Open the eyes of our imagination so that we may dream and view that which is beyond the scope of our own circumstance. Grace us with the courage to wrestle with the dreams you give to us, face the challenge that they present, and the trust to follow their calling. Enliven our dreams with your gracious love, and the reality of an abundant life that can only come from your death on a cross.
Amen
Thought:
Today's word of the day is dream. Dreams are a complicated thing. Sometimes, we equate them with what we want, for instance, we describe our dream house, or the man or woman of our dreams, or even some great accomplishment. Other times, our dreams are nightmares, showing us reflections of our deepest darkness, our fears, or traumatic pasts. In whatever form they come in, dreams have the capacity to give us greater insight and perspective about our lives.
I think that God is the ultimate dreamer, the being whose clairvoyance surpasses time and space, and would overwhelm us mortals if we were burdened with what God can "see". And yet, when God is the dreamer, our reality is turned upside down, and even the possibility of life from death, of resurrection from the cross, of love in the midst of hate becomes manifest in all of creation. We all have dreams about what our lives will become, but may we know that God, the ultimate dreamer is with us through all things, and calling us to build and rebuild our lives trusting in the wisdom and grace of the One who faced the nightmare of crucifixion, so that
About Lenten Prayer as CtK:
During Lent, I am inviting all of you at Christ the King, and anyone who would be willing to join us, to engage in praying together, seeking to hear God and be guided by Christ's life in our life together. To guide these prayers, I will be posting pictures centered around a word for the day. This comes from the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/LENTPHOTOADAY. Please feel free to join me in posting pictures and thoughts to your social media accounts or to the comments of this blog.
Usually, I don’t pay a lot of attention to the weather, but
this past week, it was almost, ALMOST, a relief to tune into the big storm that
we got. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly am not rejoicing at the mountain of
snow piled up outside my office window, but I am glad that this storm got us
talking about something other than deflated footballs.
As a converted Pats fan (my loyalties continue to reside
first with the Vikings) the constant talk about what happened with
“Deflategate”, as it has come to be known, was losing my interest. What has
been so nauseating to me through this debacle, is that the default position for
many, in regards to Tom Brady and Bill Belichik, after they said they had
nothing to do with the condition of the footballs, was that they were lying.
Hearing many self-righteous pundits and former athletes take this default
position was hard on the ears for two reasons.
First, it’s the fact that so many talking heads couldn’t
fathom any explanation other than someone lying. Instead of really trying to
get to all the possible reasons or scenarios for why the footballs didn’t have
the proper PSI, so many have jumped to the conclusion they want, which also is
the most negative towards someone else. The second reason it’s mind-numbing to
listen to all the negativity, is the possibility that perhaps these naysayers
are right, and that there is lying and cheating going on. If this is the case,
how sad would it be if people like Tom and Bill would so aggressively lie about
something so little.
Therefore, even though it took 2 feet of snow to do it, I’m
happy that a little air has been taken out of the “Deflategate” story.
The 8th Commandment tells us that we shall not
“bear false witness against our neighbor.” The simple explanation is that we
shouldn’t lie about others. But a broader way to look at this commandment,
following the lead of Martin Luther, is that we are to use our words to build
up our neighbor(s), and that whenever we are speaking about someone else, to
take the utmost care to convey them in a positive sense. We as Christians act
with mercy and grace, not only by being forgiving, but in giving the benefit of
the doubt to others, and seeking to put the best construction on their words
and actions, not simply jump to the worst possible conclusions.
In the end, “Deflategate” is kind of fun, because it’s about
a game, and even if there is something serious going on, these are not the
things to waste our passion for justice on. At the same time, in our life
together as the Body of Christ, using our speech and communications about each
other is of the utmost importance. We are all different people with different
perspectives and opinions, who also make mistakes and say the wrong things. The
8th Commandment is a gift to us from God, so that accusation and
distrust don’t have to be a part of any big discussion, decision, or our
general life together.
