The Pastor’s Words

Text:  Matthew 1:18-25
23 Dec 2007
Topic:  Pregnant with God

Thirty years ago this Christmas, Joanne was pregnant for the first time.  As we were preparing for our first child’s birth, people gave us books of names to help us in the naming process.  One of those books listed over 6,500 names.  And so, like all new parents, we looked through the books, thought about what would work best for us and for our family, and ultimately decided on the name Erin for our first child. 

Because of my Swedish surname name, we decided the given name should reflect Joanne’s Irish heritage.  So, we set out looking for an Irish girl’s name. 

Well, do you have any idea of how many beautiful Irish names there are for girls?  Maureen, Colleen, Kathleen, Kaitlyn, Brigid, Briana, and of course, Megan and Aileen, to name just a few.  With so many   beautiful Irish names, we had our work cut out for us. 

In contrast, Mary and Joseph had it real easy.  An angel of the Lord simply told them what to name their baby.  From our gospel reading today, “The angel said, ‘Joseph, the baby Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit….name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’”  (Matthew 1:20b-21 CEV)  And so they did.  They named him Jesus, which is the Greek way of saying the Hebrew name, Yeshua, or Joshua.  It was that simple. 

But as we know, that was the only thing simple about the life and ministry of Jesus.  The name, Jesus, means “the Lord saves,” and his name would end up shaping and influencing his entire life.  Jesus would end up dying for the sins of everyone in the entire world.  He would end up on a cross and save us from our sin.  Little did Mary and Joseph know at the time that their son’s name would have so profound an effect on the outcome of his life.

Another name with special significance from our scripture readings today is the name Immanuel.  You can spell it with an E or an I, it means the same, which is, “God with us.” 

Isaiah foretold the event of Jesus’ birth by announcing “A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.”  (Isaiah 7:14b CEV)  Matthew had studied Hebrew scripture and related the birth of Jesus to Isaiah’s prophecy by saying Jesus will become “God with us.” He was therefore making the theological statement, Mary was pregnant with God!

Now, I don’t know what that does to your mind, but it really blows mine!  Mary, pregnant with God!   I mean, how can that happen?  She was just a teenager.  She was just like all the other girls in her little town of Nazareth.  How could it be that a poor, young, insignificant girl named Mary would be pregnant with God!!??

But then, as I thought about it, aren’t we all?  If, as the scripture says (Genesis 1:27), we are all made in the image of God, then to some degree or another, WE ARE ALL PREGNANT WITH GOD!  In some way or another, we are all filled with the Good News that God is within us.  So that, along with Mary, each and every one of us is on the verge of giving birth to the Word of God that could literally change our life and the lives of those around us.

Years ago, I read J.B. Phillips’ little book entitled, Your God is Too Small.  I recall his amazement at the notion that every one of us has been created in the image of God and that as a result, there is a little bit of God in each and every one of us.  It’s a hard concept to accept, given our proclivity for sin, but, with the Creation story from Genesis as our basis for believing it, we accept that, in some large or small way, God really and truly is living within us. 

So, whether we like it or not, whether we planned this pregnancy or not, along with Mary, we are filled with the Good News that God is alive, living within us.

The question is, “When are we going to deliver?” When are we going to give birth to the Good News?  Or, will we attempt to keep it all inside, or worse yet, abort the message and never let it see the light of day in and through us?

Mary wasn’t particularly trained to be the humble servant of God which she became.  She simply said “Yes” to the call she was given and followed the lead of the Holy Spirit. 

Nor was Joseph particularly skilled at being the “step-father” he was destined to become.  In fact, as today’s scripture tells us, he had some serious misgivings about staying in his relationship with Mary, but, he, too, ended up believing that God’s Spirit could, and would show him the way. 

I suspect it is often the case we don’t feel like God is within us.  We think, perhaps God is living in all those other people, the ones who are ready for Christmas, the ones who have it all together, the healthy ones, the truly righteous ones….  Surely God lives in them, but not me.

But here’s some Good News.  Our faith is not predicated upon our feelings, but rather, upon the gracious gifts of God.  Just like Mary’s pregnancy which was given to her, so our faith is given to us.  We are pregnant, whether we like it or not.  And GOD IS WITHIN US!  And we need to get ready for His birth.

