As I sit here in my office at 19h09 on the 24 December waiting for our Nativity Service to start at 20h00, it is one of the first times this season that I can just sit and arb. These last few weeks have been all about preparing and getting ready for the Christmas Services. Christmas feels a bit weird this year since it is the first time since 2003 that I am working over this period. Every other time I was moving. Anyway, I hear the first car arriving outside, must be one of the readers, or the organist. I need to meet with them. I pray for all who are working at this time that you can just find some time to arb and think about Christmas rather than just do it.
May God Bless you all in this time and may his presence continue to be manifest in your life.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Manger and Mystery – Recalling the story, Restoring the Call (A Christmas message)
Manger and Mystery – Recalling the story, Restoring the Call (A Christmas message)
Reading: Luke 2:1-20
Reading: Luke 2:1-20
Introduction
We have been journeying as a congregation for the past four weeks as we have been preparing for this day. We have been following the theme called Manger and Mystery. And today we encounter the story where the manger holds the greatest mystery of all time…God in the form of a vulnerable human child.
It is clear to me that as we heard the story that was narrated to us this morning, many of us changed the gears in our brains to neutral. Why? It is because we have heard the story so many time that we already fill in the blanks.
Well today I want to re-present the story in a different manner. I have a video for us to watch entitled A brief history of Christmas. It is sure to remind us.
Show the video (a sample on Sermonspice.com)
So there we have it…in the end all we have is a cry of a baby. To new parents those first cries are mysterious. I can certainly remember that neither Ash nor I were able to say why Tayla was crying. We look back and are able to say that, wow we were clueless.
1. The Manger presents a Mystery
But that is just it. We all seem to be clueless about this seemingly simple thing, the Baby Jesus. But it is not that simple. We have certainly added our own biases to the whole event and clearly defined what Christmas is about. But they all fall short since it is an absolute mystery as to why God would even remove his glory as he did on that first Christmas.
As humans we have a habit of taking something that is mysterious and shrouding it with symbolism. When we do that, we have a handle on the mystery. There is nothing wrong with that perse. That is the way that we are built, our brains will always try to make sense of something we can’t understand. The trouble comes in when we put more focus on the thing that is used to explain the mystery, rather than the mystery itself.
I am not going to try to explain the mystery of the Christ child since whatever I say will be wholly inadequate. All I want us to see today is the result of that mysterious event.
It is through that manger, that feeding trough that God chose to reveal this mystery. And today we can still experience that Mystery. I challenge us to strip away all the stuff around the birth of Christ and hear the baby cry. That first cry that God experienced as a human being. That first sound that said to his parents and to the world…I am human for your sake.
Today as you all go to your celebrations with your families, as you open gifts, if you have not already done so. When you look at the Christmas tree, when you eat and when you drink please be aware of the presence of Christ and be aware that, as Christians, we set aside this day to celebrate him and not the season, or the celebrations themselves.
2. The Manger presents a call
Every person that came into contact with the Christ child 2000 odd years ago could not leave without being changed and without a sense of call on there lives.
The wise men left another way home so as not to alert Herod of where Jesus was. This insured that Jesus and his family were given a chance to escape the slaughter of all boys under two years of age. In doing this they fulfilled what God had said to them in a dream through an Angel, they were called.
The shepherds left praising God for what he had done and we are told that all had wondered at what the Shepherds had told them. It is then true to say that the Shepherds were in fact the first evangelists or preachers of the gospel.
We cannot ignore the fact that this is not just a feel good story, that we come to hear about how Jesus was born and ooh and aah about what it must have been like to see the new born baby. This child came to change to world and he came as a human to give us an example to live by.
When we come into contact with Christ, we should not only respond emotionally, but also respond to the call on our lives. Not all are called into full-time ministry but all are called to serve God.
I read a story of a little girl who received a brand-new crisp $20 (image that…it’s about R140) bill for her birthday (which was just before Christmas). This little girl went to the Christmas Eve service with her Grandmother where she would sing the carols and hear the Christmas story. The minister then announced that a special offering would be taken so as to provide meals for the homeless. He little girl promptly opened her little red purse and took out this beautiful crisp, now not so new $20 bill. Her grandmother who saw this leaned over to her and whispered “you don’t have to give that.” The little girl looked up and smiled. “I want to.” The grandmother said, “I’ll give you some change, so you don’t have to give it all” to which the little girl responded “I want to give it all,” and so with great joy she did, holding nothing back.
What a wonderful example of Recalling the story and the Restoring the call. She was clearly touched by what Jesus had done for her that she gave all she could.
