Bring the Demons to Submission - Sermon on Revelation 12:7-12

Revelation 12:7-12

7 And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb  and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. 12 Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath,  because he knows that his time is short!”

Luke 10:17-20 

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Sermon 

So, today we celebrate Michael and All Angels day!  We honor the witness and fervor of angels as they act on behalf of God, delivering messages of God’s good word.  In our text from the book of Daniel, Daniel learns of a chief prince named Michael who assists in the fight against the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Greece. Prince in this instance implies not a human in royal leadership but rather a sort of super human, celestial being that represents the interests of particular people.  So the Angel Michael is introduced to Daniel as the protector of his people.

In our text from Revelation, John records vision of a great red dragon, with seven heads, ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.  His tail sweeps down a third of the stars of heaven, throwing them to the earth. The dragon stands ready to devour the child of a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  The child, who is to rule all the nations is born and snatched away, taken to God.  

So, a war breaks out in heaven, and Michael and all his angels fight the great dragon.  And despite the dragon and his angel’s best efforts, they are defeated. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

And so, we celebrate today the festival of Michael and All Angels.   Angels thwarting dragons. That matches our cultural experience and portrayal of angels doesn’t?  

In a few weeks you’ll set up the annual Christmas tree and you’ll grab your box of ornaments from the attack, and you’ll hand your family heirlooms, and your favorite meaningful ornaments.  You may have some eloquent globes or figurines. Maybe a hallmark ornament. And then of course you’ll pull out the classic celestial figure slamming a giant 7-head dragon, the deceiver of the whole world, throwing him down to earth.  yah? Everyone has one of those, right? You don't?

No, certainly our society has an affinity towards angels.  The conversation and portrayal of angels is so abundantly present that we almost become desensitized to them, right?

Think about Clarence Obdoby, Angel 2nd Class, who answers the prayers of family and friends on Christmas eve to save George Bailey,  And if successful, will earn his wings. This movie of course, it’s a wonderful life. And in the end, the bell on the tree rings, and the young girl zuzu says, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” 

Think about the mid 90s and TV.  I can still hear the opening tune to the show…”I’ll will walk with you, til the sun don’t even shine...I’ll walk with you..every time..I tell ya I’ll walk with you.”

Anybody? Touched by an angel?  I remember my parents watching it.  And again, the story of an angel, named Monica, who has climbed the angel promotion ladder from choir to annunciations, and now promoted from the search and rescue division to work individual cases.  Along with her supervisor, Tess, Monica meets people on the walk of life, to help manage their cases, for a positive outcome. This portrays angels as guardians. 

Speaking of guardians, there was a story out of Germany a few months ago.  A man was driving his car and caught speeding by a traffic camera. As the car passed the camera, the camera took a snapshot in order to issue the ticket.  Well at the exact moment the picture was taken, a dove flew in front of the car with its wings spread, hiding the man’s face.  

The police reported jokingly that a “thanks to a feathered guardian angel..” and the intervention of the “Holy Spirit” they will choose mercy over justice and not issue a ticket.”  They said, “we have understood this to be a sign to leave the driver at peace.” We portray angels as helping us avoid tickets.

If you haven’t heard, I was in a car accident this past week.  Everyone is ok. Just a bruised ego and a very bruised car. But I was reminded of 2005, when I was in my first car wreck.  I totalled my jeep. It wasn’t my fault. Lol. Anyways, when I got my new, used car, someone gave me a little metal guardian angel to clip on my sun visor and it said, “Never drive faster than your guardian angel flies.”

Right, these are the ways we perceive and portray angels in our everyday lives.  I can’t tell you the number of stories I’ve heard from people who were in an accident, or in the hospital, or a precarious situation and they talk about an angel rescuing them or aiding them.  They can’t always recall the details of who or how, but they know so strongly that there was some sort of presence felt. As though an angel was watching over them or intervening on their behalf. 

We portray angels as statues in our gardens, figurines on our mantles.  We have plumb little babies with wings and halos, or delicate, fragile silver or diamond angelic beings dangling on chains around our neck...or charms on bracelets.  

One of my favorite movies growing up...angels in the outfield.  Young Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Rodger. And Roger’s dad promises that if the Angels win the pennant, his dad will come home.  So Roger prays, and for the rest of the season angels show up to assist the team and help them win. Rubbing pitcher’s shoulders.  Elevating outfielders to make crazy catches. At one point the whole stadium flaps their wings because they believe in something bigger.

The symbolism of Angels is everywhere.  The language of angels is so present. How often do you or someone you know talk about someone being angelic, or acting like an angel?  Or, an angel brought us together? An angel must have been watching over me? An angel made me do it! 