It’s time to put aside our fears, like Mary did and like Joseph did, and let the Holy Spirit lead us.  Mary could have run away from her pregnancy.  Joseph could have dismissed Mary and quietly gone away to live in some other town.  But neither of them ran.  Instead, they trusted that God was not only within them but believed that God would also give them the power and the patience to endure any and all of what lay ahead.

By virtue of our baptism into Christ, yours and my name is Christian.  As Christians, which means “the anointed ones,” we are the ones in whom God lives.  And it is through us that God intends to save the entire world. 

 Yeshua, Jesus, was destined to fulfill his name.  He would end up saving the world on the cross.  Our name is Christian.  May we live up to our name.  May we accept our anointed status.  And may we trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to show us how to know, to live and to share God’s Word.  AMEN

Text:  Matthew 11:2-11
16 December 2007
Topic:  Are you the One?
            In just a little more than a week, Christmas will be here.  People will finish their shopping.  The presents will be wrapped and placed under the tree.  Kids, who have made their preferences known, to Santa, or to others, will be hoping for that very special gift.  They will be looking for a certain shape of package, or weight, or tag in the hopes they will be getting what they’ve been dreaming about. 
It’s our nature to imagine what we’d like and then hope to find it, or receive it in some way.   Just this last week, there were hundreds of people camping out on the sidewalk in Philly, all of them hoping to get a shot at being picked to appear on NBC’s “Deal or No Deal.”  They were hoping to get on the show and win lots of money by playing the game.  Each of them hoped to be picked.  Each of them wanted to “be the one.”  Their dreams were clearly focused.  And their dreams were all about money.
There are other people who look for fame and recognition.  Sometimes I think that’s what a lot of politicians are doing.  They may mouth the words of serving the common good, but, their actions betray their more sinister desires of simply getting their names in print and grabbing a few headlines. 
Further, we live in an odd day when people are obsessed with personalities.  I mean, what was all that about Anna Nicole Smith?  And what’s all this about Britney Spears?  Tabloids in the grocery stores are filled with headlines of people with problems – or supposed problems – and the public is buying it.  What are people looking for?  
It seems as if there’s a void in people’s lives that we just can’t quite fill unless we have our fix of money, or our desire of fame and fortune, or our lust for just plain gossip.  In an age old pursuit for that illusive something, people go looking for all kinds of things, in all kinds of places.
In last week’s gospel reading, it was the people from Jerusalem and hinterlands of Judea who went looking.  They flocked to John the Baptist who was preaching out in the Judean desert.  Something was missing in their lives and they went searching.   They went looking for answers to their religious questions, they went looking to fill a void in their lives.  And so they went out in the desert, to the Jordan River, to the one they called the Baptist.  (Matthew 3:5-6).
In this week’s gospel reading, it is the Baptist who’s doing the looking.  He had heard of a guy whom people referred to as “the anointed One,” or “the Christ,” and he wanted to know if this guy was really and truly “the Messiah.”  So, because he was in prison, he sent his friends to go looking for this character and ask him a few questions.
Once they found Jesus, the friends of John asked Jesus, “Are you the one we should be looking for?  Or should we wait for someone else?”  (Matthew 11:3 CEV)
