Reflections on "God's Journey" Christmas Eve, 2021 Luke 2: 1-16

It was a good night of worship.  The in-person crowds were down compared to two years ago, but we had a strong live-stream presence.  I have discovered in recent years that my sermon preparation for Christmas Eve is a collision of two thoughts:  on the one hand, I want to preach a sermon that is worthy of this incredible moment and impacts those who show up for worship on this glorious night; on the other hand, I am mindful of those who are grieving over loved ones who died and are not with them in worship, or have loved ones near death as Christmas approaches, or who are in the middle of very challenging medical battles.  

the music in the service was terrific, which always makes the sermon better!

“God’s Journey”  SAPC, Denton; December 24, 2021; Christmas Eve

Luke 2: 8-16

 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,

14 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[c]

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

Introduction: We have arrived in Bethlehem.

Our Advent journey to Bethlehem has taken a little longer than the shepherds who went with haste.  But here we are! 

If you joined us for our Advent journey, you have had time to reflect and prepare, hopefully you gained an insight or two, maybe even a laugh a bit, or have an “aha” moment as you made your way to Bethlehem. 

tonight our journey has brought us to Bethlehem to stare into the face of the Christ-child.

I hope as you gaze upon the Christ-child you are filled with joy and awe.

one of the reasons we travel to Bethlehem is to have that moment - that moment when you have the indescribable feeling of discovering the one who transforms the world and changes lives.  

of meeting the one who invites you into his life.  

Cherish the moment!  

Move 1:   But tonight is also about celebrating and proclaiming God’s journey to meet us in Bethlehem.

a.   Telling the story of the night God burst into the world.

1.  the night the Messiah arrives.

2.  the Messiah for whom God’s people have cried out for.

3. The Messiah about whom the prophets have spoken. 

b.   Frederick Buechner describes this night of Jesus' birth as the time when “all heaven broke loose.”

1. Angels announcing good news to shepherds;

2.  wise men on a journey following a star’

3.  lives being changed;

4.  the world transformed when the God of the universe comes down and joins us as a child in the manger. (Jeffrey Munroe on Buechner’s fifteenth non-fiction work, Secrets in the Dark (2006); 158-159; .https://www.frederickbuechner.com/quote-of-the-day/2021/11/18/jeffrey-munroe-on-secrets-in-the-dark?rq=shepherds)

c.  Who would imagine a God who comes in flesh?

1. no other gods the world offers us will.

2.  No god chooses to be with us in flesh, except the God who shows up as the Christ-child in Bethlehem.

move 2.  God’s journey is more than the arrival of a baby in the manger.  

a. Christmas is more than creating a warm moment for family. 

1.   Christmas is more than just a good feeling on Christmas Eve and exchanging presents on Christmas morning.

2.  That’s too small. 

2.  the birth of Christ is about God showing up to change and redeem the world.

b.  have you ever heard of a theme park in Orlando, FL.

1.  not Disney World, but “the Holy Land Experience.

2.  A theme park featuring the Great Temple of Jerusalem.

3.  The Qumran caves.

4.  Street vendors dressed as Middle Eastern shepherds selling food like the Goliath burger.  

4. 35 bucks for adults and 20 bucks for kids and you get to spend a day in biblical times, in the Holy Land, and you don’t even have to book an international flight.

5.   The theme park presents a make-believe world with no conflicts or problems, except between tired kids waiting in line. (Joanna Adams, “Stone to Bread,” Journal of Preaching, Lent, 2010)

6. If you never went, it’s too late.  After two decades, it closed this year.

7. it could not survive changing leadership and the pandemic.

c.  The make-believe world might work for a while, but it is not enough.

1.  Christ is not a theme park character.

2. Christ did not come to a make-believe world.

2.   he comes to join us in the reality of our world. 

3.  We know that reality, don’t we?

4. Covid continues with the Omicron variant.  Christmas gatherings are being canceled left and right because of it.

5.  Nations still wage war against each other.

6. Injustice still raises its ugly head.

7.  Divisiveness takes center stage.

8. Some of us are watching on live-stream because our medical situation does not allow us to go out.

9.  Some of us are remembering a loved one who is absent this year.

10.  some of us have a loved one near death.

11.  We do not live in a make-believe world.

12.   Frankly, a sweet little baby Jesus is not enough.

c.  so hear the good news the angels announce to the shepherds and to us.

1. A Messiah has been born.

2. do not let the image of the angelic face we give to the Christ-child or a few verses of “Away in the Manger” seduce you into missing the life-changing event that has taken place.

3. God has arrived in our midst.

4.  God has come to comfort us in our sorrows, 

give strength to us in our challenges,

 

celebrate with us in our joys, 

give us hope in the face of difficulties,

redeem us and save us.

