Seeing and Not Seeing

Advent Day 14

Second Saturday in Advent

December 10, 2011

Reading: John 16:16–18 (NRSV)

¹⁶ “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” ¹⁷ Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.”

Theme: Seeing and Not Seeing

Reflection:

In this Advent season, we pray “Come, Lord Jesus Come”. But when Jesus does come among us, how will we know it? Will we see Jesus? Will we be living in the “little while” when our eyes are opened and Jesus’ presence is visible to us? Will our eyes be opened to the presence of “God with us” and will we be able to see, or will there be so many things distracting us that we will not be able to see Jesus?

In the Gospel of John, seeing is equated with believing. If you don’t believe, then you are not able to see. If you believe, trust, and have faith, then your eyes are opened, and God enables you to see.

When you trust and believe, you see Jesus in many ways. Yesterday I saw Jesus in the face of the young cashier at Ocean State Job Lot, who asked me for a donation to the Newport Food Pantry. She explained that the donation could be conveniently rung up with my purchases. And then she told me, shyly, that she volunteers at the food pantry in her spare time. I don’t know what her religious traditions are, but I know that Jesus was alive and well, working through her for the least among us. I saw Jesus in her, and I heard his mother’s words in her voice: “And the hungry will be fed with good things.” You know, this young cashier thanked me for the donation. I should have thanked her for her witness. My eyes were opened, and I was able to see.

Prayer: In this Advent season, Lord help me to pray “Come Lord Jesus, Come”, and open my eyes that I might see “God with us” in all the walks of life. Amen

Your Redeemer

Advent Day 13

Second Friday in Advent

December 9, 2011

Reading: Isaiah 48:17–18 (NRSV)

¹⁷ Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go. ¹⁸ O that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your prosperity would have been like a river, and your success like the waves of the sea;

Theme: Your Redeemer

Reflection:

The prophet Isaiah named God as “Your Redeemer” when speaking to the Israelites back almost six centuries before Jesus was born. We have been taught that Jesus redeems us from our sins, but God was being called Redeemer before even Jesus came to earth. For the Hebrews, a redeemer was someone who purchased a person out of trouble. An older brother, for instances, might redeem his younger brother by paying off the debts of the younger one and keeping him out of debtor’s prison or slavery. When Isaiah spoke of God as Redeemer he was prophesying that God would “purchase” the Israelites out of exile in Babylon and return them to their homeland.

But notice what else the Redeemer does in this passage. The Holy One of Israel reminds the people that the Lord teaches and leads them also. God will not just free the people from exile, but teaches them for their own good and leads them on the path they should go. Isaiah is promising a full service God—one that not only frees people from slavery, but then continues to lead and guide them in starting a new life.

In this Advent season, we look toward Jesus’ coming, the one whom God sends to redeem and save us. One of the texts that we often read in Advent is the “annunciation” to Joseph found in the Gospel of Matthew. When the angel of the Lord comes to Joseph to tell him about the baby that Mary is carrying, Joseph is told that the child has been conceived in the Holy Spirit, and that Mary will bear a son. Joseph is also instructed to name the child Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus’ very name, which is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Joshua, means ‘one who saves’.

God continues the saving work that was begun with the people Israel, by sending God’s own Son Jesus, the one who will save. God continues to lead you and guide you with the Law—the commandments—that God insists that you pay attention to. But the Gospel, or Good News, for you is that God also recognizes your weakness and sends his Son, Your Redeemer, who helps you and saves you when you slip into trouble.

Prayer: Redeeming God, I thank you that you save me when I get into trouble. I thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus, whom you sent to save all your people, including me. Amen

Messengers

Advent Day 12

Second Thursday in Advent

December 8, 2011

Reading: Matthew 11:7–11 (NRSV)

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ ¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Theme: Messengers

Reflection:

What is the role of a messenger? He or she is someone who spreads the word that something has happened or is about to happen. Being a messenger is not always an easy job. We have often heard the expression: “Don’t shoot the messenger.”

When I was still working at AT&T, if someone walked into my office and started the discussion with “I’m here to tell you something, but please don’t shoot the messenger”, I knew that what I was going to hear was not good news—but usually word of some disaster that would shake up my week or even my month.

