A PLACE FOR US

December 24, 2017

Christmas Eve

Luke 1:30-38

Luke 2:1-7

John 1:1-14

(prayer)

Only two of the four New Testament Gospels (Matthew and Luke) share any specific stories of the beginning of Jesus’ life.

Okay, John kind of does it... in an artsy, poetic, metaphoric way (The Word became flesh and lived among us - Jn1:14). 

The closest Mark come to “Christmas” is referring to the adult Jesus as the son of Mary (Mk6:3); we have to extrapolate that backwards on our own.

Even Matthew’s focus is largely on the month’s leading up to Jesus’ birth and the immaculate tradition of his conception.  When it comes to the actual day of Jesus’ birth all Matthew wrote was [Joseph] took [Mary] as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.  Then Matthew jumps ahead as much as two years to a time when ‘toddler Jesus’ received three special gifts from foreign visitors.

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The reason why we tend to focus on Luke’s version on Christmas Eve is because the third gospel shares an interesting story about the actual day that Jesus was born.  Imagine how boring Sunday School pageants and Christmas cards would be if Luke had not written a gospel.

Thanks to the third gospel, we are able to picture a very pregnant mary making the journey from Nazareth to Bethelem… of a stable functioning as a hotel… of shepherds watching their flocks by night… of choir of angels singing about a new born lying in a manger… of those same shepherds discovering things just as the angel song had proclaimed and becoming the first christian evangelists. 

Thanks to Luke, we are able to picture a new mother quietly reflecting on the wonder and mystery that had happened, as she pondered all that the shepherds had said.

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●     John - “The Word became flesh”: makes you think.

●     Mark - “Jesus is Mary's son": not enough information.

●     Matthew - “And Joseph and Mary practiced abstinence”: too much information.

●     But... Luke: “An unexpected pregnancy, inconvenient travel plans thanks to some government bureaucrat, overbooked inns, cow poop, curious shepherds”.  Now that is a story we can enter!

We can enter it because it is our story.

We know what it is like when things don't go as planned. 

Allow me to extrapolate what Luke has given us...

Mary and Joseph would have expected marriage to change their lives, but a baby so soon put a wrench in the plans. 

And not everyone was going to buy the it’s an angel’s fault tale; maybe that is why Mary was sent off to stay with relatives for a while.

Was it the census announcement that brought the young couple back together before the baby was born?

Joseph was not a wealthy man.  He owned no land.  His family had not farmed for a generation or two which is why he made a living as an artisan.  They couldn't afford a long trip to Bethlehem so, they left it until the last minute.  By the time they arrived, accommodation options were very limited. A stable place [would] suffice.

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Meanwhile, on the hills outside of town, the sheephands had no reason to expect anything but a normal night.  Now, a normal night could still be exciting, but it might be limited to dealing with a hungry wolf or a wayward lamb. As Luke tells it, this was not a normal night:

“In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, 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: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ … So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:8-12,16-19

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Plans change.  Expectations are thrown out the window.  To put it another way… something unexpected happened.

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The Christmas story is one of a change at the heart of the cosmos.  The human and divine realms intersected in a new and wonderful way.

The manger was not an ideal cradle.  You've  got to know that Joseph has built something special but that it was back in Nazareth. 

But the borrowed manger was enough: enough for God to touch the earth.

There was a place for Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Bethlelem… a place for word to become flesh.

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There is a place for us in Christmas (human-divine story) even in today’s world where things don't go as planned or hoped.

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The shepherds first response to the Christmas news was to retreat in fear.  But the good news of great joy begins with simple words of comfort: don’t be afraid.

This is unexpected - and the unexpected can be scary, but ‘don’t be afraid’.  In fact, seek out even more.  Go and see.

There was a place where wonder was on display.

A place to ponder and treasure our place in heart of God.

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Each of us know a unique combination of comfort and struggle, serenity and stress.  If you are in a fortunate time of balance, wonderful. Appreciate it.  Enjoy it.

But if you are teetering (and that could be a great number of us), know that there is a place for you.

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If Luke's Christmas story tells us anything,  it is that there is enough grace in our midst to let us glimpse a greater joy… even if the next day it is obvious that the struggle has more challenge in store.  We have been given something that we will carry into the next chapter.

The divine-human drama (that unfolded in a Bethlehem stable) has a place for us.

We are part of something grand and wonderful.

The best part of this good news is that the glad tidings of great joy are still being revealed; the divine-human story is still being written.

