"My soul magnifies the Lord - for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant"

Scripture: Micah 5:2-5a  •  Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7  •  Hebrews 10:5-10  •  Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)

In preparation for the coming of God's good news we have spent time in the wilderness with John the Baptist, and considered scripture about the second coming of the Messiah - the Christ. This week we consider all of the hopes, fears, doubts, anxiety, joy and love of Mary, the God bearer and Mother of God who magnifies the Lord from her lowly, humble state. "Little, lowly, humble" are words we see in this week's scripture, from "Bethlehem, a little clan of Judah, to an unwed, pregnant teenager, who "left in haste," to go to her cousin Elizabeth, as Fr. Rick Morley tells us in "from shame to blessing with haste."


And it is from and to the lowly the Holy One comes - the hungry are fed, the rich are sent away empty, the powerful are removed from their homes, as Mary sings to us the Magnificat. How are we to receive this gift of the Christ child, and, in turn, offer his gift of love, compassion, forgiveness, peace and wholeness to others? See Morley's remarks about Elizabeth in "from shame to blessing with haste," Dan Clendenin's "Blessed is the Child You Will Bear - Advent and Anxiety," and Theme and reflection, Call to Worship and Reading for the Lighting of the Advent Candles, 4th week from Anna's Hosannas.

"We MUST set aside an empty space, even if it is only a feeding trough in a stable somewhere, that God can visit us.  Emptying ourselves is the greatest act of love we can offer; we make space for the other to enter us and live in us.  Since love is the traditional theme for this Sunday of Advent, it's a perfect match."

 

 

 

Anger and Joy. Preparing for the Lord's coming.

Scripture:Zephaniah 3:14-20  • Isaiah 12:2-6  • Philippians 4:4-7  • Luke 3:7-18

Anger and joy. Amid the hustle and bustle of the season, year's end work to finish, cleaning, baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping presents, meetings, choir practice, addressing Christmas cards, office and church dinners, worshiping, reading, checking off our lists and agendas, thinking of others...thinking of others? There are a lot of emotions which come into play during Advent and Christmas.

We again encounter John the Baptizer, crying out for repentance in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord, and this time, in addition to the urgency of his message, we see can hear anger in his voice. Why? In preparing for the Lord, what are we called to do? See Reflections by The Rev. Kate Huey.

Yes, we have all experienced or witnessed the full range of emotions and human conditions during the Christmas season. Great joy, wonder, surprise and sadness, loneliness, nostalgia, and anger. And in the midst of all of our humanity, the Lord comes to us, the giver of life, to share all that is life with us. Read Joy- the Colour of Grace by Christopher Burkett, and the story of the grandmother, Gagi, to see why anger is not enough, as we prepare for the coming of the Lord, who is doing something wonderful and new.

“This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be”

Scripture: Baruch 5:1-9 or Malachi 3:1-4  • Luke 1:68-79  • Philippians 1:3-11  •  Luke 3:

In the second Sunday of Advent we read about the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."  We read of him in the prophesy of Malachi, and in the Song of Zechariah, the no-nonsense, urgent message of John the Baptist, clothed in skins of wild beasts, sustained on a diet of locusts and honey - Repent of your sins, for the kingdom of God is at hand!

We are in the season of Emmanuel, God come near, and John the Baptist prepares us by telling us to "Repent!" How is this "good news?" See "This isn't the way it's supposed to be," by The Rev. Dr. Joseph S. Pagano. John prepares us for the good news of the gospel, which is Greek for "good news." Pagano has a good discussion of what sin is, and why it is good news that we know that something isn't what it should be, and the liberating power of forgiveness along with a vision of hope and a way to  "shalom," God's peace.

It wouldn't be Advent without "Anticipation." As Lance Moore tells us In "Anticipating the Advent," children know it. If only we adults could reclaim some of the anticipation and surprise, the excitement and wonder, of a child’s Christmas . . . or of the very first Christmas. And yet, today's lesson is about preparedness. How do we prepare to be surprised?

 

Advent, The Coming and Presence of Christ

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-16  • Psalm 25:1-10  • 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13  • Luke 21:25-36

We finished Lectionary year B with apocalyptic readings, followed by Christ the King Sunday, and begin Lectionary Year C this first Sunday in Advent, a season in which we celebrate Christ's coming, with apocalyptic readings concerning the second coming of Christ, the Parousia (παρουσια - coming, presence).

