Tuesday, December 26, 2017

What Brings You Here? - Christmas Eve Sermon

Listen to the sermon here.

Luke 2:1-20
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3All went to their own towns to be registered. 4Joseph 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. 5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And 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. 8In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” 15When 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.” 16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

What brings you here, to this place tonight?  What brings you here?  Have you come to see the Messiah?  Are you here to experience the birth of a long-awaited and promised king.  Are you driven by curiosity, and you’re here to see for yourself if the good news it true?  Are you here by routine, because this is what you always do on Christmas Eve.  What brings you here this night? Are you forced to be present at the nativity this night, whether by coercion or guilt or appeasement of a loved one?

I think that perhaps there is very little doubt as to what the service is about.  ho it is that we are waiting for and why we are celebrating at 4/11:00pm.  I suspect most of us know the familiar nativity story, with all of its tradition and theological depth.  With its odd layers of census, stable, and shepherds.  I suspect we’re all familiar with what happens this night, but what is it that brings you here this night, this O So Holy night, this silent nigh, this Christmas night?  

Tonight’s gospel text is one of familiarity.  Certainty. Perhaps we can’t recite all of the details and nuances, but I suspect the majority of us can paraphrase it.  This story has been popularized through song, stop-animation films, children’s pageants, movies, TV shows, and cantatas…

It’s a story so widely known that perhaps we gather this night not desperate for something new or insightful, but rather for something constant, certain, reliable.  That no matter what is going on in our world, we gather with hope beyond hope, and in certainty that Christ is born to us this night.  We gather in confidence that no matter where life leads, no matter what direction it points,  no matter the temptations or sins of this world, we know that the promise of God is fulfilled this night in Jesus Christ.  Emmanuel. God with us.  What brings you here?

In tonight’s story, a young couple, unwed and unexpectedly now pregnant are required to go to Bethlehem.  The requirement comes from a decree for the all of the world to be counted, and so there presence in Bethlehem isn’t necessarily one of choice but rather obligation.  The travel wearily for days only to be welcomed as strangers in a foreign land.  They didn’t feel as though they “fit” in, and the not-so-warm “no room” given by every guest house didn’t help.  They were lost and alone in the city of Bethlehem, but they had to be there that night.

In tonight’s story there are shepherds watching their flock by night.  Now all due respect to shepherds, but they didn’t hold a very high regard in society.  We don’t refer to them as lowly shepherds for no reason.  They were filthy, overworked and underpaid servants, with very little to their name.  For the most part they were only know if they failed at their job.   The shepherds are visited by an angel, a heavenly vision, greeted with good news of great joy, for a savior is born in the city of David.  And this shall be a sign for you; you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.  The shepherds travel to Bethlehem with curiosity and intrigue.  They’ve had a dramatic and spiritual experience that drives them from their fields, their comfort of life, to find something unexpected in Bethlehem this night. To find something life-changing.  I suspect they don’t know what they’re looking for or what they’ll find, but they know that they must visit this night.

In Matthew’s account of tonight’s story there are Magi, wise men.  These men hold a place of status in a busy world.  They are brilliant astrologers, and are regarded by society as scientists. They are led to Bethlehem by a star at its rising and wish to pay the new king of the jews homage.  They are side tracked by king Herod and ordered to find the baby and report back.  They’re journey to Bethlehem is marked by tension and confusion.  They know they want to find this Christ child in order to pay him respect, and when they do, these wise, brilliant, scholars bow to the feet of this new born baby.  

It seems no matter the road traveled, or the walk of life they come from their social status, or occupation…none of that seems to matter as they all find their way to Bethlehem.  For their various reasons...whether mandated, coerced, curious, inspired, confused, or intrigued...they are led by God to this place, Bethlehem, on this night.  

Friends the good news this night is that no matter your reason for being here, no matter your walk of life, no matter your occupation, status, sex, gender, ethnicity, race, or preference.  God invites you here...to this pace...to be a part of God’s story on this night and always to witness the promise of God fulfilled in Jesus Christ the Messiah.  

God invites us into the comfort and assuredness of God’s salvation story, that born to us this night in the city of david is a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  God brings you here, to this place, on this night.

And if we believe that to be true, then perhaps the question isn’t what brings you here, but rather how has the good news in Bethlehem, in this place this night changed you?  How does the good news this night affect you?  

What will your proclamation be when you leave Bethlehem this O so holy night, this silent night.  

Like shepherds who returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, or like wise men traveling home by a different road as to not let word get out that they had found the Messiah.  When you return to the business of life from this place of certainty and promise, this manger of hope and forgiveness, what will your proclamation be?


I guess the good news is that as much as God invites us here this night, God sends us out as well.  God goes with us from Bethlehem.  Because Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Emmanuel is born to you this night.

