Matthew 2:13 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."
The readings for the next few days don’t necessarily go in chronological order. For instance, the liturgical celebration of the presence (and presents) of the Magi is not observed until January 6th (Epiphany), yet the reading appointed for the first Sunday after Christmas includes aspects of the story that happen *after the visit of the Magi.
There are a few main thoughts going on in Matthew’s text here. The first is the continued divine preservation of the newborn Christ-child. The point that Matthew seems to be making is that no sooner does The Light come into the world when the powers of Darkness begin to conspire against him. And though he is the God of the universe made flesh, he is in this current state, in such a position of humility that he cannot defend himself. He needs the help of his early father Joseph, and his heavenly Father who sends the angelic warning.
But there’s also something else going on here…..something that Matthew really doesn’t spend much time on—other than reporting the “facts of the story,” and that is the fact that SIMPLY BECAUSE the Christ-child was born and came into this world, OTHERS died. Scholars tell us that given the size of the area under consideration, it is likely that under 20 boys were murdered by Herod’s troops. That’s somewhat beside the point. Whether the number was 1 or 100, it was still too many. Where’s the “Joy to the World” in this story? If you were the mother or father of one of the murdered boys, and you knew that God had warned Joseph in a dream to flee the area, how would you feel about that? How would you feel about a God who spared one baby (his own son), but let 20 others die?
This is the “side B” of Christmas. It’s like those old 45rpm records from way back in the day. They always had some great song on side A, but side B was like the throwaway. It would be wonderful if Christmas could be all SIDE A…..all “joy to the world,” all “peace on earth & good will toward humanity”….but that’s not the sort of world we live in. The world we live in is a dark place where wickedness appears to rule unchecked.
And yet, THE SAVIOR was born. Not only that, THE SAVIOR was born specifically to give his life to free us from this dark place of wickedness. Matthew does us a favor by not pulling any punches. You can’t have the Savior, you can’t have the sentimental miraculous birth in Bethlehem, until or unless you come to the realization that this WORLD NEEDS SUCH A BIRTH.
Peace,
TM
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thoughts going in, Sunday Dec 19th
Isaiah 7:10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." 12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." 13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of human beings? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
This is the week of the 4th Sunday of Advent.
We’re almost there!
And because of that, the readings for the Sunday take on an urgency…an ‘annunciation’ quality…because in the unfolding of the drama, the Deliverer is almost here. This week our main focus is on the Advent of the Savior physically in TIME….interrupting human history.
Of course we cannot spend time in Isaiah 7 without going down the sideroad of the “drama” that has historically surrounded vs 14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign the _____ will conceive and give birth…” The original Hebrew text said that an “alma” would conceive—and alma being simply a young woman (the question of virginity not being applicable). The Greek version of the OT (known as the Septuagint), however, used the word “parthenos” which technically DOES mean virgin. This was then picked up in the account as given in the Gospel of St. Matthew (1:21-23) where Joseph is told in a dream that he shouldn’t be afraid to take Mary as his wife—all of this has happened in order to fulfill what the prophet said, "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means "God with us" (vs 23).
In the history of English translations of the Bible, it was always accepted that the New Testament clarified/interpreted the Old Testament, hence Is 7:14 was rendered accordingly in the light of Mt 1:23, giving it a distinctly Messianic/Christian connotation. This tradition held until 1946 and the publication of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible—one of, if not the first, “modern critical” renderings of the Bible in English. The editors/translators of the RSV felt that rendering the Hebrew word “alma” as “virgin” was being unfaithful to the text OF THAT VERSE, regardless of how St. Matthew later interpreted/applied it. Hence Is 7:14 in the RSV reads as follows: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a **young woman** shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” What followed was a proverbial ‘crisis of biblical proportions.’ The RSV was soundly denounced for being “liberal” and for calling into question the virgin birth of Christ. “Liberal vs Conservative” lines were immediately drawn, and what was otherwise a fine translation of the Scriptures never enjoyed universal appeal as a result of failing this single litmus test. The fact that Mt. 1:23 in the RSV reads: "Behold, a **virgin** shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" which means, God with us” was evidently lost on the RSV’s detractors.
Sadly, this is an ‘issue’ that remains with us to this day, as newer, more modern, ‘critical’ translations of the Bible have continued to come down the pike, but ***few have had the integrity to translate alma correctly. In the end, bible publishers know that the main thing is SALES; and while you may not lose sales by translating alma as ‘virgin,’ you will most likely revive the old debate/accusations by translating it as ‘young woman.’
1982…New King James: alma = virgin
1985…New Jerusalem Bible: alma = young woman
1989…Revised English Bible: alma = young woman
1990…New Revised Standard: alma = young woman
1992…Good News translation: alma = young woman
1994…New American Bible: alma = virgin
1995…God’s Word translation: alma = virgin
1995…New American Standard: alma = virgin
1998…Complete Jewish Bible: alma = young woman
2001…English Standard Version: alma = virgin
2002…The Message: alma = virgin
2004…New Living Translation: alma = virgin
2004…Holman Christian Standard: alma = virgin
2005…TNIV, Zondervan: alma = virgin
2010…NIV(2010): alma = virgin
This brief survey of major English translations shows a continued bias toward translating alma as ‘virgin’ in Is 7:14.
