As is our custom, a scripture for Saturday:
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Luke 2:1-20 – NRSV
Blessings,
Ron
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
A star that does what stars do not ...
This is no natural phenomenon.
These men know and understand nature.
They have traced the arcs of the stars.
They have searched out the eccentricities of the
bright and orbiting planets.
If they were to see a comet,
it would not be their first.
Yet what they see shakes them,
it moves them to leave their ivory towers
to seek out the remarkable person marked
by this bright portent, this luminous omen.
It is a star; a star where once there was none.
A star that does what stars do not:
Stand still.
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 2:1-12 – NRSV
These learned and wise ones come bringing gifts,
Offering tribute to what must be a great and mighty king.
Somehow the starry signal is so clear,
somehow the child seems so extraordinary,
that the simple shepherds and the simple surroundings
do not distract from the message or its power, but,
instead, make clear just what kind of message
God is sending through this child.
These wise ones come bringing gifts, yet
They leave feeling that they have been out-given.
Now, it is true that wisdom can lead to despair,
much learning can make one too timid to act,
and scholarship too frequently provokes cynicism,
but these wise ones have been given hope.
And courage.
And faith.
A Prayer
Kim Kwan Suk
Give us hope
To look forward
To happy tomorrows.
Give us courage
To face hardships
Without losing hope.
Give us faith
So that the joy of receiving Christ
Will lead us to serve our fellow [human].
Give us appreciation
For the gifts we have received
That we might use them responsibly
Daring to give
Friendship, service, and love.
Give us Christmas throughout the year
Blessings,
Ron
These men know and understand nature.
They have traced the arcs of the stars.
They have searched out the eccentricities of the
bright and orbiting planets.
If they were to see a comet,
it would not be their first.
Yet what they see shakes them,
it moves them to leave their ivory towers
to seek out the remarkable person marked
by this bright portent, this luminous omen.
It is a star; a star where once there was none.
A star that does what stars do not:
Stand still.
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 2:1-12 – NRSV
These learned and wise ones come bringing gifts,
Offering tribute to what must be a great and mighty king.
Somehow the starry signal is so clear,
somehow the child seems so extraordinary,
that the simple shepherds and the simple surroundings
do not distract from the message or its power, but,
instead, make clear just what kind of message
God is sending through this child.
These wise ones come bringing gifts, yet
They leave feeling that they have been out-given.
Now, it is true that wisdom can lead to despair,
much learning can make one too timid to act,
and scholarship too frequently provokes cynicism,
but these wise ones have been given hope.
And courage.
And faith.
A Prayer
Kim Kwan Suk
Give us hope
To look forward
To happy tomorrows.
Give us courage
To face hardships
Without losing hope.
Give us faith
So that the joy of receiving Christ
Will lead us to serve our fellow [human].
Give us appreciation
For the gifts we have received
That we might use them responsibly
Daring to give
Friendship, service, and love.
Give us Christmas throughout the year
Blessings,
Ron
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Can I have a picture?
The Torah is truth. Its words are sublime, wise, and empowering. But even with this divine revelation, the chosen people continue to struggle to understand what it means to be the community of God. Yes, the written word is a lamp unto our feet, but is it enough? What does it mean to be the people of God? What does it mean to be a blessing to all nations? What does it mean to really enact the kingdom of God?
Like many people picking up a book, we start looking for a picture or two to help us out. And if there are no pictures, can I have a diagram? Or maybe a map?
Jesus is our picture.
“If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”
“I am the Word.”
“I am the Way.”
“I am the Light.”
The life of Jesus is a complete portfolio,
visualizing the “word of God” becoming the “Word of God”.
Consider the words of Rodney Clapp:
God’s Word is not first and foremost abstract belief, propositionalized truth. So it is that Jesus – a person, not a proposition – is presented as the supreme and the unique embodiment of the Word (John 2:11; 20:30). And he is constantly about embodying the words of life. He speaks of the bread of life and miraculously feeds over five thousand with edible, actual bread (John 6). He speaks of the light of the world and heals the blind (John 8:12, 9:1-11). He speaks of the resurrection and the life and raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11). He speaks of servanthood and washes the disciples feet (John 13). And John seems to expect that this speaking and its embodiment will continue, for Jesus says to his followers, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). To recognize the church as the body of Christ is to recognize that the church exists as a continual, ongoing embodiment of God’s Word.
