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How many of you have heard the term “Who’s Your Daddy?”--raise your hands if you have.

This term has been around for a few years. It can take on a lot of meanings--who takes care of you, who dominates or controls you, who you look to for guidance and support.

The relationship between a parent and a child is a special one (like the relationship between a person and their dog). With a new puppy in my house, I have been reminded a lot lately just what the responsibilities and joys of parenting are all about. There are obligations and duties on both sides of the relationship. When this relationship is good, it is one of the strongest and most special relationships that a human being can have. It is no wonder that when humans try to unravel the holy mystery that is God, the image of a loving Father is one of the most popular ways to picture him.

If I was to ask a Christian “Who’s Your Daddy?” the obvious answer is that God is our Daddy (especially when I ask that question in church). But if that simple answer was enough, I wouldn’t have much more to talk about this morning, would I?

We have lots of influences in our lives. We need to make a lot of choices about who our daddy is. We need to ask the question “Who is our Daddy?” every day. Not just in our relationship with God directly, but in choosing who and what we allow to influence the way we live our lives--who we listen to, who we follow, how we interpret things, how we guide others.

Not all relationships we have are healthy ones. We need to be careful who we allow to influence our lives and our thoughts. In the country-western song “Who’s Your Daddy?” recorded by singer Toby Keith in 2002, he describes a relationship that is not so healthy. We get the impression that the man singing the song is only willing to be a provider for the young girl who needs him, if she provides him something in return, and what the song implies is certainly not a beneficial relationship from her perspective.

But if we have courage, we can shape the relationships we have with other people, and with the world around us. Just before the 2004 American League playoffs, Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, after some tough encounters with the Yankees, made the mistake of referring to them as “his daddy.” So during those playoffs, the taunt of “Who’s your daddy?” followed the Red Sox, especially during the difficult first three games of the series. But then, in the greatest comeback in baseball history, the Red Sox won four games straight, took the American League pennant, and went on to win the World Series. Their answer to the taunt of “Who’s your daddy?” was a resounding “NOT YOU!”

We face challenges every day, as we pick and choose who we follow, and who and what ideas will shape our lives. And it is not just about following the rules, or reading the Bible. The Old Testament reading today tells the Hebrew people to obey the prophets that speak with God’s voice, but to kill the prophets that speak falsely. When Jesus came to them, the Jewish and Roman leaders had to make a choice, and they tragically chose to see him as a false prophet, and he was put to death. From their perspective, they could argue that they were following the rules.

The Bible is the cornerstone of a good Christian life. But in itself, it is not a complete guide for our behavior. No system of rules is complete in and of itself. In today’s Gospel, we heard how Jesus healed a man, casting out his demons. But did you notice that this took place on the Sabbath, when by Jewish law, no work should be done? Jesus did the right thing, his act was an act of love. But it was not by the rules. In this week’s Epistle, Paul argues that following rules and regulations for how you live is far less important than the principles that are the foundation for those rules. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus boils down the entire content of Jewish law to two basic fundamental commandments--to love God, and to love your fellow man. Recently, surprising many people, the new Pope, Benedict, issued his first encyclical, or statement on the faith. And the man who was seen as a stickler for the rules of the Catholic Church decided the first thing he wanted to talk about were not rules and regulations, instead the document was about general principles of love and charity. This was a welcome move on his part, choosing to speak on broad and positive issues. We can easily get lost in divisive details, and lose our way. And the answer is not just to blindly follow rules and listen to others, we need to remember the underlying principles of the faith, and think for ourselves.

Even if we have decided that God is “Our Daddy,” how do we know how to be good children of faith? In making choices in my faith journey, I like to use an intellectual tool developed by John Wesley. Like a compass, it does not tell you exactly where to go (unless you are a polar bear, not every journey should go due north). But it does give you a tool that helps you find your way. It is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, and helps you face challenging questions.

The first corner of the quadrilateral is SCRIPTURE. As I have said, Bible is the cornerstone of a good Christian life. But the Bible is also difficult to understand. I have been devoting a good amount of time in recent years to studying the Bible, and reading about religious history. While it is full of profound truths, it is also full of confusing stories and information. So, while the Bible is the cornerstone, it is not the only guide.

The second corner of the quadrilateral is TRADITION. We are not the first Christians to seek answers, and there is much we can learn from our history, and how those who came before us faced the challenges of this earthly life. The rituals and worship practices that have come down to us from times gone by can help bring us closer to God. I grew up in a Methodist, a simple white building with a stark interior, whose only real decoration was a few stained glass windows, the altar and the cross. So when I walked into this church, with its whitewashed interior, I felt right at home--in my heart, I felt like I had found a place where God was near.

The third corner of the quadrilateral is EXPERIENCE. As we live our lives, we learn many lessons, and many profound truths. When we face religious questions, we are not expected to check that experience at the door, instead, we can use it to fill in the gaps. The Bible only gives us hints of what the prophets and saints were like. But, from our experience with life and with other people, we can fill in the missing information, and develop a richer picture of our faith, and those who preceded us. And if you look around the church at the people beside you, you will see a wealth of experience that you can tap into without needing to do anything more than striking up a conversation.

The fourth corner of the quadrilateral is REASON. God gave us a brain so that we could use it, and the Methodist Church has a rich tradition of encouraging free thinking. If we look at the Jewish tradition, applying logic and sound arguments was a vital part of their thinking, and in their striving to understand God’s will. Jesus was a master of this tradition--just think about how brilliant he was in discussing the scripture, as he is described in the scripture we read today, truly a teacher with authority.

Now, some people take these other measures to an extreme. Because their experience does not include anything that they would call a miracle, they deny the fact that Jesus could have performed the kind of miracles that are described in today’s Gospel reading. They rule out anything they read in the Bible that cannot be confirmed by history books or that does not sound “logical” to them. But these additional principles of TRADITION, EXPERIENCE and REASON are an important balance to blind obedience. It is important for us to constantly study, and learn, and think for ourselves. This is why I find the term “born again” to be a slippery one. Taken by itself, it implies that faith is a single act. Yet in every part of our lives, we need to constantly think about who our Daddy is, what he would want us to do, and how we should act as Children of God.

There are a whole host of issues that require our careful thought and attention, and many of them are difficult ones, which do not have simple “either-or” answers. Think of “intelligent design” versus “evolution,” the morality of warfare, contraception, the “right to chose” versus “right to life,” euthanasia, divorce, and a whole host of other issues. These all call for a response from people of faith, and we need to make sure our response is thoughtful and appropriate.

Those of you who are sitting here have made a choice about who you want as your Daddy. You wouldn’t be here on a Sunday morning if you weren’t trying to be a faithful child of God. And our faith in that “Daddy” is a lifetime journey, a journey that we can navigate by using those four touchstones that will help us discern God’s will for us: SCRIPTURE, TRADITION, EXPERIENCE and REASON.

So, let us now sing hymn 144, and as we sing it, remember who our Daddy is, and what he wants us to do with our lives.