It’s such a common place.  Even in our worship, we talk about angels.  In communion I say, and so with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim we praise your name and join their unending hymn.  Notice our hymns today… 

I think we’ve come to appreciate and perceive the presence of angels, but they truly remain somewhat of a great mystery, right?  What does an angel look like? How do they act? Can humans be angels? Do they really level up from choir to case management? Are they guardians, controlling our acceleration pedal and monitoring our life choices?    

Are they tangible, real beings, or hidden celestial beings.  Is this the power of our confession when we proclaim a belief in God, the maker of heaven and earth, all things seen and unseen? 

What, we fairly ask, is the deal with angels?  Perhaps scripture is a great place to start. 

Think about Abraham.  In Genesis 18 it tells us that Abraham was visited by the Lord as he sat by the entrance of his tent.  But the story goes on to say that three men approached the tent. Abraham welcomed them and fed them. They proclaimed to Abraham and Sarah that Sarah shall bear a son.  The Lord appeared to Abrhama as these three men. 

Think about Luke 1, as the Angel Gabriel is sent by God and appears to Mary.  Gabriel says Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. He then proclaims to her that she will bear God’s son. 

Think about Acts 12, when Peter is bound in prison.  While the guards sleep and angel of the Lord appears, taps him on the shoulder, and helps his escape prison.  It says Peter didn’t realize what was happening was real. He thought it was a vision. Once the angel leaves him, peter is certain that an angel rescued him. 

In Mark 16, The women enter then empty tomb and find a man, dressed in a white robe.  He says “Do not be alarmed and proclaims that Christ is risen”

Revelation 14, Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on earth - to every nation, tribe, and language. 

Psalm 91 - for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Hebrews - Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 

Of course, Revelation 5, as John hears the voice of thousands of angels - tens of thousands - circled around the throne singing “worthy is the lamp, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. 

And of course there is today’s text...The great prince or angel Michael and his angels defeating the great dragon.  

When we take another look through scripture and the presence of angels, it becomes apparent that an angel is one who delivers good news, proclaims good news.  Brings forth the testament of God and God’s power. To be sure, the word Angel, when translated literally means “messenger.” An angel is one who delivers a message. We tend to associate angels with God as heavenly beings.  

But the reality of the translation is that an angel is simply a messenger.  One that is empowered by God, intrusted with good news, and sent to deliver the good news.  More specifically, an angel is equipped with the word of God. The logos. God’s word alone.

If we look at today’s text from revelation, it is Michael and all angels that defeat the great dragon.  But to be precise, verse 11 tells us that “they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”  The gift and power of the witness of angels is the deliverance of testimony. A message of God’s grace and love. And for the sake of scripture, testimony that is God’s word.  Good news in God’s name.   

The church has a long held a belief in angels and their witness to the power of God’s word to bring good news into a dark world.  In fact, Luther insisted that this day, Michael and All Angels always remain a festival day so that we as a Christian people might hear again the story of the angels, and the power of the word of God to strike down the forces that defy God. 

Think about the 3rd verse in Luther’s A Mighty Fortress.  

Though hordes of devils fill the land

                all threat'ning to devour us,

            we tremble not, unmoved we stand;

    they cannot overpow'r us.

            Let this world's tyrant rage;

    in battle we'll engage!

His might is doomed to fail;

                God's judgment must prevail!

One little word subdues him.

In our gospel lesson today from the 10th chapter of Luke, the 70 return with joy saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”  Recall that Jesus sent the 70 out two by two, to carry no purse, no bag, no sandals. To greet no one on the road. To offer peace to the household and remain in that house eating and drinking what the host provides.   

So the 70, equipped with nothing but the word of God and the accompaniment of sibling, go forth in the name of God to share the peace of the Lord.  To deliver to every town and place a message of God’s good peace and the promise of God's favor. And what they experience, what they encounter, what they witness, is the power of God’s word to bring demons to submission.  To bring light to the darkness. To bring hope to the despair. To proclaim favor, justice, mercy, peace, and love. 

And so in the celebration Michael and All Angels, rejoicing with the return of the 70, we might remember and reclaim the power of our witness in the world.  That we too, have been called by God, claimed in the waters, equipped with every good gift, sent forth into the world to deliver a message.  

That is a message of eternal hope, of grace and glory, of promise and forgiveness.  It is a message that frees the captives, redeems the oppressed, lifts the lowly, and casts down the mighty.  It is a message that restores kingdoms, and tears down divisions. It is a message that always, always, always acts on love and delivers good news.  And friends, with the word of God on our lips, hearts, and in our actions, the demons of this world submit. They fall down.  Amen.

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Sept. 29, 2019 @ St. Mark's JAX 

What Does It Cost You? - Sermon on Luke 14:25-33

Listen to the sermon here. 