Now, most of the folks in Jesus day were looking for a Messiah who would have military might and political know-how.  They were looking for someone they could rally around that would help them defeat their hated oppressors, the Roman government and their occupying army.  They didn’t have caucuses and straw votes; they didn’t have debates and mock elections.  But they were looking for someone to help them.  They were looking for what we, in America, are looking for.  They were looking for the right leader.
In preparing for this sermon, I commented to Tim Urban I was looking for a story about someone who may have been looking for one thing, only to find another that was even more fulfilling than their original dream.  He shared my query with Lori, his wife, and Lori told me the story of Mandisa.
Mandisa was a contestant in season 5 of American Idol.  If there was ever a show that pushes the question, “Are you the one?  Or should we be waiting for another?”   It’s American Idol.   That show’s basic premise is to find that one person, in a given season of searching the talent of America, who can own the title American Idol for that year. 
Mandisa wanted to be America’s Idol.  Along with thousands of others, she auditioned for the show; she wanted to be “the one.”  She practiced and practiced.  She sang songs she’d never sang before.  She traveled to places she’d never been to before.  She worked hard at becoming America’s Idol.  But in the end, she didn’t make it to the top.  She got close; she made it to the top ten, but was voted off the show.  She would not be the one.
It didn’t seem to bother Mandisa though.  It didn’t bother her because Mandisa knows who “the One” really is.  Mandisa is a Christian and has just released an album of Christian music that speaks, not of herself, but of “the One” about whom John was asking.  Mandisa knows who the Anointed One is.  She knows him to be Jesus the Christ and her new album speaks strongly of her Christian faith.  http://www.mandisaofficial.com/
When Jesus was asked by John’s followers if He was the “the One,” the Messiah, his answer was not what most folks were looking for.  Instead of saying he was born to fight and raise an army, instead of saying he was gathering support for a run in politics, he said, “Listen and look at what I am doing.  I am healing, I am restoring, I am resurrecting lives, and I am paying attention to the poor.”  (Matthew 11:4-5 paraphrase)
John’s followers went back and told him what Jesus said.  And you and I have heard it ourselves. 
If you and I are looking for Messiah, for what really matters in this life, if we are looking for evidence of God in this world, we should look no farther than the places where Messiah is dwelling, we should look and listen for the places and the people where the anointed One is working a change in peoples’ lives. 
Almost a thousand boxes of stuffing mix were collected by members of this congregation and given to folks who need a meal.  A whole bunch of Angel Tree gifts have been purchased for families of soldiers and others in our congregation and community who otherwise might be doing without.  Money is being collected by the Salvation Army in all kinds of places this Advent season so that people throughout the year in places like Coatesville might receive the help they need when they need it.
If we are looking for Messiah, look no further than the person sitting next to you and see in them the hope of Christmas, and the promise of love.  Jesus didn’t bother with fancy titles or positions of strength, he simply reached out to those around him and responded with gifts of grace that he was able to provide.
You and I have the same gifts to give.  By virtue of our faith in the Messiah, we have talent galore, time to share and treasures to give.  We have love.  We have a smile.  We have hands that can help.  According to Jesus, we have faith that can move mountains.
We are not “the One,” but we can help the One who is.  So, listen and look for ways to join “the One” who is making a difference in people’s lives.   Reach out at Christmas and help make this a place where Messiah is not only known but celebrated for his abundant grace.  AMEN
 