5. The shepherds race to Bethlehem because they need a Messiah.  

6. We have that same need.

Conclusion:  A poem by Sharon Lodygowski entitled "Sharon's Christmas prayer":

           She was five,

           sure of the facts,

           and recited them

           with slow solemnity,

           convinced every word

           was revelation.

           She said

they were so poor

they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

to eat

and they went a long way from home

without getting lost.  The lady rode

a donkey, the man walked, and the baby

was inside the lady.

They had to stay in a stable

with an ox and an ass (hee-hee)

but the Three Rich Men found them

because a star lighted the roof.

Shepherds came and you could

pet the sheep but not feed them.

Then the baby was borne.

And do you know who he was?

          Her quarter eyes inflated

          to silver dollars.

The baby was God.

          And she jumped in the air,

          whirled round, dove into the sofa,

          and buried her head under the cushion

          which is the only proper response

          to the Good News of the Incarnation.

We have journeyed to Bethlehem and found the Messiah, the one who comes to be with us and to save us. 

Reflections on "Advent Journeys: In the Fields" Luke 2:8; Isaiah 7: 10-16

I enjoyed preaching this sermon.  The Isaiah passage is a wonderful passage with its historical complexities.  I had fun exploring whether the shepherds knew they were waiting.  This has been a fun preaching series for Advent, at least for me (can't speak for the listeners!).

“Advent Journeys: In the Fields”  SAPC, Denton; December 19, 2021; Advent series 2021; Luke 2: 8; Isaiah

Luke 2: 8

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Introduction:  We continue our Advent journey to Bethlehem with a final week of reflection before we arrive at Bethlehem.

this morning, we stop in the fields with the shepherds as we wait for Christmas, or maybe Christmas Eve when we announce again to the world the good news of the birth of Christ.

A few thoughts on shepherds and waiting this morning.

Move 1:  Did the shepherds know they were waiting?

a. Lots of people in the story know about waiting.

1.  Zechariah and Elizabeth know they are waiting for something special - Gabriel had told Zechariah.

2.  Mary and Joseph also get visits in the night telling them what to expect, so join with Elizabeth and Zechariah in waiting, the growing womb a countdown for Mary and Elizabeth.

3. The wise men were waiting to find something as they followed the star.

5.  But what about the shepherds.

4.  I am reminded of a story Marj Carpenter told about a Sunday school class in West Texas cattle country.

 a teacher was telling the Christmas story, pointing out that in one gospel there were wise men and in another gospel there were shepherds.  Someone asked, “could the wise men and the shepherds be the same people?”  The son of a cattleman spoke up, “ain’t no way a shepherd could be a wise man.”  Marj Carpenter, Presbyterian Outlook, Jan 26/Feb. 2, 2009 (10)

5.  Were the shepherds in the fields wondering, “Is this the night the angels will sing from the heavens about the coming of the Messiah?”  

Or, were they just in the fields like usual?

  6. Shepherds play a significant part in the story of Christ’s birth, but do they even know they are waiting, anticipating the role they will play?

b.  Waiting.

1. We talk a lot about waiting during Advent.

2.  The oldest roots of the word wait mean “to watch with hostile intent, to be on guard, to defend.” Over time, the word came to mean “to be awake, to sit in expectation.” 

3. Waiting has grown in meaning from fear to anticipation.( https://donteatalone.com/america/it-cant-always-be-christmas; “it can’t always be christmas”

 Milton Brasher-Cunningham, November 28, 2021)

4.  Perhaps that’s why “Do not fear” s heard so often in the Christmas story - waiting has an element of fear in it.

c. do you feel like you are waiting?

1.  One of the challenges of Advent is to capture that sense of waiting.

2.  Maybe waiting for relatives to arrive for the holidays.

3. Maybe waiting for that Christmas card from a friend to confirm they have made it to another Christmas.

4.   maybe waiting for all the covid stuff to end?

4.  Maybe waiting for something to change in your life.

3. But, are you waiting for God to arrive?

move 2:  We may not know whether the shepherds knew they were waiting, but we know where they were - in the fields.

a. .  Everyone else in the world is headed off to be counted at the census, but not the shepherds, who are in the fields doing their jobs. (Michael  Bennett, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol. 1, 118).

1. Frederick Buechner describes some of the shepherds like this: “The squint-eyed one who always complained of sore feet. The little sawed-off one who could outswear a Roman. The young one who blushed like a girl.” (https://www.frederickbuechner.com/blog/2020/12/18/weekly-sermon-illustration-the-shepherd?rq=shepherds)

2.  Run of the mill shepherds on their normal routine for the night.

3.  some of the shepherds were undoubtedly sleeping; some were probably awake guarding the perimeter of the sheep.