My own hunch, as already mentioned, is that this is more for sales/marketing reasons than sound exegetical reasons. After all, a myriad of (unanswerable) questions arise when trying to deal with the text if Isaiah the prophet truly meant to tell Ahaz that a miraculous virgin birth was going to happen **THEN. And if that wasn’t Isaiah’s point, if he meant all along that his prophecy was only to be interpreted in Messianic terms, **HOW does the birth of the Savior (an event still hundreds of years in the future) square with the rest of the passage/oracle which was obviously intended to give Ahaz/Judah some immediate comfort regarding the aggression of the Israel/Syria alliance against them? In other words, if Is 7:14 can only have one meaning—it foretells the birth of Jesus of Nazareth—then it needs to be functionally omitted from the passage because it has nothing to do with the immediate trouble/difficulty faced by Ahaz. This would be silly, though. Clearly the passage has two references (a) the impending birth of a child to “the young woman” [who is this? A wife/concubine of Ahaz? The wife of Isaiah? Scholars can make a convincing case for either]….and (b) the eventual birth of the Messiah.
Cheers,
TM
This is the week of the 4th Sunday of Advent.
We’re almost there!
And because of that, the readings for the Sunday take on an urgency…an ‘annunciation’ quality…because in the unfolding of the drama, the Deliverer is almost here. This week our main focus is on the Advent of the Savior physically in TIME….interrupting human history.
Of course we cannot spend time in Isaiah 7 without going down the sideroad of the “drama” that has historically surrounded vs 14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign the _____ will conceive and give birth…” The original Hebrew text said that an “alma” would conceive—and alma being simply a young woman (the question of virginity not being applicable). The Greek version of the OT (known as the Septuagint), however, used the word “parthenos” which technically DOES mean virgin. This was then picked up in the account as given in the Gospel of St. Matthew (1:21-23) where Joseph is told in a dream that he shouldn’t be afraid to take Mary as his wife—all of this has happened in order to fulfill what the prophet said, "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means "God with us" (vs 23).
In the history of English translations of the Bible, it was always accepted that the New Testament clarified/interpreted the Old Testament, hence Is 7:14 was rendered accordingly in the light of Mt 1:23, giving it a distinctly Messianic/Christian connotation. This tradition held until 1946 and the publication of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible—one of, if not the first, “modern critical” renderings of the Bible in English. The editors/translators of the RSV felt that rendering the Hebrew word “alma” as “virgin” was being unfaithful to the text OF THAT VERSE, regardless of how St. Matthew later interpreted/applied it. Hence Is 7:14 in the RSV reads as follows: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a **young woman** shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” What followed was a proverbial ‘crisis of biblical proportions.’ The RSV was soundly denounced for being “liberal” and for calling into question the virgin birth of Christ. “Liberal vs Conservative” lines were immediately drawn, and what was otherwise a fine translation of the Scriptures never enjoyed universal appeal as a result of failing this single litmus test. The fact that Mt. 1:23 in the RSV reads: "Behold, a **virgin** shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" which means, God with us” was evidently lost on the RSV’s detractors.
Sadly, this is an ‘issue’ that remains with us to this day, as newer, more modern, ‘critical’ translations of the Bible have continued to come down the pike, but ***few have had the integrity to translate alma correctly. In the end, bible publishers know that the main thing is SALES; and while you may not lose sales by translating alma as ‘virgin,’ you will most likely revive the old debate/accusations by translating it as ‘young woman.’
1982…New King James: alma = virgin
1985…New Jerusalem Bible: alma = young woman
1989…Revised English Bible: alma = young woman
1990…New Revised Standard: alma = young woman
1992…Good News translation: alma = young woman
1994…New American Bible: alma = virgin
1995…God’s Word translation: alma = virgin
1995…New American Standard: alma = virgin
1998…Complete Jewish Bible: alma = young woman
2001…English Standard Version: alma = virgin
2002…The Message: alma = virgin
2004…New Living Translation: alma = virgin
2004…Holman Christian Standard: alma = virgin
2005…TNIV, Zondervan: alma = virgin
2010…NIV(2010): alma = virgin
This brief survey of major English translations shows a continued bias toward translating alma as ‘virgin’ in Is 7:14.
My own hunch, as already mentioned, is that this is more for sales/marketing reasons than sound exegetical reasons. After all, a myriad of (unanswerable) questions arise when trying to deal with the text if Isaiah the prophet truly meant to tell Ahaz that a miraculous virgin birth was going to happen **THEN. And if that wasn’t Isaiah’s point, if he meant all along that his prophecy was only to be interpreted in Messianic terms, **HOW does the birth of the Savior (an event still hundreds of years in the future) square with the rest of the passage/oracle which was obviously intended to give Ahaz/Judah some immediate comfort regarding the aggression of the Israel/Syria alliance against them? In other words, if Is 7:14 can only have one meaning—it foretells the birth of Jesus of Nazareth—then it needs to be functionally omitted from the passage because it has nothing to do with the immediate trouble/difficulty faced by Ahaz. This would be silly, though. Clearly the passage has two references (a) the impending birth of a child to “the young woman” [who is this? A wife/concubine of Ahaz? The wife of Isaiah? Scholars can make a convincing case for either]….and (b) the eventual birth of the Messiah.
Cheers,
TM
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thoughts going in, Sunday Dec. 12th
Note: Sunday Dec 12th will be dedicated to our preschool Christmas program from Grace International Preschool. Having said that, my actual sermon for the day will be a brief Christmas message. However, the regular Thursday night group will remain with the Sunday lectionary and the reading for the Third Sunday of Advent:
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 35:1-10, TNIV)
As mentioned in my sermons recently, one of the difficult things with the book of Isaiah is the question of chronology. It’s a very large book containing prophetic oracles all over the place. Critical scholars see the work of at least 3 separate writers/prophets, with perhaps the work of a fourth and final editor. This is how they square the problems arising from the fact that the “historical” Isaiah who lived/prophesied during the 8th century BC also appeared to have oracles concerning the exile to Babylon and post-exilic period (6th and 5th centuries BC). An alternative explanation of course would be that a “prophetic seer” in the OT sense of the word would be capable of receiving visions about ANY period of time with nothing but the will and good pleasure of God dictating the hows and whens. Regardless, the problem of chronology remains—whether we’re dealing with ONE prophet/author or several.