The story is told of a “fishing village on the shore of a great lake stocked full of fish. The fishermen of the village diligently debated and discussed what fishing is, how best to do it, which equipment to use. They invested millions in boats and gear and a fishing headquarters, hired a staff, and sent emissaries around the world to search other lakes and rivers for fish. One day, a little child stood up in their meeting and asked, `You all claim to be great fishermen – how come you’ve never caught a fish?’ Indeed, no one in the village had ever actually caught one. They had never even been fishing.”[i]

Last year our Bishop reported to us that a fairly high percentage of churches in our conference had not received even one person into membership by profession of faith. Sadly, many churches and many Christians go for years without bringing a single person to Christ. We are not called to be “keepers of the aquarium – Jesus calls us to be `fishers of people,’ to catch folk up in God’s grace, love, and salvation.[ii]

Many of us find it difficult or at least uncomfortable to talk with other people about our faith. We live in a culture where we try to be respectful of other peoples’ beliefs and we often use that as an excuse to not share what we believe. We are not the first to be reluctant about sharing our faith. One of the oldest books in the Bible is the story of Jonah from which we just heard a very small portion. Jonah is a reluctant evangelist if there ever was one. God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people there that they needed to repent of their evil ways. Nineveh was pretty much an enemy of most of the world, including Israel so Jonah didn’t want to go. He did the only logical thing; he hopped on board a ship headed in the opposite direction. According to the story, God caused a terrible storm to come upon the ship and the sailors started praying to their gods to be saved. To make a long story short, it was determined that Jonah was trying to hide from his god and that he should be thrown overboard so that the rest of the sailors could be saved.

Then we have the marvelous story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale and eventually spewed back onto shore. Jonah reluctantly went to Nineveh where much to his surprise the people repented. One might think that Jonah would be happy that the people of Nineveh were no longer going to live in the nasty ways known to the city, but that was not the case. Jonah became angry and bitter. Finally the truth came out, Jonah had not wanted to go to Nineveh because he was afraid that they would repent, that they would decide to change their ways and then he just knew that God would be merciful and let them live.

Hopefully we are not like Jonah secretly harboring the desire for people to “get what they deserve.” We have found and received something wonderful – something that we didn’t deserve – the incredible gift of God’s grace – God’s unlimited love poured out on us. When we truly become aware of God’s love for us then we should want others to know that love too.

Jan Karon is the author of the “Mitford Series” of books about Father Timothy Kavenagh, an Episcopal priest. In her most recent book, Father Tim is fond of the saying that, “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” Jonah did not want the sinners of Nineveh to have a future, but hopefully we do.

I think that deep down we really do want to bring people to Jesus but we just don’t seem to know how to go about doing it. Jesus was good at translating job skills from one position to a new one. He knew that people who fish learn some important lessons that can be applied to helping people come to know God’s grace and love. We often overlook the qualities that are part of our personalities, the skills that we have developed as part of our jobs and lives. We tend to forget that these same qualities can be sued by God in ways we haven’t thought about.

Let's think for a few minutes about the qualities of a good fisherman and how they would make someone good at fishing for people. First of all, a fisherman is patient. Some people may have had no experience of God’s love or may have had a negative experience with religion. They may be highly resistant to an invitation to hear the gospel or to come to church. Great patience is required to convey Christ’s love to a person whose only exposure to church is fire and brimstone sermons or negative publicity or experiences.

Peter was really very impetuous, but when it came to fishing, he had learned how to be patient. When we are doing God's work, we too, need to be patient. Most of us will never see great religious conversions because of our efforts. Jonah didn’t know that the sailors had turned to God – he had already been thrown into the sea by the time they responded. It may be years later that someone will tell us that something we said or did made a difference, and helped him or her come closer to Christ. Maybe nobody will ever tell us that, but it doesn't mean that it didn't happen. Think about the people who taught you about Jesus, through word or example, the ones who made a difference in your life. Did you ever tell them what it meant to you? We may never know the results of our faithfulness. We have to learn to be patient.

People who fish are perseverant. They will cast the line again and again even when the fish keep stealing the worms, or the line keeps getting caught in the weeds. The really great baseball sluggers, do not get a hit every time they come up to bat. In fact, they don't even get a hit a majority of the times they bat. If you invite someone to come to church with you and they say no, don't be discouraged, try again, or invite someone else.

Those who fish out on the sea must have courage. As we know from the stories in the Bible, a storm could come up very suddenly on the Sea of Galilee. We may not face the same kind of storms, but the ones we face are just as real. When we speak the truth or try to be faithful to the Gospel we may be met with opposition that can be very stormy. It takes courage to speak or take a stand when you know it will be unpopular. It takes courage to walk the difficult paths with another person. When someone has experienced a death, lost a job, or received a scary medical diagnosis, it takes courage for us to be a companion on the journey.

A good fisherman has an eye for the right moment. He or she knows when to cast a net and when there's no point in it. We, too, must often choose the moment. There are times to speak and there are times to be silent. One of the most difficult times can be when someone has just experienced a sudden death or a tragedy and you feel helpless. You want to say something to help make things better but the words just won't come. People are sometimes surprised to learn that often the response that is most helpful at that time is just to be there. No words. No advice. No promises that it will get better. No words about God's love. As true as they are, that's usually not the time when someone can hear those words. What they need and want is someone with flesh on, someone to be there, to listen if they want to talk, to hug if they need a hug, someone to be present.

Having an eye for the right moment, means being ready to try something when it seems appropriate. A program that didn't work 10 years ago, may work great today. The tried and true methods are good, but there are times when something new might be better. I've often seen a banner that says, "The Seven Last Words of the Church - `We never did it that way before.'" There's a reason they are considered to be the seven last words. We need to have an eye for the right moment. Society changes. The challenges we face in ministry change. Sometimes new and creative ideas are what are needed to meet new challenges. Sometimes a different approach can work in a surprising way.

Which brings us to the next quality of a good fisherman - fitting the bait to the fish. A different kind of bait is used for deep sea fishing than for fresh water fishing. A different kind of bait is used for tuna than for flounder or bass. The same approach will not be effective with all people. Some people love to hear a fire and brimstone sermon and others get nervous if a pastor raises his or her voice. Some people find a small discussion group a great way to explore their faith. Another person may cringe at a small group but be responsive to a personal visit. Some people like to read books, others watch videos or listen to music as a way of deepening their faith.

Just as different methods are effective with different people, so, too, our own personalities and life circumstances may place some limitations on the areas where we can work and where God will call us to serve. There are some people who are wonderful about sending a note to someone who needs some special prayers and there are others who would never think of doing that. There are some people who can sing as part of their ministry and others whose singing is best in the shower or confines of their car. Some people find it easy to talk about their faith; others have to work hard to say anything. However, we should never close ourselves to the possibilities that God may be calling us to an area we hadn't thought about. I’m fairly certain that Peter, Andrew, James and John had not pictured themselves as itinerant preachers. But Jesus saw something that they didn't see. Jonah certainly didn’t imagine himself as a prophet - or as a successful evangelist - but he was (even in spite of himself).