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached at St. Mark's Jacksonville, FL on 12.24.2017

Nothing is Impossible With God - Advent 4B Sermon

Listen to the sermon here.

Luke 1:26-38
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”  29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Crazy. Nothing about this story really makes any sense to me.  Now I should preface, I love the annunciation story as much as the next person.  It holds an essential place in the nativity story, and it has all of the perfect nuances of a classic Biblical story.  Angel sent by God to an unsuspecting time, place, and person.  

The familiar greeting of Do not fear, which usually precedes some form of prophecy or proclamation that is typically considered “good”...at least in the long run.  There is the nod to the prophets of old and the fulfillment of those prophecies.  There is mention of God’s power and presence.  All of this not to mention Mary’s humble and beautiful model of discipleship.  I love the annunciation story and its place in the narrative.

But when I really consider the story, and I’m honest with myself….nothing about this story makes any sense to me.  Especially if we place ourselves within the moment of the story, unaware of the events that will unfold in the next thirty years.  As a fly on the wall, I have really hard time comprehending this story.  And maybe, I’m the only one.

I think at times we grow nostalgic with some of the Advent and Christmas narratives.  They’re constants in our liturgical lives and we depend on them.   That can lead us to become sentimental towards them and possibly complacent with their complexities and scandal.   Perhaps it’s worth it, at least for moment this morning, to dwell with the...dare I say...absurdness of it all.

For hundreds of years the prophets spoke of a Messiah.  A great King of all kings and Lord of all lords.  A mighty ruler.  The expectation, as you know, was that this king would enter the world through royalty and extravagance. The savior would be raised in luxury through a famous lineage and would one day rise up to become a great, incomparable power.  He would rule over all lands and restore Israel to its proper stature and place.

And yet, it is to a small, somewhat off the grid, no-name town called Nazareth that God sends God’s most prevalent angel Gabriel to initiate God’s long-promised arrival in a king.  And at that time, the angel’s arrival and annunciation was so inconspicuous and simple that it defied all expectations.  Even more crazy, is that God finds favor in a teenage girl.  Ignoring the fact that she was unwed, she wasn’t even considering procreation.  

Can you imagine this unsuspecting girl having a conversation with an angel, and the angel politely begins with “do not be afraid.”  But that’s a pretty blunt ice breaker because the next thing the angel says is you will conceive God’s child, Jesus.   Honestly, it’s a bit ridiculous to me.  And her response, can you image, her reaction is how can this be...not when...but how.   Conception was not in her immediate future.

And if we dig past their conversation and the annunciation itself, it’s crazy to think that God...the creator of all things...the mighty one...the alpha and omega, the great I am, would choose to become incarnate in a simple, unsuspecting town…born among a poor family in an insignificant shelter….to grow up poor and misunderstood. That’s not even considering the fact that God would become incarnate in a world ravaged with violence and corruption.  A world darkened by sin and greed.  It just doesn't seem like the setting, the time, place, or location, that God would make God’s grand entrance. It just doesn’t make sense that THIS is the way God would fulfill God’s long-expected promise of a king. Can THIS really be God’s plan for salvation and redemption?

Yes...Of course on this side of the resurrection, we know that yes, this is God’s plan for salvation.  A small-town teenage virgin girl, giving birth to God incarnate, the savior of all nations, just as God promised I suppose.  Crazy

One of the most remarkable aspects of this text, beyond God’s plan for incarnation and salvation, is Mary’s humble and generous response.  Her model of discipleship.

Throughout the history of the Jewish people in the old testament there are numerous accounts of people interacting with an angel as a part of God’s calling.  There are a select few that oblige quickly with “here I am Lord.” but the majority of these characters fight God’s call.  They question their ability or worthiness, they challenge God’s intention or plan, the disagree or even disobey.  But It is on the rare occasion that a servant in God’s salvific plan humbly says yes.  I am your servant.  My soul rejoices.

Mary is one of those characters, and many regard her above the rest not only for her role in giving birth to God’s son, but for her joyous consent to God’s salvific plan.  “Here I am, the servant of my Lord, let it be according to your will.”  Crazy.

But ya know, as much as this text reveals the humble, servant heart of Mary, it also reveals a lot about God.  God chooses this moment in God’s history of creation and salvation to enter the world.  God chooses this small town in this moment to initiate God’s plan of salvation for all people.  God chooses this young girl, in this small town in this moment to be the literal bearer of good news to world desperate for hope.   If we didn’t know the ending then everything about God’s action in these stories would catch us by surprise.   Nothing about God’s choices in this girl, in this place, and in this moment match any of the people’s expectation of God.  In fact, Jesus is will spend a significant part of his life showing, telling, convincing people that he is the Messiah, that he is the one called for, that he is God incarnate.