Luke 14:25-33

25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them,²⁶ "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.²⁷ Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him,³⁰ saying, "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'³¹Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?³² If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.³³ So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

SERMON

“When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.”   These are no doubt powerful words. Anybody familiar with that quote?  Do you know who wrote it? “When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.”  When put into context, these words are all the more powerful.

In 1937, at the height of the Nazi Regime, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a well known book called “The Cost of Discipleship.”  Bonhoeffer was German pastor and theologian, and perhaps most well know for his resistance and opposition to the Nazi party.  From the beginning, Bonhoeffer publically and passionately opposed the Nazi party. Even more so, he was deeply troubled by the misuse of the gospel message and power of Christianity to justify mass genocide.  He was worried that the secularization of faith and grace was a cause for complacency and indifference - that the cost of our salvation was taken for granted, that forgiveness was an endless gift, and therefore and failure or shortcoming as disciples of Christ was shrugged away under the gift of grace.  He called this cheap grace. Grace that is abused and taken for granted. Grace that abounds despite our own sinfulness, our indifference, our hatred, and inability to act.

So, Bonhoeffer spoke adamantly of costly grace.  Grace that convicts us to live into the crucifixion of Jesus and rise again to work towards the kingdom of God, despite the costs.

In his book, he wrote. “Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.

 It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” 

In the mid 1930s, despite being a vocal and public opposition to the work and belief of the Nazis, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany.  For several years to risk his life traveling from town to town, educating and training clergy and church leaders in underground seminaries.  By 1940, he was shut down by the Gestapo. Banned from Berlin. He was silenced.

He accepted a job at Union Theological Seminary in the US, where he would be safe from persecution.  But within a few short years he said, “I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period in our national history with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people ... .I must choose but I cannot make that choice from security.”  

By his convictions as a Christian, and at a cost, he returned to Germany to proclaim the gospel and the grace of Christ.  He was silenced. Harassed. Arrested. Imprisoned in concentration camps. And eventually he was hanged.  

“When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.” 

I suppose today’s reading calls to question, what is the cost of being a disciple.  What does it cost to be a Christian. To be a follower of Christ. And I mean that seriously, myself included, what does it cost us to be disciples and followers of Christ?

You don’t have to answer out loud if for no other reason than I don’t know what my own answer would be.  And to be clear, I’m not talking about an hour in worship and a few hours a week of service. I’m not talking about your 10% tithe or charitable giving.  It’s so much more. And it’s what Jesus talks about in front of a large crowd today, what does it cost to be a follower. A disciple.

And I would venture to guess, that once most of us had a chance to think about it, the answer would frankly be “nothing.”  It doesn't really cost us anything. Being a Christian, being a disciple is not in and of itself a risky endeavor. On a day-to-day basis, it cost most of us nothing to be a part of the body of Christ. 

Since baptism, God claimed us and named us, grafted us into the body of Christ.  Into the one mission we share. We were called to be God’s children. And from that day forward, we’re Christians, followers of Jesus, free to invest as much or as little of ourselves, our time, and our possessions as we choose.  And we can be as Christian as we want without it costing us a thing.

But, given today’s text, shouldn’t it cost us something to follow Christ?  Should there be some sense of risk involved? Why doesn’t our discipleship stir up a bit of trepidation or hesitation?  Is following Christ really that...easy?

The word “follow” has taken on such a different meaning in the context of today’s world.  Our cultural and social media dominate life has almost redefined what it means to follow. With the click of a button you can follow almost anyone you want.  And just as easy you can broadcast all of your life for anyone in the world to follow you. Status is gained by having a higher number of followers.  

When we think about Instagram, Facebook, twitter...whatever it is, we are invited to follow the lives of whomever we want.  Famous movie stars, and athletes. Musicians, friends, hobbyists...whomever. With one click we become a follower. A subscriber. 

More importantly, we follow at a distance.  We can watch their every move, read and hear what they have to say, we can like or ignore whatever we do or don’t support.  We follow at a convenient distance. We become subscribers of content.   And the larger the following the more powerful the person we follow.  But this sense of following is actually simply observation, empty and vain.  And it cost us nothing.  

In today’s Gospel text Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem.  Word has spread about the things he has done and said. People continue to gather around him and the crowds follow.  Now we don’t know how big the crowd was, but it was big enough for the gospel writer to make mention of it. Jesus turns to them all and offers some very blunt words about what is at stake if they desire to be his follower.  

After all, Jesus has his eyes on Jerusalem, where he’ll be arrested, beaten, tried, and crucified.  This journey is not for simple onlookers, marginal observers, and curious inquires. No, Jesus is ushering in a new reign of God, a kingdom that will rattle the foundations of the known world, unsettle the bedrock of the cultural, societal, and political norms.  And if, IF you desire to continue to follow Jesus, you must be honest about what lies ahead, and that it might cost you your very life. 