In the past months, we’ve been having some of these big
discussions, and going through some big decisions. I’ve told more than one
person that even as we go through these things, the tone of the congregation
has generally been positive and helpful. As we go forward, we remember that
life gives us many situations. Sometimes we get two feet of snow, and we work
together, follow the rules, help each other out and make the best of it. Other
times, a sports team achieves a great accomplishment, and every effort is made
to minimize and detract from this. May we remember to let the life-giving Word
of God, full of grace and love, be the words we share with each other, through
all things! Go Pats!
In Christ,
Pr. Mark
P.S. I once was accused of a roommate for not acting very
“Christian”, when I was saying unkind things about Brett Favre and the Packers
while watching a game. I won’t defend my actions, I will only say that I am a
sinner in need of the grace of God…especially when it comes to the Packers.
This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran church on Feb. 1, though the end of this sermon is different than the one preached on Sunday.
Mark 1:21-28 21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’26And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
The currently much maligned comedian, Bill Cosby once wrote, “Parents don’t want justice, they want peace, and quiet.”
As I anticipate the birth of our second child, I find this quote to be more true than my pre-kids, idyllic version, of what myself as a father would be would ever believe. I envisioned my children always listening and behaving, for the sake of listening and behaving, because it was the right thing to do. I wasn’t going to negotiate with my children, they would simply do as I said.
So, how’s that going you may ask? Well, Charlie just finished off another sticker chart and received another prize for the grand accomplishment of sleeping in his bed the entire night. And, while there is the benefit of more rest and sleep for him, the reason for the chart lies entirely in Charlie’s parents, and our inability to get him to empathize with us over how horrifying the sound of his feet pitter-pattering into our room at 2:30 in the morning really is.
Bribery, ignoring, distracting, and I’m sorry to admit, the occasional, little white lie, seem to be the stuff that parenting is made of.
But, if we’re on a roll of truth telling, I think we could change Bill Cosby’s quote just a little. Instead of Parents, we’ll say, “People don’t want justice, they want peace, and quiet.” Perhaps..the person of Bill Cosby is case-in-point for this.
We could take this approach to today’s Gospel lesson as well. There’s a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit. Possibly, this was nothing new, but instead of anyone risking the general peace and quiet by confronting this unclean spirit, folks in the synagogue just sort of put up with it.
We humans, put up with a lot of things that we shouldn’t, both in our own lives and the world, and we have an incredible capacity to do so, it’s called the power of denial,
the power of sin.
And so, when Jesus breaks onto the scene, all of a sudden, the unclean spirit, or spirits are afraid. Here is someone who is able to confront and deal with them. Here is someone in Jesus who is guided by the fact the peace…and quiet…are not possible without justice. Here is someone who’s very presence, is a threat to the unclean spirits of the world.
If you’re like me, this thought of Jesus, coming to deal with our unclean spirits, our sin, to put it another way, can seem a little threatening. This is because sin has a way of causing us to seek and desire peace and quiet in our lives as our top priority, rather than justice. We humans seek to be as successfully normal as possible, in whatever way that means in our lives. Of course we want justice, and the other gifts of God, as long as it means we can fit them into our lives and way of being, and especially into the relationships that we have with each other.
While in Orlando, for Stephen Leader training, I heard a person at my table describe a scene that reminded me of this Gospel story, and the ways we humans simply put up with, and adapt to our sin. This person, we’ll call him George, told me about a friend of his, a fellow brother in Christ, opening up to him about an extramarital affair. While this person was a good friend of his, George told me that he wasn’t the first person his friend went confided in, in fact, he said, his friend had not been anxious to talk to him at all. And, do you know what George, the nice, Christian man told his friend, it was something different than anyone else had told him, George said, “you need to stop this right now, and you need to tell your wife.” In essence, George was telling the unclean spirit haunting his friend, “Be silent, and come out of him.”
George told me that this event happened a while ago, and that it still affects his friend’s marriage, but, at least now this marriage, and George’s friend, could live again in truth and life, and not lies and deception.