One last quality that a good fisherman learns, and that is essential for us as Christians, is to keep ourselves out of sight. The shadow of a person on the water will keep the fish from biting. In our witness we need to be presenting Jesus Christ, not ourselves. It may be helpful sometimes to share some of our experiences, but we do so, as an example of God's work, not as a way of building up ourselves.

We are people who have been called to fish for others so that they too will know about God's love. Along with Peter, Andrew, James, and John, we are the people who have been given the responsibility to continue to carry out Jesus work, and it is an awesome responsibility.

Sometimes we may find ourselves in Ninevah - and when we do, we may need to remind ourselves that God has been loving, compassionate, and gracious to us. That is God’s nature - not something upon which we have a monopoly. God will be loving, compassionate and gracious even when we don’t think that’s the appropriate response.

We are not responsible for the response of another person, or for that person’s relationship with God, but we are responsible for our relationship with God and that includes being faithful disciples, fishing for other people, and showing God’s love and compassion in our lives.

[i] Mosser, David N. editor, Abingdon Preaching Annual 2006, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2005, p.21

[ii] Mosser p.21

Sometimes it’s hard to hear what God is trying to say to us. We may have preconceived ideas about what can and cannot be, what should or should not be, what God will or will not do. In the gospel reading that we just heard, Nathanael seems to have that problem. Philip went to his friend Nathanael and said, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael responded, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding. Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Maybe Nathanael was just being flippant. He came from Cana, a rival town about ten miles from Nazareth. He might have been engaging in good natured village rivalry, but probably not. Perhaps “he had simply seen too much of life to even begin to hope that the age-old promise of God might actually be fulfilled in his lifetime. Perhaps, he was simply guarding himself against another letdown, another disappointment, calling the grapes sour before even tasting them. After all, then as now, false messiahs were a dime a dozen.”[i]

Sometimes it’s hard to hear God speaking to us because we don’t even know that God can speak to us or we don’t expect God to speak to us. That was the problem that Samuel had. Samuel was only a child living and studying in the temple with the Priest Eli. The Scripture tells us that “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” In other words people didn’t expect a message from God. They didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about God or focusing on what God wanted them to do. Other than the ritual, there wasn’t much of an expectation that their faith should make a difference in how they lived their lives. Samuel was a child, learning from his elders just as our children learn from us. The Scripture tells us that “Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” So when God called, “Samuel! Samuel!” the young boy responded “Here I am!” and went running to Eli to find out what the old priest wanted. Samuel was ready to respond; he simply didn’t know who was calling him.

This happened three times before Eli finally figured out what was happening. The Bible tells us that Eli’s eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, but his blindness was more than physical; it was also spiritual. He also did not expect a word from the Lord. When Eli finally understood what was happening, he instructed Samuel to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Into the darkness of the nation, the Lord told Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel that is going to shake everyone up and get their attention.”

A new thing! The Word of the Lord was spoken to someone who didn’t even know that he should be listening. The Word of God became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth and people like Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

What happened as a result of these two encounters? Samuel grew up and the Lord was with him. Everyone in Israel, from Dan in the North to Beersheba in the south, recognized that Samuel was the real thing – a true prophet of God. Nathanael went with his friend Philip and when Jesus saw Nathanael, Jesus identified Nathanael as a man with nothing false in him. Jesus said he had seen Nathanael sitting under the fig tree when Philip called him. I wonder if Nathanael remembered the words of the Psalm which we heard today, “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You … are acquainted with all my ways.”

Nathanael had been sitting under a fig tree. In ancient Palestine a fig tree functioned for many as almost a private room. The fig tree grows to a height of about 15 feet and has branches that spread out as much as 25 feet. It was customary to have a fig tree near the door to a house. When people sought quietness to pray they would often seek out the privacy of the shade of a fig tree. Jesus seems to be saying to Nathanael, I saw you and know you because of the time you spend in prayer. Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

By the way, Philip who came to bring Nathanael to Jesus would eventually go to many places unfamiliar to him. Philip would talk with people whom he didn’t know, but as soon as he responded to Jesus’ call, “Follow me” he went to his friend to invite him to “come and see.”

God is still speaking! But are we listening? Are we open to hearing a new word of truth amid doubt and obscurity, when we’re not sure which way to go? Most of us are open to being moved by God in the presence of love and beauty and all that we commonly consider a blessing. But what about when we don’t see much beauty around us? What about when life looks bleak and we feel alone? What about when the conditions around us are frustrating or when we see injustice or apathy? What about when we see little around us that speaks of God? Are we still listening then?

Today is Human Relations Day. It is intentionally celebrated on the Sunday preceding the observation of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. He had his own story to tell about listening to the voice when little around him would seem to speak of God. He had gone into the ministry mostly because his father was a pastor and he always did what Daddy King wanted him to do. Martin wanted a quiet life as a professor, possibly President of Morehouse College in Atlanta someday. He did not intend to be a national civil rights leader.
Through an odd turn of events, as a young pastor he was thrust into the forefront of the Montgomery bus boycott. He came home late one night, tired, frightened. The phone rang. An angry voice on the other end said, "We're gonna get you, Nigger!" Martin Luther King stood in his kitchen, frozen in fear.
He wanted to call Daddy King for reassurance and advice. But Daddy King was not there. Then he said it was like a voice. "Martin, you do what's right. You stand up for justice. You be my drum major for righteousness. I will be with you." He had heard his name called. He knew what God wanted. His life was forever changed and through his life, so was the world.[ii]

God is still speaking to you and to me. Are we listening? Sometimes it’s hard to listen because of all the noise around us. There are many voices demanding our attention and God’s voice often comes more like a whisper than a roar of a lion. If we want to hear God’s voice, we need to quiet ourselves from the outside distractions and simply listen. That’s one reason why a regular time of daily prayer and devotions is so important in our spiritual life. We need to take time to be silent, to step back from the noise and concentrate on the still small voice that still whispers in any ear that will listen.

How is God speaking to you today? Are you listening? Listening is not quite enough however. After hearing God’s voice, we need to have a spirit of persistent availability to God. It is one thing to listen and another to be actively available. Samuel could have stayed in bed instead of responding to what he thought to be Eli’s voice, but instead he consistently went to Eli and said, “Here I am!” How available are we for God’s use?

In his book “Living Faith,” former President Jimmy Carter recounts a humbling experience. He says that when he was preparing to run for governor a second time, he was invited to speak to a Christian men's group about his activities as a Christian witness. In preparation for that talk, he took account of the witnessing he had done. He added up the times when he had shared the faith with other people, one on one, and they had made commitments to Christ. The total number came to 140. But then, said Carter, "The Lord must have been looking over my shoulder because immediately I remembered my 1966 political campaign when Rosalynn and I had traveled the state and had shaken hands with 300,000 Georgians, extolling my good points, and asking them to vote for me. I had asked 300,000 to support me, but only 140 to affirm Jesus. The terrible difference in those numbers brought me to my knees."[iii]

How available are we when God calls? Do we respond, “Speak God, I’m listening”? I get numerous e-mails telling me about critical matters coming before Congress, things that affect the life and well-being of some of the most vulnerable people in our country. I believe that is one way that God calls us to act out our faith telling us, “Get involved. Tell your Representative or Senator what you believe. Let them know that you consider a budget to be a moral document not simply a balance sheet of numbers. Tell them that it’s important for children to have enough food and for poor people to have health insurance. Tell them that we are supposed to take care of those who are not able to take care of themselves.”

