Return to the Lord your God

“Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.” (Joel 2:15-16)

When a Hebrew Prophet makes a proclamation such as Joel does here, you know something important, something life changing is happening. The prophet doesn’t call just the adult males, or the wise, or married couples. He wants everybody and he wants them

to gather NOW: the aged and the infirm; the children including babies at the breast; the bride and groom, right in the middle of the ceremony and honeymoon, to stop what they are doing and show up, right this minute!

This is, the opening reading and proclamation of Ash Wednesday Worship in many Christian communities. A proclamation that calls people to prayer and introspection, that calls us to look at our lives: the good, the bad and the ugly; to recognize our mortality and to repent of our sins and commit to a new beginning of our lives in relationship to God and to our fellow human beings.

Joel reminds us, “even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him.” (Joel 2:12-14)

The reading of scripture is followed by the following prayer by the minister:

“Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to you a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 265)

The ashes are then imposed on those who desire with the following words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The most powerful experience of this sacrament for me was when I made an Ash Wednesday visit to a family with a four day old new born and imposed ashes on all of them. What a life changing

experience of the presence of God for all of us when I rubbed ashes on the forehead of this beautiful infant, with all the hopes of his parents for the new life in front of him, and told him that he was mortal and would not only live, but would one day die. We were all reminded that whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord and because of that we belong to each other and we are all vital members of God’s Creation

I leave you with a prayer: “Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins. . .may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 264)

In the Beginning

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5) 

The writer of the Gospel of John begins his story with some of the most powerful words ever written. The words were intended to catch the attention of the hearers. Faithful Jews in what we have come to know as the first century A.D. or the Common Era, would have stopped, looked and listened because they would have immediately heard in their minds the beginning of the first book of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis, and known what they were about to hear would be vitally important, would change their lives forever. 

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” (Genesis 1:1-5) 

The similarities are astounding and not accidental: the Presence of God, wind, word, spirit; the contrast between light and darkness and the fact that the light would always win, would always overcome the darkness, no matter what. 

Throughout history, the Prophets of God had proclaimed that light would always conquer darkness, that life would always overcome death and that God’s people would always be the light of the world. 

John was proclaiming to anyone who would listen, that the promise given to the Jews in Genesis six hundred to one thousand years before the birth of Jesus were just as true in their day as they were then. Every year at the Nativity of our Lord when we hear and remember these words, we are reminded that they are also as true for us today as they were when Jesus came into the world as fully human as we are. His life was the light of God, and John tells us, the light of the people as well, the light of human beings like us. That light shines from God through us, and the darkness of the world has not and will not overcome it. 

As I write this on January 1, 2021, we have just come through a year that brought sickness and death, war and destruction, loneliness and isolation, anger and fear and hatred between nations and political parties and within families. I need to hear, I must hear this message again. Many of us have lost friends and family members to Covid-19. Many of us are estranged from friends and family due to disagreements over who should lead our nation and how we should be led. We are frustrated because we still cannot attend worship in person due to fear of being infected or of infecting others. At times like these it is much easier to see the darkness than the light. It is even possible to believe or fear, no matter how strong our faith. that the darkness may, in fact overcome the light. 

And just in time, the annual cycles and patterns of our faith call us to stop, look and listen. We are called by God and our community to slow down, to breath, and to hear, as I learned in Sunday School, “the old, old story of Jesus and his love.” 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5) 

John Continues: 

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.”(John 1:18) 

As I like to begin my Sermons: “God give us eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts that can be touched.” May God guide us to join Jesus in being the light of the World.

The Child to be born will be Holy

 No, it’s still not Christmas, but as we move closer and closer and John the Baptist and his “brood of vipers,” fade into the background we hear the story a young woman, an angel and the Holy Spirit. It is a time of mystery and wonder and confusion, of hope and perplexity, of expectation, worry and perhaps a little fear. Emotions which are not unlike those that have faced expectant mothers and fathers throughout all time. Let’s listen in. 