Whether it is in how we parent, how we feel about celebrities we admire, or how we talk to our friends, often, we sacrifice justice, and truth, and righteousness for peace and quiet. But Jesus didn’t come here, Jesus isn’t here in this place, to give us peace and quiet. Jesus is here to give us peace, and justice, and love, and life, abundant life, and Jesus is uncompromising in his mission to do just that, and calls us to seek, and know, and love the truth of God so much, that we would be just as uncompromising. When Jesus is present, when we are present, the unclean spirits that bring hate, suffering, and death into this world run and hide.
But you know what, we’re human beings, and sin is much stronger than us, and it does a pretty good job in tricking us, isolating us, and bringing us pain and suffering. And so as much as Jesus is uncompromising when he deals with our unclean spirits, he is even more uncompromising in giving us his grace.
This past week, I presided at a funeral for a man named Bob, whom I had never met. At the funeral, Bob’s brother got up and spoke about his brother, who he turned to when he found out his son had an addiction to drugs. Bob’s brother told all of us, how his brother was always there to listen, to comfort, to support and share in the struggles of his family, he told us, how much his brother loved him, and his son, and he shared with us how his son has now been sober for a year and a half.
Through all things, Jesus is with us, and he is uncompromising, both with his truth, and with his grace. As we move forward, as we stumble forward, may we grow in our trust of Jesus, the Living Word of God, may we seek to hear his truth, not shy away from it, and may we endeavor to hold each other in the grace that holds us, the grace that dies for us, the grace that lovingly and authoritatively tells the sinful, unclean spirits of our lives and world, to beat it.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Amen
This sermon was preached at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA on January 18, 2015.
Gospel:
John 1:43–51
43The
next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,
"Follow me." 44Now
Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have
found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of
Joseph from Nazareth." 46Nathanael
said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to
him, "Come and see." 47When
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an
Israelite in whom there is no deceit!"
48Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know
me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip
called you." 49Nathanael
replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of
Israel!" 50Jesus
answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig
tree? You will see greater things than these." 51And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you
will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the
Son of Man."
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
This past week, I was in Orlando attending a Stephen
Ministry Leader Training Course.
Currently, we have an active Stephen Ministry at this
church, and I have heard from some of you about being ministered to by one of
our Stephen Ministers.
Now, if you aren’t familiar with Stephen Ministry, a
Stephen Ministry congregation equips and empowers lay caregivers (lay is a term
for people who aren’t ordained pastors) –called Stephen Ministers-to provide
high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.
The ministry gets its name from the model of a man named
Stephen, a follower of Christ who the book of Acts tells us came to embody this
type of mission.
What really excites me about Stephen Ministry, is that
you don’t have to be a nice person to be a Stephen Minister. For
clarification’s sake, I think being nice would be a helpful attribute, but the
point I’m trying to make, is that being a Stephen Minister is not a calling
reserved only for those who always show up at just the right time, with the
right words, and a plate of still warm cookies.
At its heart, being a Stephen Minister is about being
Christ for others, it is about showing up for those who are hurting, being with
them, and personifying the one who’s love is much greater than all of ours.
Now, this is by no means an easy calling, and all Stephen Ministers go through
training and supervision, but because this calling is to be Jesus Christ, and
not a superhuman, it is a calling and ministry that is undertaken and received
by all different types of people. Being a Stephen Minister isn’t about having
just the right personality traits, it’s about knowing how much God cares for
you, and for every other person on this Earth, and realizing that love, God’s
love, in the relationship between the caregiver, and the care receiver.
The mission of Stephen Ministry, of giving and receiving
the love of Christ, of being Christ for others is such a great fit for our
congregation, because this mission reflects on a micro level the exact mission
of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, in general, and Christ the
King, specifically.
When it comes down to it, the one thing that we as Christ
the King exist for, is to be a living, breathing, testament to the type of
love, and care that God has for the world and has shown us through Jesus
Christ. And, in order to carry out this mission, congregations, like Stephen
Ministers don’t have to be nice….though we certainly don’t go out of our way to
not be nice.