And we are part of it.

Thanks be to God!

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Let us pray:

(ad lib)

May peace and goodwill be known to all.

We pray in Jesus' name, who taught his followers to pray together,

Our Father,

who art in heaven, hallow-ed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom

and the power and the glory

forever and ever,

Amen.

****Offering****

#55VU “In the Bleak Mid-Winter”

LET JOY SHINE

December 17, 2017

Advent 3

Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11

1 Thessalonians 5:16-23

(prayer)

Today is the third (of four) Sundays in this year's pre-christmas church season of Advent. 

As has been the case for the last two weeks, our Hebrew Bible reading came from the prophetic book of Isaiah.  Please forgive my redundancy - I have mentioned every week this month: the book of Isaiah has three distinct sections that speak to three distinct periods of Judean history… defined by their proximity to the the 6th century BCE exile, when the Babylonian Empire invaded Judah, occupied Jerusalem, destroyed the temple and deported a significant portion of the city’s occupants.

●     Chapters 1-39: pre-exile… actually about 200 years before (8c BCE): The height of Judean development and independence: sure, the successionist northern tribes were losing autonomy to their Assyrian neighbours but Judah remained strong.  Judah obviously enjoys God's special favour.

●     Chapters 40-55: during exile… early to mid 6c BCE; How can this be? Where is God, now that God’s house is gone?

●     Chapters 56-66: post-exile… late 6c BCE; We persisted - we endured the time of exile - but now we have to start over and it is not going to be easy.

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As is always true with good bible study, the social-political-&-religious context of the original audience matters... in helping us listen to what the text can say to us today.

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Imagine yourself one of the returnees to Judah:  You were born in exile.  As an adult, you chose to leave the only home you had ever known; you took your family on a 1000km journey across the wilderness to the place you had only heard about in legends.

Your grandmother had told you stories of a grand city with a magnificent temple, but... all you see are broken walls.

Your grandfather had spoken of how they believed that the Ruah Elohim (the spirit of god) literally existed in a special room (first in the tent tabernacle and then in the stone temple) called the inner sanctuary (or The Holy of Holies), but… that sacred space (like all of the rooms of Solomon’s temple) is now nothing more than rubble.

But, you also remember preachers from your youth who proposed that the ruah elohim was not defeated when Jerusalem fell but rose up from the ruins and journeyed to be with the people by the rivers of Babylon. 

And… exile prophets imagined God would one day create a path back to Judah for the people.  This fresh understanding of the nature of God is what sustained the exiles… it is the source of what you believe today. 

You made that journey.

You are a fulfilment of that promise.

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Imagine yourself one of the returnees to Judah, when someone get up to speak and says…

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion — to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

Imagine (as one of those returnees to Jerusalem) how those words would make you feel… the spirit of god is here to build up ancient ruins, bring liberty to the captives and replace grief with gladness.

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To use a modern phrase:  the words passed on to us (as Isaiah chapter sixty-one) are an ancient pep-talk.  They are words to encourage the work of restoration; words to motivate action… and they do this by highlighting the people’s new context.  The last part of ‘verse three’ basically says: The Lord has planted you in Judah; here you will grow.

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[with reference to the advent wreath]

I imagine that (in the ears of the returnees) these were words of hope (things will get better); words of peace (we are now safe after decades of oppression).

But... I’m not sure that Isaiah 61 gets us around to today’s pink candle.  If I were a returned exile listening to the fiery sermon by the ruins of the temple, I'm not sure that joy would be my natural reaction: at least not a very deep joy. 

The motivational speech might rile me up (like a hockey coach pumping up the team between periods).  I might be excited.  I might be on an adrenaline high.  I might even be so caught up in the moment that I’d volunteer to be on the building committee.

I’d be feeling something real and powerful… but I'm not sure that I could call it joy.

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No matter how good the preacher is, I don't think she or he can make me feel joy.  Joy must well up from inside me; it cannot be put inside me.

It is one thing to express joy. 

It is quite another to feel joy or to know joy.

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The prophet, Jeremiah, wrote (just before the exile) that a time was coming when no one will have to be told to “know the Lord" because “the torah will be written on their hearts".  It is one thing to hear the law, to read the law, even to understand the law (at an intellectual level); it is another to have the life-changing intent of the law so ingrained within you that it is simply part of who you are.  Jeremiah imagined a time when sermons were lived out, not preached.