In the case of John, who is the messenger, come to prepare the way for the Lord, the message that he brings is good news for most people, but is still earth shattering news. It is news that the old order is going away and new order will emerge. As Mary sang in her song, “(The Lord) will fill the hungry with good things and the rich will be sent away empty handed.” This is good news if you are the hungry, but not so good news if you are the established order, otherwise known as the rich. John was so threatening that the established order, e.g. Herod, killed John.

We hear a lot about John during the season of Advent. It is easier for us to think about him preparing the way for Christ than it is to think of him as someone who shakes up the established order of our lives or changes our priorities. Preparing the way of the Lord is not a smooth process, but one that involves tearing down obstacles and raising up valleys.

In this Advent season, some of us are also called to be messengers and prophets. We are called to spread the good news that God came to earth and continues to come among us. We are called to spread this news to a world that is increasingly suspicious of anything divine. No one said being a messenger was easy.

Prayer: Incarnate God. You come among us and dwell with us. You call some of us to be messengers of the good news of your presence. Give us courage and strength to do this job. Help us to learn what it means to prepare your way. Amen

Rest for Your Souls

Advent Day 11

Second Wednesday in Advent

December 7

Reading: Matthew 11:28–29 (NRSV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Theme: Rest for Your Souls

Reflection:

“Come to me all you who are weary…and you will find rest for your souls.’’ Often in December we need to find rest for both our bodies and our souls. Perhaps we need to find rest for our bodies because we don’t have rest for our souls. Without rest for our souls, our bodies seem to be always running around seeking something.

As much as I enjoy Christmas, and I am a self-confessed Christmas junkie, I wonder how much my striving to “make Christmas” is not some subconscious attempt to seek something. Am I looking to re-create some remembered magic of childhood Christmases (which admittedly were much simpler than those of today)?

We had our time-honored traditions, one of which was going to a 7:30 bilingual Christmas Eve service (German and English), followed by a special meal after church, and then present opening. The large darkened church with the candles in the windows, large tree in the front, poinsettias around the altar, the Gospel read in German, and the magnificent sounds of the pipe organ created a Christmas Eve aura that I looked forward to each year.

I wonder if by trying to keep and expand Christmas traditions I am, in reality, seeking the specialness and Christmas “high” of Christmases past. Trying to do that may just leave me with a worn out body and a dissatisfied soul. I still love Christmas Eve worship, and perhaps that’s the seeking I have to do—seeking the source of the Christmas delight rather than the trappings.

In this Advent and secular pre-Christmas season, Jesus’ words “Come to me” are perhaps the soul satisfaction I need. With a soul that rests in Jesus, I won’t have to do so much seeking, and perhaps, maybe perhaps, my body won’t be so tired!

Prayer: Lord, God, help me to come to your son Jesus and rest in him. Help me to slow down my striving and seeking and instead rest in Christ. Amen

Teach Me Your Ways

Advent Day 10

Second Tuesday in Advent

December 6, 2011

Reading: Isaiah 2:2–3 (NRSV)

² In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. ³ Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Theme: Teach me your ways

Reflection:

It is hard to pray, “Lord, teach me your ways.” In Burger King style, we want to have it our way. We are a people used to getting what we want. The Baby Boomers grew up as a treasured generation, loved by parents who were happy to return to some sense of “normalcy” following World War II. The relative prosperity of the Baby Boomer’s parents meant that they were given a great deal of both attention and material things. In turn the Baby Boomers showered their Gen X and Millennial children with nearly everything their hearts desired. We, who live in the 21^st century in the US, want and expect it our way!

Most likely, God’s way and my way are not necessarily going to converge. I don’t have the vision or insight (nor could I) to understand God and God’s plan. Any attempt that I make to understand God is simply an attempt to cut God down to human scale! My way is based on my limited ability to see what is that I want, while God’s immeasurable vision can comprehend the entire world and what it needs. God’s way uses God’s vision and takes into account a world that I can’t fully see or understand.