Isaiah 35 is a case in point. It falls within the *section of the book that is generally thought to be “first Isaiah” (aka the historical 8th century man of God), yet the oracle makes no sense within that period of history. Clearly the oracle seems intended to address the exiles at the time of the decree of Cyrus the Great (540 BC) informing all exiles of Babylon that they may now return home. My approach to the oracles within the ‘book’ of Isaiah is to let the seeming plain context dictate my approach to the text and not worry about whether or not it fits nicely into the division of first/second/third Isaiah on the one hand, or contort the message so as to try to fit it into a different time period on the other hand.
In other words, since it APPEARS to address Jewish exiles in the Diaspora regions in the mid 6th century BC, that’s precisely how I will read the text.
And I must say, right off the bat there are some things that make a LOT of sense about this oracle. For one, it must be remembered that when the prophet says in vs 10: “and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing”… there is NO ZION to enter, per se….and once they get there, singing will probably be the last thing on their mind. In order to immerse ourselves in the story of this text, we need to think of like….post-war Berlin or bombed out Beirut. When the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem ended, the walls were destroyed, the Temple (Mt. Zion) was completely demolished, and the “city” was in such poor condition that when the exiles finally did get back, administration of the area was set up at a point outside of what had been “Jerusalem.” The point that I’m trying to bring out here is that when the prophet talks about “the water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert”…& “the burning sand will become a pool”…& “a highway will be there” & no lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast”…etc. etc., THIS IS A SELL JOB! From the biblical and historical texts of the era we know that not ALL of the exiles returned. Other than Zerubbabel, NO ONE from the royal Davidic line even returns—and the accounts as to what happened to him and how long he stayed are unclear.
What I’m saying is this… God’s people needed to be PRODDED to do the right thing (in this sense, return and re-establish a worshiping Temple community). Imagine that. I’m sure we can all relate. Passive, apathetic inertia seems to come pretty natural to humanity and it’s no different with people of faith. So, the prophet comes along to prod them with amazing tales of miraculous help along the journey. Not only will nature bow to the will of God and their journey, but those who undertake the trip will be all the better for it: the fearful will be brave; the blind will see; the deaf will hear; the lame will be able to make the journey.
Whether these promises were strictly metaphorical (or delayed to be *truly answered in the person of Jesus and his miracles as per Matthew 11), or truly realized by the exiles is sorta irrelevant. The point is, WHEN PRODDED to act in accordance with God’s will and plan…and WHEN WE DO SO, quite often we find that we are walking in a strength/ability that is far greater than anything we could generate on our own. In other words, the *power for week knees to be strengthened lies within the very promises of God and His Spirit working through those promises.
The collect for this week begins: “Stir up our wills O Lord.” We talk a lot about faith and belief, but frankly there’s a lot more to the life of discipleship than just faith. There’s also the renewed will to DESIRE to undertake the journey God has placed in front of us—and to ACT in accordance with that ‘stirred up will.’
Cheers,
TM
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 35:1-10, TNIV)
As mentioned in my sermons recently, one of the difficult things with the book of Isaiah is the question of chronology. It’s a very large book containing prophetic oracles all over the place. Critical scholars see the work of at least 3 separate writers/prophets, with perhaps the work of a fourth and final editor. This is how they square the problems arising from the fact that the “historical” Isaiah who lived/prophesied during the 8th century BC also appeared to have oracles concerning the exile to Babylon and post-exilic period (6th and 5th centuries BC). An alternative explanation of course would be that a “prophetic seer” in the OT sense of the word would be capable of receiving visions about ANY period of time with nothing but the will and good pleasure of God dictating the hows and whens. Regardless, the problem of chronology remains—whether we’re dealing with ONE prophet/author or several.
Isaiah 35 is a case in point. It falls within the *section of the book that is generally thought to be “first Isaiah” (aka the historical 8th century man of God), yet the oracle makes no sense within that period of history. Clearly the oracle seems intended to address the exiles at the time of the decree of Cyrus the Great (540 BC) informing all exiles of Babylon that they may now return home. My approach to the oracles within the ‘book’ of Isaiah is to let the seeming plain context dictate my approach to the text and not worry about whether or not it fits nicely into the division of first/second/third Isaiah on the one hand, or contort the message so as to try to fit it into a different time period on the other hand.
In other words, since it APPEARS to address Jewish exiles in the Diaspora regions in the mid 6th century BC, that’s precisely how I will read the text.
And I must say, right off the bat there are some things that make a LOT of sense about this oracle. For one, it must be remembered that when the prophet says in vs 10: “and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing”… there is NO ZION to enter, per se….and once they get there, singing will probably be the last thing on their mind. In order to immerse ourselves in the story of this text, we need to think of like….post-war Berlin or bombed out Beirut. When the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem ended, the walls were destroyed, the Temple (Mt. Zion) was completely demolished, and the “city” was in such poor condition that when the exiles finally did get back, administration of the area was set up at a point outside of what had been “Jerusalem.” The point that I’m trying to bring out here is that when the prophet talks about “the water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert”…& “the burning sand will become a pool”…& “a highway will be there” & no lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast”…etc. etc., THIS IS A SELL JOB! From the biblical and historical texts of the era we know that not ALL of the exiles returned. Other than Zerubbabel, NO ONE from the royal Davidic line even returns—and the accounts as to what happened to him and how long he stayed are unclear.