And if we can glean anything about God in this short passage, perhaps it is that God acts counter to, or independent of our expectations.  Or better yet, and more simply, God acts.   Since the Genesis of creation, through the history of God’s people in Israel, and to the annunciation of the Messiah until now...God acts.   It might not always make sense to us, but God acts.  God acts with intention and purpose.  God is present in God’s action, whether through the Spirit, a pillar of fire, an angel Gabriel, or a human being, God is present in God’s action.  

And as the angel says, Nothing is impossible with God.  Nothing is impossible with God.  Maybe that’s the truth worth remembering in this whole thing.  That in God, salvation is given, even through a baby boy born to a virgin from a town called nazareth.

The good news today is that God loves us so much that God would choose to live among us.  God chose intentionally to enter the world in the most expectation-shattering way.  
God chose not to abandon us to our own sinful demise and consequences but rather to live among us and challenge us into a new way of life.  God became incarnate in a no-name town, and a off-the-beaten-path stable, to an unknown teenage girl to experience first-hand the world’s grief and pain.  God was born homeless and grew up poor and misunderstood.  

God lived among God’s people to share in joy and sorrow.  To teach about healing and love.  God in Jesus wept, rejoiced, lamented, felt anguish, guilt, and grief.  God loves the world so much that God even experienced death in the world.   I suppose I have a hard time making sense of that too.  Crazy.

Advent is a good reminder that God acts in favor of us in the most incredible, not expectant ways.  That God would break into a world full of sin, corruption, greed, self-interest….all in a baby boy, born to a virgin, from a town in Galilee called Nazareth.  

Doesn’t make any sense...or maybe it does.  Either way, thanks be to God.  Amen

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached at St. Mark's Jacksonville, FL on 12.24.2017


Sunday, December 17, 2017

Pointing to Christ - Advent 3B Sermon

John 1:6-8, 19-28
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”  And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”  “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you?  Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”  He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.  Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.  They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water.  Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”  This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Listen to the sermon here.

There is a famous altar painting, called the Isenheim Altar piece.  It was painted by Matthias Grunnewald in the 1516 just prior to the reformation event.  It is currently on display in museum in France.  The altar painting has several layers that open and close, each layer has  distinct panels that display different saints or festival occasions.  But when all the panels are in their primary location, we can see the most famous of the various images.  

In the middle is a painting of Jesus hanging on a cross.  To Jesus’ right is a depiction of Mary, the mother of Jesus  fainting into the arms of John, the beloved disciple.  And famously, to the left of Jesus, is a depiction of John the Baptist, JTB pointing to Christ. To be clear, John’s presence at the crucifixion is purely symbolic in this painting since he was beheaded prior to Jesus’ death.  It is symbolic because John the Baptist is regarded as the final prophet to announce the arrival of the Messiah.  

One of my beloved seminary professors always referred to this image as the bony finger.  
John is pointing to Christ with what many refer to as “the bony finger.”  His finger is longer than normal and bent in an almost impossible way.   And between his pointing and his body is a Latin inscription inscription taken from John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

This painting of John the baptist pointing to Christ is what the Gospel narrative is all about.

This is our second encounter with JTB, John the Baptist this Advent season.  Last week, you may recall Mark’s more familiar version of a wild man clothed with camel’s hair eating locust and wild honey.  This wild man appeared in the woods crying out with a loud voice, prepare the way of the Lord.  John was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

That familiar portrayal of John the Baptist is supported by both Matthew and Luke, in fact.
And we tend to associate JTB with baptizing, making straight paths, preparing the way for one who is stronger than he.  John, who baptizes with water.  John, who calls for all people to confess their sins and be baptized.  Wild man, locusts, honey, and camel hair.

However, today’s Gospel account makes no mention of any of theses things.  We are introduced to a man, John.  Just John, who is welcomed without descriptions or qualification.  John, a man sent by God as a witness to testify. The author is clear to emphasize that John’s primary role is as a witness to testify.   To point to the one who is coming after him, to point to the light, to point the bony finger to the one among them they do not yet know, the messiah.

This is an important understanding of John the Baptist in John’s gospel account because everything is intentionally focused on Jesus.  From the description of JTB, to his answers for the Pharisees, he is selfless.  Focused purely on Christ.  He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

When questioned by the authorities Who are you!? John is direct to say.  I am not the Messiah. “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”  Finally they said “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.   .

What is significant about JTB in this account is that he consistently speaks with regards to who Jesus is.  He seems to only answer in terms of who Christ is.  To their direct questions, are you Elijah or a prophet, he simply says “no.”  He gives no further information regarding himself.  But when the opportunity arises to speak about the Messiah he recalls the prophets of old and points the bony finger towards Jesus.