In this Advent season, as I pray “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”, my prayer means that God will send Jesus on God’s terms, in God’s timeframe and in God’s way. Part of the Advent preparation of getting ready for Jesus to come means realizing that my way needs to be set aside. I have to get my “own way” out of the way, if I am to hear and learn God’s way. I have to hear God’s way before God can help me walk in God’s paths.

Prayer: God of wisdom, give me the strength to put aside my way, hear and learn your ways and walk in your paths. Amen

Joy and Gladness

Advent Day 9

Second Monday in Advent

December 5, 2011

Reading: Isaiah 35:8–10 (NRSV)

⁸ A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. ⁹ No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. ¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Theme: Joy and Gladness

Reflection:

You know Lord, I really need to hear those words: “they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” This is a promise from God that has real traction for me. As a congregation we have said good-by to many treasured members, friends and family members this year. Many of us have experienced deep grief personally, or watched and waited with friends going through this cycle. It is only through deep trust in the Lord and strong faith in God’s promises that we can let grief and sorrow do their work, knowing that joy and gladness will ultimately follow.

The Advent season with its symbols of light and hope are a testimony to everlasting promises that God gives of joy and gladness. God does not promise that we will never experience grief and sorrow. God only promises that God will be here with us as we suffer, and God promises that joy and gladness will return. God promises the light of Christ to you.

In this Advent season, we look with joy to the birth of Christ. All of us love to celebrate the birth of the baby. With Mary, we gaze with amazement at her tiny baby, and wonder what life will bring for him. Of course, we don’t have to do much wondering, because unlike Mary, we know the end of his story. Even as we celebrate his birth, we know that this baby’s life on earth will end in sorrow.

However, just as certainly, we know that sorrow will not have the last word. The God who promises joy and gladness, also shows us this joy in the resurrection of his son. The God who brings the baby to earth with much joy, also raises him from the dead, accompanied by joy, gladness and much amazement.

God has shown us that death, grief and sorrow do not win. We have been baptized into Jesus’ death, but we have also been baptized into his new life. Joy and gladness will have the last word. May that everlasting joy permeate these Advent and Christmas seasons for you.

Prayer: God of joy and gladness, may your promises be our beacon in this Advent season. May we hear and trust in your words that promise joy and gladness, with sorrow and sighing fleeing away. Amen

Devotion for the Saturday of the Second Week in Advent

Theme for the week: love

Devotion for the saturday of the second Week in Advent (Day 14)

Reading: Luke 19:1–10 (NRSV)

¹ He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ² A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³ He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵ When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷ All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” ⁸ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹ Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

REFLECTION:

What greater love is there than to seek out, pay attention to and save the lost? What greater love is there than to dine with an outcast? This story about Zacchaeus is one that shows how love and respect transform. Jesus shows love and attention to Zacchaeus, who then reforms his business practices and becomes a charitable giver.

Zacchaeus would have been one of the last people anyone would have invited to a dinner party, and certainly no one would have even considered going to dinner at this house. No one even wanted to be seen hanging around with a tax collector, much less dining with one. If you had dinner with Zacchaeus, everyone would think that you were his buddy, and that you were every bit as much of a sinner as he was.

Even today, our dinner invitations are typically to people we are comfortable with and who are part of our social circle. Seldom do we reach beyond our comfort zone when issuing invitations. Yet think of how reaching out might transform someone’s life, or at least transform your relationship with that person. How might an invitation to dine be a sign of respect?

I have had a couple of occasions in my life when extending a dinner invitation to someone has changed the relationship. Breaking bread with someone is a powerful message of respect. At one point in my AT&T career, I was part of a union-management joint planning team. The joint planning started out with a great deal of hostility and “Us-Them” thinking. One of the turning points in the joint work was a Christmas dinner party at my house, to which I invited both the management team and the union leadership in my organization. The union leaders told me, later, that it was the first time that anyone in management had invited them into their home. Invitations to dine at home and breaking bread together demonstrate respect, as well as convey a message of warmth and care.

What relationship might you transform with an invitation to break bread? To whom might you show respect and care, by reaching out with an invitation?