What is it that God is calling you to do? We have already taken the offering so I’m not suggesting you must give more money now, which is not the intention of the story I told. I’m asking whether you have been open to hearing God’s call upon your life, are you able to hear it and then discern it. The likelihood is that he will call you to do something with what you already have. It may be financial resources, it may be time resources. It may be a talent you have or some special skill you have acquired. You need to figure that out.
Conclusion
Today we have come to Recall the story and to Restore the call. We watch a humorous recollection of the story which we all know so very well but we are challenged by that very humour to strip away the stuff and see and even be blown away by the mystery of a baby’s cry that was God’s first cry on earth.
In the mystery of the story it continues to challenge us to the point of recognising that there is more to the story than we expect…in fact it has everything to do with what God expects of us.
May your Christmas day continue to be a blessing to you personally and then may that blessing become a blessing to those around you.
Amen
Manger and Mystery – Reclaiming the star
Manger and Mystery – Reclaiming the star
Reading: Matthew 2:1-2:12
Reading: Matthew 2:1-2:12
Introduction
Around the time of Jesus’ infancy, the Magi or wise men followed a star that guided them to Jesus, and it changed everything. An intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people.
Look at the picture of the Magi and Jesus: A special star shining bright. A stable illuminated by the star. A young woman kneeling by a manger, a new mother’s love radiating from her face. A man standing beside her, gentle and strong. A baby lying in the manger. A sheep here. A cow there. And three exotic gentlemen bowing before the baby, their faces filled with awe, their hands outstretched with gifts too beautiful and too rich for a stable.
Now although the Nativity scene is an amalgamation of Luke and Matthew, it paints a picture. And at least some of it matches Matthew’s account. There was a star. And there were exotic gentlemen bowing before Jesus, awe in their faces and magnificent gifts in their hands. Have you got the picture in you imagination?
Let us then take a trip with them as we discover what the star did for them and what the star can do for us.
There was a time when the magi lived far away from Jesus, so far that they knew nothing about him. They had heard of the God of Abraham, but they had no particular relationship with him. They didn’t live in Judea. They lived in Persia, or Arabia maybe. They weren’t Jews. They were Gentiles.
They followed the star, and it changed everything. The day came when these men found themselves in intimate relationship with Jesus. They bowed before him and offered him their very best. They knew he was king. They honoured him as their king. They went home another way. That is to say, they travelled a different route on the map. I think it’s safe to say that they travelled a different route in their lives too. An intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people.
There’s something to learn from this story of the magi. Something about special stars that capture our attention and guide us. Something about following those stars. Something about bowing before Jesus and offering him our very best. Something about honouring him as our king. Something about travelling a different route after that, because an intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people.
There isn’t a single one of us who doesn’t still have some distance between how we live and perfect relationship with Jesus. If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us have experienced times when we stray from the path on which Jesus has been leading us and we need a little help to follow in his footsteps again. If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us have experienced times when, maybe we haven’t strayed very far from the path, but we have slowed to a crawl and we need a little help to move forward in growth again.
As we listen and learn God just might give you a star to capture your attention and to guide you. And if you follow that star, everything just might change. An intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people—whether it’s the first intimate encounter or the fiftieth.
As we have the story of the Magi and the star let us reflect on a couple of things that can act as a Road map for us.
1. First, you have to see the star. This requires keeping your eyes open, and your heart too.
The magi may not have known God, but they knew stars. They knew when something extraordinary was happening in the night sky. They saw the star, and they took note. They investigated. They conferred with one another. What they did not understand captured their imagination. They did not turn their eyes to another part of the sky, hoping to see the familiar and be reassured. They did not grasp at explanations, hoping to have their own previous knowledge confirmed. They saw the star, and they took note.
The magi were open to evidence that God was doing something special in their world. When the star marking the birth of Jesus appeared, the magi saw it.
The star God sends to you or to me might be something completely different. It might be just the right word from a friend at just the right moment. It might be a vision in a dream (as strange as that may sound). It might be an impression during prayer. It might be an insight from a book. It might be something we see God doing, not in our own life, but in the life of someone we know.
Be open
Whatever it is, we need to be open to evidence that God is doing something special in our world.
2. Next, you have to follow the star. This requires movement.
When the magi saw the star, they followed it. They didn’t know where it would lead. They didn’t know how long it would take. They rearranged their schedules, found someone to water their plants and feed the cat, and followed the star.
