Thoughts going in, Sunday Dec 29th

Matthew 2:13-23:  13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

There is a LOT going on in this week’s Gospel reading—both liturgically and textually. Liturgically, it’s the first Sunday after Christmas which, unless it falls on January 1^st, is observed in the Roman Catholic Church as the “Feast of the Holy Family.” The Revised Common Lectionary (*our roadmap of readings) doesn’t use the language of ‘holy family,’ however, it follows the Roman lectionary almost verbatim in the Gospel readings, giving at least implicit agreement that the emphasis of the day should be the holy family. As a sidenote, these verses from Matthew also commemorate the martyrdom of the “holy innocents,” the children needlessly slaughtered by Herod. Their day of commemoration is always December 28^th on the calendar. In other words, we’ve got one text being used for more than one ‘occasion’ on the liturgical calendar… but since the focus of SUNDAY’s liturgy is the holy family and not the holy innocents, I’ll confine my comments to the former.

            The Roman Catholic emphasis on the holy family as a liturgical celebration is relatively recent. It was born in the 19^th century. The story goes that as the world was becoming more and more secular, and as the family unit seemed to be disintegrating, the Church wanted to lift up the family of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mother, and St. Joseph the Guardian of our Lord as an example par excellence. They were an example of mutual love and support, as well as paying critical attention to the leading of God in their lives. Mary responds behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Joseph receives divine guidance and follows it without question. Jesus says, I must be about my father’s business. Each in their way are true both to their vocation as family member and as individual member of God’s higher plan and purpose.

            The lesson we take from this, then, is to see how we in our Christian vocation(s) can do the same. While it may seem strange to our modern sensibilities to think of the 19^th century as a time when the family was crumbling (compared to what we see all around us today), the emphasis doesn’t seem like a bad one. There **is a holiness to the family, and something that can be lifted up and celebrated as an example of God’s activity in our lives at the micro level, and in creation at the macro level.

            There are also, however, other things going on in the text. Whether this is read as a commemoration of the holy innocents or as the flight of the holy family, regardless Matthew chapter 2 gives us the stark DARKER side of Christmas. The angels sing peace on earth good will toward men, but Herod and the powers of darkness want nothing to do with God’s offer. In this sense, Matthew 2 offers us a stark real-world reminder that while the wrapping paper is still strewn all over the living room floor, while the Christmas leftovers are still in the fridge, and while the tinsel is still on the tree… DEATH and EVIL are still out there, all around us.

            In that sense, the message of this text is **not that God protects his own. That was the temptation of Satan to Jesus years later. Go ahead and throw yourself off this cliff, God will protect you. The Bible is full of examples of God’s non-intervention of Evil’s plans. I have no doubt that good, godly women suffered loss and experienced horrific grief in the events of Matthew 2. The lesson stands as a stark reminder. The savior of the world has come; he has had his life divinely preserved at this **moment… but the presence of DEATH & EVIL in the story serve as a reminder. The Savior comes not for silly, mundane, or sentimental reasons…. Rather, the Savior comes because this world is wracked by DEATH & EVIL. The Savior comes because there is such a profound NEED for him to come.

            Christmas tragedies are always the saddest. On the other hand, they always remind us that Christmas is no sentimental Hallmark Card event. The world is a very dark place, in dire need of this Savior born in Bethlehem.

Cheers,

TM

No thoughts this week...

This Sunday, Dec 15th is the preschool program -- hence we're off the usual schedule for the week.

Thoughts going in, Sunday Dec 8th

Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' " 4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

            So much of the very essence of what Advent is all about can be found in these verses and in the ministry and message of John the Baptist. John enters the Advent stage every year on both the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of Advent, and while his message is always the same, it's never passé. It's always timely, always relevant.

            This year's glimpse at John comes from the Gospel of Matthew. Two matters strike me as being of primary importance from this text, with a 3rd item being also worth mentioning. Beginning with the 3rd, almost as a sideroad, vs 1 seems to me to be more than just a travelogue:  In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness.  Why in the wilderness? It's interesting to me that when we put the whole Bible under a microscope and look at some of God's most profound revelations; some of God's most powerful miracles; and some of God's most important actions within human history, they frequently happen in the wilderness. Some have commented on the spirituality of the wilderness... stating that it is only when we strip away the glitter and glitz of worldly life that the soul is prepared to listen to God. This may very well be. I also think there's a metaphor going on here. Since the Fall, the image of God has become so lost to us, or so scarred within us, that when a message comes form him, when he speaks, when he reveals himself to us, it is so wholly different to us that it constitutes a wilderness experience--something far flung from our normal beaten paths. Regardless of whether we see the wilderness as a matter of spirituality or metaphor, given the past history of God's action(s) it sort of makes sense that as the clarion call to PREPARE is issued by God's prophet, it would happen in the wilderness.