I look around our community, our state, our nation, and our world and I hear God calling in so many ways. Our work to help Saffiatu have life saving surgery is one response. Providing food for the food pantry is another. Supporting the missions of our church through our budget and our regular giving as well as through special offerings is yet another. There are as many ways of responding as there are people here.

Each of us is chosen and called by God in our daily lives. The Biblical stories for today challenge us to respond to God’s presence even while we are still learning to recognize it. Samuel responded even though he didn’t at first know who was calling him. Nathanael responded even though he was at first skeptical. Philip responded even though he didn’t know where it would take him. Martin Luther King Jr responded even though it would have been easier to continue on his preferred academic career path.

Being available for God includes being available for others and this is one very important way that we are called to respond to God. Availability includes listening to others, affirming, forgiving, helping, giving, caring, impacting lives with the light and the love of God. We do not know everything about what God wants us to do, but we are called and challenged to respond to God’s presence while we are still learning to recognize it. We are called, invited, and pushed to look and listen in new places and to new messengers, and to be carriers of God’s message in new ways, inviting others as Philip did, to “come and see.”

We are called and challenged to listen to the voice of God calling us and to respond, “Speak God, I’m listening.” As we come together in prayer, I invite you to respond throughout the prayer with those words, “Speak God, I’m listening.”

[i] Carter, William G. editor, Speaking of Stewardship, “Come and See” by Paul Debenport. Geneva Press, Louisville, KY 1998, p.123

[ii]Dr. David E. Leininger cited in e-sermons 1/19/03

[iii]Collected Sermons, Dr. Bill Bouknight, ChristianGlobe Network, 2002, cited in e-sermons 1/19/03

[iv] Adapted from a call to worship written for Evangelical United Church of Christ, 1997. Copyright Katherine Hawker from “Out of the Box”website.

Today’s gospel lessons tell of two different times in Jesus’ life. First is the visit of the Magi – a story told only in Matthew’s Gospel. Secondly, many years later is the story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River by his cousin John. Both stories include some important and parallel truths.

In Matthew’s account of the Magi or the Wise Men visiting Jesus we have one of only a few stories of Jesus’ early life. We really don’t know who the Magi were. Most of what we think we know is the result of stories, hymns, and speculations that have grown up through the years. The original Greek calls them “magi” which covered a conglomeration of astronomers, fortune-tellers, and magicians. To good Jewish readers they would be the epitome of religious quackery and idolatry. But they followed the new star and eventually arrived where the child Jesus was. Being warned in a dream not to return to King Herod they went home another way.

Encountering Jesus has always meant traveling a different road. In Mark’s gospel today we hear of John the Baptizer who was preaching at the edge of the Jordan River. Here he was on the edge of the wilderness – the place that reminded Jews of their long trek from Egypt to the Promised Land. It was also the place that reminded them of their ancestors having been forced by foreign powers to leave their land and live in another place. It reminded them of the prophet Isaiah who said that a road would be prepared in the desert, getting the way ready for the coming of the Lord. It reminded them of the way that their ancestors had returned to Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Once again, they were under the domination of a foreign power – this time Rome – and John, in the wilderness is telling them to get ready for the greatest moment in Jewish history and in world history.

As their ancestors had crossed the Red Sea and left Egypt behind, as their ancestors had crossed the Jordan River and left the wilderness behind, they were to enter the water and figuratively lead behind their current Egypt. They were to leave behind the sin that enslaved them, the way of life that involved rebelling against the Living God. As a nation and as individuals they were looking in the wrong direction and it was time to turn around, repent of their sin, enter into the River of Life and then travel a different road.

In the original Exodus story, God’s presence with them was seen in the pillar of cloud and fire that went before them as they wandered through the wilderness. This time, there would be a different expression of God’s presence with them. Remember that Jesus was to be called Emmanuel which means “God is with us.”

The Christian Church has always been somewhat uncomfortable with Jesus’ baptism. John was calling people to repent of their sin and turn to God. How could Jesus have needed to be baptized? Jesus had no sin of which to repent and he was so completely in tune with God that he didn’t need to change directions.

Ann Patchett wrote a novel in 1992 called “The Patron Saint of Liars.” The story is set in the 1960’s in Kentucky at Saint Elizabeth’s Home for Unwed Mothers. One of the primary characters is Celia Clinton the 15 year old daughter of the cook Rose. Celia liked to talk with the girls who came there. One day a new girl arrived, Lorraine. As they talked, Celia gave her advice about what to tell Mother Corinne the nun who was in charge. Lorraine asked Celia what she had told Mother Corinne. Celia wrote later, ““I sat there, absolutely frozen. I felt like I had just been mistaken for some escaped mass murderer. I felt like I was going to be sick, but that would only have proved her assumption. No one had ever, ever mistaken me for one of them, not even as a joke. The lobby felt small and airless. I thought I was going to pass out.”

It wasn’t that Celia didn’t like the girls who came to Saint Elizabeth’s. She was always welcoming and kind and often gave good advice. It was just that she never expected to be mistaken for one of them because in her own mind she was a different kind of person; she was a virgin and thought everyone could see that.[i]

If we take Celia’s story and lay it next to our gospel and the life of Jesus we see the opposite kind of thing happening. Jesus went into the water just like the sinners. Jesus wasn’t concerned about being identified with the sinners, about being thought to be one of them.

If Jesus had listened to his public relations people, he would have been more like Celia wanted to be – a friend to sinners, a kind of loving helper, but never mistaken for one of them. He would have stood on shore, shouting encouragement to those going into the water. He could have held out his hand to those who struggled out of the water in their heavy wet clothes, but he would not, under any circumstances, have gone into the water to be baptized.[ii]

The Christian church talks a lot about God’s love for sinners, but often we go to a lot of trouble not to be mistaken for one of them. Jesus wasn’t concerned about that. Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us right in the river. He is with us in the turning away from sin. He is with us when we succumb to temptation and fall back into sin. He is with us in the repentance. He is with us in the joy of new life that follows repentance.

As “Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky open and the Holy Spirit coming down to him like a dove. A voice from heaven said, `You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.” (Mark 1:10-11 CEV) Baptism confirmed Jesus’ identity and baptism today tells us who we are. There are many people ready to tell us who we are and what is expected of us. The older we get the more we know that we cannot satisfy everyone’s expectation and we will drive ourselves crazy if we try. Baptism tells us that we are first and finally a Child of God. That is the lens through which we are to view all of the other expectations that people try to place upon us.

