God? The Isaiah 42:1-9 Lesson is appropriately coupled with the Gospel reading. Isaiah had a vision and hope for his conquered and depressed people. Isaiah trusts that the nation of Israel will be redeemed and s Servant of God, of some kind would bring about her deliverance, and the nation would be come a new nation and bring new light to the nations of the world. Isaiah describes a Servant of God who will be a figure of peace. He will not be noisy and obnoxious. He will not break a bruised reed, or blow out a dimly burning wick. He will be determined no matter what to work for justice in the world. This description gives an image or vision of the Messianic hope.
When we look back in retrospect, as Mark did as well as Matthew and Luke, you see Jesus as the great leader of peace. He raises no army and starts no war, but is still a champion of the people who were expendable and oppressed. Jesus peacefully becomes the champion of the poor in a determined and faithful commitment to justice, even if he must die on the cross. He brings new hope and healing to the oppressed, sick, and dying, and an assurance that in his company, the world begins to build and enter into the Kingdom of God’s peace, forgiveness, and love. The blind sighted are seeing that there is hope, that God has come to touch them in the world, and that they are not condemned to perpetual darkness, hopelessness and despair. The poor and the oppressed who have been trapped, degraded, ignored by the powers of the time, are set free to a new realization that God in Christ seeks liberation and freedom for those who sit in the darkness of hate, prejudice, and slavery to evil systems and governments.
For Isaiah’s Jewish community, it was hoped that the nation would, under the leadership of the Messianic Servant, become a light to all the nations of the world. For the Christian Community, Jesus Christ is that Messianic Servant and hope, and all who are baptized into Jesus Christ and born with him are also to become lights to the peoples and nations of the world, opening the eyes of the blind and of those sitting in dungeons of darkness and despair to recognize that through Christ and their participation in the Servant ministry of Christ, the Christian Church, its people of Christ become new enlightenment and hope, a new creation for the world.
In the Gospel of Mark, the Christmas story says simply that there is a new Adam, Jesus Christ, and he is a child or Son of God. In him you see the new humanity with the indwelling Spirit of God, claimed by God. He is the peacemaker without force and manipulation, but essentially bearing witness in love and faithfulness (loyalty). He wants justice for all people and all nations, regardless of race, creed.
Notice what the covenant is that we make to join with Jesus Christ in our own baptismal covenant. We pledge loyalty to God the Father, the Son who came into the world, and to the acceptance of the Spirit of God. We promise a continuing fellowship with Christ through the teachings and the worship of the church. We promise to persevere in resisting anything that separates us from God and his love. We make a commitment to proclaiming through our words and deeds the Good News of God in Christ. Being careful about our words is so important. Think of Trent Lott and how his words got him into trouble. We seek to serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors, not always easy, and striving, working, becoming involved in bringing justice to all people. We respect the dignity of every human being.
You see how Mark, the oldest Gospel account makes it clear that Christmas is not just about angels and shepherds, stars and wise men, but about the coming of the Christ into the world as God’s servant of justice. If members and the church is to live into its covenant relationship with Christ the servant, we have to see ourselves as a servant church, and not merely a comfortable community relishing our own personal salvation that we are freely awarded by the grace of God.
Sometimes there is injustice that people are not even aware of. The poor souls at Enron saw only the glitz and glitter of an affluence that was blinding. Greed and injustice brought it crushing down to the great loss of many blinded innocent people. The folks riding on the maiden voyage of the Titanic were blinded by its grandeur, and could not see how vulnerable they really were in the demand for prestige in cruel winter ocean that spelled disaster.
When we look around at the world as it is, where some people just do not have the wherewithal to get reasonable medical care, when others have more than enough, and when we see some schools having all the best, and others suffering from educational and maintenance needs, we know that these kinds of situations need help and readjustment. It’s easy to say that the world is too complicated, or there are situations in which we are helpless to assist. Yet remember the image of the peaceful servant who simply carries on in the face of what seemed so overwhelming, like the Roman Empire. And yet is was the persistent servant Christ who has long outlived the Roman Empire, and who in the face of overwhelming odds calls his people to be the light, the sight, and hope for the world.
Sunday, January 5, 2003
CHRISTMAS 2
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: CHRISTMAS 2
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 5,2003
TEXT: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 – The Flight into Egypt, and Joseph’s Dreams because the life of the child is threatened.