They let the star rearrange their lives
The magi were willing to rearrange their lives to check out the evidence that God was doing something special in their world. When the star marking the birth of Jesus appeared, the magi followed it.
3. Persistence matters. Sometimes it takes a while before you know exactly where the star is leading you.
The magi travelled a great distance. They didn’t just move, they moved a lot. I expect they had a few conversations over the campfire about the wisdom of their travels, but still they stuck with the star.
4. You’re allowed to use your brain. Common sense can be helpful. So can the advice of experts.
Marking, as it did, the birth of the new king of the Jews, the star led the magi to Judea. It only made sense for the magi to go to Jerusalem, the capital city. Where else would you expect to find a king?
Once in Jerusalem, the magi were not too proud to ask directions (contrary to popular belief – being men). They consulted the authorities and they obtained advice from scholars who knew the ancient texts that they did not know.
We need to do the same
As we journey along, we need to consult others who are in the know and particularly we need to regard scripture as a basis for decision making.
5. Common sense and expert knowledge have their limitations. Sometimes the obvious turns out to be wrong, and the experts turn out to be dangerous.
Consulting the experts, the magi learned that this particular newborn king was to be found, not in the obvious place--Jerusalem, but in a most unlikely place--the little town of Bethlehem. Accordingly, they changed their travel plans.
They scrutinised the experts – didn’t blindly follow
Later, the magi found out that Herod, the very one who had provided access to the experts, was an enemy, not a friend, of the newborn king. Therefore, also a threat to them. They learned what they could from the authorities and experts, but they did not obey them without thought.
6. Keep the star before you at all times. That is, as long as it draws you into scripture and according to scripture.
Equipped with their new information about Bethlehem, the magi left Jerusalem. But still they followed the star that had brought them thus far.
So far the star had been a faithful guide. It had drawn them into scripture when they arrived in Jerusalem--taking them to the ancient biblical prophecies. And the star continued to lead them in accordance with scripture, leading them to Bethlehem.
If the star was not in accordance to scripture they would have stopped
Presumably, if the star had begun to lead them in ways that contradicted scripture, the magi would have known enough to stop and question its leading.
7. Don’t get so attached to the star that you miss what (who) it points to.
The star is a guide. The purpose of the star is to get your attention and encourage you along your journey. Joy comes from meeting the purpose of the journey—Jesus.
Jabez
E.g. Jabez Prayer – it became a distraction and began to point in another direction other than Jesus (my opinion)
Star had served its purpose
When the star had led the magi to Bethlehem, it had served its purpose. They stopped looking at the star and they looked to Jesus instead. And Matthew says they were overjoyed.
8. Meeting Jesus is just the beginning. Acknowledging his Lordship comes next.
Having made contact with Jesus, the magi acknowledged his Lordship. They bowed down and worshiped him. They didn’t simply pat each other on the back for having made it to their destination. Meeting Jesus, no matter how long the journey to that point, was just the beginning.
9. Acknowledging his Lordship leads to responding with gifts. Surrender and service go well with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Having acknowledged his Lordship, the magi gave of themselves. They presented him with gifts--the very best that they had to offer. We need to give all that we have.
10. Go home another way. This requires transformation. An intimate encounter with Jesus tends to do that to people.
When they left Bethlehem, the magi were changed. They weren’t just headed back to where they came from. They were going home, but it was a whole new journey entirely. They went home by another way.
Every time you and I encounter Jesus, we are given the opportunity again to go home another way. To be changed. To be transformed. An intimate encounter with Jesus tends to do that to people.
Conclusion
Walter Brueggemann has this to say of the whole trip: “The wise men, and the eager nations ready for an alternative, made the trip. It would be ironic if the "outsiders" among us made that move and we who are God’s own people resisted. Imagine a nine-mile trip … and a very different way home.”
Do not go this Christmas without keeping an eye out for what God is saying to you and what God wants you to do. We have a vantage point that others may not have. The Wise Men were not in as privileged a situation as those who lived just down the road in Jerusalem…but they responded. Won’t you respond today by saying, “God send me a star that I may follow.”
Around the time of Jesus’ infancy, the Magi or wise men followed a star that guided them to Jesus, and it changed everything. An intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people.
Look at the picture of the Magi and Jesus: A special star shining bright. A stable illuminated by the star. A young woman kneeling by a manger, a new mother’s love radiating from her face. A man standing beside her, gentle and strong. A baby lying in the manger. A sheep here. A cow there. And three exotic gentlemen bowing before the baby, their faces filled with awe, their hands outstretched with gifts too beautiful and too rich for a stable.