In baptism we are entering into the River of Life. In the United Methodist Church most of our baptisms take place using very little water so it’s hard to think about baptism as being a River of Life – but that is what it is. Just as a river flows along its course, we are setting ourselves or those whom we baptize on a course that is different than that which most of our world tells us to live. We are setting on a course that is one of viewing life through the eyes of God to the very best of our ability and trusting God to keep our vision clear and true.

Generally when I baptize a child here, one of the things I say to the child (and to any adults who are listening) is “God loves you and has great plans for your life. But you will need the rest of us to tell you the Story. We shall need to remind you from time to time, who you are, and to keep you in God’s family.”

This is true not only for children but for all of us. There are times in our lives when each of us needs to be reminded of who we are and whose we are. There are times in our lives when we need to be reminded that God chose us, long before we even had the ability to think about responding to God. Many of us have had times in our lives when we have wandered away or when we have been full of questions or doubts. That’s okay. God is big enough to handle all of our wandering and all of our questions and doubts. God is still “God-with-us” wherever we may be.

Once we have seen the Lord, once we have been touched by God’s love we are never the same and the road is always at least a little bit different than it was before. When we see the Christ as the Magi did – we are changed. When we are baptized, or when we encounter God in the beauty of nature, the smile of a friend, the trauma of a life event, or in any other way, we are changed and we find ourselves on a different road as the Magi did.

Taking a different route may mean that with God’s help we are able to overcome an addiction or a way of life that has been destructive to us or to someone else. It may mean no longer being a victim and beginning the long road to healing and wholeness. Following a different road may mean that our motivation for what we do will become finding the best way to serve the Lord. For some it may mean a career change; for many it means dedicating our current career as a ministry to God’s people. For parents it often means recognizing that raising children for God is a high and privileged calling which requires God’s very present help at all times.

The Magi came and saw and worshipped. The temple authorities, the good religious people, couldn’t be bothered. The Magi went home by a different route. The temple authorities stayed in their rut. Matthew included this account of the wise men so that we might understand that God came not just to the establishment, but to the outsiders; to the ones who were not respectable, to the ones who had no authority or power or influence; to the ones who were hurting, and broken, and to the sinners in the river who knew that they were in need of a Savior.

Jesus came to us, and entered into the river with the sinners. In his baptism, God proclaimed who he was. In our baptism, and in our lives, God proclaims who we are. God lays claim to us as precious, chosen children of God - called to walk the roads of life with God as our guide and our companion.

[i] Barbara Brown Taylor tells the story of Celia in a sermon “River of Life” in Home By Another Way, Cowley Publications, Boston, 1999, pp.32-36. I am indebted to her for this story and her comparison with Jesus.

[ii] Much of the language for this paragraph comes from Barbara Brown Taylor.

Leo Piguet is the author of a small book called 100 Prayers for Celbrating the Liturgical Seasons.[i] One of the reflections in this book is titled, “Organizing Those New Year’s Resolutions”. I don’t know about you but my New Year’s Resolutions usually don’t survive past January 4^th or 5^th – and that’s in a good year, so I was interested in his reflection. He wrote, “Maybe one of the reasons New Year’s resolutions are so hard to keep is because they are not organized around some familiar and often repeated formula. May I suggest there is such a formula we may have overlooked? It’s called the Lord’s Prayer. Have you ever noticed when praying the Lord’s Prayer that the work is divided between God and us? We ask God in the prayer to `Give us our daily bread, forgive us our sins, lead us not … and deliver us.’ But before we ask God to do anything we pray that God’s name will be kept holy, that God’s kingdom will come, and that God’s will be done. Now who is supposed to do all this? Not God – us!”[ii]

He goes on to remind us that we know the difference between keeping God’s name holy and defiling God’s name and that we know if we need to change our language to keep God’s name holy.

When we think about God’s kingdom it may get a little more complicated. Some think in terms of Christ’s second coming and the political changes that they think need to take place to usher that in. There are some religious leaders that have a high stake in the events in Israel because they want to bring about the conditions that will cause Christ to come again. Unfortunately they seem to forget that Jesus, himself, said that none of us would know when that time would come.

Others focus more on the adjectives that describe God’s kingdom and when we do we think of peaceful, harmonious, just, loving, gentle, and kindly. Piguet reminds us that it is not God’s job to make the world fit this description – it is ours and that we have the power to make this happen. He reminds us that we determine whether many situations are destructive or life-giving; that we can often resolve conflicts peacefully and that we can choose whether to make interventions that produce harmony or chaos.

The same is true of “God’s will be done….” We frequently use this phrase with a sort of resignation. We pray fervently for something and then end by saying, “nevertheless, not my will by thine be done.” That is, of course, scriptural, it was the way that Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane when he prayed that there might still be a way to avoid the cross, but that not his will but God’s should be done. What we tend to forget, is that Jesus had a hand in having God’s will done even in this situation. He could still have run away somewhere, gone into hiding, stopped teaching and healing and undoubtedly the authorities would have soon forgotten about him. But those actions would not have been consistent with God’s will for him. Hiding is not God’s way.

It was Jesus’ job to do God’s will and it is our job to do God’s will. We know that God never wills evil, only good. But God needs us to make good things happen. God needs us to do the things that reflect God’s love and God’s will for the world and for the individuals in the world. Piguet suggests that it makes good sense to organize our resolutions around the Lord’s Prayer: to “Ask yourself, what can I do to keep God’s name holy, to make God’s kingdom be real in the here and now, and to make God’s will be done today?”[iii]

These are good thoughts and helpful ones on this first day of a new year. They are also good thoughts when we reflect upon the scriptures for today. We have heard the story of Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. What is remarkable about the story are the two encounters that took place at the temple. Mary and Joseph met two people, Simeon and Anna, both of whom recognized Jesus for who he was. It had been revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. When he saw Jesus, he praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Simeon’s words were full of prophetic utterance – an unexpected word that the Messiah would be for all people – not only the Jews, but also the Gentiles.

In the temple also was Anna, a prophet, and an elderly widow. The scripture says she “never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day.” Now I don’t know whether to take that literally or more in the line of the kind of comment we might make that someone is in the church every time the door is open. Either way, Anna spent much time in the temple and she, too, recognized Jesus as the Messiah.

Simeon and Anna were people who were devoted to the worship of God. They were open to the Holy Spirit and they were able to recognize the Christ child when he was brought to the temple. If Jesus were born in our day, who would be likely to recognize him and receive him? Don’t be too quick to try to answer that question. We’d like to think that we would recognize the Son of God and receive him, don’t we? But if we truly examine our lives, if we look at the way we live, at our interactions with others, do we truly recognize and receive Christ when he comes to us?

If we fast forward about thirty two years from Simeon and Anna, we find Jesus asking and answering that same question. Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death and he was trying to teach them how to live until he came again. Over and over he told them to be prepared, to live life so that they would ready for him at any time. Then he described how he would know who had been his obedient followers and who had been only pretenders or unbelievers. We heard that in the section of Matthew’s gospel we just read. The real evidence of belief would be seen in the way we act. We are to treat all persons we encounter as if they are Jesus. That is no easy task. What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us to feed the hungry, give the homeless a place to live, look after the sick.