What I’m saying is this… God’s people needed to be PRODDED to do the right thing (in this sense, return and re-establish a worshiping Temple community). Imagine that. I’m sure we can all relate. Passive, apathetic inertia seems to come pretty natural to humanity and it’s no different with people of faith. So, the prophet comes along to prod them with amazing tales of miraculous help along the journey. Not only will nature bow to the will of God and their journey, but those who undertake the trip will be all the better for it: the fearful will be brave; the blind will see; the deaf will hear; the lame will be able to make the journey.
Whether these promises were strictly metaphorical (or delayed to be *truly answered in the person of Jesus and his miracles as per Matthew 11), or truly realized by the exiles is sorta irrelevant. The point is, WHEN PRODDED to act in accordance with God’s will and plan…and WHEN WE DO SO, quite often we find that we are walking in a strength/ability that is far greater than anything we could generate on our own. In other words, the *power for week knees to be strengthened lies within the very promises of God and His Spirit working through those promises.
The collect for this week begins: “Stir up our wills O Lord.” We talk a lot about faith and belief, but frankly there’s a lot more to the life of discipleship than just faith. There’s also the renewed will to DESIRE to undertake the journey God has placed in front of us—and to ACT in accordance with that ‘stirred up will.’
Cheers,
TM
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Advent Ramblings...
For most of my career as a pastor I’ve missed the first Sunday of Advent at the congregation I pastored. This year was no different. The reason for this is that the first Sunday of Advent most typically occurs at the end of the week of Thanksgiving—and I always take that week off.
It’s a “that’s the way the cookie crumbles” thing—as I really have no regrets for taking a week off to rest and rejuvenate (especially just before the busy season of Advent). However, not being present for that FIRST Sunday of Advent means that at some later point I have to play a little “catch up” if I want to make sure everyone is tracking with the various themes of Advent.
And this is SO IMPORTANT.
These days we are in such a RUSH for everything, and RUSHING ahead to Christmas is no exception. We see this on TV, we hear it on the radio, we witness it in the shopping malls; Christmas has “been here,” it seems, since they took down the Halloween décor.
But we in the Church know better…or at least we should. Advent is given to us as a season of INTENTIONAL SLOW-DOWN. Yes, of course we all want to gallop off to Bethlehem and the manger scene—or perhaps to the Christmas tree bursting with presents—but we need to intentionally SLOW DOWN so that when we get there, we’ll fully understand and know what it is that we’re seeing. Advent helps us do that in several ways. Allow me to illustrate using the prayer of the day for each of the four Sundays, otherwise known as:
THE COLLECTS OF ADVENT
Each of the four Sundays of Advent have very precise collects. In each of them we pray that SOMETHING would be “stirred up.” Observe:
1st Sunday:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection save us from the threatening dangers of our sins, and enlighten our walk in the way of your salvation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In this collect we pray that God would stir up His power and COME. Within the context of the day, this coming is further defined as the SECOND coming of Christ. This is a major theme of Advent. After all, none of us has a time machine; we cannot travel backward to Bethlehem or the days leading up to Jesus’ first Advent—his birth in humility. We **attempt this as an act of spirituality, perhaps, but the first Sunday of Advent reminds us that when **WE** pray for Christ to “come,” we mean in power and glory ….his “second coming,” in other words.
2nd Sunday
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
John the Baptist is the star of Advent. He gets two of the four Sundays to himself…beginning with the second Sunday of Advent. John’s major theme is REPENTENCE. We prepare to meet our Lord personally in faith when we repent—and it, quite frankly, takes a “stirred up heart” to do this, hence the collect of the day. As a sidenote, many preachers through the eons have noted that there are actually **THREE Advents of Jesus—all three of which deserve attention during the Advent season: (1) His coming in history 2000 years ago; (2) His coming individually into our hearts by faith; and (3) His coming again at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead. Here on the second Sunday of Advent, we concentrate on his coming into our hearts by faith.
3rd Sunday
Stir up the wills of all who look to you, Lord God, and strengthen our faith in your coming, that, transformed by grace, we may walk in your way; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Continuing the thought process from the week before, we pray on the third Sunday that God would stir up our WILLS. This is not the same as a stirred up heart. The stirred up heart *repents and turns to embrace Christ; but it is the stirred up will that seeks to then live IN CHRIST. The collect says it well. We pray that “transformed by grace, we may walk in your way.” Hence, the stirred up heart talks of a discrete moment in time, whereas the stirred up will talks of a continuous way of life.
4th Sunday
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that hinders our faith, that eagerly we may receive your promises, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In the final Sunday of Advent the collect once again turns our thoughts to the COMING of Christ. This is, no doubt, due to the close proximity of the fourth Sunday of Advent to Christmas. Other themes of the day are “Emmanuel, God with us.” The sense is….he’s almost here. Yet, there is a distinction between the theme/mood of the first time we prayed that God would stir up his power and come, and this time. Whereas the first time—taken with the readings for the day—really pointed us to Christ’s second coming in power and glory at the end of the age, this time the emphasis is much more historical. Here the emphasis is that of a thanksgiving that God has kept (and is keeping) His promise to act/intervene in human history.
Remember….
Slow down …..and have a blessed Advent!
cheers,
TM
It’s a “that’s the way the cookie crumbles” thing—as I really have no regrets for taking a week off to rest and rejuvenate (especially just before the busy season of Advent). However, not being present for that FIRST Sunday of Advent means that at some later point I have to play a little “catch up” if I want to make sure everyone is tracking with the various themes of Advent.