Now although the Nativity scene is an amalgamation of Luke and Matthew, it paints a picture. And at least some of it matches Matthew’s account. There was a star. And there were exotic gentlemen bowing before Jesus, awe in their faces and magnificent gifts in their hands. Have you got the picture in you imagination?
Let us then take a trip with them as we discover what the star did for them and what the star can do for us.
There was a time when the magi lived far away from Jesus, so far that they knew nothing about him. They had heard of the God of Abraham, but they had no particular relationship with him. They didn’t live in Judea. They lived in Persia, or Arabia maybe. They weren’t Jews. They were Gentiles.
They followed the star, and it changed everything. The day came when these men found themselves in intimate relationship with Jesus. They bowed before him and offered him their very best. They knew he was king. They honoured him as their king. They went home another way. That is to say, they travelled a different route on the map. I think it’s safe to say that they travelled a different route in their lives too. An intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people.
There’s something to learn from this story of the magi. Something about special stars that capture our attention and guide us. Something about following those stars. Something about bowing before Jesus and offering him our very best. Something about honouring him as our king. Something about travelling a different route after that, because an intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people.
There isn’t a single one of us who doesn’t still have some distance between how we live and perfect relationship with Jesus. If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us have experienced times when we stray from the path on which Jesus has been leading us and we need a little help to follow in his footsteps again. If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us have experienced times when, maybe we haven’t strayed very far from the path, but we have slowed to a crawl and we need a little help to move forward in growth again.
As we listen and learn God just might give you a star to capture your attention and to guide you. And if you follow that star, everything just might change. An intimate encounter with Jesus has a way of doing that to people—whether it’s the first intimate encounter or the fiftieth.
As we have the story of the Magi and the star let us reflect on a couple of things that can act as a Road map for us.
1. First, you have to see the star. This requires keeping your eyes open, and your heart too.
The magi may not have known God, but they knew stars. They knew when something extraordinary was happening in the night sky. They saw the star, and they took note. They investigated. They conferred with one another. What they did not understand captured their imagination. They did not turn their eyes to another part of the sky, hoping to see the familiar and be reassured. They did not grasp at explanations, hoping to have their own previous knowledge confirmed. They saw the star, and they took note.
The magi were open to evidence that God was doing something special in their world. When the star marking the birth of Jesus appeared, the magi saw it.
The star God sends to you or to me might be something completely different. It might be just the right word from a friend at just the right moment. It might be a vision in a dream (as strange as that may sound). It might be an impression during prayer. It might be an insight from a book. It might be something we see God doing, not in our own life, but in the life of someone we know.
Be open
Whatever it is, we need to be open to evidence that God is doing something special in our world.
2. Next, you have to follow the star. This requires movement.
When the magi saw the star, they followed it. They didn’t know where it would lead. They didn’t know how long it would take. They rearranged their schedules, found someone to water their plants and feed the cat, and followed the star.
They let the star rearrange their lives
The magi were willing to rearrange their lives to check out the evidence that God was doing something special in their world. When the star marking the birth of Jesus appeared, the magi followed it.
3. Persistence matters. Sometimes it takes a while before you know exactly where the star is leading you.
The magi travelled a great distance. They didn’t just move, they moved a lot. I expect they had a few conversations over the campfire about the wisdom of their travels, but still they stuck with the star.
4. You’re allowed to use your brain. Common sense can be helpful. So can the advice of experts.
Marking, as it did, the birth of the new king of the Jews, the star led the magi to Judea. It only made sense for the magi to go to Jerusalem, the capital city. Where else would you expect to find a king?
Once in Jerusalem, the magi were not too proud to ask directions (contrary to popular belief – being men). They consulted the authorities and they obtained advice from scholars who knew the ancient texts that they did not know.
We need to do the same
As we journey along, we need to consult others who are in the know and particularly we need to regard scripture as a basis for decision making.
5. Common sense and expert knowledge have their limitations. Sometimes the obvious turns out to be wrong, and the experts turn out to be dangerous.
Consulting the experts, the magi learned that this particular newborn king was to be found, not in the obvious place--Jerusalem, but in a most unlikely place--the little town of Bethlehem. Accordingly, they changed their travel plans.
They scrutinised the experts – didn’t blindly follow
Later, the magi found out that Herod, the very one who had provided access to the experts, was an enemy, not a friend, of the newborn king. Therefore, also a threat to them. They learned what they could from the authorities and experts, but they did not obey them without thought.