ISSUE: Matthew tells some of the awful truth of the birth of Jesus. He is born into a cruel and evil world, while at the same time he is the fulfillment of man’s hopes and dreams; he is the messianic hope for the world. Faithful Christian people must not take our hope in Christ for granted, but embrace it with all the love of Mary and Joseph.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And now, some of the rest of the story of Jesus’ Birth, according to Matthew’s take on the birth of Jesus Christ. In Luke’s account of the story, we have the artistry and poetry of the masterfully written story: the little town of Bethlehem, with angels singing, and shepherds worshipping at the manger. Matthew’s account of the birth tells more of the story that is often the less enjoyed part of the story. Matthew tells of the King Herod’s involvement in the story and the pursuit of Jesus and the slaughter of innocent children. Matthew, is also intent on aligning the story with Old Testament events and stories, as his gospel account addresses a largely Jewish Community.
Matthew’s community would have been relatively well versed in their Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures. Their great feast of the Passover was based upon their deliverance from evil Egyptian oppression through the work of God’s prophet and leader Moses. Early on in the History of the Jewish people, there was a man who could interpret dreams. His name was Joseph. The name of Jesus’ father is also Joseph, who is an interpreter of dreams. Repeatedly an angel comes to Joseph to direct him: to stay betrothed to Mary, to flee from Herod to Egypt, and then to take the child, Jesus, to Nazareth. Matthew, of course says, that all of these moves are fulfillment of prophecies, or at least one liners from Hebrew Scriptures: Hosea 1:11 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” And Isaiah 11:1 in which Isaiah says a new branch shall spring forth from out of the lineage of Jesse. The word for branch is “nezer” which sounds close to Nazareth. Matthew is intent on helping his people to see that Jesus comes forth from out of their history and prophetic anticipation.
The people of the time would also have appreciated that Moses was a great leader who led his people out of oppression and bondage from Egypt. In Matthew’s story, Jesus’ life as an infant is greatly at risk, like in the Moses Story. Moses was hidden from the evil Pharaoh in a tar-covered basket set afloat in the bulrushes of the Red Sea. Yet by the grace of God, he was protected, and led his people to freedom and the Promised Land. The crossing of the wilderness and seas were symbolic of the crossing through a possessed threatening environment. Matthew tells how King Herod threatened Jesus, like Pharaoh threatened Moses. Children are slaughtered, and he and his family eventually take flight from Egypt to Nazareth in Galilee, where he begins a ministry that will eventually lead Jesus’ followers into the Kingdom of God.
What essentially seems to be going on here is the presentation of the birth of Jesus into an extraordinarily hostile world. Matthew wants his readers to know and to believe that this Jesus is truly the anticipated messianic hope for the world. His coming and presence are deeply anticipated and rooted in the longings, dreams, visions, and hopes of the people and the prophets. The other most important part of this story is that the birth of Jesus into the world was not just the singing of angels and the adoration of the poverty stricken; it was a threatened fragile life from the very beginning. However, Joseph has grasped the meaning of the dreams and the visions, and sees the hope of the world in the child and becomes the great protector of so precious a gift, as the gift of the Christ child.
This very startling part of the Christmas story emphasizes the reality of the cruelty and hate that existed in the world. We are really confronted by that in this more neglected part of the story. Some Biblical scholars today, do not believe that there was an actual murdering of innocent children by King Herod. They are inclined to believe that this part of the story was simply a creation of Matthew, to make Jesus look more like Moses. Maybe so. Others believe that such a horrendous act by Herod would be picked up by other ancient historians and the story told in historical writings other than the Bible. Keep in mind that if such a slaughter did take place in Bethlehem, a tiny town of 100 people, there would not have been that many children anyway, and children were sickly and largely expendable anyway. The death of so few would not have made the headlines. But what we do know historically about Herod is that he was a paranoid king who murdered several of his own sons who threatened his power and throne. He was an evil man, and the story of Jesus birth and the threat to his life simply and clearly sets forth the idea that the world into which Jesus was born was a deadly world.
Surely none of us are so naïve to know exactly what the scripture alludes to in the history of our own time. We too have witnessed the bewildered faces of little children looking through the barbed wire fences of the Nazi prison camps in World War II, and who hid from the enemy in out house pits. They are clear images impressed upon our brains out of shear human tragedy. We remember well the photo of the little naked girl running in terror through the terrors of war in a village in Vietnam. We are almost numbed by the nightly news’ presentations of starving African children, and now the starving children in North Korea.