4. The news of God’s arrival in the Christ-child will be first heard by the shepherds in the fields, spending the night like they usually do.

c. The God who comes to the shepherds in the fields is the God who comes into our daily lives.

1.  Not a God looking for a royal palace.

Not a God looking for the seats of political power.

2. But a God coming into our midst, joining us in the fields, in our homes, in our workplaces, in our joys, in our challenges, in our dreams, in our suffering.

3.  God chooses to connect with the shepherds in the fields;

4.  God chooses to connect with you in your very real life.

5 .  you may not even know what you are waiting for, but God comes to be with you anyway.

Move 3: so we hear the call to live expectantly, looking for God’s presence in our midst.

a.  the Isaiah passage we read this morning tells us about  King Ahaz and his refusal even to look for God to be at work in his midst.  

1.  It’s a complicated historical context.

2. The story takes place against the larger backdrop of 8th century BCE international politics.

3.  As a reminder, the kingdoms of Judah and Israel are two segments of a formerly unified kingdom which, was divided shortly after Solomon’s death (1 Kings 12).

 An alliance is formed between Israel (the northern kingdom) and Aram (a non-Israelite kingdom) to attack Judah, whose capital is Jerusalem. They do this, because Judah apparently refused to participate in a coalition against the northern Mesopotamian power of Assyria, which wanted control over the region (2 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 28).

4.  King Ahaz and Judah find themselves on the dangerous end of two enemy spears.

5.  Through Isaiah, God offers a sign to King Ahaz.  

“Anything sign you want,” God says, “as deep as Sheol, as high as the heavens.”  you name the sign, and I will give it to you.  

A sign that I will save you.

6. Ahaz refuses a sign and instead turns to the Assyrian king for help. 

6.  In frustration, Isaiah tells Ahaz that, despite his refusal to ask for a sign, God is going to give him one anyway.

The “young woman” shall bear a son, “Immanuel” (“God is with us”) (verse 14).

flipside, however, is that God will bring against Ahaz and Judah the violent power of “the king of Assyria” (see Isaiah 8:5-8 for a continuation of this threat).

( Michael J. Chan, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., https://www.workingpreacher.org/authors/michael-j-chan)

b.  Ahaz would not ask for a sign from God.

1.  Perhaps he trusted worldly powers more than God.

2.  Maybe it was inconceivable to him that God would send a sign.

Inconceivable that God would care enough to save Judah.

3. But it was not inconceivable to  God.

b. that is the story the shepherds will tell.

1.  their story is about a God who shows up in their lives.

2.  A story of the God who changes their lives.

3.  The story of the God whose love is so great ti cannot stop God from showing up to save them.

conclusion:  the God who comes to us in the fields is on the way with hope and promise.

Are you ready?

Reflections on "Advent Journeys: Rest Stops" Luke 1: 39-56

this sermon worked from my perspective.  I did not have a source citation for the article mentioned in Move 3, but the quote is not mine!

the Time with Young Disciples has gone really well during Advent with the Advent "trunk" getting characters added to it each day of Advent.   when they arrived down front, they started saying, "I have one of those at home..." Really made our Advent rituals seem pertinent.

“Rest Stops”  SAPC, Denton; December 12, 2021; Advent series 2021; Luke 1: 39-56

Luke 1: 46-56

46 And Mary[f] said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.

50 

His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.

51 

He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

52 

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;

53 

he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.

54 

He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,

55 

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Introduction:  We continue our Advent journey to Bethlehem, gaining insights along the way.

One of the things I’ve learned about taking journeys, is that you need rest stops along the way.

Whether it is a journey driving from place to place where you need to stop for gas, to walk around the car, or use the restroom, 

or a journey of the heart where we need to stop and renew, refresh, or reignite

we need rest stops along the way.

for me, the best rest stops are the one where you stay with people or engage with people.    A friend of mine says that I “hobo travel across the country,” because often my driving trips are planned around whose house we can stop at along the way.  The journey becomes less a straight line than a zig-zag with dinner and sleeping in the extra bedroom or pullout couch as part of the design.

This morning I invite you to reflect on the rest stops you have had on past journeys or the one you might need on your way to Bethlehem this year.

Move 1:  Mary needs to get away, and Elizabeth welcomes her. 

a.   We do not need to be dramatic to suggest that Mary has a lot on her plate.

1.  Pregnant 

unmarried at a young age.

2.  hard enough, but also bearing God’s son.

3.  Mary needs a break, a place of refuge.

4. she travels into the Judean countryside (some scholars suggest something like an 80-mile journey)  to find her cousin Elizabeth, who is also pregnant.