Now, please bear with me for a moment. Remember that
Stephen Ministers come in all shapes, and sizes, it doesn’t matter if you ride
a motorcycle, or a motorized cart, Christ uses people in this ministry to bring
his life and love to others.
When we recognize this truth on a micro-level, in our
individual lives, we can also begin to recognize this truth on a macro, congregational
level as well. As we gather this morning, from a human point of view, we could
easily see ourselves as not being in a good position to do ministry. The people
and dollars we have make it a struggle to continue doing all of the great
ministries that have taken place. Some of the people that come to mind in our
images of Christ the King are no longer here. Our dynamics have changed, and in
this uncertainty, as we grapple with possibilities of loss and letting go, our
anxiety feels much more dreadful than hopeful.
Perhaps, ten or twenty years ago, if we had read this
Gospel message from John, if we had heard about Philip saying to his friend,
Nathaniel, “Come and see”, the sermon could have written itself. It could go
something like this, “Look at all these great things we have going on at CtK,
be like Philip, go tell those you know to come and see. Come and see all that
God is doing at CtK.” Today, what be most difficult for us, is that thinking
about asking those we know to “come and see” is an anxious and foreboding
proposition, as we’re worried about what it even is, that we would have to show
others.
And this is what I mean, when I say that in order to
carry out our mission, in order to carry out our purpose as a congregation of
Jesus Christ, we don’t need to have everything nice. Our mission as a
congregation is to show the life and love of Christ to each other, and to the
world, and as we stand today, we are no less capable of doing that than we were
in the past. Christ’s presence with us isn’t dependent on what we have or what
we can do, and even more so, when things change, and when we suffer losses,
Christ does not leave us.
The point of a Stephen Minister, is that when individuals
go through changes and challenges in their lives, even if things from an
outside perspective don’t get better, that care receiver knows that Christ is
with them, that Christ loves them and cares for them. The point of the Church,
the point of Christ the King, is that as things go on in our lives, as we go
through changes and challenges that everyone goes through, these are a
reflection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, not in his abandonment of us, but in his
continued loving and graceful presence with us. A presence that gives us the
hope of Christ’s resurrected and eternal life that not even death can contain.
Therefor, know this truth of Jesus Christ, in the midst of change, even difficult change, we can surely say, in all things, "Come and see", come and see this person named Jesus, who is giving his life for us.
This sermon was preached at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA on December 21, 2014.
Gospel: Luke 1:26–38
26In
the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called
Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged
to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was
Mary. 28And he came to her
and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 29But she was much perplexed by his words
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, "Do not be
afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb
and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most
High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34Mary said to the angel, "How can
this be, since I am a virgin?" 35The
angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy;
he will be called Son of God. 36And
now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this
is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with
God." 38Then Mary said,
"Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your
word." Then the angel departed from her.
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
There are some things in the Bible that puzzle me…ok,
there are a lot of things.
One of those things, is our Gospel story today. Now, in
this story, the angel Gabriel appearing, and the whole idea of Mary giving
birth in a highly unusual manner are kind of par for the course when it comes
to God.
What puzzles me, is Mary. I would love to be a fly on the
wall for this conversation she had that evening with Gabriel, and the ensuing
nine months, when everything in Mary’s life was turned upside down. I wasn’t
there of course, but if I had been, if it was me, instead of Mary, I would not
have been quite as receptive to Gabriel’s message. In fact, my response to it
all would have been, “are you kidding me?” rather than Mary’s words of, “Here am
I, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your will.”
So, on behalf of Mary, here’s my list of grievances.
First, an Angel just shows up in her room at night, that’s a little creepy.
Second, is the whole abnormality of the conception process. And those are just
the minor things. What I’d really take umbrage with, was the fact that God was
really messing up Mary’s life. This child she was going to bear, was not only
going to put her marriage at risk, but, because being an adulteress could mean
death in those days, this unplanned pregnancy was putting her life at risk as
well. So, I wonder, how Mary could have been so receptive, so gracious to
Gabriel’s announcement, is beyond me.