John is only able to answer the Pharisees questions of identiy insofar as his identity is tied up in who Jesus is.  We might say, John is...because Jesus is.  John has a voice and an audience only because the arrival of the Messiah.  John goes on to say, “there is one among you who you do not know.”  One who is the light, one who is much greater than I.  So great, that I am unworthy to even untie the thong of his sandal, a job for the lowest of servant. John points to the Messiah. The bony finger points to the one who must increase.  John’s whole purpose and presence in this passage is to get out of the way, redirect their attention, and point to the one who is, The Messiah, the lamb of God, the light that shines in the darkness.  To point the bony finger.

Advent, as we understand it in the church is a season that points us back to Jesus.  Whether we need redirecting or not, Advent points us to the one who is to come.  The one who is stronger, who is the light.  The Messiah.  And today JTB is the one pointing.  Decreasing himself and pointing to the one in whom we are given our identity.  Always pointing to Jesus.

I know that might sound like a trivial thought for Advent, but just a short moment of self-reflection or retrospection might reveal to us the many directions in which we are being pointed in the world.  
Especially during Advent and the holidays.  Where is your attention and focus this season?  In what direction are you being pointed?  Are you misguided by earthly temptations?  Has Jesus Christ, in whom we are given our very identity, taken a back-seat to a misguided adventure?  

That’s precisely where today’s gospel speaks.  John, a man sent by God came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.  To point us back to Christ.  To draw us in.  Spark intrigue and curiosity.  Remind us to whom we belong and find our being.  

I am reminded of this image...the bony finger pointing to Christ...during preschool chapel.  Every time the answer to my question is Jesus all the kids will point as hard as they can to the Jesus above the altar.  Without even realizing it, each one of those precious little children representing the kingdom of God, they become incredible theologians and point to Jesus.  They model John the Baptist’s  posture and point to Christ.  Without even realizing it they become some of the most faithful witnesses I’ve ever met.  Pointing to Jesus.

So dear brothers and sisters…I must ask, “Are we pointing to Jesus?”  Are we being the bony finger in the world?  In this advent season, in this time of preparation and expectant waiting, are we pointing to Jesus?  Are we in all things pointing to the light, the one who is much stronger that us, the messiah?  Are decreasing and allowing Christ to increase.  Are we serving as witnesses…testifying to the light?

In this season of anticipation consumed by fingertip knowledge and instant gratification, are we pointing to Christ?  Are we pointing to the one in whom we wait the one who waits patiently on us.  
The one who in an instant became human to live among us.  Share in our joy and sorrow.

In this season anxiousness, consumed by public debate, political unrest, self-interest, and uncertainty, are we pointing to Christ.  Are we pointing to Christ alone, our certain help in time of need.  
Christ the one who calms our storms and lifts us from troubled waters.  Christ who forgives those who act for selfishly, knowing not what they do.

In this season of hope, consumed with poverty, homelessness, and exclusion are we point to Christ?  
Are we pointing to the one who offers hope.  The one he came to being but was without a home, the one refuged to Egypt for fear of his life, the one persecuted and beaten because he challenged authority and acted counter to cultural expectations.  

Are we pointing to the inclusive Christ, who ate with sinners, tax collectors, and outcast members of society.  Are we pointing, like John, to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus for all sins for all people.  In a time of conflict, a world desperate for a symbol of hope, are we as Christians pointing to the one and only who saves. Are pointing to Christ. 

Now to be clear, I want you to hear me say that it is not my intention to imply that you or I or we are not pointing to Christ.  Rather my hope is that a new light is sparked with in your.  That you are ignited in a new way.  Experiencing hope in a different way.

Friends, the good news is that no matter whether we are always pointing vehemently to Christ, whether we are led astray by the temptations of the world, or whether we are just too darn defeated to point or be pointed, The Messiah still comes.  

The lamb of God still enters the world to take away the sin of the world.  The light still shines in the darkness...and the darkness will not, can not overcome it.  God promised a Messiah, and regardless of ourselves, God keeps God’s promise.
  
Karl Bart wrote, “all of theology is in that single, bony, finger.”

Our reminder this Advent, and our call everyday is to take every opportunity as an opportunity to point the bony finger.  Point to Christ.  The challenge is  pointing so much so that when asked who we are, we cannot help but answer in a way that ties our identity to who Christ is?  We are because Christ is.  Baptized in the waters we cannot help but raise a bony finger pointing to Christ.  Pointing to the Messiah

© Pastor Daniel Locke Dec. 17, 2017 @ St. Mark's Lutheran Church Jacksonville, FL