The part of the story of the birth of Jesus that really packs the punch is this part of the story about the terrible evil and threatening aspects of the human condition, and is the part that is often mostly ignored or minimized. Matthew told it for a profound reason. In a cruel world, Matthew was desperate for his community to take hold of the Christ Child, and hold onto him dearly, because he knew he would grow to be the hope of the world. The message is the same for us today, as it was for dear old Joseph and Mary: Protect the precious gift that has been given to you, and guard it with your life. Embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and allow him to grow up with us, so that with him, we may be the hope of the world.
Evil and sin are all around us. Extremes of terrorism and the crass cruelty of leaders like Saddam Hussein are prevalent. Every age of the human condition seems to have its “Beasts.” So much of the world is unconvinced and unconverted to hope, renewal, to the love and forgiveness that comes from God. Yet we must remember that Jesus Christ himself was born into the human condition. He was the incarnation of God into the world in spite of its cursedness. Some very simple expendable people embraced him. Mary was a child of no account status or honor. Joseph the artistan carpenter and stonemason had no account or status so far as we know. Mary accepts the terrible risks for bearing the child, and Joseph accepts Mary and the child as his own. And yet out of that union and acceptance the child grows to his full stature, and some of the world slowly comes to the renewal and acceptance that truly this is the suffering servant, the son of God, who has come into the world.
In the weeks ahead we will enter into the Epiphany Season of the Church Year. It is the missionary season of the Church’s year in which traditionally, Jesus was made to shine forth in the world, like the star above the manger. In the midst of all the pain and the suffering of the world, and all the evil that prevails, and harms and threatens us and our children the Christ is to be made manifest. It is a time for reconsidering what it really means to be in love with Christ to embrace him as our hope and deliverance from pain, suffering, cruelty, and hatred. It becomes the time when we all join in with the work of Christmas: to care for the sick and the lonely, to listen with understanding and consolation, to be sensitive to human needs in the world and in our lives. It is our time to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, to grow with him, and in him, that he may govern and rule our human hearts so that we can with him bring healing, hope, and peace to God’s world.
SEASON: CHRISTMAS 2
PROPER: B
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: January 5,2003
TEXT: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 – The Flight into Egypt, and Joseph’s Dreams because the life of the child is threatened.
ISSUE: Matthew tells some of the awful truth of the birth of Jesus. He is born into a cruel and evil world, while at the same time he is the fulfillment of man’s hopes and dreams; he is the messianic hope for the world. Faithful Christian people must not take our hope in Christ for granted, but embrace it with all the love of Mary and Joseph.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And now, some of the rest of the story of Jesus’ Birth, according to Matthew’s take on the birth of Jesus Christ. In Luke’s account of the story, we have the artistry and poetry of the masterfully written story: the little town of Bethlehem, with angels singing, and shepherds worshipping at the manger. Matthew’s account of the birth tells more of the story that is often the less enjoyed part of the story. Matthew tells of the King Herod’s involvement in the story and the pursuit of Jesus and the slaughter of innocent children. Matthew, is also intent on aligning the story with Old Testament events and stories, as his gospel account addresses a largely Jewish Community.
Matthew’s community would have been relatively well versed in their Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures. Their great feast of the Passover was based upon their deliverance from evil Egyptian oppression through the work of God’s prophet and leader Moses. Early on in the History of the Jewish people, there was a man who could interpret dreams. His name was Joseph. The name of Jesus’ father is also Joseph, who is an interpreter of dreams. Repeatedly an angel comes to Joseph to direct him: to stay betrothed to Mary, to flee from Herod to Egypt, and then to take the child, Jesus, to Nazareth. Matthew, of course says, that all of these moves are fulfillment of prophecies, or at least one liners from Hebrew Scriptures: Hosea 1:11 – “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” And Isaiah 11:1 in which Isaiah says a new branch shall spring forth from out of the lineage of Jesse. The word for branch is “nezer” which sounds close to Nazareth. Matthew is intent on helping his people to see that Jesus comes forth from out of their history and prophetic anticipation.