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Another illustration:  imagine I work at a job in a store where I am dealing with customers all day.  I know that my boss believes that a happy customer is a repeat customer.  I accept the adage that the customer is always right (even, especially, when they are wrong). And so I am always kind and respectful to my customers when I am out front in the store… but later in the lunch room…?

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I can understand kindness.

I can express kindness.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that I am a kind person (deep down in my heart). 

Hey, not everyone has the gift of kindness.

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The Apostle Paul shared instructions with the early Christians in Thessalonica: Give thanks... Pray... Rejoice.

More so, they were told that they were to do these things constantly

●     Give thanks (in all circumstances);

●     Pray (without ceasing);

●     Rejoice (always).

To add some weight to these instructions, Paul told the Thessalonians that God (in Jesus Christ) wills this for them.

Of course - at least when someone was watching - it would be possible to take actions that meet the letter of this law: they could force themselves to say “thank you"... to say prayers… even to express joy.  But… does that mean that they are really connecting with their god; are they really (in the depths of who they are) grateful and joyful?

Being truly grateful means that we are honestly in awe of what we have in our lives.

Being honestly prayful is an willingness to be changed by allowing the mystery and wonder of the spirit to influence us.

And we know that we are being authentically joyful when we can't hold it inside.

Real joyfulness is that tingling in the stomach that makes us shudder and smile... resisting any efforts to be quashed.

Joyfulness is almost an unconscious reaction to what we experience in life.

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In order to react to life with joy, it is essential that we allow overselves to appreciate that - even in the darkest time - there is light.

The apostle Paul knew this. 

As we heard this morning, he wrote: hold fast to what is good.  He is not suggesting that everything about our context (at any given time) will be good, but that there will be some good to hold on to… always, without ceasing, and in all circumstances.  And - in that - lies the possibility for gratefulness, prayerfulness and joyfulness.

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Paul wants the church to practice those things that open up the possibility to honest, inner joy.

The preacher in post-exile Jerusalem wanted the returnees to build on the fact that they had turned a corner on a dark part of their history… they were a fresh planting with a fresh hope for a bountiful harvest.

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So… what can we be practising within our lives (in this world today) to improve the possibilities that joy will be known and felt?

Where is the guiding light?

Where is the good on which we can hold fast?

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For us to have ingrained joy deep within us, we can start by making room for that joy to take root.

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The apostle Paul invited the church to “hold fast to what is good”.  What are we holding onto that gets in the way of goodness and joy?

So… what is taking up space within us that we could do well without?

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The pre-exile Judean prophet Micah spoke about what should be at the heart of a faithful life.  Micah preached that all we really need is “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Justice, kindness and humility.

The three life-attitudes (promoted by Micah more than 100 years before the babylonian exile) can shed some light on what inhibits joy today.

Each of these three has a shadow side that can fill us with anti-joy.

Justice … vengeance, greed

Kindness … envy, anger

Humility … selfishness, pride

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I think that most people would agree that wollowing in selfishness and pride can drain a person of joy.

And so, I hope that it makes sense that accepting - no matter how skilled or prepared we are - that there are circumstances beyond our control and wisdom beyond our means.  Honouring the value of humility can seed the soil where joy can grow,

Justice is about fairness - seeking justice is often a matter of righting wrongs.  But, that does not have to be about retribution.  No one deserves to be on the wrong side injustice, but focusing our response on obsessive vengeance will not build joy in our lives.

Even victims of injustice have the capacity for joy if they release themselves from the self-imposed burdens of greed and vengeance.

But… in my mind, the key to allowing joy to grow lies with kindness… with a basic compassion that accepts the worthiness of every human soul.

Kindness is most possible when we believe what the ancient Hebrew storyteller believed: that God created humankind in the divine image and that it was good.  We are invited to be kind because we believe that a spark of God’s spirit is alight in everyone.

Jesus’ ministry was all about kindness (compassion and love).

I am convinced that knowing real joy becomes more possible in our lives (and in the world) as our practice of kindness increases.

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When I work on reducing the influence of my own selfishness and pride, humility will take root and joy will have a better chance to shine.

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When I work on reducing the influence of my own vengeance and greed, justice will take root and joy will have a better chance to shine.

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When I work on reducing the influence of my own anger and envious nature, kindness will take root and joy will have a better chance to shine.

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LET JOY SHINE!

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Let us pray:

Holy Giver of Joy,

Thank you for everything that lightens our hearts, that creates laughter, and that invites us bring happiness into the lives of others.

Amen.