And, I think that’s the point. Mary’s response wasn’t a
human response, it was a response, an acceptance of God’s will, that could only
happen by the work of God’s grace. Somehow, God was able to elicit enough trust
from Mary, that she commended herself to what God was doing. The fact that Mary opened herself, her life to
God, so that she may bear God’s son, Jesus Christ, was a miracle in and of
itself.
This morning, what’s a little unnerving, is that the same
grace that called Mary to trust God with her life, well-being, and future, is
also calling upon us to do the same.
First, this grace comes and says to each of us,
“Greetings, favored One, the Lord is with you,” with the same amount of
sincerity and love that it was uttered to Mary with. Think about that, God
loves each of us, just as much as Mary.
Second, this grace of God doesn’t come to us by way of
fear. God isn’t trying to scare us into submission. God is compassionate, and
reassuring, saying, “Do not be afraid. For you have found favor with God.” God
is calling us out of love, not because we owe God a favor.
Third, when God calls us out of grace, God is calling us
in order to use us to do something, in order to bring about the transformation
of our lives and our world. God’s grace is given to us, so that the sin and
death that make up our lives will be made into eternal life and abundant love.
In other words, when God’s grace calls, we can expect, that just like it did to
Mary, this grace will interrupt our lives, change our plans, and turn the world
we know, upside down.
Just over 2000 years ago, God sent an angel, to a young
virgin named Mary, and the rest as they say, is history. Mary did conceive and
give birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Now today,
God doesn’t send an angel, but comes to us in the life of the One who Mary gave
birth to, Jesus Christ. In Christ, God comes to us full of grace, offering his
life, giving us his body and blood, so that we may know a life that surpasses
all our expectations. Truly, the light, and hope, the Savior of this world has
come, and the trust that Mary put in God, the trust that led her to say “Let it
be with me according to your will” has not been in vain.
And because through Jesus, God has fulfilled the promise
given to Mary, we by the grace of God, are called to grow in our trust of God, so
that we may grow in our openness to the will of God. In other words, when God
gracefully calls us, interrupting our plans, and even our own desires and
aspirations, God is transforming us to go from, “Are you kidding me?” to “Let
it be with me, according to your will.”
In this season of Advent, O favored ones, God is calling
us, like Mary, to bear the One who is the hope, the light, of the world. God is
calling us to bear Christ, however inconvenient it may seem, so that our lives
and the world may be transformed in love and life. For we know, that:
“Christ
has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the
eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with
which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the
world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his
body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
This sermon was preached at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA on December 14, 2014.
Gospel: John 1:6–8, 19–28
6There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all
might believe through him. 8He
himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 19This is the testimony given by John when
the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are
you?" 20He confessed and did
not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." 21And they asked him, "What then? Are
you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the
prophet?" He answered, "No."
22Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an
answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23He said,
"I
am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
'Make
straight the way of the Lord,'"
as the prophet Isaiah said.
24Now
they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25They
asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor
Elijah, nor the prophet?" 26John
answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not
know, 27the one who is coming
after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." 28This took place in Bethany across the
Jordan where John was baptizing.
Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
Lately, I’ve really enjoyed reliving old episodes of the
sitcom, The Office.
If you aren’t familiar with this classic show, it
revolves, shockingly, around an office, based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, that
sells and distributes paper. Now, if your funny bone isn’t tickled already,
what makes the show work is its cast of characters, especially, the boss,
Michael Scott.
Now, Michael has a very good heart, and his intentions
are usually very well-meaning, but when it comes to life, Michael really
doesn’t have a clue. This may be most apparent, in the episode about Scott’s
Tots. You see, Scott’s Tots were a group of children, who Michael made a very
big promise to. Michael offered to pay for their college tuition, if they
graduated from High School.