6. Keep the star before you at all times. That is, as long as it draws you into scripture and according to scripture.
Equipped with their new information about Bethlehem, the magi left Jerusalem. But still they followed the star that had brought them thus far.
So far the star had been a faithful guide. It had drawn them into scripture when they arrived in Jerusalem--taking them to the ancient biblical prophecies. And the star continued to lead them in accordance with scripture, leading them to Bethlehem.
If the star was not in accordance to scripture they would have stopped
Presumably, if the star had begun to lead them in ways that contradicted scripture, the magi would have known enough to stop and question its leading.
7. Don’t get so attached to the star that you miss what (who) it points to.
The star is a guide. The purpose of the star is to get your attention and encourage you along your journey. Joy comes from meeting the purpose of the journey—Jesus.
Jabez
E.g. Jabez Prayer – it became a distraction and began to point in another direction other than Jesus (my opinion)
Star had served its purpose
When the star had led the magi to Bethlehem, it had served its purpose. They stopped looking at the star and they looked to Jesus instead. And Matthew says they were overjoyed.
8. Meeting Jesus is just the beginning. Acknowledging his Lordship comes next.
Having made contact with Jesus, the magi acknowledged his Lordship. They bowed down and worshiped him. They didn’t simply pat each other on the back for having made it to their destination. Meeting Jesus, no matter how long the journey to that point, was just the beginning.
9. Acknowledging his Lordship leads to responding with gifts. Surrender and service go well with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Having acknowledged his Lordship, the magi gave of themselves. They presented him with gifts--the very best that they had to offer. We need to give all that we have.
10. Go home another way. This requires transformation. An intimate encounter with Jesus tends to do that to people.
When they left Bethlehem, the magi were changed. They weren’t just headed back to where they came from. They were going home, but it was a whole new journey entirely. They went home by another way.
Every time you and I encounter Jesus, we are given the opportunity again to go home another way. To be changed. To be transformed. An intimate encounter with Jesus tends to do that to people.
Conclusion
Walter Brueggemann has this to say of the whole trip: “The wise men, and the eager nations ready for an alternative, made the trip. It would be ironic if the "outsiders" among us made that move and we who are God’s own people resisted. Imagine a nine-mile trip … and a very different way home.”
Do not go this Christmas without keeping an eye out for what God is saying to you and what God wants you to do. We have a vantage point that others may not have. The Wise Men were not in as privileged a situation as those who lived just down the road in Jerusalem…but they responded. Won’t you respond today by saying, “God send me a star that I may follow.”
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
A twist on the Nativity
This could probably be construed as blasphemy...I just think its funny. The traditional Nativity Story is a combination of Lukan and Matthean traditions. Now the Nativity with a Beanian twist:
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Manger and Mystery - Remembering the song
As promised, here is the sermon for Advent 3...the same applies to last week's sermon, don't plagerise.
Manger and Mystery - Remembering the song
Reading: Luke 1:46-55
Introduction
The piece of Luke that we read is best known as the Magnificat. The Magnificat is also called “Mary’s Song.” For some people, when they hear the Magnificat or Mary’s Song, they fail to realise how radical and revolutionary the song really is. The words are so beautiful, so soft, so lovely. Often it is sung as a beautiful choral recital or as part of a worship service. When we hear the words read as part of the Christmas gospel, we are captured by its poetic loveliness. We don’t hear what is actually being sung or said. It is easy to be mesmerised by the music or tranquillised by the poetry. When this happens a person fails to perceive how radical and revolutionary the song of Mary actually is.
In preparation for this sermon, I read several commentaries on this Bible passage, and every single commentator used the word, “revolutionary,” to describe the Magnificat. These scholars concluded that the Magnificat is one of the most revolutionary documents available.
Listen to the meaning of the words, and the Magnificat may begin a revolution in your life and mine.
1. The Revolution of the World
This past week I have been thinking about the word, revolution. I have been asking the question: what does the word, “revolution,” mean? I thought: revolution means “total change.” I will give you an example.
Computers revolutionised the information industry. Computers totally changed it; that is, they revolutionised our information age. You now push a button and you have millions of pieces of information available. I don’t have to remember that information in my head any longer; it is on the computer. In fact I often wonder if I could preach without the use of my computer…I have never hand written a sermon in my life. The information industry was totally changed by the computer. What does the word, “revolution,” mean? It is a total change. That’s what the word means: totally changed. It revolutionized your life; it totally changed your life.