“…the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The Angel said to her, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The 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...For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word…’” (Luke 1:26-38) 

This story has been shared from generation to generation and is full of mystery and poetry. It is a powerful story out of which more than a few questions arise for many of us. Whatever happened, it changed our world. How it happened, which we will never know exactly, is not as important as the questions asked and promises made, both by Mary and the Angel. The Angel assures Mary that she is favored by God and that God is in fact with her. That’s a good start, but Mary still wonders what kind of greeting this can be, and probably, ‘why me?’ After assuring Mary that there is nothing to be afraid of (yeah, right) Gabriel simply explains that she is about to conceive and give birth to the ‘Son of the Most High (God). 

Mary then asks, ‘how can this be since I am a virgin?’ Under the circumstances, this is a reasonable question. Gabriel’s answer is the most powerful proclamation in the Gospel, whether one takes this story literally, metaphorically or is simply confused by it. 

The Angel answers, “THE CHILD TO BE BORN TO YOU WILL BE HOLY; HE WILL BE CALLED SON OF GOD.” 

As we approach the Nativity of our Lord, the Birth of Jesus, what matters most is not how he was conceived, or whether we can or ever will understand the how. What matters is the answer Gabriel gave to Mary, ‘your son will be Holy, He will be called the Son of God!’ 

For when we proclaim on Christmas, “Joy to the world the Lord is come, let earth receive her King,” we are shouting out to the whole world the same message the Angel gave to Mary, “He is Holy, He is called the Son of God.” 

And like Mary, may we also proclaim, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

The Voice of one Crying out in the Wilderness

There have always been prophets in the world, and wherever there are prophets, there are rumors and questions. Who are they? Why are they here? And perhaps the most searching and desperate question: Really? Really? Is this person truly a prophet? The man we call John the Baptist was one such person about whom these and other questions were asked. 

Scripture tells us that, “John was a man sent from God. 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.” (John 1:6-8) 

Even so “church and state” leaders of Israel sent representatives to find the truth. Who are you they asked? Are you the Messiah, Elijah, the prophet?” To all these questions, John answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you?” 

John answered “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.” The priests and Levites then 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.”(John 1:19-28)

 

John the Baptist knew that the prophet we call Second Isaiah was sent to proclaim the

restoration of Israel in the sixth century B.C., to make a spiritual path in the desert for God’s 

people to find their way home from Exile in Babylon and to prepare for the rebuilding of 

Jerusalem and the Temple. John was called to do the same for the Messiah, the one God was to 

send into the world to restore all people and all nations to a right relationship with God and with 

one another. John knew he was not the Messiah, that his message was tilling the soil, preparing the land and hearts to receive the seed of salvation from the one upon whom. . . .

 

“The spirit of the Lord God is, the one who has been anointed by the Lord; who has been sent to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. . .and to comfort all who mourn.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

 

This is the hope for which we are preparing, the light which will come into the world and overcome the darkness and the darkness will never, ever extinguish it. (John 1:5)

 

Lift up your Voice with Strength

"Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid. . .” (Isaiah 40:1-2)                                                                                                                        

Five hundred and thirty-eight years (give or take a year or two) before John the Baptist “proclaimed the way of the Lord in the wilderness,” the unknown prophet we call “Second Isaiah” proclaimed the restoration of Israel from captivity in Babylon.

 

        The Prophet cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)

 

The prophecy continues, “All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’ See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” (Isaiah 40:6-11)

 

The pastoral imagery of God lovingly feeding and gently leading his people must have been a comfort to people returning to the unknown after sixty years as strangers in a foreign land. Truly this prophecy represents the restoration of Israel after her long exile. The people will be allowed to go back home, to restore and rebuild the city of Jerusalem and their Temple. They will rebuild their identity as a people in relationship to one another and to their God.