What Jesus is, is what we, his church, are called to be.
What Jesus does, is what we, his body, are called to do.
Even though the entire church does not have the giftedness or power
to match what Jesus could do, it is our calling to try.
To try to talk honestly with the one struggling for answers,
To try to engage the pain of the broken and hurting,
To try to live openly before the babes learning the godly life,
To try to point to sanity and salvation for a world desperate for both,
To try to speak out loud the truth that is more and more subversive
to the powers and principalities in our world every day.
Then, having tried, to examine the truth of our failings,
to listen to the voice of the truth-speaking prophets,
and try to do better tomorrow.
As we celebrate the coming of Jesus among us in the flesh,
May we have the courage to enact Jesus living among us in the flesh,
Until the day that he appears in person, triumphant and eternal.
Amen.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Quote from Rodney Clapp, A Peculiar People, p. 136.
Like many people picking up a book, we start looking for a picture or two to help us out. And if there are no pictures, can I have a diagram? Or maybe a map?
Jesus is our picture.
“If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”
“I am the Word.”
“I am the Way.”
“I am the Light.”
The life of Jesus is a complete portfolio,
visualizing the “word of God” becoming the “Word of God”.
Consider the words of Rodney Clapp:
God’s Word is not first and foremost abstract belief, propositionalized truth. So it is that Jesus – a person, not a proposition – is presented as the supreme and the unique embodiment of the Word (John 2:11; 20:30). And he is constantly about embodying the words of life. He speaks of the bread of life and miraculously feeds over five thousand with edible, actual bread (John 6). He speaks of the light of the world and heals the blind (John 8:12, 9:1-11). He speaks of the resurrection and the life and raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11). He speaks of servanthood and washes the disciples feet (John 13). And John seems to expect that this speaking and its embodiment will continue, for Jesus says to his followers, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). To recognize the church as the body of Christ is to recognize that the church exists as a continual, ongoing embodiment of God’s Word.
What Jesus is, is what we, his church, are called to be.
What Jesus does, is what we, his body, are called to do.
Even though the entire church does not have the giftedness or power
to match what Jesus could do, it is our calling to try.
To try to talk honestly with the one struggling for answers,
To try to engage the pain of the broken and hurting,
To try to live openly before the babes learning the godly life,
To try to point to sanity and salvation for a world desperate for both,
To try to speak out loud the truth that is more and more subversive
to the powers and principalities in our world every day.
Then, having tried, to examine the truth of our failings,
to listen to the voice of the truth-speaking prophets,
and try to do better tomorrow.
As we celebrate the coming of Jesus among us in the flesh,
May we have the courage to enact Jesus living among us in the flesh,
Until the day that he appears in person, triumphant and eternal.
Amen.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Quote from Rodney Clapp, A Peculiar People, p. 136.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
God is with us ...
We have asked for God to be with us,
And he has answered our prayers in a way
very different than that which we expected.
"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,"
which means, "God is with us."
God does not arrive as a mighty king,
riding a snorting, raring charger.
He is delivered as the precious, helpless child
of a teenage mother whose own people
do not believe her incredible story.
This child is an outcast, not the patron,
not the host, but one needing
hospitality on even his first night
In our world.
A Prayer for Emmanuel
Ruth Duck
Come, Christ Jesus, be our guest,
And may our lives by you be blest.
Come, God-is-with-us,
And free us from the false claims
Of the empires of the world.
We are lonely for you and your peace.
Come, Emmanuel, and dwell with us.
Make us your people indeed,
The people through whom you bring
Love and justice to the world.
Come, Jesus, and reign;
Claim your rightful place within our hearts
And in the midst of our community.
Plant the seeds of hope amongst us.
Establish God’s reign on earth.
For we pray as you taught us
That God’s reign might come in fullness on earth.
Ruth’s prayer calls us to remember.
Remember, God has not come and then deserted us.
He said, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Remember, this presence is not vague or distant;
he is with us, up close and within our community:
“For where two or three are gathered in my name,
I am there among them."
Remember, we are his body – some of us his hands,
some of us his feet – and he lives and works
in us and through us, not as individuals,
but as a people.
May God in his grace, help us receive
the grace of his presence,
and enact the power of that presence
in our lives today.