“When Christ calls a human, he bids him come and die.”

In Jesus’ day, it really was a costly decision to follow Christ.  I think we too often make light of it because in the beginning of the gospel Christ calls and the disciples drop everything and follow.  No big deal.  

But the reality was, following Jesus often meant encountering conflict...with family, friends, coworkers.  It meant forsaking or changing your life-long beliefs about the Messiah and what to expect.  It meant denouncing the ways of a sinful world, challenging powerful systems, venturing to hostile territories, dining with sinners, accompanying the unclean, caring for the oppressed, loving the last and least, finding the lost, and healing the broken. 

Following Jesus truly and literally meant following in his footsteps.  It meant, as the definition goes, paying close attention to Jesus, acting according to his example, conforming to his ways, and striving for his witness.  Following Jesus meant you were bid to come and die. Die to the old ways of life, be transformed by his radical witness of love and justice, and live in proclamation of God’s kingdom.  

So when we ask ourselves what does it cost us to be a disciple and follower of Christ and our answer is nothing, then I think we must re-encounter the gospel message, reassess Christ’s call to come and follow, reevaluate our identity as Christians.   I suspect that when Jesus laid out the cost of being a disciple to the crowd, several people turned around and said never mind. I bet they went on home where life felt safer, easier, and more content.  

Friends, being a Christian, a disciple, a follower of Christ is not something we should take lightly or for granted.  Because the truth is, the call to discipleship has in fact cost us our lives.  

In the waters of baptism we drown to the old way of living and rise again, claimed and named into a new way of life.    And baptism isn’t simply a Rite of initiation. We don’t haphazardly click subscribe to be a Christians and follow safely from a distance.   Leaning in when convenient or beneficial. Stepping back when too risky. 

No, we’re in the thick of it.  IN the footsteps of our radical, counter-cultural Messiah, we’re on a journey to Jerusalem, where our very lives are stake.  Believing in the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus changes the way we see the world. Being washed in the waters of costly grace and fed at the holy banquet table, where we receive a foretaste of the feast to come transforms the way we live out our life.  Our calling. Our discipleship.  

And in part, that’s exactly what God’s Work. Our Hands day is about.  It’s not just a time of church wide service. It’s not simply about giving our time and resources to intentional serve our neighbor.  God’s Work. Our Hands. Is intended to be a public affirmation...a re-affirmation really that we are called, claimed, named, and appointed disciples of Christ.  

As followers of Christ we don’t just choose to get our hands and feet dirty in the muck of the world, we absolutely cannot help but engage with the brokenness of the world.  

As followers of Christ we cannot help but forsake the lifelong teachings of sinful world, Can’t help but denounce sin, death, devil, and all the forces that defy God.  

We cannot help but challenge unjust systems of power, venture into hostile territory, break bread with sinners, accompany the unclean, care for the oppressed, and love the last and least.  We cannot help but heal the broken and care for creation.

And the truth is, this calling may cost us everything.  Following Christ, being a disciple may cost us everything.  And for many of the apostles and early church leaders, it did.  It cost them their lives.  

My siblings in Christ, our world is bent, broken, oppressed, and in desperate need of healing.  And as the church, the incarnation of God’s costly grace, we absolutely must engage. We must pick of the cross, take the risk, and harken Christ’s bid to come and die. 

Because through death is the promise of resurrection.  And at the cost of following Christ, God promises hope.  God promises forgiveness. God promises grace. God promises everlasting life.  And thanks be to God, it is freely given. 

Amen.

 © Pastor Daniel Locke, Preached on Sept. 8, 2019 @ St. Mark's Lutheran JAX, FL

Attentiveness - Sermon on Luke 2:1-22 - Christmas Eve

Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]

1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.³ All went to their own towns to be registered.⁴ 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.⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.⁷ 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.⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.¹⁰ 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:¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."¹³ And 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!" [15 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."¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]

Sermon

There’s a profound sense of attentiveness this night.  I wish you could see what I see. Ya know, every week I stand in the pulpit and read from the gospel.  Typically, the majority of folks are reading along in their bulletin. A few are looking at me as a I read, but most are readinging along.  

But on a night like tonight, there is a intriguing sense of awareness and attentiveness.   Tonight when the gospel was read, a few eyes followed along in the bulletin, but an above average amount of people looked to me as I read.  Or rather, looked to the gospel as it was proclaimed. 