PRAYER:

Pray that Jesus’ love might be a transforming force in your life. Pray that Jesus’ love might help you to reach out to someone who seems to be unlovable. Pray about whom you might invite to break bread with you. Amen

Devotion for the Friday of the Second Week in Advent

Theme for the week: love

Devotion for the friday of the second Week in Advent (Day 13)

Reading: Luke 7:36–50 (NRSV)

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. ³⁷ And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. ³⁸ She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰ Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” ⁴¹ “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

REFLECTION:

In this Advent time, it may be helpful to reflect on the two-way love shown in this passage from Luke. The unnamed woman in this text knows that she is a sinner. We don’t know what her sin is, although many Bible readers throughout the years have assumed that it is prostitution. Whatever the nature of her sin, it is so obvious and visible that she has been labeled a “sinner” by people in the community. Jesus, as has been the case on so many other occasions, is drawn toward those who are the outcasts and rejects of society. Jesus shows love for those, whom others would consider unlovable and unforgivable.

This woman knows how she is regarded. She undoubtedly knows that her presence creates disgust in anyone whose home she enters. Despite this, she is drawn to the love and acceptance that Jesus offers. Jesus models the forgiving life for us. The unnamed woman, in turn, shows an extreme level of love and devotion for Jesus. This love is free flowing.

Jesus’ love and forgiveness are freely available to you, also, regardless of what you have done. How do you respond to this love and forgiveness? Jesus, is no longer here on earth to receive your return love and acceptance. However, Jesus has told us that whatever we do for the “least of them”, we do for him. Who is the “least of them” for you? Who are you regarding with disdain, discomfort or disgust? Is there someone who has done something that you consider to be unforgivable? In this Advent season, as you look to the arrival of the one who is LOVE, is there someone against whom you are holding anger, disgust or revulsion, or with whom you would like to “get even”?

Considering the love of Christ which flows uninterrupted to your life, is there someone that Christ is calling you to love, accept, and forgive? Picture the love of Christ flowing through you directly to this person, who is the object of your anger, scorn or hate. Picture those negative emotions that you hold toward that person dissolving. Picture the acceptance and reconciliation that could accompany your celebration of Christ’s arrival in this Advent and Christmas season.

PRAYER:

Pray that love of God in Christ Jesus and Jesus’ acceptance of you might soften your heart. Pray that God’s unfailing love for you might transform any anger, disgust, or hate you are feeling toward another person into love and acceptance. Pray that God’s peace might flow into all of your relationships. Amen

Devotion for the Thursday of the Second Week in Advent

Theme for the week: Love

Devotion for the Thursday of the second Week in Advent (Day 12)

Reading: Luke 18:18–27 (NRSV)

¹⁸ A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’ ” ²¹ He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²³ But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. ²⁴ Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ He replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.”

REFLECTION:

What does this story about the rich ruler and Jesus have to do with our Advent preparations and with the theme for this week of LOVE? I think that Jesus “needled” the ruler about his wealth, because Jesus was showing his own form of love. Jesus could see how important money, wealth and possessions were for this man. The ways in which the man was attached to his wealth prevented him from focusing on and depending on God. As long as the man wanted to depend on his money and stuff he was incapable of putting God first in his life, and it is likely that his wealth also insulated him from seeing suffering in the world around him. Jesus challenged the rich ruler, because Jesus didn’t want the man to be alienated from God and the people around him. Jesus’ challenge was both an expression of love to the man and a prod to help him love God and people more than his stuff.

In this Advent season, when our focus is on the coming of Christ, we have to ask ourselves, how important is our stuff to us? In this Advent season, is spending time with God in devotions or prayer as important to you as dragging the Christmas “stuff” out of the attic? In this Advent season, is sharing with someone in need as important as making sure you have bought the right “stuff” for presents?

The Christmas season is important to us because we have so many family memories and traditions that are a part of this season. For many of us it is important to follow through with some of our tried and true traditions because they stir so many memories for us. When I get the Christmas ornaments out of the attic and hang them on the tree, I have wonderful memories of the Christmases when my mother, aunt and grandmother would each give my sister and me an ornament. These ornaments are important to me because they connect me to earlier times in my life. There is, however, a thin line between cherishing our traditions and having them get in the way of our relationship with God and neighbors. During this Advent season, when we are pulled in so many ways, remember to give God time to shape and form you—giving God time to do what would be impossible for mortals. Give God time to help you put love of God and neighbor at the top of your priority list.