#79VU “Spirit, Open My Heart”

JUST RELAX

December 10, 2017

Advent 2

Isaiah 40:1-11

Mark 1:1-8

(prayer)

It is ironic that two of the most anxiety-inducing words in the english language are “just relax".

I am sure that most of you have had some experience with hearing those words: when you had to try and let your mind dominate over matter: take that deep breath, say ‘okay’ and then try to distract yourself with the mental image of some beach somewhere.

I love that scene in the 1986 film version of the musical “Little Shop of Horrors" when Bill Murray’s character visits the sadistic dentist, played by Steve Martin.  Bill Murray relaxes (and distracts himself from any potential pain) by looking forward to getting some chocolate after it is all done… ‘candy bar, candy bar, candy bar’.

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Now I am in my mid-50s, so it seems that I hear “just relax” (on an increasingly frequent basis) from medical professionals performing routine procedures aimed at maintaining men’s health.

**grimace**

You can relax.  I am not going to preach anymore about colonoscopies... today, at least.

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The prophetic book of Isaiah is a single text that is sixty-six chapters long, but it is fair to think of it as three disctinct books.  It contains materials that come from three unique times in the History of Israel and Judah.

Last week, our Hebrew Bible reading came from chapter 60 - the third section (ch 56-66) - that spoke to the people who had returned to Jerusalem after 70-plus years of living in exile by the Rivers of Babylon.

This week, we read from the middle section of Isaiah (ch 40-55), that was written during the exile, speaking to the people who had been defeated by an expanding empire, had their sacred sites looted and, been forced to put down roots in the squalor of a foreign refugee camp.  In fact, our reading today was the first words that this prophet had for these exiles.

Those words were “Your God says, take comfort my people”. 

The message acknowledge the pain of the people’s circumstance: they cried for Jerusalem.  Psalm 139 (from about the same time) says “By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion… even too sad to sing.”

But, into that understandable sadness the prophet proclaims: The people are not forgotten.  The Jerusalem Temple might lay in ruins, but their God is still mighty and eternal.  Their God has not forgotten them. 

And the promise: This exile will not be permanent.  A distant voice will call them back through the desert.  In this… take comfort, O people of God.

//

As, we explored last week, the shifting sands of empires did eventually allow for a new generation of judeans to return and do the hard work of renewing their nation: forever changed by their experience in exile.

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Move ahead another five centuries and the renewed Hebrew kingdom is now subject to puppet governments of the Roman Empire.  East of Jerusalem, a new voice speaks prophetic words: Come and know the cleansing renewal of God’s love and forgiveness.

John the Baptist spoke to people who knew an exile of sorts.  They weren't force to physically move, but they had witnessed their city, their nation, their institutions overrun by forces beyond their control.  Where was their God in all of this?

Comfort O my people.  This is not the end.  More is coming.  A physical baptism might be a powerful ritual to acknowledge a commitment to God, but it is nothing compared to what is in store for you.  ‘One is coming whose baptism is meta-physical (beyond the physical); it will refresh you down to the very depths of your spirit’.

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When we consider the similarities between the 6th century BCE Babylonian exile and the 1st century CE Roman occupation of Judea, it makes sense why all of the New Testament gospel writers used Isaiah 40 language as part of the John the Baptist narratives.

As the Jesus story begins in the gospels, people are invited to come out of the wilderness of their despair and embrace the loving comfort of their God.

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I am going to be bold enough to say that this opportunity of renewal continues to endure even today.

Each of us has our own story, but I suspect we all have wilderness times in our lives, where we feel cut off, facing difficult circumstances beyond our control.  Some of us have come through such times; and others are in the midst of an unwelcomed exile of sorts right now.

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For me, when I am lost in my own exile, I try to follow Isaiah’s advice.  I am grateful for the poets who penned the United Church Creed:

We are not alone.

We live in God's world.

In life, in death, in life beyond death

God is with us.

These words and ancients words of faith like Isaiah 40 remind me that today's wildernesses are passable. 

I listen hard for divine comfort telling me to Be At Peace, and know that I are not alone in today’s exile.

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It is an act of hopeful faith know peace even when life around us is anything but peaceful.

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That is a promise of God.

Comfort, O comfort, my people!

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Let us pray:

Help us O God to relax into your comfort.

Amen.

#12MV “Come Touch Our Hearts”

BACK HERE AGAIN

December 3, 2017

Advent 1

Isaiah 64:1-5,8

Mark 13:32-37

(prayer)

Although I have been serving as this church’s minister for more than seventeen years, if you are new to St. David’s this fall, I may be an unfamiliar face.