Also, you can use the phrase, “before the revolution” and “after the revolution.” You understand what I am talking about: before the revolution of the computer and after the revolution of the computer. Hang onto that concept: before the revolution and after the revolution.
The Magnificat is God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the charter, the document, the constitution of God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the basic, fundamental document. You don’t change the constitution. Just like the Freedom Charter is the fundamental document on which freedom is based in South Africa. So also, the Magnificat is God’s charter; it is God’s Freedom Charter. That document lays down the fundamental principles of the Christian revolution. Not even computers have had the world-wide effect that Mary’s song has had…because it reflects what Christ came to do
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the order of things. God takes that which is on the bottom; and God turn everything upside down, and puts the bottom on top and the top on the bottom. God revolutionises the way we think, the way we act, and the way we live.
The poor are put on the top; the rich are put on the bottom. It is a revolution; God’s revolution. The Magnificat clearly tells us of God’s compassion for the economically poor; and when God’s Spirit really gets inside of Christians, we too have a renewed compassion and action for the poor. Our hearts are turned upside down.
Listen carefully to the words of the Magnificat. Not the poetry of the words, the beauty of the words, the loveliness of the words. Listen to the five important verbs. In the Magnificat, God tells us that God 1. regards or respects the poor, 2. exalts the poor, 3. feeds the poor, 4. helps the poor, 5. remembers the poor.
In that same chapter in Luke, we hear the story that God chose a slave girl, Mary, to be the mother of Jesus. God didn’t choose the beauty queen; God didn’t choose a mother who was a millionaire; God didn’t chose a bride with brains. God chose a girl who could have been as young as 12 to be the mother of Jesus.
The KJV Bible calls Mary a handmaiden. The word, “handmaiden,” sounds so pretty. The Greek word is, “doulos,” which means slave or servant. Mary was a servant girl. God exalted a servant girl to be exalted and lifted up. And this servant girl sang her song and it is called the Song of Mary. The actual words of her song are revolutionary. The Song of Mary is a revolutionary bombshell because it turns the values of this world upside down.
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the values of life. We have agreed that this is what a revolution is: it totally changes things such as the computer. In Christian language, before the revolution, we were impressed with the rich. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with the poor. Before God’s revolution, we are impressed with bucks and beauty. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with poor people.
The Magnificat is also a prelude to the whole gospel, and the theme of the whole gospel is that God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor.
Jesus said in his first sermon in the gospel of Luke? A first sermon reveals what is important to the man. In his first sermon in Luke, Jesus said, “I have come to bring good news to poor people, release for prisoners of war, and freedom for those imprisoned.”
In Luke’s beatitudes Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor people because they know their need of God.” We all know the truth of that statement; that is, we know that rich people don’t need God very much, because rich people are usually busy living life to the fullest and don’t have time for God.
In the Magnificat, in Mary’s Revolutionary Song, God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor. Do you get the rhythm? Does your heart get the rhythm?
2. Revolution of the heart
So the important question for us this morning is this. Has God’s revolution occurred in your life, in my life? Is God’s revolution occurring in your life? When Jesus gets a hold of us, Jesus revolutionises our lives; he turns everything upside down and we look at the world differently.
As an analogy, I am going to use the five verbs in the Magnificat. Before God’s revolution in my life, I regarded myself. Before God’s revolution in me, I exalted only my ego. Before God’s revolution in my values, I fed only my family. Before God’s revolution in my heart, I helped only my friends. Before God’s revolution within, I remembered only my relatives.
But after God’s revolution in your heart, you regarded the also poor people and their needs. After God’s revolution in you, you exalted also the energy of the poor. After God’s revolution within, you feed also the hungry and starving. After God’s revolution in your values, you helped also the handicapped. After God’s revolution to your heart, you also remembered the real needs of people. Life can be summarised by what life was like before the revolution and after the revolution.
Now let me say this…it is possible to be a citizen of the land and not be part of its revolution. It is possible to go to the festivities of the revolution and not be part of the revolution itself. Again I use the analogy, it is possible to be part of the church and not be part of God’s revolution inside of us. It is possible to celebrate the festivals of the church, Advent and Christmas and still not have God’s revolution occur inside of you. When God really gets inside of you, God changes everything.
The most disturbing things that The Magnificat says is that God send away the rich empty handed. What does that mean…who are the rich. Well being rich is really relative i.e. to a person with bread; a person with sugar is rich, to a millionaire a billionaire is rich…get my drift. The important thing here is to realise that each of us could regard ourselves as rich.
