A Radiant Presence

I welcome you to our Christmas celebration. While our magnificent church continues a massive restoration project we are gathered here in this more intimate space.  What makes this time so important for our worship is the Christmas promise of hope and joy to all the world.  It is a time for peace, respect, and an end to violence.  Our prayers and celebration this year are for peace and happiness for you and your family, and may the love of God always be with you.

"An angel of the Lord stood before [the shepherds], and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  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.'"

Each year at Christmas we enter into the story of Jesus' birth.  It is our story, and by being here, singing those wonderful carols and hymns of praise, we enter into the events of the past as though they were happening right now.

Imagine the story of Jesus’ birth.  Mary and Joseph were ordinary simple people.  Joseph was a carpenter, a laborer married to Mary who was pregnant and about to deliver a baby.  Where was their family?  Why did they have to leave home and travel to Bethlehem to be registered?  Were they refugees?  Did they not have any friends or relatives in Bethlehem?  We don’t know the answer to these questions, only that Mary and Joseph were alone and had to find shelter for themselves.  There was no room in the inn so they were left to fend for themselves, and they found a bed of hay in a stable.  There they gave birth to a baby boy and laid him in a manger.

How incredible is this!  God chose these poor people to bear his birth in human form.  What this means is that God is not only with us, but God is known in the lives of the poorest and loneliest people everywhere.  It means that God knows and loves each person regardless of the circumstances of their life.  It is miraculous, wonderful good news.  God was and is in Christ, a baby born in a manger and named Jesus.  He grew into adulthood, became a rabbi and ministered to outcasts, tax collectors, prostitutes, and foreigners.  Later he was killed and buried, and then he rose again three days later.

What we are doing by retelling and reliving this story, as we do at Christmas every year, is to bring our Christian history into the present.  It becomes a living enactment of our human condition two thousand and fifteen years after the fact.  The story of Christ's birth is our story, and we are like the shepherds who were visited by the angel of God bringing hope and good news of great joy for all people.

This is a sacred moment that gives us a sense of peace and joy that is separate from all the usual frenetic happenings of the season.  It is a sense of God’s radiant presence in our lives. We have done our shopping, decorated our homes and places of worship, and we have planned our menus and holiday events.  We can now embrace the darkness of this night as a prelude to the new light that shines throughout our Christmas celebration.  The Prophet Isaiah said, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined." 

We know well the darkness that surrounds us this year.  There are millions of refugees around the world, people with no home.  There are those who are hungry and malnourished, victims of gun violence, people who are unemployed, and those with little or no education.  Then, there are people living with fear and feelings of insecurity because they have lost a sense of hope.  Many of them have lost a sense of their identity. For all these people and for so many others the darkness is very real.

However, there is light that shines through the darkness.  It is God's gift of the incarnation; the Word of God becoming flesh by taking the form of a human being.  It is the incarnation of God born as an infant named Jesus who is destined to live and minister to those who exist in the dark shadows of society.  Although destined to die a torturous death on a cross of wood, after three days he rose to new life, a life of love and the promise of eternal life for all people. 

During the past several weeks we prepared for this great day.  We sang “O Come, Emmanuel,” God be with us, be part of who we are, love us and care for us and for all creation.  God is love, a love that knows no boundary, a love that transcends all and is within every living creature.

There is no better news.  The light shining through the darkness is about God's Son living as we do through the life cycle of birth, growth, maturity, death and resurrection.  As the Christmas collect says, may we "who have known the mystery of the true light on earth also enjoy him perfectly in heaven."  The take-home message is that life is precious and fragile, relationships matter, and love, compassion and justice are worth having and sharing. 

This is the story of our lives.  It is the drama of God's creation, and it is the true meaning of Christmas.  Birth, life, and death are the realities of our human experience.  They are also the realities of God.  God, acting in the birth of Jesus, bestows the promise of eternal life, and the rebirth of innocence, love, and hope for peace and justice.  It truly is "the good news of great joy for all the people."  May God's radiant presence, blessing, peace and joy be with you this Christmas and always.  Amen.

The Time of God’s Coming

On this final Sunday in the Advent season we have arrived at the final days of our preparation for the birth of God in human form.  It is the time of God’s Incarnation, God coming into our midst in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

Elizabeth, the mother of John, and Mary, the mother of Jesus were related so their sons were cousins.  In the gospel of Luke these two women were waiting expectantly for the birth of their children.  We just heard Mary’s song, the Magnificat, sung by our choir.  Mary expressed what she experienced in her own life and hoped for in the lives of others: "God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty."  

This passage in Luke, and the verses of Mary’s song are a reversal of what had been taken for granted during those days.  The accepted values and norms were to be turned upside down, and a new day of justice, fairness and equity was coming.  It reflected what the ancient understanding of the year of jubilee was all about.  It was "the promise God made to Abraham and his descendants."