Perhaps, if Michael was the owner of the Dunder-Mifflin
Paper, this promise wouldn’t be so outlandish, but he is merely a regional
manager at the Scranton office. In other words, he couldn’t make good on this
promise. Which makes for a hilarious 22 minutes of really awkward television,
especially when Michael has to meet with Scott’s Tots, who even sing to him,
“Mr. Scott, Mr. Scott, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do make our dreams come
true?” …Which Michael does accomplish, that is, if the dreams of the children
were fulfilled by the laptop battery he gave them and not the chance to go to college.
Even though he was a bit of a moron about it, I can see
where Michael Scott was coming from in making such a promise. It felt good to
him, to make others feel good. It made him feel important, and a difference
maker in the lives of others to make this promise. By and large, we all know
how it feels, to be able to give things to others that make them happy.
Unfortunately, the control that we have over our
promises, can be pretty minimal. For instance, if you have a young boy at home,
and they are looking forward to a special Halloween Trunk or Treating party at
their school, and it gets canceled due to weather, unless you can control the
weather, you just have to suck it up, and deal with a disappointed child. So,
we are wise, when we do the opposite of the Michael Scott approach, and
surprise with things we can actually give to others, rather than make promises
to them, that may we have to break.
Often times, in the world of faith, our revered figures
and role models can be less obvious versions of Michael Scott. This is the
faith figure who seems to be able to be a constant source of hope and
enthusiasm, at least for a short time. The person who has made it as far as
they have, usually in terms of financial stability, and worldly status, as a
result of what God has done for them, because of their faith and belief. And
the message that I often here in this type of faith, is that God will certainly
do the same for you. As long as you have enough faith, the message proclaims, I
promise you, you can become like me, and have the good life too, you can be
comfortable, and satisfied, and completely in control. Then, to throw in some
good intentions, there’s also the message that together, we can change the
world for good.
This message can be uplifting, for a time, and it can
give hope, but in the long run, this promise is not sustainable.
The promise; of success, a comfortable life, even health
and wellness can come and go. And nothing I, or anybody else can promise can
make the uncertainty of life change, regardless of how much one believes, or
has faith. But the uncertainty of our lives and the many things that are beyond
our control, doesn’t mean that we are without promise, or that we are without
hope. It only means that instead of hearing and emulating the message of the
Michael Scotts of this world, we turn instead, to someone like John the
Baptist.
John, as we read today, wasn’t really anybody. He was
sent by God, yes, but he wasn’t sent to be the light, or the Messiah, or even a
great prophet. And, though he baptized people, John himself admitted, that
really, he was just getting people wet. John, was sent by God, to simply tell
people, to speak with boldness, that their Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah
who had been promised to them, was coming.
This morning, the position of one who makes a lot of
promises about how great your life can be is not a message I’m equipped to
give. I can’t predict your future, or give you keys to happiness, and I can’t
draw much of a link about how believing in God will help you pay for someone’s
college tuition.
But, I will gladly share with you a message with a much
better promise, a much greater hope, a much brighter future, than anything I
could possibly have control over. This is the message that our God, Jesus
Christ is here, and by the power of his love; through the promise of his
unending life, we have a hope that is greater than anything we could imagine.
The hope of someone who promises to love us, the promise to make us his sisters
and brothers, even while we crucify him.
And, just like John, we proclaim with our lives that
Jesus’ presence in this world will continue to break forth, it will continue to
increase, it will continue to bring salvation to the oppressed, the
brokenhearted, the prisoner, our enemies, and even ourselves. This salvation
will increase, as we grow in believing Christ’s promise, the promise of his
unending love, the promise that he has given to all people, by dying for us on
a cross.
We, as God’s people, are being sent, like John the
Baptist, out into the world, not to give false hope, to proclaim and fulfill
this promise of Christ’s love. We are sent into the world to share this gift
until there are no more oppressed, or brokenhearted, only sisters and brothers.
Truly, we have been given the promise, the unending hope of Jesus Christ, and
we are called to share it, knowing that:
“Christ
has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the
eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with
which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the
world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his
body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
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