The last time I was in this pulpit was more than four months ago.  Since then, I have enjoyed the gift of a time of sabbatical - relieved from my regular ministry duties - to give thought and spirit to renewal and learning. 

I highlighted some of what I have been up to in the most recent church newsletter that is available at the back and through a link on the church’s facebook page.

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As good as my sabbath time was (and it was), it is good to be back.

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I know that the calendar says that we are in the month of December.  I know that today is the first Sunday of Advent … the first day of a new liturgical year within the church: Christmas tree, lots of blue.

And yet, I must confess that…

I feel out of time.  It just doesn't feel like we are as late into the year as we actually are.

//

Normally, when I have a few weeks in a row away from leading Sunday services, it is in the summer: I suspect that as long as I have school age kids, I will take my holiday time in July or August. 

Those rare times that I get to attend church somewhere else (simply as an attendee), it is usually the summer. 

During my sabbatical, most weeks, I was able to be a butt in a pew; I visited a number of other United Churches in our area over the past several months.  But, unless I forced myself to appreciate the truth of the fall calendar, those times felt like summer services… because that has been my experience most years.

In fact, on a Sunday in late October, I came to church here (Phyllis Greenslade was the worship leader).  During that service, the senior choir sang a lovely anthem: and I actually caught myself thinking: gee, I wonder why the choir is singing in the summer. What’s the special occasion?

My personal experience of temporal paradox probably was enhanced by the fact that I actually planned out the basics of this December 3rd service way back in July.

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Perhaps, it is a sign of a successful sabbatical that I got stuck in time for a while.

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But, no more.  There is no more avoiding the facts that

●     a new church year has begun,

●     the candle of hope is a-blaze, and (that)

●     Christmas is only 22 days away (three little weeks as of tomorrow).

As followers of Jesus, we have come full circle.  We are back at the beginning… again.

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The two scripture readings that I chose for this first Sunday of Advent come from the suggested lessons for today as laid out in the Revised Common Lectionary.  The RCL offers a three year cycle of readings to cover the Sundays between Advent 1 and Reign of Christ Sunday.

It is quite possible that three and six and nine (and 3ⁿ) years ago, these same bible verses may have illuminated those first Sundays of Advent of the past.  I didn’t go back in the records to check, but I wouldn't be surprised.

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As I reflect on Isaiah 64 and Mark 13 this year, I see reminders to be mindful of the moment we are in - even as we think about where we have been … and to look forward to the future we hope for.

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The whole of Mark chapter 13 is a record of Jesus teaching his followers about the hope that (one day) God would re-create the world in to one where peace and righteous reigned.

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The discussion all began with these northern rural peasants gawking at the large buildings of Jerusalem.  Jesus took the opportunity to remind them that even those carefully crafted stones would not last forever: “[one day]”, Jesus said, “all [of these great buildings] will be thrown down”.  Naturally, the disciples wanted to know when this would happen, but - as we heard today - Jesus simply encouraged them to remain faithful and focused and watchful... in the moment they found themselves in.

Stay Awake! was Jesus’ advice.

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The final eleven chapters of the book of Isaiah come from a time (within the history of the Israelites) called The Post-Exile Restoration.

Around the turn of the 6th century BCE, the Babylonian Empire gained control of the lands of Judah.  Although, the fortified walls of Jerusalem held off the invaders for a time (while the countryside came under Empire control), eventually, even the city was overrun; its temple was looted and left in ruins; and a significant portion of the population (including political and religious leaders along with some ordinary citizens) were/was forced to relocate to refugee camps by the Rivers of Babylon. The Empire forced them into exile - quite an effective (if not extreme) population control technique.

The basic reality was… that the stability that the Judeans had known since the time of King David was over.

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About 70 years later, the shifting sands of empires saw the rise of the Persians (at the expense of the Babylonians) and new leadership allowed the Judeans to return.  After almost three-quarters of a century, the returnees were made up (mostly) of new generations, who had been born in exile).

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It is the voice of these post-exile judeans (the majority of whom who had never lived in - or even seen - Judah) that we hear in the words of Isaiah 64.

In the verses today, we hear the hard struggle of restoring a memory long gone. The prophet knows that restoring a nation, a community, a faith is long, hard, frustrating (even disappointing) work.

They might long for God to simply make it all better - to shake the ruins back to their former glory. 