            So much for the sideroad observation. The two key elements of the passage, then, in terms of my reading and in keeping with the Advent theme, are REPENTANCE and URGENCY. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near, John states in vs 2. Repent is one of those bible/church words that gets used all the time, but which is rarely fully understood. It is probably best understood in terms of a specific wrong. If I throw a rock through my neighbor's window and break it, REPENTING would be to feel sorrow for my action, make restitution to my neighbor, and resolve never to do it again. Repenting, in that sense, is basically the 'fixing' of an individual wrong. That understanding is not incorrect. But the problem becomes, how do you apply REPENTANCE to a whole life, or better yet, to the lives of a whole group of people? In this sense it's helpful to expand on the meaning of repentance. It can also mean the setting right of what is broken. A broken arm, for instance, is not functional in the way in which it was intended. It is, literally, mis-aligned. It cannot do what it was created/intended to do. It cannot embrace the vision it was created/intended to embrace. In a way, a broken arm is very selfish. It can only think of itself; it can only just hang there and do nothing. Repentance in this case would be to FIX that which is BROKEN; to properly align it; to re-form it so that it CAN do what it was created/intended to do; so that it CAN embrace the vision it was created/intended to embrace; so that it can be less selfish and more open. I think the healed broken arm metaphor more closely gets us to what repentance of life is all about, and for that matter, what group repentance is all about. Advent's rekindling of John the Baptist's message invites ALL to cease being a chaotic scattered group living chaotic scattered, broken, lives, and to become FIXED; walking together toward God and seeing the things that are part of God's vision (which, btw, always includes those in economic hardship physically speaking).

            The second great element from this passage, then, is URGENCY. John says in vs 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. That's urgency talk. Frequently the losing coach of a football team, when addressing the press afterwards, will lament that his team "had no sense of urgency." John's message about the ax being at the root of trees is "apocalyptic"... end-times-ish. But it's easy to get lost in 2000yrs of history. It's easy to say, "Bah, they've been spouting this stuff for 2 millennia and there's still no 'end times'." But that's missing a very important point. The bible tells us that life, all life, is a vapor. It's here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14). The urgency of Advent, therefore, is not limited to merely thinking in terms of "end times." The urgency of Advent is that YOUR LIFE and MINE are finite. We are always precariously balanced between life and death; we were born with a terminal illness that could strike at any moment. The life of the WORLD lulls us into forgetfulness, but the clarion call of the Advent prophet John shakes us awake. We need to have lives characterized by repentance, and the time for that is NOW.

cheers,

TM

Thoughts going in, Sunday November 24th

Luke 23:33-43: When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ ³⁴Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. ³⁵And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" ³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, ³⁷and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" ³⁸There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." ³⁹One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" ⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." ⁴²Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." ⁴³He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

            This Sunday marks our congregation's 55th anniversary of mission and ministry in Elk Grove Village, IL. I won't be preaching this Sunday, yet I did want to offer some thoughts for my weekly blog.    

            The mood is changing. This Sunday marks the end of the liturgical year--the church's year of grace. The next two weeks in a row concentrate on Christ's power and majesty...beginning with this Sunday's celebration of "Christ the King," and then looking forward to the first Sunday of Advent with the eschatological return of Christ to judge the living and the dead. Regarding Christ the King Sunday, the Sundays and Seasons resource says:       

           

            Hoping to celebrate the lordship of Christ in a world of increasingly secular and non-        Christian empires, Pope Pius XI inaugurated in 1925 a Sunday dedicated to Christ as             King. Originally Roman Catholics celebrated Christ the King on the last Sunday in             October, to precede the feast of All Saints, yet also to counter the Protestant celebration    of the Reformation. When the Roman Catholics proposed the three-year lectionary after      the Second Vatican Council, Christ the King was moved to the final Sunday of the         liturgical year. The Revised Common Lectionary has retained the festival. Its emphasis    on the eschatological majesty of Christ leads well into Advent. This passage is        particularly appropriate for the celebration of the reign of Christ. The Roman authorities            claim that they have executed the purported king of the Jews, and the thief asks Jesus for    entrance into his kingdom. Christ is king when he reigns from the cross, forgiving our sins.

That last part is probably the best: Christ is king when he reigns from the cross, forgiving our sins. To be "remembered" when Jesus comes into his kingdom is to be welcomed into the presence of holiness, even though we're not holy; to be embraced by the arms of perfection, even though we're not perfect.

            There's much more that can be added to this. While we do not live in a monarchy, we do live in a land of the 'privileged.' In spite of our national mythos of equality for all, we all know that there are "special rules for special-born." The privileged class doesn't have to wait in line; the privileged class doesn't have to worry about their healthcare; the privileged class doesn't have to be concerned about the mundane things that bother most people. They're above it all. They're allowed to enjoy the happy existence of life lived entirely for self. This describes the reality of yesterday's monarchs. They too could live life entirely for self. In the old testament when King David lusted after Bathsheba, had an affair with her, and then sent her husband Uriah on a suicide mission, ALL of that was able to come together because David was king. Many other examples could be cited. And so when in Luke's narrative we read these words directed at Jesus: If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself! (v37) Something very powerful is happening. The words of the soldiers echo the words of all humanity. WE KNOW what kings do. They look out, primarily, for themselves. They live in the best houses; they eat the tastiest food; they have the nicest stereos and the biggest flatscreen TVs. **IF he is a king, OF COURSE he would save himself; OF COURSE he would put his own interests first; OF COURSE this mockery will cease and desist right now.