And this is SO IMPORTANT.
These days we are in such a RUSH for everything, and RUSHING ahead to Christmas is no exception. We see this on TV, we hear it on the radio, we witness it in the shopping malls; Christmas has “been here,” it seems, since they took down the Halloween décor.
But we in the Church know better…or at least we should. Advent is given to us as a season of INTENTIONAL SLOW-DOWN. Yes, of course we all want to gallop off to Bethlehem and the manger scene—or perhaps to the Christmas tree bursting with presents—but we need to intentionally SLOW DOWN so that when we get there, we’ll fully understand and know what it is that we’re seeing. Advent helps us do that in several ways. Allow me to illustrate using the prayer of the day for each of the four Sundays, otherwise known as:
THE COLLECTS OF ADVENT
Each of the four Sundays of Advent have very precise collects. In each of them we pray that SOMETHING would be “stirred up.” Observe:
1st Sunday:
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection save us from the threatening dangers of our sins, and enlighten our walk in the way of your salvation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In this collect we pray that God would stir up His power and COME. Within the context of the day, this coming is further defined as the SECOND coming of Christ. This is a major theme of Advent. After all, none of us has a time machine; we cannot travel backward to Bethlehem or the days leading up to Jesus’ first Advent—his birth in humility. We **attempt this as an act of spirituality, perhaps, but the first Sunday of Advent reminds us that when **WE** pray for Christ to “come,” we mean in power and glory ….his “second coming,” in other words.
2nd Sunday
Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
John the Baptist is the star of Advent. He gets two of the four Sundays to himself…beginning with the second Sunday of Advent. John’s major theme is REPENTENCE. We prepare to meet our Lord personally in faith when we repent—and it, quite frankly, takes a “stirred up heart” to do this, hence the collect of the day. As a sidenote, many preachers through the eons have noted that there are actually **THREE Advents of Jesus—all three of which deserve attention during the Advent season: (1) His coming in history 2000 years ago; (2) His coming individually into our hearts by faith; and (3) His coming again at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead. Here on the second Sunday of Advent, we concentrate on his coming into our hearts by faith.
3rd Sunday
Stir up the wills of all who look to you, Lord God, and strengthen our faith in your coming, that, transformed by grace, we may walk in your way; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Continuing the thought process from the week before, we pray on the third Sunday that God would stir up our WILLS. This is not the same as a stirred up heart. The stirred up heart *repents and turns to embrace Christ; but it is the stirred up will that seeks to then live IN CHRIST. The collect says it well. We pray that “transformed by grace, we may walk in your way.” Hence, the stirred up heart talks of a discrete moment in time, whereas the stirred up will talks of a continuous way of life.
4th Sunday
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that hinders our faith, that eagerly we may receive your promises, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In the final Sunday of Advent the collect once again turns our thoughts to the COMING of Christ. This is, no doubt, due to the close proximity of the fourth Sunday of Advent to Christmas. Other themes of the day are “Emmanuel, God with us.” The sense is….he’s almost here. Yet, there is a distinction between the theme/mood of the first time we prayed that God would stir up his power and come, and this time. Whereas the first time—taken with the readings for the day—really pointed us to Christ’s second coming in power and glory at the end of the age, this time the emphasis is much more historical. Here the emphasis is that of a thanksgiving that God has kept (and is keeping) His promise to act/intervene in human history.
Remember….
Slow down …..and have a blessed Advent!
cheers,
TM
Monday, November 22, 2010
Autumn mini retreat
Greetings from Julain of Norwhich House, Waukesha WI....
Just a brief note to mention that I have been privileged to be able to put together a last minute mini retreat of sorts to the beautiful monastic retreat of Julian of Norwich House in Waukesha WI:
http://www.orderofjulian.org/home.html
The order of Julian of Norwich is a monastic order associated with the Episcopal Church USA. The house occupies a roughly 4 acre parcel quietly nestled within the town of Waukesha. It is very peaceful and quiet here--and I simply cannot say enough about the hospitality of the brothers and sisters of the order. As would be expected, life here is of a slower/quieter pace. The day is marked by the praying of the monastic hours of Morning, Noonday, Evening, and Nighttime Prayer (as well as the daily mass)--all essentially following the Rite II variants of the 1979 BCP (with some embellishments, of course). Morning Prayer occurs a bit early for my taste (5am), but I have found the rest of the schedule to be most agreeable.
I'm using this time to further my studies--concentrating on tying up loose ends on the Jewish province of Yehud during the Persian era, and then jumping ahead to the Hasmonean era. The texts I've brought with me for this endeavor are:
"The New Testament Era" By Bo Reicke (which begins with the Persian era), and Vol I of the *revised "History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ," by Emil Schurer.
I will be back in Chicagoland late Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my family.
God bless,
TM
Just a brief note to mention that I have been privileged to be able to put together a last minute mini retreat of sorts to the beautiful monastic retreat of Julian of Norwich House in Waukesha WI:
http://www.orderofjulian.org/home.html
The order of Julian of Norwich is a monastic order associated with the Episcopal Church USA. The house occupies a roughly 4 acre parcel quietly nestled within the town of Waukesha. It is very peaceful and quiet here--and I simply cannot say enough about the hospitality of the brothers and sisters of the order. As would be expected, life here is of a slower/quieter pace. The day is marked by the praying of the monastic hours of Morning, Noonday, Evening, and Nighttime Prayer (as well as the daily mass)--all essentially following the Rite II variants of the 1979 BCP (with some embellishments, of course). Morning Prayer occurs a bit early for my taste (5am), but I have found the rest of the schedule to be most agreeable.