There is a profound sense of attentiveness this night.  Now whether that attentiveness comes from genuine intrigued, fascination, and wonder with what God is up to in this story...or if it is rooted in “yah, we know the story, hurry up and get to the good stuff so we can get back home to our presents and packages, our dinners and cookies...our family traditions ...or bed.  Either way, tonight’s proclamation of the gospel beckons us into a renewed sense of wonder and attentiveness.

That nativity story is one of great familiarity.  Perhaps we can’t all recite it perfectly with its many details and nuances, but I suspect the majority of us gathered here can paraphrase it with confidence.   It is the same gospel story proclaimed every single year on Christmas Eve, and even if this is your first time worshipping in a Lutheran church on Christmas Eve, I would venture to guess that we all know what to expect this night.  The Spirit has brought us all together in this place, and I doubt there was much question as to what passage might be read from scripture.

It’s a familiar story, and we’re glad to hear.  And I think the familiarity of the story makes us extra attentive and aware not because we’re eagerly waiting to hear something new, discover a new angle or detail, uncover some new nugget from within the story that will blow our minds… I think the heightened attentiveness and awareness is because we know the story so well and we rely on this night, we depend on this story because it is constant.  It is certain. It is reliable. 

So That no matter what is going on in our world...no matter the consternation, brokenness, or despair….the nativity story remains a light of hope.  A beacon of love that proclaims a God who is abundantly up to good… A reminder that God defied all expectations and fulfilled a promise to intimately abide with the world through Jesus Christ - the Emmanuel.

In tonight’s story, a young, unwed, and unexpectedly now pregnant couple are required, mandated to return to their place of family origin to be counted in the census.  The requirement comes as a decree from Emperor Augustus for all the world to be counted. So they journey to Bethlehem, not by choice but by obligation. 

They traveled wearily for days only to be un-welcomed as though they are strangers in a foreign land.  They didn’t feel welcome. There was no place for them to stay. No room. They were lost and alone in the city of Bethlehem.  And even though they were filled with the promise of God in the form of a baby child...the bearer of God made flesh had no place to lay her head.  

In tonight’s story the shepherds, minding their own business were keeping watch over their flocks by night.  They were on high alert with intent listening in order to protect the flock. And all due respect to Shepherds, but in that day they did not hold a very high status on the vocational totem poll.  They were filthy, dirty, overworked, and underpaid. They worked long hours and slept outside with animals. They were at the bottom of the first century socio-economic world. 

And in tonight’s story, the story we so dearly love, God acts in the most scandalous way.  God becomes incarnate in the form of a baby boy, born to a lowly, unwelcomed and wandering family, born in a setting least suited for a king.  Casting the mighty and powerful aside, the heavenly angels declare good news to the poor and lowly. 

The angels go to the fields and seek out the discarded and underappreciated shepherd workers and says Today...we bring you good news of great joy for all the people, because a Today a baby is born and that baby is God’s son.  And he is the Messiah. He will reign in such a way that the world could never expect. 

And Honestly, at its surface, nothing about this story makes sense.  Nothing about is deserving of a headline or media frenzy. Nothing about this unknown, unwelcomed couple having an illegitimate child in an unsavory location in the middle of the night is cause for any attention.  There is no reason for the world to care. There is no reason for the world to listen to shepherds proclaiming all they’ve seen and heard.

And yet, here we are this Christmas eve to hear the familiar story.  With eager anticipation and an attentive ear we lean into something faithful.  Something reliable. Something genuine. Something true. 

I think we trust this story and its place within our lives because it is a proclamation of truth and hope in amidst a world ravaged by false testimony, unfaithful witness, insecurity,... a world that can be experienced as luring and deceptive, bearing false hope to those least, last, and lost. 

We tune our ear, like shepherds in a field by night, to the glory of God’s victory.   In this precious moment we remember that God took on flesh, for the sake of the whole world.  God became incarnate to live and breath among us. To wander in wade in the experiences of life.  To know true joy among family and friends and to dwell in the deepest moments of grief. God became incarnate to share in the breadth of human emotions and experiences, even to the point of death on a cross.  

And I think we’re so attentive to this oh so familiar story because we know the ending.  

We know the completeness of God’s work in the world.  

We know that this Christ child, born of lowly parents in a place not worthy of being called a bed or home...we know this Christ child, the emmanuel, God with us changes the world.  Changes the course of humanity by flipping the world’s expectations and proclaiming a message of hope, life, love, and peace to the whole world, especially those considered the lowest among us.

We attend to the scandal of this night--God breaking forth to dwell among us, in the vulnerable moments of human existence because the proclamation is reliable.  It’s truth. It’s promise. It’s hope. It’s for you and me, and for the whole world.