            But that's not what happens.... not because Jesus isn't a king... but because he's not a king like WE WOULD BE. Instead of saving himself, Jesus ascends the throne of forgiveness known as the cross and ushers in salvation for the unworthy. Instead of saving himself and retiring to his country estate in the sky, he willingly flings the doors to that estate wide open and lets the rabble of sinful humanity come in.

            In the end, that's what being king means to him.

Cheers,

TM

Thoughts going in Sunday Nov 17th

Luke 21:5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down." 7 "Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?" 8 He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." 10 Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. 12 "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

            This Sunday's reading is, to me, one of the more fascinating passages from Luke's gospel. There are layers of nuance involved. For us, when we read it, we are essentially in the same place as Luke's original readers. We are historically downstream from the events being described. It would be like reading a story set in 1999, about an intelligence officer's prediction that the Twin Towers would be destroyed in a terrorist attack. At this point we'd already know that the prediction came true.

            As I've read commentaries and the thoughts of others on this passage, one of the things that seems relevant to mention is the fact that there is often a lot of "us/them" thinking assigned to the event of the Temple's destruction. Us/them thinking goes like this... "Well, since they (the Jews) rejected the Messiah and specifically rejected the fulfillment of their own religion, God in turn has rejected them. The proof for this is that he allowed their great Temple to be destroyed." Incidentally, the Gospel of Luke offers proof enough of this viewpoint in chapter 13--the account of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem prior to his entry. At one point he says: Behold, your house is left unto you desolate (v 35, KJV). It's a fascinating verse. On the lips of Jesus and from his perspective in roughly 33AD, their 'house' (Temple) could only have been 'desolate' in a prophetic sense. A more correct way of uttering that statement would've been behold, your house WILL BE left unto you desolate. But in the Greek, from Luke's pen, the tense isn't future; it's present.

            However, there are two (at least) problems with us/them thinking when it comes to the destruction of the temple. Problem #1 is the fact that it was not that simple that the Temple belonged to "the Jews" and "the Christians" weren't interested in it or effected by its destruction. The book of Acts (also written by Luke) depicts the early Jewish Christians spending a great deal of time in the Temple. If the Temple were meaningless, such Acts passages leave us with many questions. It's not that there wouldn't eventually be a hard break between Judaism and Christianity, it's just that it's very doubtful that such a break would've been a fate accompli by the time of Luke's writing (circa 80 AD). In other words, the last image in the world we should have is that of 1st century Christians being unconcerned that the Temple was destroyed. It would be far likelier that this would be a great sadness for them.

            Problem #2 regarding us/them thinking is that it is ALWAYS dangerous when used with a "theology of glory." Theology of glory is a term that means... God likes my team better than your team, and he shows it by helping my team win all of the time. It would be a theology of glory, therefore, to look at the events of 70 AD and the Temple's destruction and say: "Well, this is clear proof that God has rejected the Jews and now his favor rests on the Christians." And by the way, the reason I'm being so adamant on this point is that anyone who bothers to study history will know that an us/them theology of glory argument was PRECISELY the argument that upstart Muslims made to conquered Christians in the Middle East during the Medieval period. Muslim conquerors did not, for the most part, force Christians to convert, but they frequently tried appealing to this logic: "Obviously God/Allah is with us and not with you because we won."  [See the book "In the Shadow of the Mosque," by Sidney Griffith]

            In other words, one of the things we should take from this passage is the unfortunate fact that SOMETIMES our temples fall, but that doesn't necessarily mean that God is judging us. It is, to be sure, a time to REFLECT. In the case of 1st c. Judaism, the Christian perspective will always be that he came unto his own and his own received him not. We are always called to reflect to ensure that we are in the faith. But beyond that, the call is to stand firm (v19). Temples are, after all, manmade structures.

            We live in an age that some are labeling "post-Christian." The talking heads routinely label Christianity as irrelevant, superstitious, or at the very least passé.  I will debate with anyone the notion that our country was ever, officially, a "Christian country." That is a misreading of historical facts. It is true, however, that for many generations we lived in a country that had a broadly shared ethos that was highly compatible with the Christian religion. One could even say that a 'temple' of sorts was constructed during this time... the temple of our 'mythic christian country.' Well, to whatever extent that may have been true, it seems pretty clear that that temple is now in ruins. So what? Does that mean Christianity is a hoax? Does that mean that Jesus didn't really die for the sins of the world? Does that mean that we should just chuck the whole thing and become agnostic rationalists? Not at all. Our man made temple lies in ruins, but verse 19 is still verse 19: STAND FIRM.

Cheers,

TM