I'm using this time to further my studies--concentrating on tying up loose ends on the Jewish province of Yehud during the Persian era, and then jumping ahead to the Hasmonean era. The texts I've brought with me for this endeavor are:
"The New Testament Era" By Bo Reicke (which begins with the Persian era), and Vol I of the *revised "History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ," by Emil Schurer.
I will be back in Chicagoland late Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my family.
God bless,
TM
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thoughts going in, Sun Nov 21st
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is God's Messiah, the Chosen One." 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. " 43 Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:33-43)
Well, this is one of those Sundays where there’s a LOT more going on than simply what we read in the text. Some Sundays are “theme” Sundays; some Sundays are “bridge” Sundays. This Sunday happens to be BOTH.
THEME: The theme of this Sunday is its title: “Christ the King.” Like all theme Sundays, there is more than just a simple demand that the text(s) be exposited and applied. We must also find the theme within the text.
BRIDGE: As one season in the church year comes to a close, and another begins, very often that last Sunday of the outgoing season functions as a bridge between the two (as can the 1st Sunday of the incoming season). As mentioned, this Sunday is also a bridge because we are ending Ordinary time (aka the Sundays after Pentecost) and going into Advent. These two seasons are STARKLY different in their character and content. Ordinary time—an unfortunate name that is often, I fear, thought of as being “ho hum” time—is a time for ORDERLY marching through scripture; it’s a time for whole-book studies; a time for growth and application within the Christian faith. Advent, however, has its own themes; themes of hope; waiting; repentance; and of course the COMING of the Lord. It can be mildly jolting to go from a season like Ordinary time to Advent without a bridge Sunday that has its own specific theme. Enter Christ the King Sunday.
So with all of that in mind, I have these thoughts going in to this Sunday. Verse 34a looms somewhat large: Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It’s easy to pass over this verse; it’s easy to chalk this verse up to how noble or magnanimous Jesus was, but given our theme, this verse takes on even greater importance. Not only did they not know that they were executing a totally innocent person, not only did they not know they were executing the only sinless person who ever walked the face of the earth, most importantly of all they did not know they were executing God in the flesh; the King of the Universe. The point I’m trying to make here is that as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, one of the things we have to accept right up front is that the Kingship of Christ in its present form is **VEILED**. Jesus is currently ruling through love and humility—even now, post-resurrection, but his reign is not obvious to the casual observer.
It is mistaken to view this period as a time of ‘defeat’ for the Lordship of Christ, or for that matter to view it as a time of ‘battle between the forces of good and evil’ that could go either way. True enough, forces of good are battling forces of evil (Eph. 6:12)* . But this is not a ‘jump-ball’ scenario that could go either way. The Bible clearly promises that God is in the process of redeeming this world and that process will not be thwarted—in spite of what we see at any given moment (we walk by faith, not by sight). And so St. Paul can say with assurance what WILL happen when human history comes to an end and the reign of Christ will NO LONGER be veiled: “so that at the name of Jesus every knee WILL bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:10,11). The reign is currently veiled in love and humility so that the Gospel can be preached and accepted on its own merits without coercion…but make no mistake, he **is reigning.
The other thing that really stands out to me, thematically, from this text has to do with Christ’s royal nature and prerogatives. For the first time in a long time we have “royalty” in the news, as Prince William of England’s engagement was just announced. And I’m sure that when the wedding finally happens, it’ll be the biggest thing since the last royal wedding, and even we here in the States will be enthralled with all of the pomp & circumstance of the royal event—the lavish parties; the perfectly & exquisitely tailored outfits; the long processions, etc. etc.
Contrast that notion to our text, where FIVE times in the span of ten verses, the author uses words like “messiah, king, and kingdom.” This is not accidental. The evangelist St. Luke is putting up neon signs pointing to Jesus throughout the text: he’s the king…..he’s the king…..he’s the king….is what he seems to be saying. And yet, he also wants us to see PRECISELY what it means from God’s perspective to be the messiah/king; it means to love the ones who are killing you; it means to willingly let them shed your blood for their own sinful/selfish reasons; and then it means to forgive them for it.
This is deep stuff. When God gets his hands on kingship, he uses it to give to others; he uses it to die for the sins of the world.
cheers,
TM
*Eph 6:12: For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Well, this is one of those Sundays where there’s a LOT more going on than simply what we read in the text. Some Sundays are “theme” Sundays; some Sundays are “bridge” Sundays. This Sunday happens to be BOTH.
THEME: The theme of this Sunday is its title: “Christ the King.” Like all theme Sundays, there is more than just a simple demand that the text(s) be exposited and applied. We must also find the theme within the text.
BRIDGE: As one season in the church year comes to a close, and another begins, very often that last Sunday of the outgoing season functions as a bridge between the two (as can the 1st Sunday of the incoming season). As mentioned, this Sunday is also a bridge because we are ending Ordinary time (aka the Sundays after Pentecost) and going into Advent. These two seasons are STARKLY different in their character and content. Ordinary time—an unfortunate name that is often, I fear, thought of as being “ho hum” time—is a time for ORDERLY marching through scripture; it’s a time for whole-book studies; a time for growth and application within the Christian faith. Advent, however, has its own themes; themes of hope; waiting; repentance; and of course the COMING of the Lord. It can be mildly jolting to go from a season like Ordinary time to Advent without a bridge Sunday that has its own specific theme. Enter Christ the King Sunday.