Read "Advent:Waiting and Working for the Kingdom," by the Rev. Dr. J. Barney Hawkins, IV, and see how many ways you can think of how we can prepare and be part of the coming of Christ, now and tomorrow. How can a kingdom be made of a wasteland? Read "A Kingdom from a Wasteland," by Dave Barnhart. What are the wastelands of our lives, our community , church and society? What are we called to do about them? Why?

Moving Beyond "It is what it is."

Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)  • Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 and Psalm 93  • Revelation 1:4b-8  • John 18:33-37

As we end Lectionary Year B, last week we considered endings and beginnings - the birthpangs of God's kingdom Jesus shared with his disciples. Endings and beginnings. Not always comfortable - in fact, shaking up our complacency with the way things are is what Jesus is up to.

We have been told that the first shall be last and the last first, that it is hard to participate in God's kingdom if we are preoccupied with wealth, possessions, and even our own personal agendas. Being open to change of everything about ourselves, our relationship with God and our neighbors will help us to move beyond "it is what it is," to it can and will become what God ordains us, and our relationships with God, and our neighbors, to be. 

This week is "Christ the King" Sunday. Think about the reversals and different way of thinking - metanoia - turning our mindsets,or repentance, Jesus calls us to do when thinking about the kingship of Jesus. The first step beyond "it is what it is," and "becoming who we are called to be," is to realize we are beloved - so beloved of God. See  A King's Gift by The Rev. David Lose, or as he puts it,"we are enough."  What is different about this King of Kings, and the life we are called to? What are we known for? What will be remembered for? Read The Servant King with Scars by Bishop Ronald Warren.

The End of the World as We Know It

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:4-20 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10 •Daniel 12:1-3 and Psalm 16 • Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25 • Mark 13:1-8

It is fitting, at the close of Lectionary Year B, and before the beginning of Advent, that we consider endings. Apocalyptic and eschatological readings are sometimes read to portend of the end times. Apocalypse comes from the Greek αποκαλυψισ, interpreted as a revelation, an appearance, a manifestation. Eschatology is sometimes referred to as the study of the end times, but on a different level, addresses the meaning of history, the ultimate destiny of humanity. Most modern eschatology and apocalypticism, both religious and secular, involves the violent disruption or destruction of the world, whereas Christian and Jewish eschatologies view the end times as the consummation or perfection of God's creation of the world. For example, according to ancient Hebrew belief, life takes a linear (and not cyclical) path; the world began with God and is constantly headed toward God’s final goal for creation. Rudolph Bultmann in his "History and Eschatology: the Presence of Eternity," sees Christ as the eschaton (εσχατον),  the presence and focal point of realizing the ultimate meaning of our lives. A lot has been written, jokingly and seriously, about the end of the Mayan calendar..

In the gospel account this week, the disciples marvel at the huge stones of Herod's temple. Jesus tells them: "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs."

What is Jesus telling us? Read "Transcending all that is 'thrown down'," by the Rev. Anjel Scarborough, and “The Destruction of  the Temple Foretold” by David Owens and  Mark Smith. What does "The End of the World as We Know it" mean?

Lessons from Widows and The Public Face of God's Purpose

Scripture: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 and Psalm 127  • 1 Kings 17:8-16 and Psalm 146  • Hebrews 9:24-28  • 

 Mark 12:38-44

This week our lesson come from five widows in the accounts of Ruth, Naomi, Orpha, Zarephath of Sidon with Elijah, and the anonymous widow in Jesus' lesson of the widow's mite.

Look at the circumstances and status of each widow, and the role each plays in the accounts. What does God teach us through these widows, from all who are "widowed?"  See Nancy Rockwell's "The Widow's Mite."

After the election (thank God it is over), eminent Old Testament scholar, author, professor and minister, Walter Bruggemann offers us the following prayer:

"Post-Election Day."

You creator God
who has ordered us
in families and communities,
in clans and tribes,
in states and nations.

You creator God
who enacts your governance
in ways overt and
in ways hidden.
You exercise your will for
peace and for justice and for freedom.

We give you thanks for the peaceable order of
our nation and for the chance of choosing—
all the manipulative money notwithstanding.

We pray now for new governance
that your will and purpose may prevail,
that our leaders may have a sense
of justice and goodness,
that we as citizens may care about the
public face of your purpose.

We pray in the name of Jesus who was executed
by the authorities.

Bruggemann asks us "So what is the "public face of God's purpose" to which God calls us?" See Dan Clendenin's "The American Presidential Election and ' the Public Face of God's Purpose."