Epiphany 3

Thoughts toward a sermon. Readings are here.

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he
withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,


The frustrating thing about the Gospels is the lack of details about motivation - feelings - etc. I am meditating on how it must have been for Jesus - he and John have been having a big time running around preaching about God -- now the reality of arrest and the future hits him. He moves away from his home of childhood to Capernaum by the sea. I can see him taking a while there - sleeping in, keeping a low profile - walking by the sea, doing a few handy man carpentry jobs for food --- did he get the baptism message right? did he really say those things in the wilderness? It is a transition moment for Jesus - and he steps out on the beach ....

Second Sunday after Epiphany

The readings for 2 Epiphany are here.

Isaiah tells the community that they are to be a light to the world – switching back and forth, in the style of prophetic writing, between a representative individual and the community – he tells them that even though they feel week and outcast – they are chosen by God to be that light.

Paul assures the church as Corinth that they have all the gifts needed to do the work God calls them to do. As we read later in Paul’s letter – they have the gifts but need to look at how they are using them – to build up or to tear down?

The gospel tells us of the call of Andrew – how he had been following John but now is turned toward Jesus by John. Jesus asks them what are you seeking? The 2 ask Jesus where he is staying – but Jesus only says, – come and see – Andrew then leads Peter to follow.

Come and see – that is the invitation we have been offered and that we can offer to others. Jesus wants us to walk with him and see how to find the life God wants for us. He does not tell them what they will find – he allows them to live into it. By the end of the story they have found what it is they are seeking and they have learned to abide (stay) in that presence – the presence of God who is Love

We are called to point the way for others – to invite them to come and see – to find rest for their souls, to find abundant life that is not dependent on material goods, to find that they are the beloved of God.

Tomorrow we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. – he did not start out to be the hero of the civil rights era – he was just being a pastor like his father before him, he started giving sermons on how all are created in the image of God and that all deserved a chance to become the person was calling her or him to be. Then one night he found out he was deep into the scary part of being a Christian. Here is the article from the Montgomery newspaper:

28 January 1957
Montgomery, Ala.

After another weekend of violence in Montgomery, including a failed attempt to bomb King's home with twelve sticks of dynamite, King declares to his Dexter congregation on 27 January that their city is "dangerous to live in--it's no longer safe." For the first time he talks about his experience of a "divine" presence a year before, when God gave him the courage he needed to face escalating threats of violence. A Montgomery Advertiser article the next day included these quotations from King's sermon.

After describing the vision to his almost-filled church a few hours after a dynamite bundle failed to explode on his porch when his family was not at home, King said in prayer:

"I realize that there were moments when I wanted to give up (leadership of the pro-integration movement) and I was afraid but You gave me a vision in the kitchen of my house and I am thankful for it."

The 28-year-old Baptist minister said in his sermon that after Montgomery Negroes began a 381-day bus boycott on Dec. 5, 1955, "I went to bed many nights scared to death" by threats against himself and his family.

"Early on a sleepless morning in January, 1956," King said, "rationality left me." Then, "almost out of nowhere I heard a voice
that morning saying to me:

"Preach the Gospel, stand up for the truth, stand up for righteousness."

King went on, "Since that morning I can stand up without fear. So I'm not afraid of anybody this morning.

"Tell Montgomery they can keep shooting and I'm going to stand up to them; tell Montgomery they can keep bombing and I'm going to stand up to them.

"If I had to die tomorrow morning I would die happy, because I've been to the mountain top and I've seen the promised land and it's going to be here in Montgomery. The old Montgomery is passing away and segregation is dying," King declared.

PD. Montgomery Advertiser, 28 January 1957.

He had his moment of seeing where this journey was taking him – he experienced fear but then he knew that God was with him all the way – and he gained the courage to continue.

We are not all called to be Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Mother Teresa – we are called to ourselves and to take the path that is our to take in the company of Christ. Some days just making it through another day is all that is required. Other days we are asked to speak out for those who have no voice or who are afraid to speak. Some days it is caring for our immediate families and friends - other days it may be seeing to the needs of the world. As Oscar Wilde said “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” The readings today speak to each of us as individuals and to us as a community. The church, hopefully, offers a place where we can "come and see" - a place to have our questions and share them with one another, to learn more about the One we follow. It is interesting that Jesus says "follow me" and never "worship me." We do worship him but not in a static - this is all there is - way --- but to find rest for our souls and as a way to gain strength and courage for becoming followers of Christ. The second part is to invite others to "come and see." Like John and Andrew - once they glimpse the reality of Jesus - they immediately share that experience with others. They do not say others must have the same experience - they say "come and see."