So with all of that in mind, I have these thoughts going in to this Sunday. Verse 34a looms somewhat large: Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It’s easy to pass over this verse; it’s easy to chalk this verse up to how noble or magnanimous Jesus was, but given our theme, this verse takes on even greater importance. Not only did they not know that they were executing a totally innocent person, not only did they not know they were executing the only sinless person who ever walked the face of the earth, most importantly of all they did not know they were executing God in the flesh; the King of the Universe. The point I’m trying to make here is that as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, one of the things we have to accept right up front is that the Kingship of Christ in its present form is **VEILED**. Jesus is currently ruling through love and humility—even now, post-resurrection, but his reign is not obvious to the casual observer.
It is mistaken to view this period as a time of ‘defeat’ for the Lordship of Christ, or for that matter to view it as a time of ‘battle between the forces of good and evil’ that could go either way. True enough, forces of good are battling forces of evil (Eph. 6:12)* . But this is not a ‘jump-ball’ scenario that could go either way. The Bible clearly promises that God is in the process of redeeming this world and that process will not be thwarted—in spite of what we see at any given moment (we walk by faith, not by sight). And so St. Paul can say with assurance what WILL happen when human history comes to an end and the reign of Christ will NO LONGER be veiled: “so that at the name of Jesus every knee WILL bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:10,11). The reign is currently veiled in love and humility so that the Gospel can be preached and accepted on its own merits without coercion…but make no mistake, he **is reigning.
The other thing that really stands out to me, thematically, from this text has to do with Christ’s royal nature and prerogatives. For the first time in a long time we have “royalty” in the news, as Prince William of England’s engagement was just announced. And I’m sure that when the wedding finally happens, it’ll be the biggest thing since the last royal wedding, and even we here in the States will be enthralled with all of the pomp & circumstance of the royal event—the lavish parties; the perfectly & exquisitely tailored outfits; the long processions, etc. etc.
Contrast that notion to our text, where FIVE times in the span of ten verses, the author uses words like “messiah, king, and kingdom.” This is not accidental. The evangelist St. Luke is putting up neon signs pointing to Jesus throughout the text: he’s the king…..he’s the king…..he’s the king….is what he seems to be saying. And yet, he also wants us to see PRECISELY what it means from God’s perspective to be the messiah/king; it means to love the ones who are killing you; it means to willingly let them shed your blood for their own sinful/selfish reasons; and then it means to forgive them for it.
This is deep stuff. When God gets his hands on kingship, he uses it to give to others; he uses it to die for the sins of the world.
cheers,
TM
*Eph 6:12: For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thoughts going in, Sunday Nov 14th
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. (TNIV)
Well, it’s that time of year again. “That time,” being the end of the church year. Let me begin by saying a couple of things about the lectionary system. A lectionary is nothing other than a roadmap of readings—a ‘playbook,’ if you will. I think that in order to appreciate the lectionary system, people should spend time in churches that DON’T use a lectionary. Without a lectionary, every Sunday is up to the whim of the pastor in terms of what the theme will be; which readings will be consulted, etc. A lectionary has the benefit of preventing that, as well as functioning as an ecumenical tool. I’ve always found it very comforting that if my parishioners were out of town but attended another mainline church, they’d at least hear the same readings we used.
Having said that, it is the lectionary that assures us that every year we will trace the life & ministry of Jesus. After all, it is ALL ABOUT him. And each year, as the church year ends ….with Christ the King Sunday (the Sunday before the first week of Advent)…and as the new church year begins (Advent)…the theme(s) are about THE END. The readings not only culminate with the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but they also culminate with the parallel of THE END of time; the end of all things; the end of this age and the advent of the new age. Because the last couple of weeks of the church year AND the first week of the new church year ALWAYS have some crossover material, it’s sort of a balancing act that the pastor has to do in order to make sure the sermons don’t sound the same for 3 weeks in a row. With that in mind, I will attempt to put on blinders concerning the next couple of weeks as I consider this Sunday’s text.
Vs6: “as for what you see here…” Jesus in this verse contrasts an apparent ‘rock of stability’ with a prophetic oracle that in actuality, its days are numbered. What’s under discussion, of course, is Herod’s Temple and all of its magnificence.
The condensed history goes as follows: Solomon’s beautiful temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC. As control of the area passed from Babylon to Persia, the captives of the era were eventually allowed to return and given permission to rebuild the temple. This “second temple” was completed around 515BC. It was, however, NOTHING like the original in terms of beauty and magnificence. Around 19BC the Roman client king Herod the Great—in a bid to ingratiate himself with the people—began a massive renovation of not just the temple, but the entire temple mount area/complex. Clearly his intention was to “out-Solomon” Solomon. Ironically, Herod the Great never saw the completion of his project, as work continued on roughly 50yrs after his death.
The point is this…regardless of the fact that the Jews were a subjugated nation languishing under a complicated system of client kings and direct Roman rule, and even regardless of the fact that the temple had been ‘given’ to them by a despised despotic ruler, it had still come to symbolize for them **ALL** that was held dear in a religious sense: God’s presence with his people; their unique status as God’s people; and most important of all HOPE for a better tomorrow (aka a tomorrow without Rome). This temple, and everything about it was their ROCK OF STABILITY. And here's a further irony...this was so much so, that MOST of the people "missed it" when God in the flesh was standing in their very midst.
And so, Jesus highlights the immense INSTABILITY of their rock. Within a mere 40yrs or so, the whole thing would be in ruins. Over and over the psalmists say things like “O God, you are my rock.” I think there’s a huge lesson here for us ANY TIME we tend to find “our rock” of stability in anything other than God himself--whether religiously or temporally. Whether it’s our parents…our youth/health…our education/commitment/work-ethic…the capitalistic system…American might…the status quo of western civilization…our ability to contingency plan…YOU NAME IT, whatever “rock of stability” you’re counting on is just as fragile as the Jerusalem temple was in circa 33AD. It looked ‘unsinkable,’ but it may as well have had the word ‘Titanic’ on the front door.