And while the world might work desperately and tirelessly to oppose this message of hope...as the world bends, fractures, and breaks...dividing, distorting, and abusing relationships….as the world lures us to believe that wealth, power, status, and self indulgence is life giving or life saving….God humbles the world. 

Through a virgin named Mary and a man named Joseph, God blesses us with divine presence.  For no other reason than the fact that God loves us that much.

So dear friends, while we lean into God’s victory tonight...as we tune in attentively to the old, reliable, message of hope.  May it be a reminder that God is still just as active among us today. Christ, the emmanuel, being born among us is but a turning point in a the greater narrative of God’s hope for the world. 

May this night, this O so holy night, be a reminder...No, an invitation to remain attentive.  Attentive not only to the glory of God in the story of Jesus, but attentive and alert to the work of God here and now.  The power of God among us today...casting the mighty down from their thrones and uplifting the lonely. 

Like shepherds in the field, attentive to their flock and their lives...may we keep watch, be alert...heighten our awareness because 

Dear siblings in Christ….Tonight we proclaim good news of great joy!  For us and for our salvation, a child is born this day in the city of David. a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  Emmanuel

Amen. 

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Dec. 24, 2018 @ St. Mark's JAX

Turning the World Upside Down - Sermon on Luke 3:1-6

Listen to the gospel lesson and sermon here.

Luke 3:1-6

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.³ He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.⁵ Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' "

Well, we seem to be getting closer to the holiday texts we know and love.  Last week we read from Luke 21, where Jesus sits on the temple mount and offers an apocalyptic discourse to the disciples.   Today, we go back just a bit further in time to the time of John the Baptist. Today’s text in the third chapter of Luke actually occurs after Jesus has been born and raised.  

I promise, if you hang in there, we’ll eventually get to the picture perfect holiday texts that we all know and love.  The manger, shepherds, Mary and Joseph. All of the good stuff. I promise it’s coming.

But until then, it is important that we spend some time in Advent being reminded that we wait not only for the story of Christ being born, but also we wait for the second coming of Christ.  We wait anxiously for the time in which God will make all things new. A time when God will turn the world upside down. Restore all of creation and make us whole.

We wait ever so patiently for the completion of God’s kingdom, praying daily for thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  For now, in the season of Advent, it is good for us to dwell with the gravity of what it is we’re actually waiting for.

Today’s text sets up the time of John the Baptist.  We don’t actually hear from the John the Baptist until next week, when he comes out swinging from the wilderness and he shouts to the crowd, “You brood of vipers…”.  

But until then, today’s text only introduces the one crying out in the wild.  We are introduced to his presence, and the stage is set for his arrival. The arrival of the one written about in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” 

I think it is interesting and worth noting in today’s text, that the text isn’t about Jesus.  It’s actually not even about John the Baptist. In fact, today’s text opens with an unexpected litany of political, economic, and religious leaders and officials.  Luke sets the stage for John’s entrance by rattling off the who’s-who of first century people in power. 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius…when pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.  When Herod was the ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the the region Ituraea and Trachonitis, and lysanias of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…

Luke is setting the scene for the time of John and Jesus’ arrival.  And between you and me, Luke is baiting his audience, the readers,...he’s baiting you and me to learn a valuable lesson about God and what God is up to.  This text is about God and what God is up to.

The text isn’t actually about Jesus.  And it isn’t really about John the baptist.  Nor is it about the list of powerful leaders.  This text is really a subtle proclamation about God and God’s intention for the world.  It is a subversive message about God’s plan for salvation to a broken creation. It’s about God and what God is up to. 

During my time at Lutheridge as a camp counselor, I learned a lot of songs.  And one of the camp favorites was a song called One Name. The lyrics read, “One name under heaven, whereby we must be saved.  Forgiven of our sins, baptized in the water, filled with the Holy Ghost, washed by the blood of the lamb. Free to be free my friends, freed by the blood of the lamb.”  

Then the 4th and final stanza of the song goes, “God’s goinna move this pla-a--ace, God’s goinna move this place...God’s goinna turn this whole world, upside down.”

God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.  That’s the subtle message of today’s text and I suspect it went right by most of us when we first read it.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius...with Pontius Pilate governing Judea...with Herod and his brother ruling Galilee and beyond.  With Annas and Caiphas ruling the high priesthood.. God is up to something. Something new. Something unexpected. Something that will turn the whole world upside down.  Something that will shake the status quo to its core. 

You see, in those days the world in desperate and eager for a Messiah, a savior.  Someone to fill the centuries of prophecy that came before. Someone who would be raised up as a might ruler, a king of kings, a leader of nations, a great and powerful savior of the people.  