Today the great Song of Mary reminds us that we need places where friendship and companionship are a reality without regard to social status or economic standing.  The upside-down values of the Magnificat tell us that God's economy is different from ours, that people and relationships matter, and true fidelity to God and others demands a renewed or a new attitude and understanding about respectful human relationships and the purpose of life.

The biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann said, “We are summoned by both cousins.  John issues a call to disciplined readiness; Jesus is an agent of deep newness.  Readiness and newness are counter-intuitive in a weary society like ours.  We are invited to embrace that which is deeply inexplicable among us. When we do, we may be amazed like those who heard the shepherds’ testimony (Luke 2:18) and exuberant like the singing church (Colossians 3:12-16).”

In our weeks of worship in this intimate Parish Hall setting we have been fortunate in coming together as friends and companions without regard to race or class.  We are truly members one of another and we look forward with hope for the completed restoration of our church.  New windows have been installed, cracks and falling walls have been repaired, the interior has been freshly painted, work on the roof is underway.  Soon we will be back in a renewed and restored sacred space for worship.

All this has taken much longer than imagined or anticipated, so I want to express my thanks to all of you for your patience and understanding along the way.  Maintaining a building like this, given its age and structure, is an ongoing effort.  Even as we finish the current phase there will be more work to do, including masonry repair on the brownstone, and the clerestory stained glass windows. Their day is yet to come.

During coffee hour following our service we shall set up a projector and screen so you can see a power point presentation of the work that has been done so far.

In the meantime as we move toward the celebration of Jesus' birth, born in a manger while shepherds stood around, may we sing praise to God who brings to birth our human yearning for freedom, peace and justice for everyone.  Amen.

Rejoice with all your Heart

One of the more satisfying experiences of the Advent season is to listen once again to the magnificent prophecies found in the Hebrew Bible.  The prophet Zephaniah proclaimed, “Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart…. The Lord, your God, is in your midst;… he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.”

In a world threatened by fear, terrorists, global warming, and a rising sense of xenophobia, a new commitment is needed to make life more responsible and respectful for future generations.  We need leaders in every nation today who are committed to bringing diverse people and nations together to find common ground and develop policies that are humane and respectful of diversity. Jews, Christians and Muslims are known as “People of the Book;” we are all descendents of Abraham.  As Christians our hope this year is for peace and justice, and especially for international collaboration that respects the dignity of every human being and nation.  When that happens we will be able to “rejoice and exult with all our hearts.”

Our world does not always encourage us to be aware of God’s presence in our midst.  Even the very idea of God seems at times to have lost all relevance for modern life.  We can be victimized by this attitude.  Our own daily experiences can lead us to believe that God is not as present to us now as in past generations.

Nevertheless, as the prophet Zephaniah said, God is in our midst.  Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, adds to this proclamation, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is near.  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

These joyful songs remind us that God is not absent from all of us who live now during the time between God’s coming in Jesus’ birth and God’s coming at the end of time.  God is already in our midst.  God’s love is not lessened by violence or prejudice and bigotry, Nor is it lessened by natural disasters, plague or famine.  God’s purpose is not diminished.  God’s presence is real, and the fact that God’s peace is beyond our human understanding is an affirmation of a more authentic presence than one that is directly obvious.  It means that God is present in the manner of love rather than in a manner of absolute power over human freedom.

What this means is that the choices we make belong to us.  God is powerful in, through, and by the way of love.  It is up to us to know and accept that.  And, it is up to us to live in such a way that it makes a difference in our lives, in who we are and in what we do.  God’s presence is a disarming and a surprising presence; it is a love that appears in a fragile way; in the birth of a baby and in death by crucifixion.  This is a vulnerable presence of love and it is the source of hope for all humanity.  God’s love obliges us to love one another.  God’s presence, God’s power, is the power of love and hope.  God is in our midst, with us and with all people everywhere, working in and through human lives every day, but not in any coercive way.

John the Baptist announced God’s presence in our midst.  He spoke to the people who were so filled with hope and expectation that they questioned whether he might be the Messiah.  “John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’”

John proclaimed the good news of God’s coming and he called upon his followers to repent, to make a profound change in the direction of their lives.  This repentance was to be the beginning of a new moral integrity and a physical simplicity.  This is one of the world’s most ancient religious insights: the presence of the holy in the midst of human life requires and creates a fundamental change in the human condition.  The slow-moving, heavy burdens of our lives brought on by a culture of consumerism and moral indifference is incompatible with the holy.  God is holy.  God is in our midst, and the excess of our lives, the chaff that must be separated from the wheat, will be burned.

This weekend is called the National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend.  It is a weekend devoted to the difficult task of separating the chaff  of violence and death by guns from the holy and good life proclaimed by John the Baptist.  The Christian gospel sees no need for guns.  When John the Baptist, who in some ways had an evangelical style of religion, was asked by the crowds about what we should do, he told them to share what you have with others; don’t control more than you need; practice nonviolence towards others; refrain from financial extortion, threatening behavior, and making false accusations against others; and be satisfied with what you have.