I do know that there is the statistic that says that if you own a house and a car you are among the 5% richest people in the world (I heard this, I don’t have a source for it). That is not my point. I am not trying to downplay the extent of poverty in South Africa (which as a matter of interest is only second to Brazil as far as income inequality is concerned).
What I am trying to get at is that at some point each of us is richer that someone else. And Mary says God sends the rich away empty handed. What does that mean? I choose to focus on the word send rather than empty. I truly believe that God wants us to be a part of the revolution. He sends the rich he does not chase the rich away. The Greek word here is also the root of the word Apostle (one who is sent). So it is a dispatch to do something, to be a part of the revolution.
Conclusion
So the big question for your life and mine this morning is: has God’s revolution occurred in your life? Have things been turned upside down where your life now is dedicated to exalting the poor, regarding the poor, feeding the poor, helping the poor, remembering the poor. Has this revolution occurred in your life and mine?
Amen.
Reading: Luke 1:46-55
Introduction
The piece of Luke that we read is best known as the Magnificat. The Magnificat is also called “Mary’s Song.” For some people, when they hear the Magnificat or Mary’s Song, they fail to realise how radical and revolutionary the song really is. The words are so beautiful, so soft, so lovely. Often it is sung as a beautiful choral recital or as part of a worship service. When we hear the words read as part of the Christmas gospel, we are captured by its poetic loveliness. We don’t hear what is actually being sung or said. It is easy to be mesmerised by the music or tranquillised by the poetry. When this happens a person fails to perceive how radical and revolutionary the song of Mary actually is.
In preparation for this sermon, I read several commentaries on this Bible passage, and every single commentator used the word, “revolutionary,” to describe the Magnificat. These scholars concluded that the Magnificat is one of the most revolutionary documents available.
Listen to the meaning of the words, and the Magnificat may begin a revolution in your life and mine.
1. The Revolution of the World
This past week I have been thinking about the word, revolution. I have been asking the question: what does the word, “revolution,” mean? I thought: revolution means “total change.” I will give you an example.
Computers revolutionised the information industry. Computers totally changed it; that is, they revolutionised our information age. You now push a button and you have millions of pieces of information available. I don’t have to remember that information in my head any longer; it is on the computer. In fact I often wonder if I could preach without the use of my computer…I have never hand written a sermon in my life. The information industry was totally changed by the computer. What does the word, “revolution,” mean? It is a total change. That’s what the word means: totally changed. It revolutionized your life; it totally changed your life.
Also, you can use the phrase, “before the revolution” and “after the revolution.” You understand what I am talking about: before the revolution of the computer and after the revolution of the computer. Hang onto that concept: before the revolution and after the revolution.
The Magnificat is God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the charter, the document, the constitution of God’s revolution. The Magnificat is the basic, fundamental document. You don’t change the constitution. Just like the Freedom Charter is the fundamental document on which freedom is based in South Africa. So also, the Magnificat is God’s charter; it is God’s Freedom Charter. That document lays down the fundamental principles of the Christian revolution. Not even computers have had the world-wide effect that Mary’s song has had…because it reflects what Christ came to do
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the order of things. God takes that which is on the bottom; and God turn everything upside down, and puts the bottom on top and the top on the bottom. God revolutionises the way we think, the way we act, and the way we live.
The poor are put on the top; the rich are put on the bottom. It is a revolution; God’s revolution. The Magnificat clearly tells us of God’s compassion for the economically poor; and when God’s Spirit really gets inside of Christians, we too have a renewed compassion and action for the poor. Our hearts are turned upside down.
Listen carefully to the words of the Magnificat. Not the poetry of the words, the beauty of the words, the loveliness of the words. Listen to the five important verbs. In the Magnificat, God tells us that God 1. regards or respects the poor, 2. exalts the poor, 3. feeds the poor, 4. helps the poor, 5. remembers the poor.
In that same chapter in Luke, we hear the story that God chose a slave girl, Mary, to be the mother of Jesus. God didn’t choose the beauty queen; God didn’t choose a mother who was a millionaire; God didn’t chose a bride with brains. God chose a girl who could have been as young as 12 to be the mother of Jesus.
The KJV Bible calls Mary a handmaiden. The word, “handmaiden,” sounds so pretty. The Greek word is, “doulos,” which means slave or servant. Mary was a servant girl. God exalted a servant girl to be exalted and lifted up. And this servant girl sang her song and it is called the Song of Mary. The actual words of her song are revolutionary. The Song of Mary is a revolutionary bombshell because it turns the values of this world upside down.