 

Over five hundred years later Mark records John the Baptist using similar words and actions to proclaim the Advent of Jesus and God’s continuing love and desire to and lead us as a Good Shepherd.

 

“’The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’ As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;’ the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ John proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” (Mark 1:1-3, 7-8)

 

Both of these events, as well as many in between reveal God’s glory, reveal God’s love and care for God’s people. As we know from the Bible, ‘bad things happen to good people.’ These two powerful events demonstrate God’s love for all people in good times and bad, ‘in season and out of season.”

The Psalmist says it much better than can I. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psalm 23)

 

 

 

 

Keep Awake

Today is the beginning, the New Year for Christians, the opportunity to start over, to begin again and to prepare for the coming of Jesus into the world. But wait, as we prepare for birth of a son to Mary, the coming of our savior as a child, born of a woman as we all are born, the church and the Christian year throw us a curve ball. That’s right, the first Sunday of Advent does not proclaim John the Baptist “making straight in the desert a highway,” or the Angel Gabriel conversing with Mary and Joseph, challenging them and/or encouraging them to do God’s will. No, we hear words of poetry and metaphor recorded by Jesus proclaiming, yes, the coming of the coming of the Son of Man into the world, but wait, not the first coming as a baby, but his second coming as the Cosmic Christ, the one who will bring all of God’s people together to shout “Halleluiah and Maranatha!” “Praise the Lord and Come Lord!”

 

“Jesus said, ‘In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.’” (Mark 13:24-27)

 

As the world rushes toward Christmas, with John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, Angels, Shepherds, Wise Men and Santa Clause, something quite understandable in the Year of our Lord, and the Year of the Pandemic 2020, the Church points out signs and portents in the heavens, reminding us that not only does God “have the whole world in his hands,” but also all of Creation and all people, truly, all people!

 

To help his listeners, and us, better understand, Jesus uses an illustration from nature. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”.

 

Yes, all the stories and songs and hope of the birth of Jesus will come to us over the next month, but before they do, Jesus and his church remind us that the end is the foundation of the beginning as well as the foundation of our hope. Beginning with the Second Coming puts the First Coming of Christ into Perspective. We are allowed to see the bigger picture, the hugeness of God and Creation and how it opens life in the Spirit of God up to all people, for As Isaiah proclaims,

 

“Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand…we are all your people.” (Isaiah 64:8-9)

 

As Jesus proclaimed to the people then, he proclaims to us. “What I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (Mark 13:37)

 

 

But you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord

 But you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord 

All of us are familiar with Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees when asked about the first and great Commandment. (Matthew 22: 24-36)

 

One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-46) 

However, we sometimes forget the origin of Jesus’ answer. In his answer, Jesus combines two commandments learned from the Hebrew Scriptures: The first, love God is recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4-7.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 

The Second part, “Love your neighbor is found in Leviticus 19:15-18. While both parts are important and Jesus was wise to combine them, in 2020 with all of our divisions and hate and anger and fear and lack of trust I want to focus on loving our neighbors. Leviticus was written in the sixth century B.C. when the Jews were returning from Captivity in Babylon and were rebuilding Jerusalem, the temple and their nation. As you might imagine, there was a bit of fear, distrust, anger and doubt in everyone’s minds and hearts.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

I fear that today it is far easier for many of us to love God than it is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. I fear that we find it comforting to hang out, in person and virtually, with those who believe as we do, and worse yet, to let those who do not believe as we do know exactly how ignorant, stupid and even how inhuman they are. All of this while in the United States, eighty percent of us claim to be Christian and truly believe and proclaim Jesus’ first and great commandment.

 

I believe that this is a great time to be reminded through the words of scripture that we are not the first nation to face trials and tribulations. We are not the first nation in which people of good will and love of country have different understandings of who we are and who we can be, and who God calls us to be. What better time for us to hear the words of the Lord and take them to heart.

 

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord

 

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command. Amen. (BCP, p, 235)