A Most Trustworthy Guide
Centuries before Jesus, prophets foretold a time when God would send Messiah, the Christ who would be our savior. They declared that he would be hard to recognize, not much to look at, and that many would turn away from him in disgust. The prophets went on to say that although the Promised One would surprise many by his appearing, he would bring about a time of great joy and peace, a time when God's righteousness would be established throughout the earth.
The prophets also declared that God would send another messenger when it was time for God to fulfill his promises, so that people might be ready to receive their King. The task of this messenger was to prepare God's people, and show them the way in which they should go.
And so it is, at the very start of Matthew's Gospel, that John the Baptist leaps into view with startling suddenness. He is a wildman, a latter day prophet, and aesthete; he is frightening in countenance and passionate of voice, and is somewhat terrifying to behold. But he is a most trustworthy guide for all who meet Jesus and receive salvation, for over and over he points the way to the one tiny door through which all must enter God's Kingdom: "Repent."
Only 28 Shopping Days Left!
Today begins the new year in the Christian calendar, the first Sunday in Advent. Our culture often associates Advent with the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas. These four weeks serve as a ramp-up to the "Holiday Season" in the secular world, and the church often gets caught up in the excitement; we can't wait to see the baby Jesus and sing the Christmas hymns. However, Advent is actually a time to prepare ourselves for the final coming of Christ in glory.
Our scriptures today speak not of mangers and wise men but of the final coming of Messiah in glory, and the judgement of the world according to God's righteousness. When Jesus' disciples asked him about these things, when they would take place, his response was "no one knows." Jesus went on to say that the Messiah's final appearing will be sudden, and it will be surprising, and it will be difficult to tell who is ready and who is not until Messiah actually appears.
In fact, Jesus said, much of the world will behave like people did in the time of Noah. In terms we might understand they will go shopping and attend parties and give gifts and make New Year's resolutions, as if this year will be like last year, and next year like all the years before that. Many will not be ready, and it will take them by surprise.
The point of Christ's teaching is not to frighten his followers with images of God’s judgment. It is, rather, the call to be a people who are ready and awake – expectantly living out the hope of the coming of Messiah by fulfilling his work here and now.
Tribute for Our Magnificent King
Today we celebrate Christ Jesus, our King. But never in all the world’s history has there been a king like Jesus. He was not born into wealth or privilege; his parents were traveling strangers, aliens in the city of his birth, and his cradle was a feeding trough in a borrowed stable. He was not tutored by courtly teachers…his earthly father was a tradesman and his parents spent several years of his childhood hiding in exile. His crown is plaited of thorns, and he has no freed hand for scepter and orb—they are nailed to an instrument of torture. His “palace grounds” sit atop a low rising hill above the city dump, and his throne is a cross. Here is our King.
Look upon him! Even in torment, even suffering, even amidst taunts and torture and in the face of death, he has a power like no other. A divine power to forgive, to bless, and to save. Even in the direst circumstances, in the darkest final moments, his mission is undeterred and his powerful grace absolute. He has the power to save. To make us whole. To show us the way of peace. Just look at him!
It's Time for Our Testimony
According to Luke, when Jesus finally entered Jerusalem with his followers, many of them were in awe of the large buildings, the gleaming stones, and the shear spectacle of the Temple precincts. Jesus spoke plainly to them: the material enticements of this present age will come swiftly to an end; they are of no use to his followers. What's more, there are hard times coming, when the very best of the church will come under severe persecution.
The hard word of Jesus concerning the coming age was followed by a stirring challenge to the faithful: bear witness! Many fragile and lost souls are drifting their way through a maelstrom of fears and distraction and dissipation, and they need a clear witness to testify to them. Jesus calls his followers to listen attentively for the Holy Spirit's whisper amidst the storms of our age, and then to tell boldly what it is we hear.
The Joining of Present and Future
We give you thanks, O God, for all the saints
who are in your presence and care.
We give you thanks for holy hands lifted in praise.
We thank you for hardworking saints who left their mark
on the earth for you, for us, for our children to come.
Thank you, God, for the tremendous sacrifices
made by those who have gone before us, especially:
Marilyn Elberta Allen
Harry Dale Eaton
Steven Richard Gillham
Sybil Low
Alice Virginia Moffitt
Shirley Lee Somers
Albert Nicolas Coussa
Magdalena Franklin
Charlotte Marie Johnston
James Darwin McCracken
Charles E. Schroeder
Mildred Marie Templeton
Cornelia Palmer "Nena" Williams
Bless the memories of your saints, God.
May we learn how to walk wisely from their examples of
faith, dedication, worship, and love.
Coming to Our House
Zacchaeus was a man of small stature and enormous wealth, and he was outcast and isolated by his community until the day he met Jesus. Jesus had a simple word for him: I must stay at your house today. With that simple word of grace Zacchaeus was no longer an outcast, but welcomed into the Kingdom of God by Jesus…and his whole household was changed forever.
People often come to the sanctuary for worship hoping, like Zacchaeus, to catch a glimpse of Jesus, to have a weekly spiritual experience, and to “take something useful” home with them. It can be somewhat alarming to discover that Jesus is not one to wait patiently in the church sanctuary for us while we live lives of our choosing and compartmentalize our time, our treasures, and our spiritual selves. Jesus would be Lord of our whole lives. He comes to us. He is coming to our house, for “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
Humility in Prayer
Jesus once told a parable about two men who went up to the temple to pray. The story uses the motif of prayer, but is really a lesson about pride.
Pride is one of the great sources of struggle for Christians. Seeking to be forgiven our sins and justified before God, we are nonetheless slow to trust God’s grace alone for that justification. Our pride rears its head, and wanting to justify ourselves, we begin to recite our resumes, remember our successes, measure only our own worth, and compare ourselves to others who seem less deserving. The heart cries, ”Thank you God, for making me just a cut above the rest!”
We cannot truly justify ourselves without scapegoating someone else…seeing the fault in others and naming their sin. The great challenge (some would say scandal) of the gospel is that rather than calling us out—separating us from the riffraff of a sinful world around us—Jesus sends us right back into the midst of the others, there to bear witness to our own sin and his saving power.
Sinners are not the others guys, they are you and me. And so we pray “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner….”