PRAYER: Pray that God will help you to keep perspective in this Advent season. Pray that God will work in your life to help you remember what is really important. Pray that God will give you the ability to both enjoy your family traditions and allow time for the twinned work of hearing God’s Word and helping your neighbor. Amen

Devotion for the Wednesday of the Second Week in Advent

Theme for the week: love

Devotion for the wednesday of the second Week in Advent (Day 11)

Reading: Luke 13:10–13 (NRSV)

¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.

REFLECTION:

In another evidence of the Kingdom of God in the midst of us, Jesus heals a woman whose spirit had crippled her and bent her over. Imagine what it would feel like to be able to stand up and move easily after eighteen years of living a handicapped life. Jesus healed her spirit which freed her from her physical ailment.

How many of us suffer physical disease which is brought on by a crippled spirit? Unresolved anger at someone can cause ulcers and high blood pressure. High stress levels can depress the immune system making you more vulnerable to everything from the common cold to more serious diseases such as cancer. People who live in circumstances with high levels of interpersonal tension are more likely to suffer from heart disease.

Jesus wants to set us free from a crippled spirit that keeps us from being whole. Some of the aspects of a crippling spirit emerge out of our lifestyle choices. We choose who we are angry with and how we hold that anger. Some of us choose to live a high stress lifestyle, while others have it thrust on them by economic circumstances. Some of us choose to maintain very high expectations, with a potential downside of stress if those expectations are not achieved. These high expectations may also put stress on those around us, spreading a crippling dysfunction.

When we were baptized, we were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and anointed with the cross of Christ. This baptism anoints us with the Holy Spirit, not a crippling spirit, and sets us free from the power of evil. We are freed to live whole, healthy lives, not lives of bondage. Jesus wants us to fully appreciate this freedom and the healthy life that it gives to us.

PRAYER:

Pray that the Holy Spirit, who entered you in baptism, may keep you whole, holy, and healthy. Pray for the strength to resist those lifestyle choices that endanger your health. Amen

Devotion for the Tuesday of the Second Week in Advent

Good Morning,

For those of you who have been following my blog on a daily basis, I'm sorry that I never had a chance to post a devotion yesterday. It was all written, but I never even had time to login. So....here's the devotion for yesterday, and later on I'll post today's devotion. Blessed Advent to all the readers.

Theme for the week: love

Devotion for the tuesday of the second Week in Advent (Day 10)

Reading: Luke 4:16–20 (NRSV)

¹⁶ When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Reflection:

Although we rarely use this text from Luke during Advent, it is another indication by Luke that the Kingdom of God is at hand. When Jesus stands up in the synagogue to read from the scroll of Isaiah, he reads from a prophecy that points to himself. This prophecy foretells how the world will be turned upside down by the Lord, by one specially called by God. At the conclusion of his reading, Jesus astounds the assembled group by telling them that this prophecy has been fulfilled with a clear indication that he, himself is the one anointed by God to do this work.

The words Jesus selects are an echo of the words spoken by his mother Mary before his birth in her song. Mary relates how the poor will be lifted up, while Jesus speaks the words from Isaiah that tell how he will bring good news to the poor.

Throughout his Gospel, with words spoken by Zechariah, Mary, John the Baptist and Jesus, himself, Luke constantly tries to paint a picture for us of how God is doing a new thing by changing the established order.

Jesus, who is God’s love, come to life, lived God’s new order by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, socializing with the outcasts and challenging the rest of us. Those of us who are healthy, well-fed, well-clothed and generally comfortable are not to sit back and just enjoy our comfort. We are called to demonstrate God’s love for the world. We are called to help in bringing God’s Kingdom into the world.

God’s love came down among us, as Jesus the anointed Son of God. God’s love came down among us to challenge and change us.