The psalmist says ---

9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *
I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep in my heart.

What will be written in the roll of the book about your life? Come and see.

Baptism of Jesus - more

We used this image in our EFM online class last night - it seems to capture that sense of being brought into new life. Painting by Laura James

Baptism of Jesus

Thoughts on Sunday's sermon: Readings are here.

Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." Peter speaks these words following his experience that confirmed to him that the gentiles were full members of the community. Paul had been trying to convince Peter of this -- it was one of the first big fights in the church about who is in and who is out - which continue in many forms up until our day. The reality of the truth that all who fear God and follow in God's ways as demonstrated by Christ - all (as Desmond Tutu says with his arms outstretched - all, all, aaaahhhlllllll) are included. The lessons today do not stop with just inclusion. Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John - the moment where although not in need of cleansing from sin or dying to his old life, Jesus choses to step into the muddy waters of life and join us in the fullness of that life. The response from the heavens echo the prophet Isaiah -- this is my beloved.

This is what the heavens say at each of our baptisms - this is my beloved -- my beloved son, my beloved daughter. With our assent to our baptism and with the community's support we break out of existence into life. We have a call and meaning.

I read an article on The Meaning of Vocation this week that moves us beyond vocation as either the province of the church or the job we hold in our everyday lives. The author speaks of this sense of being baptized into life. "In baptism we are raised from the dead, made alive to the reality that we do not merely exist but are called forth to a divine purpose." It is not a call to move away from the world into a monastery or religious orders nor a call to our particular work.

A.J. Conyers described 4 marks of this kind of call:

1. it is a call from outside oneself - from God through the community.
2. it is often against our will, like Moses - who felt he did not have the gifts of speech to lead, or Jeremiah who complains all the way through his writings that it is too hard, or Jonah who just ran away.
3. there are hardships to overcome in fulfilling the call.
4. it is easy to be diverted or distracted from the goal - maybe why Jesus included "lead us not into temptation" in his prayer.

Always our vocation is for the sake of the community not an individualistic call for our own purposes. The community is the Body of Christ where although all are equally beloved and have equal claim on God's favor - our gifts are not all the same - the Body of Christ affirmed our individual uniqueness and it is in that uniqueness the Body is built up to do the work it is called to do in the world.

Today we will renew our baptismal vows and remember our call as a community and as members of this community. As you come forward during communion dip your fingers in the water -- and reflect on the vocation to which God is calling each of us and the vocation St. James as a community.

As it is written in Isaiah:

Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the LORD, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.

Painting from Jesus Mafa

Epiphany

Last week blogger Marshall Scott published an essay on Episcopal Cafe on the opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. Originally seen on TV in the 50s, it is one of my favorite pieces of music to listen to at this time of year. He cites some of the lyrics about the Christ child and his thoughts about the opera:

Have you seen a Child
the color of wheat, the color of dawn?
His eyes are mild.
His hands are those of a King,
as King he was born.
Incense, myrrh, and gold
we bring to His side.
and the Eastern Star is our guide.
I am listening, as is my custom, to “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” by Giancarlo Menotti. “Amahl,” an opera in one act, was a Christmas tradition when I was small. It was written for television, and was first broadcast on Christmas Eve, 1951. In the years since it has been performed in a variety of settings. Each year it is a part of my preparation for Christmas.

Have you seen a Child
the color of earth, the color of thorn?
His eyes are sad.
His hands are those of the poor,
as poor He was born.
Incense, myrrh, and gold
we bring to His side.
and the Eastern Star is our guide.
I suppose we should consider “Amahl” an Epiphany story, really, rather than a Christmas story; but perhaps that’s an artificial distinction. (There was that year, after all, when we didn’t take the crèche down until the Feast of the Presentation.) If you’re not familiar, it is the story of the encounter of Amahl, a poor and crippled shepherd boy, and his mother, with three kings and their one long-suffering attendant. The kings follow a star to seek a child. With them they bring rich gifts, including gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When the mother asks about the child they seek (hoping, really, it might be her own son), they sing about the Child.