The great theme, “For unto us a child is born” should be our song of exultation and rededication.  The celebration of the birth of a child in Bethlehem, the Incarnation of God in human form, is the celebration and commitment to the enduring power of hope, peace, love and new life.

Yes, good friends, God is in our midst.  In the words of the ancient Advent hymn we sang at the beginning of our service:

           “O Come, desire of nations,

bind in one the hearts of humankind;

bid thou our sad divisions cease

and be thyself our King of Peace….” 

As the prophet Zephaniah said, “Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart.”  And, as Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always;…Rejoice!”  May God’s peace and love “guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Amen.

Playing Hide and Seek

This season of Advent is a time of watching, waiting and preparing for promises to be fulfilled.  We watch as the horrors of war unfold in the Middle East and parts of Africa.  We watch closer to home with tragic shootings in California, Colorado and here in Rhode Island.  We watch and we wait for justice and peace in all of our institutions, governments, and systems both at home and abroad.  Watching, waiting and preparing takes many forms and occurs in all facets of life's experiences: individual, social, political, and theological. 

Much of the emphasis in Advent is on theological waiting and preparing.  We wait for the birth of the infant Jesus, the messiah or the second coming of Christ.  Our theological waiting, however, is incomplete if we do not continue to struggle for transformation, the change that is needed in all those areas in which justice is wanting.

There is a story told by Elie Wiesel about an ancient Hasidic master who was praying and studying in his small study when his young son burst in sobbing.  It seems the boy had been playing hide and seek.  He hid very well, and his playmate got tired of looking for him and went home.  The boy sobbed: "Its unfair.  He should have kept looking for me!"  The rabbi smiled gently and said: "Yes, it is unfair.  But now you know how God feels.  God hid himself very well, and people have given up looking for God.  God is sad too.  It is unfair!"

There are times in our lives when God does indeed seem to be hiding.  When a person experiences pain or sadness, sickness, or the death of a friend or relative; when people in our cities go hungry or become victims of violence; when people die from starvation; when a nation is torn asunder by war, or when thousands are killed by natural disasters. When these conditions happen it is easy to conclude that God is very well hidden.  Where is justice to be found?  How can healing occur in the midst of tragedy and travesty?  Where is God at the very time God is so needed? 

The history of men and women and God playing hide and seek is as old as creation.  Adam and Eve hid from God in the Garden of Eden; today, our hiding from God is as common as ever.  We hide in our consumerism, racism, sexism, parochialism, nationalism, and all the other isms we fabricate to separate person from person or group from group.  We hide from the hungry, the homeless, the elderly, the poor, the oppressed, and seemingly from all who are in need of something from us.  As we hide from them we hide from God.  How much easier it is to hide than it is to seek! 

Seeking and looking requires energy and action; it may be risky and costly, and one may even have to change direction from time to time.  Hiding, however, is a passive exercise, requiring only the acceptance of the status-quo, letting things be as they are, or perhaps letting things take their own course, or waiting for time to cure all ills, and not worrying about criticizing or challenging or changing much of anything.

The early Christians who believed in Jesus knew about the energy required for seeking justice and peace.  Their hope was based solely on the experience of God's gifts.  They were to watch, look, and be prepared to change, to turn in a new direction in order to receive the gift.

John the Baptist announced the impending gift: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”  Israel had been demoralized, exiled and in need of a word of reassurance.  To confront change is difficult unless there is a secure foundation and a firm center.  John the Baptist made a demand for repentance, thus preparing the way and making ready for the one who would come after him.  What this means for us is that we are to be in a constant state of watchfulness and readiness.

How are we to prepare and make ready?  What paths must we straighten, and what rough ways are in our lives that we need to make smooth?  What is your story about your search for God?  How are you preparing for Christ’s coming into your life bearing gifts of peace, love and hope?

As we speak of being ready for Christ's coming it is much more than being ready for the birth of a baby in a manger in Bethlehem.  It is a readiness for God to enter into the very context of our lives bringing the gift of God's new life -- the gift of peace, love, and justice.  That gift comes when we are ready to change the conditions in our communities and in our world that will no longer allow for violence, hatred, war, hunger, and poverty.

The Gospel was first proclaimed to a community of people who knew that Jesus had come, a community who believed in him.  Today we need more than an aggregate of individuals who believe in God and then continue to play hide and seek.  We need a convicted and broad-based multitude of believers and doers gathered together in faithfulness to the God of Jews, the God of Muslims, and the God of Christians -- it is the same God.  It is with that conviction and faithfulness that the rough ways can be made smooth so the gifts of life, love, peace, joy, and hope can enter your life and the lives and hearts of all people.  Amen.