GOD’S WORD FOR US

December 6, 2009

THE RESPONSIVE LESSON is  Luke 1:68-79

Zechariah looks back to the covenant promised to Sarah and Abraham, and to the line of David.  Then he looks forward to his son, John, who will continue the prophetic tradition and prepare the way for a new expression of God's tender compassion.

Blessed be the God of Israel,

who has come to the people and set them free,

who has raised up for us a mighty saviour,

born of the house of the servant David.

Through the holy prophets of old

God promised to save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us,

to show the mercy promised to our ancestors,

to remember the holy covenant,

          the oath God swore to our ancestors Abraham and Sarah,

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to serve God without fear,

          holy and righteous in God's presence,

          all the days of our life. 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,

to give the people knowledge of salvation

          by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God,

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who sit in darkness,

          in the shadow of death,

          and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

THE GOSPEL LESSON is Luke 3: 1a, 2b-6, 7-14, 18

John announces the coming of the Christ.  He sets the stage by insisting that if you want to follow the Messiah, you will have to make some clear adjustments to your thinking and behaviour. 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 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.

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;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

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? 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. 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.”

And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 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.”

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 

Just Like Starting Over

          The last time our family moved to a new house, we went through the usual hard choices on what you take and what you toss.  Jan and I made repeated trips out to the growing pile of garbage at the curb.  Some of the decisions were easy.  I mean who wants broken plastic skis.  Then I walked into a basement room and saw the table top hockey game.  

          We had bought it for our son one Christmas when he was six.  On impulse we splurged on a model endorsed by Kevin Lowe of the Oilers.  His eyes lit up when he saw it and Dan was glued to it for that holiday season.

          Then one day during a vigourous match, one of long pieces of thin metal under the plastic ice, bent and jammed.  Nothing we could do seemed to repair the problem.  The left winger for one side could not move and the game got pushed over to the corner of the room.  A phone call to the company did not provide a helpful answer.  We got busy with other things and it ended up in the basement.

           I had thought Dan would want it but a few days before he said, “Let it go.”

          As I hesitated, I realized that I didn’t want to say good bye to that time of my life.  Even more than that; it reminded me of the hockey game I got when I was 8 years old.  One of my best Christmas gifts ever.  This felt like I was throwing out a part of my life.  Finally I carried the game out to the garbage, still hoping some passer-by might consider it a treasure and rescue it from the pile.

          Isn’t it hard to discard a treasure?  We go through these discussions with family and with ourselves.  What do I throw out? What do I keep?  Do I really need or want this anymore?   Do I even have room for it?                       

          John the Baptist can teach us about throwing things out.  He strides into our midst every Advent and announces,  “If you’re going to welcome the Christ into your lives, then there’s some old stuff in your life you may need to cart out to the curb.  Otherwise you won’t have space for the new life that God has in store for you.”

          That was John’s message.  John stands in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets,  who dreamed of of a new age when every member of the community would have what they needed to make life full and satisfying.  Enough food, enough clothing, enough work, enough respect.  He believed that faith had to matter in the market place.  John’s message was a perfect prelude for Jesus’ song of faith.  They both wanted change, not in the sweet by and by, but today, in the here and now.

          “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”... on earth.

          On the night before he was killed, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Masonic Temple in Memphis, to the city’s garbage workers.  He said, “It’s all right to talk about long white robes over yonder,’ in all of its symbolism.  But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here.  It’s all right to talk about ‘streets flowing with milk and honey,’ but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day.  It’s all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but (we’ve) got to talk about the new New York, the New Atlanta...the new Memphis, Tennessee.”

          The crowds ask John, “What should we do?”  John says, “Bear fruit that befits repentance?”  Bloom where you’re planted.  Make a difference in your workplace, your school, your relationships.  John says don’t wait for others, start the change in your own life. 

          Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi tells a story that his grandfather loved to tell, about what one person can do.

          There once was a hopelessly disorganized young man who lived alone in a small apartment, which was so cluttered and unclean that it resembled a pigsty.  Layers of dust and dirt covered everything, unwashed clothes were strewn all over, and the kitchen sink overflowed with dirty dishes.  He was aware of the mess, but he argued, if I don’t have visitors, who will know.

          Then at work he met a woman.  Love blossomed, and one day while walking in the park, she plucked a beautiful red rose and gave it to him. This  gift of love had to be preserved with dignity. He rummaged through all the dirty dishes and found a filthy vase.  He scrubbed the vase clean, filled it with water and placed the rose of love into it.  Now this vase needed a place to be seen in all its beauty.

          He decided the kitchen table was the ideal spot for the rose so that he could see it all the time that he was at home.  That meant he had to clean the table.  When he was done, the table was so beautiful that it seemed out of place in the filthy room.  So he washed the dishes, polished the floor and transformed the kitchen into a bright spot.  He felt happy with the change, but the kitchen now stood in stark contrast with the rest of the untidiness.  Little by little, he ended up cleaning the whole house. 

          One small act of love transformed an otherwise careless person.  This would only be a story except we know how Gandhi’s simple actions changed a nation and an empire and has inspired liberation until this day.

            One act of compassion can send ripples of change through another’s life.  We know that already.  But it’s not about knowing, it’s about doing.

          The people ask John the Baptist, “What then should we do?” John says, “Do this.  If you have two coats.  Give one away. “               

           John begins with action.  He is a doer.  Do this and your life will change.  Alcoholics live by the slogan, “Act yourself into a new way of thinking.”  Change what you do and you’ll change how you think.  And it works.

           Jesse Jackson said something similar.  “It is easier to walk your way into a new way of thinking, then to think your way into a new way of walking.”

          We need both.  Act. Think about what you did and then act again.      

                    “What should we do?”

          Our United Church moderator, Mardi Tindal, is in Copenhagen and she says that some people are asking why religious leaders are coming to such a technical conference. 

          The UN Secretary General says, “Beyond the scientific, technological and economic issues, climate change forces us to consider fundamental questions about how we see the world in the next 10 to 100 years and to ask questions such as who will succeed ...who will suffer with the unwanted changes that occur...” 

          Faith communities can and should speak to those questions on the environment.  How do we use energy in our homes, and in our church buildings?  How gently do we believe God want us to tread on Mother Earth?  These questions are faith questions and faith questions need to lead to action.   “What should we do?”

          John the Baptist is not in my crèche scene, but I wish he was.    

John reminds this Advent season is about God’s vision of a new world on the horizon, a transformed community and an individual’s decision to take a step.

           And to that transformed community  we have all received an invitation.  We have an invitation to leave the old ways behind, to take a few attitudes out to the curb.   Or to put it in a more positive light, to add a beautiful red rose to our living rooms. 

          I am trying to add a rose to my Advent season.  In the morning, I spend a few minutes reading a Thomas Merton journal entry.  That used to be how i did a quiet time. but this year I feel the need of an active response or the devotions all stays in my head.  So I write a poem in response to what I read, and then I try to live that out in some way that day.

           What shall we do?  John says, do something.  Make some change.  Even if it’s a very small one.  Take something out to the curb.  Dump something  you no longer have room for and just let it go.  Add some rose to your living room, add a practice that makes you more whole and see what happens.  

          This year, may Advent matter for you.  May it matter for us all.

With thanks to:

Arun Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson,  Mardi Tindal and David Macdonald