The Child we seek holds the seas
and the winds on His palm.
The Child we seek has the moon
and the stars at His feet.
Before Him the eagle is gentle,
the lion is meek.
As a Christian, of course, I know the Child they seek. I trust they will see him. And yet I am moved powerfully by the images they present. This Child is born both king and poor, both gentle and sad. In his tiny palm he holds storms; indeed, the universe revolves around him, from the most distant to the most familiar.

Choirs of angels hover His roof
and sing Him to sleep.
He’s warmed by breath.
He’s fed by Mother
who is both Virgin and Queen.
Incense, myrrh, and gold
we bring to His side.
and the Eastern Star is our guide.
Again, if you know the work, you know that it does have its conflict. Amahl’s mother, oppressed and obsessed with their poverty, and anxious for Amahl’s welfare, is overcome. She tries to steal a little gold “for my child.” She is, of course, discovered and seized by the attendant. Crying, “Thief!” and fending off Amahl’s attempts at defense, he brings the woman roughly before the kings.

I know something about that. Oh, I know I don’t share that sort of poverty; I’m not that big a fool. At the same time, I remember, as I try to be Benedictine myself, that St. Benedict wrote, “The life of a monk ought always to be a Lenten observance.” Enough of my spiritual life has been affected by St. Benedict and by Walter Hilton that I have some idea just how I am impoverished. The fact that I haven’t stolen gold just like Amahl’s mother doesn’t allow me to pretend I haven’t stolen other things, less tangible perhaps but no less precious. I have often enough had to remember, from the Prayer of Manasseh, “I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned; and I know my wickedness only too well.”

I know, too, the embarrassment and the fear of being exposed. I have experienced my own interim times of judgment, just as I believe I will ultimately face the last judgment. And so as her character cringes on the floor, I cringe with her.

And with her, year after year, I sob, astounded, as a king sings,

Oh, woman, you can keep the gold.
The Child we seek doesn’t need our gold.
On love, on love alone
He will build His kingdom.
His pierced hand will hold no scepter.
His haloed head will wear no crown.
His might will not be built on your toil.
Swifter than lightning
He will soon walk among us.
He will bring us new life
and receive our death,
and the keys to His city
belong to the poor.
This is grace indeed. This is indeed the promise of new life, established in the child king. This is a hope so counter to the ways of this world: a king who walks among his people, who does not take his riches from the struggles of others, who builds his kingdom on love and not on power. How amazing, how confounding that these three kings have sought, and will find, this child king whose kingdom is so different from their own! And so, the mother sings through her tears, and I through mine,

On, no, wait…take back your gold!
For such a King I’ve waited all my life

For me the opera symbolizes the journey of faith that lies before us. Will we follow a star to find the Holy One, give up our "crutches" and go with strangers on this pilgrimage that is our life?

Magi by Barbara Hughes.

Set your watch to A.D.

Blessings and joy of Christmas

Welcome, welcome, Jesus Christ our infant saviour,
baby who makes every birth holy.
May we, who like the shepherds
have witnessed in the stable a new kind of love
return to our work with joy.
May we, for whom the heavens have opened
to proclaim that God is with us
we who have fed on the living bread
and drunk the wine of heaven,
go out to be instruments of your peace, day by day.

May Christ our infant saviour give you the joy of the Bethlehem shepherds, the awe of the worshipping sages and the humility and love of the holy family. May you become as little children and be filled with all joy and peace.

A New Zealand Prayer Book

Twas in the moon of wintertime...

The "Huron Carol" (or "'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Christmas hymn, written in 1643 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Christian missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia" ("Jesus, he is born"). The song's melody is a traditional French folk song, "Une Jeune Pucelle" ("A Young Maid"). The well known English lyrics were written in 1926 by Jesse Edgar Middleton.

This version performed by Heather Dale, and sung in Wendat (Huron), French and English.