5. not sure what Mary expected from her pregnant cousin, but she finds in Elizabeth a kindred spirit, who welcomes her.

b. Elizabeth did not have to welcome Mary.

1.  Elizabeth could have been the person who wanted to avoid the shame surely associated with her pregnant, unmarried cousin. 

2. Elizabeth could have been that older cousin who wanted to be the surrogate mother, with judgment for what she had done with her life and how she had violated the social mores.

2.  Instead, Elizabeth welcomes she welcomes, blesses, and celebrates Mary. Thus the pregnancy that might have brought Mary shame brings joy and honor instead. 

3.  When Elizabeth welcomes Mary, she practices the same kind of inclusive love that Jesus will show to prostitutes and sinners.

c.  Elizabeth not only welcomes Mary, but extends her blessing.

1.   This is the first of several blessings that will take place around the birth of Christ:  Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon will all add their blessings to the chain, praising God for what God is doing at this moment in history and recognizing that those who are privileged to be instruments of God’s saving work have been richly blessed.

2. Our English translations obscure the fact that Elizabeth uses more than one word for “blessed.” 

When she pronounces Mary “blessed … among women” and proclaims that the fruit of Mary’s womb is blessed, she uses the term eulogemene/os, which emphasizes that both present and future generations will praise and speak well of her and her child. 

But when she says, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (v. 45), she uses the word makaria, the same term that Jesus uses to bless people in the Beatitudes. We might well translate Elizabeth’s words as “Happy is she who believed … ” Mary is blessed because despite all expectations her social status has been reversed: she will be honored rather than shamed for bearing this child. But she has also been blessed with divine joy — with beatitude — because she has believed that God is able to do what God promises to do.

3.  As Elizabeth blesses Mary, she celebrates Mary’s willingness to say “yes” to God.

(https://www.workingpreacher.org/ commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fourth-sunday-of-advent-3/commentary-on-luke-139-45-46-55-3, Judith Jones, Vicar; St. Stephen & St. Luke by the Sea Episcopal; Churches Waldport, Ore., United States; 12/20/2015)

At Elizabeth’s place, Mary not only discovers a place to rest, but a companion who will welcome her, bless her, and will join with her.

move 2:  Mary remained with Elizabeth for three months.

a.  Sort of a long time for a guest to stay (I suspect those people whom I visit along my journey prefer the one-night stay over a 3-month stay!).

1.  this is not just a pit stop, but time to get away and prepare.

1.  Prepare to be a mother.

2.  Prepare to be a part of God’s work to transform the world.

b.  On your journey to Bethlehem to find the Christ-child, where might you stop and rest?

1. Whom will you find to be your companion?

2.  With whom do you share your life’s fears and hopes?

3. Who joins with you?

Move 3:  Mary’s journey points out our companions as we go and do God’s work.

a.   We might say that part of what Mary does while resting with Elizabeth is to learn the words to sing her song.

1. The song we know as the Magnificat (although Luke does not have Mary actually singing the song).

2.  her words, her song, that speaks to what God is doing in the birth of Christ.

3.  the song is not, God’s work is not done until the hungry are fed and the lowly are lifted up.

4. the unexpected child who will be born to Mary comes to transform the world.

5.  The coming of the Christ-child brings God pushing into the world calling for change.

b.  not a task best done alone.

1.  We need to join with others to change the world.

2. To say this is not an excuse to not do work - no one else is doing it, so why should I?  

3. But a recognition that the task is so great, we need companions to join us in the work.

4. habitat for Humanity announcement about the groundbreaking got me thinking about the task of building a house for people who would otherwise be without a home.

5. Could someone build a house by herself or himself?

6.  I suppose so.

7. But how much better to work together, the new homeowners, the trained leaders, the untrained volunteers, all working to build a house and take one small step toward providing housing for all people.

c.  I read an article a few years ago about young adults doing mission.  I still ponder over it.

 IN article about young adults who do mission, but are not necessarily connected to church.  “As I see it, 

there are two impending crises.  The first will come from the burnout that many of these young adults will face as they continue to serve in our communities.  While the church may not be what is compelling people to serve, we know that faith communities sustain engagement.  When one is engaged in fights that never end and  causes that are never conquered, being faithful eventually must replace the hope of being successful.”

We need companions to join us in the work to which God sends us.

conclusion:  Luke gives us a poignant story of God at work in a deeply personal way that also transforms the world (Michael S. Bennett, Feasting on the Word, Year  C, Vol. 1, 94).

May your journey to Bethlehem be the same - a time of resting along the way with companions and together joining with the God who sends Christ to change the world.