Ron
(Matthew 1:23-24; Matthew 28:20: Matthew 18:20 – NRSV)
And he has answered our prayers in a way
very different than that which we expected.
"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,"
which means, "God is with us."
God does not arrive as a mighty king,
riding a snorting, raring charger.
He is delivered as the precious, helpless child
of a teenage mother whose own people
do not believe her incredible story.
This child is an outcast, not the patron,
not the host, but one needing
hospitality on even his first night
In our world.
A Prayer for Emmanuel
Ruth Duck
Come, Christ Jesus, be our guest,
And may our lives by you be blest.
Come, God-is-with-us,
And free us from the false claims
Of the empires of the world.
We are lonely for you and your peace.
Come, Emmanuel, and dwell with us.
Make us your people indeed,
The people through whom you bring
Love and justice to the world.
Come, Jesus, and reign;
Claim your rightful place within our hearts
And in the midst of our community.
Plant the seeds of hope amongst us.
Establish God’s reign on earth.
For we pray as you taught us
That God’s reign might come in fullness on earth.
Ruth’s prayer calls us to remember.
Remember, God has not come and then deserted us.
He said, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Remember, this presence is not vague or distant;
he is with us, up close and within our community:
“For where two or three are gathered in my name,
I am there among them."
Remember, we are his body – some of us his hands,
some of us his feet – and he lives and works
in us and through us, not as individuals,
but as a people.
May God in his grace, help us receive
the grace of his presence,
and enact the power of that presence
in our lives today.
Ron
(Matthew 1:23-24; Matthew 28:20: Matthew 18:20 – NRSV)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I will rescue ...
The restless wind is cold and merciless as it blows over the land. It stirs the blanket of snow covering the landscape without moving or melting it. The snow would be beautiful if it were new and if it had not been there for a long time, a time which seemed to approach forever in the memories of the inhabitants of the land. The snow, beautiful once, has now become hateful and oppressive. Even with that snow, the land has become cloudy and dark.
If not for the hardiness of its citizens, the land of Narnia would appear to be near death, the last of its life oozing away as it writhes in the talons of the witch. Yet something remains that cold, brutality, wickedness, and oppression cannot seem to destroy: Hope. Hope stirs the hearts of the faithful, and it gives them the strength to go on as if the oppression were only temporary, as if the world might be different somehow, as if it made sense to live counter-cultural lives.
What stirs these hearts? What moves as a threat to this wasteland of white? What keeps this hope alive? Three little words. Three little words that are the beginning of a narrative subversive to the hate and the oppression and the waste holding the land and its population captive. The words? Aslan is coming. People who do not even know who Aslan might be are moved by these words. The way that the words are spoken, you know that Aslan must be a savior or king. It seems obvious that Aslan is bringing something vital: rescue, light, and life. Three words bring all of this good news and more. Aslan is coming.
Since C. S. Lewis writes this story for children, he does not conceal too carefully the metaphoric connection between Aslan and Jesus. One does not need a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric to see that feelings experienced in the anticipation of Aslan are parallel to the emotions stirred at the coming of Christ. But his story does make us think. It makes us think about how things were just before Jesus.
It makes us think
of the many failed efforts at human government.
It reminds us about
humanity’s struggle with faithfulness before a faithful God.
It brings to mind
the tendency for people with power to abuse power,
turning it to their own purposes
instead of those of God or his people.
Misgovernment, unfaithfulness, and abuse of power
always lead to poverty, despair, and oppression.
But God will not leave us there.
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.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 – NRSV
Yet for God’s people in captivity, a short sentence reveals the belief that Yahweh is not about judgment, but about salvation. His Torah was not meant to bring condemnation but peace. His Word is intended to bring the opposite of despair; it stirs hope. The Messiah is coming. Have we become callous to the power of that brief sentence? Surely we still see the need? Surely the cold winds of life have not snuffed out this hope in our heart?
Yes, Jesus came to us nearly 2,000 years ago. But the people of this planet are still looking for him. If we are truly the body of Christ, if each of us can enact our part within that body, he will come here today, too. His presence in his people can still save, can still heal, can still comfort. But we have to believe. We have to remember to believe, and behave as if we really do believe. Faith. Hope. Love. Faith will stir hope, and hope will empower love. That kind of love is more than wishful thinking; it is hopeful living.
Learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
*C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia
If not for the hardiness of its citizens, the land of Narnia would appear to be near death, the last of its life oozing away as it writhes in the talons of the witch. Yet something remains that cold, brutality, wickedness, and oppression cannot seem to destroy: Hope. Hope stirs the hearts of the faithful, and it gives them the strength to go on as if the oppression were only temporary, as if the world might be different somehow, as if it made sense to live counter-cultural lives.
What stirs these hearts? What moves as a threat to this wasteland of white? What keeps this hope alive? Three little words. Three little words that are the beginning of a narrative subversive to the hate and the oppression and the waste holding the land and its population captive. The words? Aslan is coming. People who do not even know who Aslan might be are moved by these words. The way that the words are spoken, you know that Aslan must be a savior or king. It seems obvious that Aslan is bringing something vital: rescue, light, and life. Three words bring all of this good news and more. Aslan is coming.
Since C. S. Lewis writes this story for children, he does not conceal too carefully the metaphoric connection between Aslan and Jesus. One does not need a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric to see that feelings experienced in the anticipation of Aslan are parallel to the emotions stirred at the coming of Christ. But his story does make us think. It makes us think about how things were just before Jesus.
It makes us think
of the many failed efforts at human government.
It reminds us about
humanity’s struggle with faithfulness before a faithful God.
It brings to mind
the tendency for people with power to abuse power,
turning it to their own purposes
instead of those of God or his people.
Misgovernment, unfaithfulness, and abuse of power
always lead to poverty, despair, and oppression.
But God will not leave us there.
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.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 – NRSV
Yet for God’s people in captivity, a short sentence reveals the belief that Yahweh is not about judgment, but about salvation. His Torah was not meant to bring condemnation but peace. His Word is intended to bring the opposite of despair; it stirs hope. The Messiah is coming. Have we become callous to the power of that brief sentence? Surely we still see the need? Surely the cold winds of life have not snuffed out this hope in our heart?
Yes, Jesus came to us nearly 2,000 years ago. But the people of this planet are still looking for him. If we are truly the body of Christ, if each of us can enact our part within that body, he will come here today, too. His presence in his people can still save, can still heal, can still comfort. But we have to believe. We have to remember to believe, and behave as if we really do believe. Faith. Hope. Love. Faith will stir hope, and hope will empower love. That kind of love is more than wishful thinking; it is hopeful living.
Learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
*C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia
Monday, December 15, 2008
What Child is this?
Let us consider the wise words to this beautiful song:
What Child is This?
William C. Dix
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Let the words of that song echo in our hearts as we listen isten to the sage counsel of Eric Milner-White:
Beloved in Christ, at this Christmas-tide, let it be our care and delight to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger. Therefore let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious redemption brought to us by this Holy Child.
But first, let us pray for the needs of the whole world;
for peace on earth and goodwill among all of his people;
for unity and brotherhood within the Church he came to build,
and especially in this our [congregation].
And because this would rejoice his heart, let us remember, in his name, the poor and helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the oppressed;
the sick and them that mourn,
the lonely and the unloved,
the aged and the little children;
all those who know not the Lord Jesus,
or who love him not,
or who by sin have grieved his heart of love.
Lastly, let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore, and in a greater light, the multitude which no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom in the Lord Jesus we are one forevermore. These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the Throne of Heaven, in words which Christ himself has taught us, “Our Father …”
Grace and peace,
Ron
What Child is This?
William C. Dix
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Let the words of that song echo in our hearts as we listen isten to the sage counsel of Eric Milner-White:
Beloved in Christ, at this Christmas-tide, let it be our care and delight to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger. Therefore let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious redemption brought to us by this Holy Child.
But first, let us pray for the needs of the whole world;
for peace on earth and goodwill among all of his people;
for unity and brotherhood within the Church he came to build,
and especially in this our [congregation].
And because this would rejoice his heart, let us remember, in his name, the poor and helpless, the cold, the hungry, and the oppressed;
the sick and them that mourn,
the lonely and the unloved,
the aged and the little children;
all those who know not the Lord Jesus,
or who love him not,
or who by sin have grieved his heart of love.
Lastly, let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore, and in a greater light, the multitude which no man can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom in the Lord Jesus we are one forevermore. These prayers and praises let us humbly offer up to the Throne of Heaven, in words which Christ himself has taught us, “Our Father …”
Grace and peace,
Ron
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