The people of the time would also have appreciated that Moses was a great leader who led his people out of oppression and bondage from Egypt. In Matthew’s story, Jesus’ life as an infant is greatly at risk, like in the Moses Story. Moses was hidden from the evil Pharaoh in a tar-covered basket set afloat in the bulrushes of the Red Sea. Yet by the grace of God, he was protected, and led his people to freedom and the Promised Land. The crossing of the wilderness and seas were symbolic of the crossing through a possessed threatening environment. Matthew tells how King Herod threatened Jesus, like Pharaoh threatened Moses. Children are slaughtered, and he and his family eventually take flight from Egypt to Nazareth in Galilee, where he begins a ministry that will eventually lead Jesus’ followers into the Kingdom of God.
What essentially seems to be going on here is the presentation of the birth of Jesus into an extraordinarily hostile world. Matthew wants his readers to know and to believe that this Jesus is truly the anticipated messianic hope for the world. His coming and presence are deeply anticipated and rooted in the longings, dreams, visions, and hopes of the people and the prophets. The other most important part of this story is that the birth of Jesus into the world was not just the singing of angels and the adoration of the poverty stricken; it was a threatened fragile life from the very beginning. However, Joseph has grasped the meaning of the dreams and the visions, and sees the hope of the world in the child and becomes the great protector of so precious a gift, as the gift of the Christ child.
This very startling part of the Christmas story emphasizes the reality of the cruelty and hate that existed in the world. We are really confronted by that in this more neglected part of the story. Some Biblical scholars today, do not believe that there was an actual murdering of innocent children by King Herod. They are inclined to believe that this part of the story was simply a creation of Matthew, to make Jesus look more like Moses. Maybe so. Others believe that such a horrendous act by Herod would be picked up by other ancient historians and the story told in historical writings other than the Bible. Keep in mind that if such a slaughter did take place in Bethlehem, a tiny town of 100 people, there would not have been that many children anyway, and children were sickly and largely expendable anyway. The death of so few would not have made the headlines. But what we do know historically about Herod is that he was a paranoid king who murdered several of his own sons who threatened his power and throne. He was an evil man, and the story of Jesus birth and the threat to his life simply and clearly sets forth the idea that the world into which Jesus was born was a deadly world.
Surely none of us are so naïve to know exactly what the scripture alludes to in the history of our own time. We too have witnessed the bewildered faces of little children looking through the barbed wire fences of the Nazi prison camps in World War II, and who hid from the enemy in out house pits. They are clear images impressed upon our brains out of shear human tragedy. We remember well the photo of the little naked girl running in terror through the terrors of war in a village in Vietnam. We are almost numbed by the nightly news’ presentations of starving African children, and now the starving children in North Korea.
The part of the story of the birth of Jesus that really packs the punch is this part of the story about the terrible evil and threatening aspects of the human condition, and is the part that is often mostly ignored or minimized. Matthew told it for a profound reason. In a cruel world, Matthew was desperate for his community to take hold of the Christ Child, and hold onto him dearly, because he knew he would grow to be the hope of the world. The message is the same for us today, as it was for dear old Joseph and Mary: Protect the precious gift that has been given to you, and guard it with your life. Embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and allow him to grow up with us, so that with him, we may be the hope of the world.
Evil and sin are all around us. Extremes of terrorism and the crass cruelty of leaders like Saddam Hussein are prevalent. Every age of the human condition seems to have its “Beasts.” So much of the world is unconvinced and unconverted to hope, renewal, to the love and forgiveness that comes from God. Yet we must remember that Jesus Christ himself was born into the human condition. He was the incarnation of God into the world in spite of its cursedness. Some very simple expendable people embraced him. Mary was a child of no account status or honor. Joseph the artistan carpenter and stonemason had no account or status so far as we know. Mary accepts the terrible risks for bearing the child, and Joseph accepts Mary and the child as his own. And yet out of that union and acceptance the child grows to his full stature, and some of the world slowly comes to the renewal and acceptance that truly this is the suffering servant, the son of God, who has come into the world.
In the weeks ahead we will enter into the Epiphany Season of the Church Year. It is the missionary season of the Church’s year in which traditionally, Jesus was made to shine forth in the world, like the star above the manger. In the midst of all the pain and the suffering of the world, and all the evil that prevails, and harms and threatens us and our children the Christ is to be made manifest. It is a time for reconsidering what it really means to be in love with Christ to embrace him as our hope and deliverance from pain, suffering, cruelty, and hatred. It becomes the time when we all join in with the work of Christmas: to care for the sick and the lonely, to listen with understanding and consolation, to be sensitive to human needs in the world and in our lives. It is our time to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, to grow with him, and in him, that he may govern and rule our human hearts so that we can with him bring healing, hope, and peace to God’s world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