Lyrics in English:
twas in the moon of wintertime / when all the birds had fled
that mighty Gitche Manitou / sent angel choirs instead
before their light the stars grew dim / and wand'ring hunters heard the hymn
Jesus your king is born / Jesus is born / in excelsis gloria

within a lodge of broken bark / the tender babe was found
a ragged robe of rabbit skin / enwrapped his beauty round
but as the hunter braves drew nigh / the angel song rang loud and high
Jesus your king is born / Jesus in born / in excelsis gloria

the earliest moon of wintertime / is not so round and fair
as was the ring of glory on / that helpless infant there
the chiefs from far before him knelt / with gifts of fox and beaver-pelt
Jesus your king is born / Jesus in born / in excelsis gloria

O children of the forest free / beloved of Manitou
the holy child of earth and heaven / is born today for you
come kneel before the radiant boy / who brings you beauty, peace and joy
Jesus your king is born / Jesus in born / in excelsis gloria

Nativity and Magi

A little early for the visit of the Magi but here are the other figures of my Nativity set.

Shepherds

Here are the shepherds and one sheep from my Nativity set. More to follow.

Joseph

More thoughts on Advent IV and Joseph. Here are 2 poems of Joseph from RevGalBlogPals.

I'm a carpenter.
I make things fit. I square off the edges.
I follow the pumb line.
I measure twice before I cut once.
Surprises are not the friend of a builder.
I like to know the plan.
I like to see the plan before I begin.
But this time I'm not the builder, am I?
This time I'm a tool.
A hammer in your grip.
A nail between your fingers.
I am a chisel is your hands.
This project is yours, not mine....

by Max Lucado in He Still Moves Stones

And by J. Barrie Shepherd, Faces at the Manger

“The hardest task
The most difficult role of all
That of just being there
And Joseph, dearest Joseph, stands for that.
Don’t you see?

It is important,
crucially important,
that he stand there by that manger,
as he does,
In all his silent misery
Of doubt concern and fear.
If Joseph were not there
There might be no place for us,
For those of us at least-
So many- who recognize and know-
That heartache, for our own,
Who share that helpless sense
Of lostness, of impotence
In our own lives, our families, our jobs
In our fearful threatened world this night.
Yes, in Joseph’s look of anguish
We find our place;
We discover that we too
Belong beside the manger:
This manger in which are met
God’s peace and all our wars and fears....
Let us be there,
Simply be there just as Joseph was,
With nothing we can do now,
Nothing we can bring-
It’s far too late for that-
Nothing even to be said
Except, ‘Behold- be blessed,
Be silent, be at peace.’

Joseph, son of David,
‘Do not fear,’ the angel said.
And Jim and Alice, Fred and Sue,
Bob and Tom and Jean and Betty too,
The word to you, to all of us
Here at the manger side,
The word is also, ‘do not fear.’
Our God, the Lord and Sovereign,
Maker of heaven and earth,
Time and eternity,
Of life and death and all that is
And shall be,Has joined us in this moment…,”

And the hymn Joseph Dearest

Advent IV

The readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent are here.
This year we focus on Matthew's story of the birth of Christ. Luke focuses on Mary but Matthew focuses on Joseph. Joseph goes to bed after a hard day of learning that his intended bride is pregnant and trying decide what to do to preserve his honor and still be compassionate towards Mary. He makes s decision to put her away quietly- maybe like those girls in High School when I was young (so many years ago) - who went away to visit an aunt for 9 months and then mysteriously returned to resume life as though nothing had happened.

Joseph falls into a deep sleep perhaps the sleep of escape from the trials and anger and sadness of the day. As he sleeps Joseph dreams of an angel who gives him a surprising message that will turn his life upside down if he acts on the message. The shift from one day to the next for Joseph is stunning. When have we had such a dramatic change of heart and mind - 180 degrees? Going along thinking life is constructed in one particular way and then having something happen where we are never the same again. How do we live into this new way of being? On the other hand what sorts of things change us like this -- angels? new knowledge? new experiences where the old data no longer fits?

Looking over the whole of scripture there seems to be a lot of changes of mind and heart. God changes his mind after an argument with Abraham. Also in the desert with Moses and the Israelites. Paul after his encounter on the road to Damascus, Peter and the Gentiles, all through the Bible - God and God's people change their minds more often than not.

Not preaching Sunday but this is what intrigues me: dreams, changes, reversals, surprising times for those who choose to follow Christ. Most of all it reminds me of the song Rainbow Connection sung by Kermit the Frog.