And so with each powerful political and religious leader that Luke rattles off he challenges the expectations of the world.  God’s up to something …but it won’t happen through the mighty Emperor Tiberius. God is up to something, but it won’t be through powerful Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea.  God is up to something, but it won’t be through the revered king Herod or his brother. God is up to something but it won’t be through the religious elites, Annas and Caiphas.  

With each and every name Luke announces he not only establishes a timeline to set up the time of John and Jesus, but Luke announces the mighty and powerful leaders of their time and then sets them aside.   And with the world’s greatest economic, social, and political leaders aside, Luke tells us that the word of God came to a man named John. Not an emperor, not a governor or king..not a religious leader. Just John, son of Zechariah...king of the wilderness.

God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.   God’s word...God’s word incarnate...comes in complete opposition to the world’s expectations.  To a wild man in the wilderness...a lowly guy named John, the word of God comes forth as a voice in the wilderness, crying out, “prepare the way of the lord” proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 

Do you see what God does?  And honestly, as people who know the complete story it should come as no surprise, but God is flipping the script.  Turning the world upside down. Dismissing human expectations and understandings of power. 

God breaks forth not in the mighty and their thrones, but in the lowest, smallest, most unexpected way.  In fact, it is out of the wilderness, the very place that represents wandering, doubt, darkness, and uncertainty, that’s the place that the word of God shows up.  

That’s where the word of God prevails.  Not in the rich, mighty, and powerful. But in the damp, dark, dirty wilderness...God is up to something. God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.

Luke makes it a point to tell us that God shows up in the most unexpected, counter-cultural way. The fact of the matter is that the systems of power in place in the world will crumble at the presence of God.  God will humble everything that is proud and self-satisfied. God will cast the mighty down from their thrones and uplift the lowly. Out of the wilderness, God is up to something. 

And whether we like it or not...whether we admit it or not...this upside down turning of the world is what we wait and long for in the season of Advent.   It’s what we hope for. It’s what we pray for. It’s what the world is desperate for.

A savior who turns the world upside down.  Who actively seeks out the outcast, poor, lost, lame, and last.  A savior that proclaims good news to the oppressed and sets the captives free.   A savior who challenges and opposes the systems and cycles of power still rampant today.  A savior who confronts any and all abuse of power and restores justice. A savior who flips the script, restores right relationship, and calls forth all of creation to be made new. 

As you most of you know, I have a 4 month old son, Bennet.  And raising Bennet is a learning curve that I know many of you can attest to.  Well, he recently learned a new trick. He has learned how to roll over onto his stomach.  But...and I think this is the important part...he doesn’t know how to roll back over. 

So while it may be cute and adorable at 3 in the afternoon to watch Bennet roll over on his play mat...it is less than cute at 3am ...and 4am..and 5am...when he rolls himself onto his stomach and then screams because he’s stuck.  He finds such joy in his new ability, but it ultimately leaves him stuck, annoyed, and lost.

The world is just like Bennet.  Infatuated with our abilities, our human-made structures and systems, enamored by power and status.  Humankind is wading in sin, wandering in the darkness...stuck and lost from our ways. Screaming out for a savior.

Two nights ago, in the span of 8 hours...Sarah and I responded to Bennet’s screams for help 10 times.  10 times in 8 hours we awoke to him rolled over..stuck, annoyed, and lost. And each time, we crept into his bedroom, gently turned him over, reminded him that he is ok and he is loved, and then soothed him back to sleep...knowing good and well he’d do it again.

God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.  That’s how God is with us. In the time of John the Baptist and Jesus, the world had lost its way.  Humankind was living for their own sake. 

The emperor Tiberius, the Governor Herod...the religious and political leaders and officials… they lived for their own benefit.  For their own wealth. They thrived on systems of power the abused relationships, discarded other human beings, neglected the sick, poor, oppressed, lost, last, and lonely.  The world was stuck in sin. Screaming in the night for someone to come and save.

And God did just that.  God became incarnate, took on human flesh to be among us.  God’s word came out of the wilderness...the very place of wandering, doubt, despair, and darkness.  And God’s word spoke. Calling all people into repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Sins that got us stuck in the first place.  

Repentance, by its very definition is to turn around...to turn away from harmful, corrupting, and indulging sin...and turn to God.  A complete 180.

And God, gracious and abounding in steadfast love responds every time to our cry.  God’s gonna turn this whole world upside down..

The good news my friends is that God is still up to something.  God is still active. God is still the one meeting us in the darkest wildernesses of our lives and proclaiming a word of hope.  God is still moving among us. God is still calling us to repentance and forgiving our sins. God promises to always be present.  And God promises to turn this world upside down….or perhaps...right side up.

So, I suppose the question is: Do you ever stop, pray, listen, and wonder...what is God up to?  Where is God moving and stirring? Where in life do you find yourself in the wilderness? In the dark, desperate, and despairing places?   Do you cry out to God? Is God responding? 