One of the books I’m currently reading is “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s a fascinating work about how things—either good or bad—“tip;”….about the phenomenon of the last straw that breaks every camel’s back, either positively or negatively. Historians argue about what exactly was the tipping point for the history of Herod’s Temple. A great deal of unrest—civil and religious—had been bubbling near the surface for some time. But in Aug 66AD Eleazar ben Ananias (a young upstart of high priestly and ruling class lineage—and captain of the temple guard) persuaded the temple priests to refuse gifts and sacrifices from foreigners, which meant abolishing the long-held practice of making daily sacrifices on behalf of the Emperor (and for the good of the Empire). This amounted to a clear signal of open rebellion against Rome. The situation TIPPED inexorably toward war with Rome and eventual (and final) destruction of the temple.
Of course, with the psalmists people of faith should ALWAYS look to God as their “rock of stability,” the one in whom everything rests, etc. But we don’t always do that. This passage and these words of Jesus remind us that sooner or later EVERYTHING has a tipping point……everything BUT GOD.
Cheers,
TM
Well, it’s that time of year again. “That time,” being the end of the church year. Let me begin by saying a couple of things about the lectionary system. A lectionary is nothing other than a roadmap of readings—a ‘playbook,’ if you will. I think that in order to appreciate the lectionary system, people should spend time in churches that DON’T use a lectionary. Without a lectionary, every Sunday is up to the whim of the pastor in terms of what the theme will be; which readings will be consulted, etc. A lectionary has the benefit of preventing that, as well as functioning as an ecumenical tool. I’ve always found it very comforting that if my parishioners were out of town but attended another mainline church, they’d at least hear the same readings we used.
Having said that, it is the lectionary that assures us that every year we will trace the life & ministry of Jesus. After all, it is ALL ABOUT him. And each year, as the church year ends ….with Christ the King Sunday (the Sunday before the first week of Advent)…and as the new church year begins (Advent)…the theme(s) are about THE END. The readings not only culminate with the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but they also culminate with the parallel of THE END of time; the end of all things; the end of this age and the advent of the new age. Because the last couple of weeks of the church year AND the first week of the new church year ALWAYS have some crossover material, it’s sort of a balancing act that the pastor has to do in order to make sure the sermons don’t sound the same for 3 weeks in a row. With that in mind, I will attempt to put on blinders concerning the next couple of weeks as I consider this Sunday’s text.
Vs6: “as for what you see here…” Jesus in this verse contrasts an apparent ‘rock of stability’ with a prophetic oracle that in actuality, its days are numbered. What’s under discussion, of course, is Herod’s Temple and all of its magnificence.
The condensed history goes as follows: Solomon’s beautiful temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC. As control of the area passed from Babylon to Persia, the captives of the era were eventually allowed to return and given permission to rebuild the temple. This “second temple” was completed around 515BC. It was, however, NOTHING like the original in terms of beauty and magnificence. Around 19BC the Roman client king Herod the Great—in a bid to ingratiate himself with the people—began a massive renovation of not just the temple, but the entire temple mount area/complex. Clearly his intention was to “out-Solomon” Solomon. Ironically, Herod the Great never saw the completion of his project, as work continued on roughly 50yrs after his death.
The point is this…regardless of the fact that the Jews were a subjugated nation languishing under a complicated system of client kings and direct Roman rule, and even regardless of the fact that the temple had been ‘given’ to them by a despised despotic ruler, it had still come to symbolize for them **ALL** that was held dear in a religious sense: God’s presence with his people; their unique status as God’s people; and most important of all HOPE for a better tomorrow (aka a tomorrow without Rome). This temple, and everything about it was their ROCK OF STABILITY. And here's a further irony...this was so much so, that MOST of the people "missed it" when God in the flesh was standing in their very midst.
And so, Jesus highlights the immense INSTABILITY of their rock. Within a mere 40yrs or so, the whole thing would be in ruins. Over and over the psalmists say things like “O God, you are my rock.” I think there’s a huge lesson here for us ANY TIME we tend to find “our rock” of stability in anything other than God himself--whether religiously or temporally. Whether it’s our parents…our youth/health…our education/commitment/work-ethic…the capitalistic system…American might…the status quo of western civilization…our ability to contingency plan…YOU NAME IT, whatever “rock of stability” you’re counting on is just as fragile as the Jerusalem temple was in circa 33AD. It looked ‘unsinkable,’ but it may as well have had the word ‘Titanic’ on the front door.
One of the books I’m currently reading is “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s a fascinating work about how things—either good or bad—“tip;”….about the phenomenon of the last straw that breaks every camel’s back, either positively or negatively. Historians argue about what exactly was the tipping point for the history of Herod’s Temple. A great deal of unrest—civil and religious—had been bubbling near the surface for some time. But in Aug 66AD Eleazar ben Ananias (a young upstart of high priestly and ruling class lineage—and captain of the temple guard) persuaded the temple priests to refuse gifts and sacrifices from foreigners, which meant abolishing the long-held practice of making daily sacrifices on behalf of the Emperor (and for the good of the Empire). This amounted to a clear signal of open rebellion against Rome. The situation TIPPED inexorably toward war with Rome and eventual (and final) destruction of the temple.
Of course, with the psalmists people of faith should ALWAYS look to God as their “rock of stability,” the one in whom everything rests, etc. But we don’t always do that. This passage and these words of Jesus remind us that sooner or later EVERYTHING has a tipping point……everything BUT GOD.
Cheers,
TM
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