They might long for a holy re-set. 

They want their global status back.  But…

their faith history reminds them that this is not how God works: the people are the vehicles of God’s action… the work of restoration will be done by the Judeans, with a faith that their God has made them (equipped them) for this task.

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“Restoration" might sound like the people were bringing their past into the present.  In reality, they are building something new.

The Judah that would (and did) emerge after the exile was a very different one than the nation that preceded the time in Babylon.

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Extrapolating that theme to our context today… although Advent comes around every year - always beginning four Sundays before December 25th - and although, following a lectionary can result in repeated bible readings every few years, this is a new advent that comes into our midst today.

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Therein lies the challenge before us: to avoid just repeating ourselves and  to approach this season with fresh hearts, minds and souls.

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Throughout my sabbatical, I was exploring ways to be workin in and with the church during times of transition.  While it is true that we are guardians of an old, old story, we are also disciples of the Living God.

Much of who we are now has been framed in the traditions and practices and proclamations of the past… and yet we do not exist (simply) as testaments to history, we are disciples of the Living God.

Advent does not lead us back to God’s incarnation that began with Mary’s child’s first breaths.

Advent guides us in the present... so that we can experience a sacredness - the presence of God - in this moment in time.

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I appreciate that this can be challenging.

Finding thin times and places (as the ancient celts, called them) - where the human and divine realms seem especially close - is not easy, given the busyness and complexity of the modern experience.

There is a lot to occupy our attention now a days:

●     People’s calendars can fill up pretty fast, especially at this time of year.  We seem to place less value on empty time in today’s world.  There is a sense that if every moment isn't filled, opportunities have been lost.  Recently, I binge-watched both Netflix season’s of Stranger Things, which is set in 1983/84: no cell phones, no computers, no instant GPS tracking (parents needed their kids to find a landline line phone to check in with home).  But, we are living in 2017, not 1984.

●     Although, in a throwback to cold war tensions of the early 80s, we have our own nuclear war worries with North Korean missile launches and Twitter name-calling and taunts by world leaders.  Diplomacy has become a lost art in some circles.

●     Anger and hatred dominates the news.  We see it in violent rhetoric, wars, terrorist acts and mass shootings so often that the call to offer Thoughts and Prayers has become routine.

●     Given all this, is it surprising that (in some communities, especially south of the border) people are escaping into ever-increasing addictive drugs?

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I know... that (in spite of the joy that this season is meant to engender) hope can be hard to come by.

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Hard.  But not beyond our best efforts.

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We need hope.

Our world needs hope.

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The story of Yeshua ben Yosef ve’Miriam (Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph: the Christ) - and the proclamations of his followers - is founded in hope and promise.

Writing to early Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul had these hopful words: “...The grace of God… has been given you in Christ Jesus. For, in every way, you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind — just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you — so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Cor1:4-7)

Finding hope in hard times is a gift… a spiritual gift.  And we are people touched by spirit.

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A challenge that we (as 2017 followers of Jesus) might want to take on is be intent on highlighting the new hope that is in our midst.

We can be intentional about noticing and promoting the goodness and mercy that is in our world and communities, even if this goodness tends to lose airtime to the purveyors of hate and anger.

Look hard for the good.

Notice it.

Appreciate it.

But noticing and promoting hope is not enough.

Just like thoughts and prayers can’t be the only response to violence.

We are to make hope real by living out the compassion and justice of Christ.

Notice the good.  Yes.

Appreciate it. Yes.

But more so… create it.

We are sufficiently gifted to create new goodness in this world.  We can be who our God knows we can be.

●     To the lonely soul, we can be a companion.

●     For the hungry, we can share the fruits of our table.

●     In the face of bigotry, we can insist on equality.

●     At the sound of insults, we can speak of a dignity for all.

●     When we are told that it is smart to hide behind walls and to pre-emptively bring hurt to those who frighten us, we can proclaim a wisdom founded in reclamation, rehabilitation, and forgiveness.

●     In our most self-reliant, I don't need anyone moment, we can be open to the generosity and compassion of others.

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Bit by bit - day by day - in the small ways that always accumulate into big changes - we can bring hope into the lives of neighbours and strangers alike.  We do this by moving beyond pondering and meditation.  Hope comes into our world through our lived out and active thought and prayers.

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Let us pray:

God of Hope, as we begin our annual pilgrimage to Bethlehem, may we discover how we can shine the love of Christ today. 

Amen.

****Offering****