And if so, is it making you uncomfortable?  Unsettling your foundation? Is God moving in a way that challenges you to evaluate and reexamine your life?  Is God turning your world upside down?

Amen. 

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached 12.08.2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran JAX, FL

Advent 2015 | Prepare the Way of the Lord

ADVENT 2015
One of my many roles at Bangsar Lutheran Church 
this year was to plan the theme and preaching series for Advent 2015.  Below is the outline of texts and themes, as well as a description of each week's theme.  I chose the theme: Prepare The Way of The Lord.  As part of my preparations for Advent I created 4 banners to be hung in connection with each week's theme.   

OVERVIEW:

As Christians we live in a time of now and not yet.  Living as witnesses of the resurrection, we eagerly await the second coming of Christ by living a life worthy of the Gospel message.  However, we often find ourselves impatient and exhausted by the call to share the good news of Christ.  Advent, the first season of the Christian church year, is a season full of anticipation and preparation.  Advent helps us align our impatience, not with each other or the stumbling blocks of God's mission, but with the long awaited Messiah, both now and not yet.  This Advent we will talk about 'Preparing the Way of the Lord' within our community and our own lives by remembering the age-old story of God's love and giving praise and thanks to God for God's fulfilled promises.  

WEEK-BY-WEEK:

Advent 1 | In community

      Jeremiah 33:14-16  |  1 Thessalonians 3:9-13  |  Luke 21:25-36

Since the birth of Christ, communities have formed around the Gospel message.  Some communities form for the purpose of persecuting Christ and Christians.  Some communities form as disciples, followers, early churches, and converts.  Again and again God shows us through history that the Gospel message is one that tears down walls and unites community.  We are united not as a community of small distinctive groups, but as a community of individuals – forming the body of Christ.  The message of the promised Messiah was and is meant for all people, and although there weren’t many people present that first Christmas day God intended for all people to hear the Good News, from wise men in the East to shepherds of the fields.  As we ‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’ this Advent, we do so in community, knowing that we are stronger together (as we are meant to be) than we are apart.  Together we wait in hope and faith for the promised Messiah and the long-awaited return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Advent 2 | Remembering the old, old story

       Festival of the 9 Lessons and Carols  |  Luke 3:1-6

The death and resurrection of Christ is intricately connected to the birth of the promised Messiah.  It is because we know the outcome of Jesus’ life and ministry that we are able to understand the significance of his birth; therefore, we observe, remember, and celebrate the birth of Christ through the lens of the cross.  As Christians we acknowledge that the birth of the promised Messiah and redemption of God’s people through death and resurrection is not the first of God’s salvific work, but a continuation of God’s promise.  Scripture invites us into the history of God’s redeeming work then, now, and always.  As we ‘Prepare the Way of the Lord” this Advent, we do so by remembering the old, old story of God’s love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and promise.  Together we join the whole hosts of heaven and the company of the saints proclaiming what God has done through history, is doing through the promised Messiah, and will continue to do in the final days.

Advent 3 | In our heart, soul, & mind

       Micah 5:1-5  | Hebrews 10:5-10  |  Luke 3:7-16       

In antiquity, God’s people longed for a Messiah to bring about the kingdom of God.  The prophets repeatedly spoke of a Messiah who would reign as king of kings, wonderful counselor, and prince of peace.  People were desperate for this Lord.  In the birth of Jesus Christ, the prophecies were fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near.  However, 2000 years later we remain desperate for the Messiah.  We are in continuous need of God’s redemption and salvation, gifted through grace.  We are a broken people longing for our Messiah.  As we ‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’ this Advent, we do so by preparing our heart, soul, & mind for the way of the Lord, realigning our desires, fears, hopes, and our very selves with the way of the Lord.  Together we hear the voice in the wilderness crying, ‘repent, and make straight the paths of the Lord’ because one who is more powerful is coming, and he will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and make us a new creation.

Advent 4 | Giving praise

     Zephaniah 3:14-20  |  Philippians 4:4-13  |  Luke 1:39-56

After receiving word that she is pregnant with the Son of God Mary sings praise to God.  She proclaims, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”  Mary’s delight is in God and God’s faithfulness as she recounts God’s steadfast mercy from generation to generation.  Her song is known as the ‘magnificat’.  In the season of Advent, as we anticipate the long expected Messiah, we are invited into Mary’s song of praise.  We rejoice in God’s steadfast mercy and faithfulness.  As we ‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’ this Advent, we do so by praising God for God’s faithfulness through the generations.  Together we lift our hearts to the Lord because the “Mighty One has done great things for” us and will continue to do great things.