Most of the actions described by Jesus in this passage are simple acts of mercy that we can do everyday. They do not depend upon wealth, ability, or intelligence, they are simple acts freely given and freely received.

I’ve seen a lot of these actions take place within this church family. You have responded generously to the needs of victims of a tsunami, hurricanes and earthquakes. You give freely to provide gifts and needed items for Project Outreach and for the Domestic Violence Resource Center. Our building provides hospitality and a safe place for many community and support groups. The food pantry which is a town wide project, but housed here and supported by us provides food for many of our neighbors. Our Bible studies offer that proverbial drink of water to some in the community who are thirsting for the word of God.

Several years ago we came together as a community to raise money to help provide for a child in our congregation who needed a liver transplant. We watched and rejoiced as the transplant took place and the child became a teenager who is a vital part of our congregation. Now we are responding to a similar need but one that is much farther from home. Daniel and Dorcas Kamanda presented us with an 11 year old girl, Safiatu Bah, who needs surgery to repair a hole in her heart. The Dallas family has taken Safiatu’s need to heart and have spent many hours trying to locate a place where Safiatu would be able to have the necessary surgery.

Safiatu is a Moslem child living in Sierre Leone. Unless we travel to Sierre Leone, it is unlikely that any of us other than Daniel and Dorcas will ever actually meet Safiatu face to face. And yet, she is one of those in whom we can recognize and receive Christ. Safiatu is one of whom Jesus spoke when he said, “Whatever you do for the least of these my children who do for me.” After consultation with the appropriate people and the Administrative Council, our church is responding to Safiatu’s need by committing the balance of the funds in the Fiona Fund to help another child. Approximately $9,000 will be available from this source. Currently about half of the money needed has been raised and we still need about $12 - $13,000 to bring this surgery to fruition. Donations to help Safiatu can be made out to CITA International (Christ is the Answer) and sent here to the church.

Safiatu is just one of many ways that we can respond to those who need us the most and one of the many ways that we can help to make God’s kingdom real in the here and now. This is one way that we can help God’s will be done today. There are many many other opportunities that will present themselves to us each and every day. May we, like Simeon and Anna be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, be open to recognizing and receiving Christ wherever and however we meet him. It is my prayer that we would organize our resolutions and our lives around the Lord’s Prayer and seek to keep God’s name holy, to make God’s kingdom be real in the here and now, and to make God’s will be done today.

[i] Piguet, Leo. 100 Prayers for Celbrating the Liturgical Seasons, Thomas Moor Publishing, Allen, Texas, 2002

[ii] Piguet, p.26

[iii] Piguet, p.26

By The Rev. F. Richard Garland
Christmas Eve

Did you see the moon a week ago Thursday? On a cold December night this full moon was one of the brightest in recent years. You could walk in the back yard and see almost everything. Light at night is a powerful presence. There are those who are afraid of the dark - children ask for night-lights - we light up parking lots for safety's sake. Some of the fears are real, some imagined. There are other kinds of darkness as well. I have always been fascinated by the nighttime sky. I remember as a child lying on my back on a blanket while my mother and I watched the Persides Meteor shower. I remember the distant bloom of light over cities as I drove all night across Nebraska. I remember a shooting star making its transit across the NH sky. I remember going out to see comets. I remember the welcome lights of the shoreline towns as our fishing boat returned home after a week on the Atlantic Ocean. I remember seeing the milky way last October in Maine as I waited for my son and his family to return from the summit of Mt. Katahdin. Light at night can be a powerful presence.

Sometimes, despite the light and beauty of Christmas, darkness can loom like a warning out of our greatest fears and can be almost more than we can bear. And there is so much in our world that makes a person want to just give into it: tsunamis in the far east, hurricanes on the south coast, an earthquake in Kashmir, not to mention the misplaced priorities of world leaders, the growing gap between the rich and the poor, worry over how to pay electric and fuel bills, grief over personal illness or tragedy or the loss of someone dear. This kind of darkness holds little light or beauty for those who experience it.

The poets saw God in the dawn of creation, sweeping across a formless void and darkness with words of life: Let there be light! The truth they told is that God meets every darkness with light! So it was, a long time ago, the Magi in the east observed a star at its rising. They saw it as a sign of a new born king. They came to pay him homage. Again the power of light in the darkness became a transforming presence. W.H. Auden, in his Christmas Oratorio entitled "For the Time Being," wrote of why the Magi followed the star. The star, according to Auden, deprived the three Magi of their minor tasks, and called them on a long and difficult journey. Said the first: "To discover how to be truthful now is the reason I follow this star." Said the second: "To discover how to be living now is the reason I follow this star." Said the third: "To discover how to be loving now is the reason I follow this star." Said all of the Magi: "To discover how to be human now is the reason we follow this star." Those who follow the star, even today, find truth, life, and love, and thereby reclaim their humanity.

The birth of Jesus the Christ bids us get our priorities straight, especially in the face of the darkness around us. He is the one who has said: "Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your souls.â€ If we are hurting, for ourselves or for others, he will bear us up as on eagle's wings and make us whole. He is the one who has said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." If we love him and serve him, it will change how we live. As one person has put it: "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." Scripture reminds us, "God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only son into the world that we might have life through him." A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. To follow the star is to acknowledge that our humanity is a gift from God.

Sometimes it may seem like we have been a people who walk in darkness, but the promise of the prophet Isaiah remains true: we have seen a great light that shines to increase joy! For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace! The Star of Bethlehem holds more than a time of vain wishing. It bids us do more than make a wish - the Star of Bethlehem is an invitation to follow to where God has planted the seed of hope. As it shows us to the place where God becomes Emmanuel, it invites us to be faithful. It teaches us how to choose life. It shows us the path of love. It is as we kneel before the Christ child that we discover how to be human. God has shown a light into the darkness, and it is very good, indeed! Follow it, look to Christ and you will find life!

After years and years of waiting, the annunciation, the angel’s announcement to Mary, turns the tide. Here, at last, is the day you have been longing for, O Israel! Here is the time you knew must be, the time for which you prayed and yearned and raged and wept! Here is the secret of the ages, here is the great mystery of all time and here are the angels with all the appropriate heraldry to announce it! Now, if you will only sit tight for another thirty years and nine months, we’ll be ready to roll.

The annunciation demands patience, the patience of a mother. The messiah does not simply appear, fully formed. He has to be carried and labored over, born and raised, loved and nurtured, taught and disciplined. He comes to be through the love and care of a human family, and that requires what it has always required: more love and time than you thought you had to give. But that is the announcement. God in Christ is coming to live among us as one of us. God in Christ requires no army’s protection; only a mother’s and a father’s love.

Here we have the cataclysmic moment in world history, the instant which changed everything for all humanity. He have here the divine promise that Love in all its fullness will now break forth upon the world, accessible to all who desire it.

God takes the initiative in human lives. Just as the Holy Spirit came to Mary with a life’s mission, so the Holy Spirit attempts to approach each of us. Perhaps we have a much more dramatic example here than happens to most of us, but there is every reason to think that God doesn’t just wait for us to come looking for God. Christianity is God’s search for each one of us.