Prayer:

Pray that your comfort will not so cloud your vision that you do not see the suffering of others. In this Advent season, may God’s love transform you to love and serve your neighbor. Amen

Devotion for the Monday of the Second Week in Advent

Theme for the week: love

Devotion for the monday of the second Week in Advent (Day 9)

Reading: Luke 3:1–17 (NRSV)

¹ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ⁵ Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; ⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” ⁷ John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” ¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” ¹¹ In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” ¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ¹³ He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” ¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” ¹⁵ As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶ John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Reflection:

For those of you who were in church yesterday or who read the Revised Common Lectionary Reading for the Second Sunday in Advent, this reading will sound familiar. Yesterday we read Matthew’s version of the story of John the Baptist in the wilderness. This morning’s reading is Luke’s version of the same story. There are some differences in these versions which emphasize some of the differences between these two gospel writers, the points they are trying to make and their audiences. The one difference that I would like to reflect on this morning is the question Luke has the people ask John, a section which is missing in the Matthew Gospel.

The general crowds, the tax collectors and the soldiers ask John for advice as to “What then should we do?”, after John calls them a “brood of vipers”. John’s advice to them is advice that looks a lot like “kingdom living”. In other words, John the Baptist tells the people to live as if the kingdom of God were at hand. If you have more clothing than you need, don’t put an extension on your closet, share with someone who has none. If you have surplus food, don’t build barns to store it, share with those who are hungry. When you do your job, do it honestly, don’t cheat others and don’t cause harm to others.

This sounds like pretty simple advice, but I imagine most of us living in our affluent American society don’t follow this counsel too closely. Many of us, living in this cold winter climate have more than one coat, and yet we are not emptying out our closets to clothe the people huddled in the corners of the shopping centers and under the bridges. Most of us could survive for a week or more with the food we have stored in our pantries and freezers, and yet there are hungry people all around us. Even those of us who give to charity regularly and work to support social service agencies that help the hungry, homeless and ill-clothed are typically giving out of our abundance, rather than sharing our last pieces of clothing or our last morsels of food. In the kingdom of God, all will be able to live abundantly; no one will be living in excess and no one will be living below the margins.

This passage forces us to look at our lifestyles. We come to realize that we have been blessed with abundance and simultaneously to realize that we are among those whom John would have called a “brood of vipers”. We stand in need of the grace that is born and made human in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Pray for those who are cold, hungry, homeless and ill-clothed. Pray for families whose children go to bed hungry, who have insufficient access to medical care and who wake up cold every morning. Pray that your heart may be softened to recognize the needs around you and work to alleviate them.

Devotion for the Second Sunday in Advent (Day 8)

THEME FOR THE WEEK: LOVE

DEVOTION FOR THE SUNDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT (DAY 8)

READING: Luke 1:46–55 (NRSV)

⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

REFLECTION:

After yesterday’s “Palm Sunday” text for the Advent devotion, I really appreciate today’s text, which is usually called “The Magnificat” or “Mary’s Song”. This is the song that springs forth from Mary lips after she and her cousin Elizabeth have greeted one another, following Mary’s arrival at Elizabeth’s home in the hill country. Elizabeth’s unborn baby John has jumped around in her womb, in acknowledgment of Mary’s special unborn son. Elizabeth praises Mary, and Mary responds by breaking into this song.

Mary’s song is an early warning alert that God’s kingdom is in the middle of us. Mary sings of God’s work in turning the established order upside down. In God’s kingdom the hungry are fed, not just by food pantry items, but with really “good things”, and the rich are sent away. Although this text is familiar because we sing Mary’s song in our Evening Prayer services, when you actually think about the words, it is quite revolutionary. So revolutionary that in some countries, its use has actually been banned.

In this passage, Luke signals, even before Jesus’ birth, that Jesus is going to rock the traditional way things happen. Luke also points out that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament: “according to the promises made to our ancestors, Abraham and his descendents forever.”

The fourteen year old Mary knows that God has blessed her and is using her along with her unborn son to do something very different in the world. From Mary’s word, we, too know that Mighty One has done great things. God’s Love is about to be born into the world.

PRAYER: May you see in Jesus the fulfillment of God’s promises to God’s people. May the hungry be fed and the lowly lifted up in our time. May you feel the love of Jesus in your life. Amen