 
 
 
 

Text: Isaiah 11:1-10
December 9, 2007
Topic: Jesus, the Prince of Peace
 
            As I looked over the sermons I have preached on this Sunday over the last fifteen years, many of them had something to do with a war in which American troops were engaged.  Back in 1991 it was the Gulf War.  In 2001 it was the war in Afghanistan.  In 2004 it was the war in Iraq.  Today, it is still the wars the Afghanistan and Iraq. 
In each of those sermons, I referenced our first reading for today.  It is a reading from the book of Isaiah in which the birth of Jesus is prophesied.  It is a reading which prophesied that a king from David’s family would usher in a brand new day, a day of peace, and a day when natural enemies will find a way to lie down together and simply “get along.” 
Well, it hasn’t happened, at least not yet.  That’s why I keep referencing wars in my sermons.  Isaiah prophesied a king would come who would bring peace.  We believe that king to have been Jesus and until his peace is accomplished, I feel the need to preach peace and not war.
Here’s what was said about Jesus 700 years before he was born in Bethlehem:
“¹Like a branch that sprouts from a stump, someone from David’s family will someday be king.  ²The Spirit of the LORD will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom, and insight.  He will be powerful, and he will know and honor the LORD….. ⁵Honesty and fairness will be his royal robes.   ⁶Leopards will lie down with young goats, and wolves will rest with lambs. Calves and lions will eat together and be cared for by little children.  ⁷Cows and bears will share the same pasture; their young will rest side by side.  Lions and oxen will both eat straw.”  (Isaiah 11:1-2, 5-7 CEV)
Could there be a more amazing picture than that of a lion lying down with a lamb and the lamb not becoming dinner for the lion?  Can we imagine a scene more peaceful than that?
The prophet Isaiah envisioned a day when someone from the line of David would become ruler over all the earth and there would be an end to war.  Not only would lions lie down with lambs, but Muslims would love and respect Jews and Christians, believers would stop shunning unbelievers but actually listen to their reasons for unbelief.  Natural enemies would give up their instinct to attack and instead seek ways to live in peace.
I attended this year’s Meistersingers concert on Friday night down at the high school.  An explanation of Hanukkah, or the Jewish Festival of Lights, was read.  Essentially, the Festival of Lights is an annual eight day celebration of the military defeat of the Seleucid Dynasty by the Maccabees.  In modern terms, it would be the military defeat by the Israeli army over the combined armies of Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. 
After throwing their enemies out of their sacred Temple, the Maccabees rededicated their holy place of worship by lighting a candle.  It is said that there was only enough oil in the Temple to light one candle for one night, but somehow a miracle happened for that tiny bit of oil to last eight full days, hence, the eight day celebration of God’s miraculous salvation of his people.
And then it struck me.  Hanukkah is predicated upon the military defeat of an enemy. 
Contrast that with the coming of the One of whom Isaiah spoke.  The king from David’s family would not be coming to bring a military victory of one people over another, or the domination of one race over another, or the destruction of anything or anyone, but rather, the bringing together of natural enemies and the reconciliation of estranged people.
Earlier in Isaiah’s prophesy, we have the following words, “⁶A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler.  His names will be Wonderful [Counselor] and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.  ⁷His power will never end; peace will last forever.  He will rule David’s kingdom and make it grow strong.  He will always rule with honesty and justice.  The LORD All-Powerful will make certain that all of this is done.”  (Isaiah 9:6-7 CEV)
The One prophesied by Isaiah to come was to be the Prince of Peace, a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God and Eternal Father.  This One who would bring people and nations together in peace.  This One would change the way the world acted and reacted.  This One would change people in positive, life-giving, life-promoting ways.
But it didn’t happen.  Or at least not all at once, and not everywhere, and not for everyone.  Witness the events in Omaha, Nebraska last week.  Once again, our nation has been saddened by the actions of a troubled youth.  Robert Hawkins, a 20 year old man, opened fire on innocent people in a shopping mall.  Last year it was a student at Virginia Tech. 
Where can we find Isaiah’s Prince of Peace?  Where is He?  We really need him.  Now.
In our gospel for today, we hear the words of John the Baptist.  He calls upon all of us to repent of our sins and turn back to God.  He warns us that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here.  (Matthew 3:2)  
At the time when John the Baptist was preaching, some did exactly what he told them to do.  They repented of their sin and were baptized in the River Jordan.  They turned their lives around and swore allegiance to the Prince of Peace.  They gave up their natural instincts for war and hate and began to live for peace and reconciliation among all peoples. 
It started with a few people, began to spread to others.  But along the way, it has been thwarted.  It has been disparaged and cast aside.
For this world to change, for you and me to change, for the possibility of ending all wars, we must repent.  We must repent as individuals, as a people, as a nation, as a world.  We must stop doing what separates us, turn around, and start doing those things that will bring us together.
For us to live in peace and be able to shop in any mall, anywhere, without fear, we must continue to extend the promise spoken by Isaiah to those who are troubled and in despair. 
For us to live in peace in this world that is hell bent on war, we must look to the Prince of Peace who makes lions lie down with lambs.  We must allow the Prince of Peace to change our hearts. 
As a congregation, we have adopted a vision for mission:  to know, to live and to share God’s Word.  For this mission to be accomplished, we must change.  We must repent.  We must stop doing those things that keep us from living a peace-filled life.   We need to turn to the Prince of Peace to show us a new way of living.  And we need to share that Peace with those who need it most.
May the God of Peace grant us peace.  May the God of Love grant us love.  May the God of Hope fill us with the promise of that day when we will live together in peace forever.   AMEN