In the Methodist Church we call God’s initiative prevenient grace. It means God reaching out to us, loving us, and calling us before we recognize it. Long before we even begin to recognize God, God already has a long history loving us. If you think back to how you came to be here today, you may be able to recognize people who had an influence on your life that brought you here. There may have been parents, or teachers who planted seeds in you that never quite disappeared as you grew up. Our children have those seeds growing in them now. Youth faced with all the conflicting thoughts and emotions of being a teenager have those seeds planted within them, struggling to grow and needing to be fed and nurtured so that they bear fruit.

Even if you have never been in a church until the time you walked through the doors this morning, there has been something happening in your life - a still small voice of God calling you, loving you, and seeking you. God takes the initiative in human lives.

Mary certainly experienced that. Everything was coming up roses. She was engaged to an established craftsman. They would have a decent income. There would be stability in her life. Her parents were even happy about the engagement. Their wedding would happen soon. She was making plans. She had decorations all figured out. They had planned their honeymoon and registered their china. They were looking for a nice apartment and trying to find furniture ... probably apple crates for a while. (Well, maybe they hadn’t really registered their china, but you get the idea.)

Everything was coming up roses. Then God showed up. Mary was busy getting all her ducks in a row; carefully setting up her dominoes. And then God came and changed everything. At first, God’s coming created more problems in Mary’s life including quite literally the possibility that she would be killed because of the pregnancy.

However, God can handle any problem. When God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, God also made plans to care for her. Elsewhere we can read about Joseph, Mary’s fiancee, who had a dream in which he was told that Mary’s child really was from the Holy Spirit and that he should go ahead with the plans to marry her. When God comes into our lives, we need to be careful not to try and put limits on what God can and will do.

God always acts in love. The Christ child would become the embodiment of this truth. It means that when we act in love in this life, God will empower us. Quite frankly it doesn’t do us any good to pray for help in selfish or hurtful endeavors. The people we meet in everyday life, even those who oppose us or who disappoint us, are still loved by God equally as much as we are. But when we are acting in love God will help us in our actions. I believe this is true whether our actions are out of our love for another person or our love for God. Actually they are pretty much the same thing, because whenever we act in love toward another person, we are showing our love for God.

In God’s hands our earthly life as well as our eternal fate are safely in the hands of love. It was true for Mary, and it is true for us.

In the harbor of Gloucester, Massachusetts, there is a Roman Catholic Church called Our Lady of the seas. The steeple bears a statue of Mary, looking out to sea, with a fishing boat cradled in her hands. It is an image of tremendous power for this community because Gloucester is a fishing village, and in its three-hundred-year history, more than thirty thousand fisherman - many of them Portuguese and Italian immigrants - have lost their lives at sea. Even today, fishing remains one of the most dangerous occupations and one of the poorest. When the storms come and the radios give out, there is nothing to do but pray. For generations, fishing wives have gone to the church to pray for their husbands’ safety, and fishermen have carried the statue down to the harbor for the annual blessing of the fleet. Mary, Our Lady of the seas. She offers no miracles. She can only cradle the boat as it puts out to sea, as she once cradled her baby who was destined to die. In her strength, her resolve, the community finds its own.

Mary left behind safety when she said to the angel. “Let it be to me according to your word.” She left proper and comfortable and secure far behind her, and traded them for a vision of God incarnate in every single human life, no matter how poor or dirty or lost at sea.

In many ways, Mary is a model of faith. When visited by the angel, she didn’t try to hide her doubts, her questions or her fears. She knew that a pregnancy at this point meant that she could be killed by those who did not believe this story. But she took the risk of faith. She was obedient to God’s will for her. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say, she agreed to cooperate with the divine, to be a partner with God in the on-going plan for the salvation of the world. She agreed to work with God, not against God. She agreed to bear the Christ child, to endure the suffering that would go with being his mother, and to share in the joy of watching the child grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually in a relationship with God.

I read an Advent devotional about a pastor trying to prepare for all the things that are required at this time of year. He had gotten a little bit behind on his sermon preparation. It was Friday morning - bulletin deadline! - and Pastor Phil didn’t have a title for his sermon yet. By the way, in this church, bulletin deadline is Tuesday morning, - and - you may have noticed, it’s not uncommon for there to not be a sermon title. Anyway, the music director in a sarcastic effort to be helpful asked him, “Does your sermon have any trumpets in it?” “No,” Phil answered. “Does it have any drums in it?” “None,” Phil replied. “Then how about `Without Trumpets or Drums?’” And that’s what he titled his sermon that Sunday, as he preached on the way in which Mary fulfilled God’s call upon her life. No trumpets. No drums. No fanfare. Just faithfulness!

“No wonder so many Christians hold Mary in such high regard. Didn’t she prove to be a most amazing servant of God? Young, unmarried and pregnant, Mary trusted that God’s plan for her life was sufficient.”[i]

When Mary arrived at her cousin’s, Luke tells us that Elizabeth’s baby leaped in her womb. I’m sure that the baby had moved many times, but this time, this particular time, the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth and she recognized this as more than just a baby’s movement. It was a leap of hope and joy the kind that occurs when there is the recognition of God on the move to fulfill the promises of God’s covenant. Elizabeth’s baby, who according to the angel was to prepare the way for the Lord, was already fulfilling that role. The baby’s leap and the Holy Spirit’s presence gave Mary one more confirmation that the child she carried was really the one whom the angel proclaimed.

The leap of the baby was the leap of hope and joy that occurs long before there is much of any visible sign that it is, in fact, God on the more. It is the anticipatory leap of hope and joy that Christmas is all about. The one God sends, whose presence caused John to leap in the womb, brings hope to those who have no hope. He brings joy to those who cannot imagine any prospect other than bitter tears for the future. He brings life to those who bear within themselves a great emptiness and sadness because life has passed them by. All of us, no matter what our situation in life, are called to get our hopes up, to prepare to rejoice. We are called to join in John’s anticipatory dance.

There were no trumpets or drums when the angel appeared to Mary or when she went to see Elizabeth. No trumpets or drums, but there was an angel, and Mary’s faithfulness, and her trust that God’s plan for her life was sufficient. There are no trumpets or drums when we give a faith filled response to God’s call to us. But maybe, just maybe, there is the rejoicing of an angel when God’s people say yes and agree to be Christ-bearers for others.

[i] Molin, Steven. A is for Advent Creative Communications, St. Louis Mo. 1998 p. 16

[ii]Weems, Ann. Kneeling in Bethlehem “The Christmas Spirit” Westminster Press, Philadelphia 1980 p. 51

Once again this week we have the sharp contrast of “Santa Claus is Coming to town” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The Santa Claus is Coming to town is a little less boisterous than it was last week, but still overshadowing the plea calling for Emmanuel, “God with Us” to come to us. All around us the sales abound, decorations are becoming more prolific and Santa Claus is making his appearance in the malls. If we are to believe the commercial messages, it should be a “holly, jolly Christmas”.

But for all too many of us it doesn’t exactly feel “holly, and jolly”. I know personally that this has been a very difficult week. I’ve spent more time in the hospital and related to the hospital than I care to think about. Maybe that’s why I appreciate the passage from Isaiah so much. My first reaction to it is to hear pieces of Handel’s Messiah pouring forth. First there is the wonderful tenor voice singing, “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith the Lord” until you are sure you have heard the message loud and clear. But my problems are too great, you protest, and then the voice continues, “every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low.” Valleys lifted up, mountains leveled off – only a mighty God could accomplish such a tremendous feat – a God mighty enough to really give comfort during those rough times in life.

Then come the powerful exultant voices of the chorus singing and repeating, “The glory, the glory of the Lord, shall be revealed.” It’s enough to give one goose bumps. It’s enough to remind you that God really is mighty enough to give comfort and strength even in the midst of facing the most difficult circumstances of life.

This message was a powerful one to the Israelite people who first heard it. They were living in exile in a foreign land. Their homeland had been destroyed by invaders from Babylon and they had been required to leave the familiar and move to a foreign land and live among people whom they did not know and didn’t understand. Even worse than this, they felt that they had been abandoned by God. They thought of God as being in a specific place – in the temple in Jerusalem. Now the temple had been destroyed – the most sacred touchstone of their lives was gone, and they felt that even their God was no longer.

But the word came, “Comfort, O Comfort my people, says your God.” They are still God’s people and God is bringing comfort. The prophet told to proclaim this message of comfort can’t image what word of comfort there can be in such horrible circumstances. He didn’t want nice religious platitudes – just as we don’t want them when we are in the midst of something terrible. For many of us there are few things less helpful to someone whose loved one has just died than to be told, “it was God’s will.” I suppose that there are people who find this comforting, but it was never made sense to me and it doesn’t sound to me like it fits with a God who says, “speak tenderly to Jerusalem,” or says that God will feed his flock like a shepherd, carry the lambs in his arms and gently lead the mother sheep.

No, Isaiah doesn’t want simple answers, soft religious platitudes. He wants and needs something that makes sense. And the word comes. We are like grass; grass withers, and flowers fade, but the word of our God will stand forever. In the vision of what we see at the moment what is happening to us seems monumental, overwhelming and all consuming. If our viewpoint were all there was, if the moment were forever then we would be consumed and destroyed by the circumstances of life. But there is a bigger view, one in which God’s word stands for eternity. It is a reminder to us that whatever we are facing today is not the final answer. No matter how horrendous it may seem right now, it is not the ultimate result – it may seem like it, but the Word of God assures us that there is more to life than right now.

Many years ago when I was at the beginning stages of a divorce, I heard someone say that after seven years she was just starting to feel like really living again. That was not good news to me. I wanted to feel alive and happy much sooner than that. But in a strange way, that was also a message of hope. It might take time for me to really recover, but I would – and I did.

Like many of you, I can look back on parts of my life and recall how I wasn’t sure I could get through whatever was happening, but now I can look back and know that I did survive and that God was with me helping me, holding me like a little lamb gently held in the strong arms of a God who knows how to be gentle and strong at the same time. Today when you or I begin to feel that sense of being overwhelmed or abandoned, we can remember that as horrible as it may feel at the time, it will come to an end because the Word of God does stand forever – far longer than whatever it is that threatens to overwhelm you now.

The wilderness is not a fun place to be, whether it be a physical wilderness or an emotional or spiritual one. During Advent we are reminded that there was another who went out voluntarily into the wilderness. John the Baptizer went out, away from the city, away from the conveniences of life, out into the wilderness. Unlike most street corner preachers who stand where it is most busy so that they will be seen and so that it is hard to get away from them, John went out into the wilderness. Incredibly people went out into the wilderness to see him, to hear him. They recognized the significance of the wilderness in their history – they knew that their ancestors had wandered in the wilderness for forty years after escaping from slavery in Egypt. They knew that their ancestors had been led by the Babylonians through the wilderness to a foreign land where they were forced to live. They knew that their ancestors had eventually made a return trip through the wilderness back to the city of Jerusalem which had been destroyed, and which they painstakingly rebuilt over a period of many years. They knew the significance of the wilderness in their history.

They knew also the wilderness of life. They were living under the domination of another foreign power – the government of Rome. They knew the wilderness of life – crises of health and death. They went out into the wilderness to hear one who proclaimed the word of the Lord.

John was a prophet, one who like the prophet Isaiah before him, was a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. In John’s case, he was preparing, announcing the arrival of the Messiah, the Christ, the long awaited one, the one about whom the angels had announced, “he will save his people”. This long awaited one, Jesus of Nazareth, turned out to be everything they expected and nothing that they expected. He was the one who would save his people, but not in the way they anticipated. He did not lead a military force and overthrow the Roman government, but he was the one who had the power to forgive sins, to heal, to baptize with the Holy Spirit, to save his people in a way that was ultimate and eternal, not transitory.

Often God doesn’t act the way we want. Our most fervent prayers may seem not to be answered, but they are – even if they are not answered the way we want them to be. God doesn’t shield us from the difficulties of life. Indeed, sometimes being a follower of Christ may lead us into some extra difficulties. God doesn’t guarantee us good health, or long lives. God doesn’t put a protective bubble around us and our loved ones to save us from trouble.

God walks with us, carries us gently, leads us, guides us, sustains us, and strengthens us even in the midst of the multiple difficulties of life. In the much beloved 23^rd Psalm the psalmist proclaims, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

John was a voice calling out in the wilderness – both physically and symbolically – the wilderness – the place we least want to be and yet, the place we often find ourselves. Sometimes we know that our journey in the wilderness will be a short one, but other times it feels as if it will never end. Yet, we have the promise that God is with us, that God has come to save us from what might otherwise destroy us. Our loved ones may still die. We will still die. But even death is not the ultimate loss – it is a temporary one, a loss of a physical presence. Human death and its finality melt in the face of the resurrection. Our wilderness transitions into a place of grass and flowers when we rely fully on the God who comes to us, Emmanuel, God with us.

I hope that there are some of you thinking, well, Beverly really missed the mark today. I’m not in any wilderness and haven’t been for awhile. All of that might have been true when I did walk through the wilderness but right now my life is going just great and I have so many blessings to be thankful for and this is going to be the best Christmas ever. If that is the case, and I pray for some of you that it is – then there is still a word here. You have family and friends who are in the wilderness. Part of this family of Christ is hurting right now in many different ways. People you know at work or at school are in the wilderness.

If you are not in the wilderness that is great! But would you be willing to take a walk out into the wilderness with those who right now need to know God’s comfort? If you are not in the wilderness yourself, if you’ve been there in the past, then your voice is needed now. Your voice is needed in the wilderness bringing comfort and a message of hope and of God’s power.

It is the season of Advent, the time to prepare for a new beginning. A time of new beginnings is in store for all of us, those in the wilderness and those who are not. Advent is a time of new beginnin