In the Magnificat, God totally changes the values of life. We have agreed that this is what a revolution is: it totally changes things such as the computer. In Christian language, before the revolution, we were impressed with the rich. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with the poor. Before God’s revolution, we are impressed with bucks and beauty. After God’s revolution, we are impressed with poor people.
The Magnificat is also a prelude to the whole gospel, and the theme of the whole gospel is that God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor.
Jesus said in his first sermon in the gospel of Luke? A first sermon reveals what is important to the man. In his first sermon in Luke, Jesus said, “I have come to bring good news to poor people, release for prisoners of war, and freedom for those imprisoned.”
In Luke’s beatitudes Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor people because they know their need of God.” We all know the truth of that statement; that is, we know that rich people don’t need God very much, because rich people are usually busy living life to the fullest and don’t have time for God.
In the Magnificat, in Mary’s Revolutionary Song, God respects the poor, exalts the poor, cares for the poor, feeds the poor, remembers the poor, and helps the poor. Do you get the rhythm? Does your heart get the rhythm?
2. Revolution of the heart
So the important question for us this morning is this. Has God’s revolution occurred in your life, in my life? Is God’s revolution occurring in your life? When Jesus gets a hold of us, Jesus revolutionises our lives; he turns everything upside down and we look at the world differently.
As an analogy, I am going to use the five verbs in the Magnificat. Before God’s revolution in my life, I regarded myself. Before God’s revolution in me, I exalted only my ego. Before God’s revolution in my values, I fed only my family. Before God’s revolution in my heart, I helped only my friends. Before God’s revolution within, I remembered only my relatives.
But after God’s revolution in your heart, you regarded the also poor people and their needs. After God’s revolution in you, you exalted also the energy of the poor. After God’s revolution within, you feed also the hungry and starving. After God’s revolution in your values, you helped also the handicapped. After God’s revolution to your heart, you also remembered the real needs of people. Life can be summarised by what life was like before the revolution and after the revolution.
Now let me say this…it is possible to be a citizen of the land and not be part of its revolution. It is possible to go to the festivities of the revolution and not be part of the revolution itself. Again I use the analogy, it is possible to be part of the church and not be part of God’s revolution inside of us. It is possible to celebrate the festivals of the church, Advent and Christmas and still not have God’s revolution occur inside of you. When God really gets inside of you, God changes everything.
The most disturbing things that The Magnificat says is that God send away the rich empty handed. What does that mean…who are the rich. Well being rich is really relative i.e. to a person with bread; a person with sugar is rich, to a millionaire a billionaire is rich…get my drift. The important thing here is to realise that each of us could regard ourselves as rich.
I do know that there is the statistic that says that if you own a house and a car you are among the 5% richest people in the world (I heard this, I don’t have a source for it). That is not my point. I am not trying to downplay the extent of poverty in South Africa (which as a matter of interest is only second to Brazil as far as income inequality is concerned).
What I am trying to get at is that at some point each of us is richer that someone else. And Mary says God sends the rich away empty handed. What does that mean? I choose to focus on the word send rather than empty. I truly believe that God wants us to be a part of the revolution. He sends the rich he does not chase the rich away. The Greek word here is also the root of the word Apostle (one who is sent). So it is a dispatch to do something, to be a part of the revolution.
Conclusion
So the big question for your life and mine this morning is: has God’s revolution occurred in your life? Have things been turned upside down where your life now is dedicated to exalting the poor, regarding the poor, feeding the poor, helping the poor, remembering the poor. Has this revolution occurred in your life and mine?
Amen.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Manger and Mystery
This Advent at our Church we are running a series called Manger and Mystery, based on a book by Marilyn Brown Oden by the same name. I have decided that every week I would post my sermon on this blog...because I can. Last week I did not preach so I cannot post my Colleague's sermon so we begin with Advent 2...the theme: Rekindling the Sacred. You may use the Sermon as a preparation help if you are a preacher some where else in the world...but please be original and don't plagiarise.
Manger and Mystery – Rekindling the Sacred
Aim: For people explore what sacredness is and how they can rekindle it this Christmas.
Readings: John 1:1-14
Introduction
As we go on this adventure called Advent and follow the theme Manger and Mystery we come today to the subject of Rekindling the Sacred.
Now if we sincerely prepare ourselves for Christmas, which is what Advent is about…not paging through the Shopper Supplement in the Benoni City Times for Christmas specials, we come to a number of realisations. One of them is that Christmas is a sacred time.
What does Sacred mean? Well when we look at a dictionary definition we find that it means 1 a : dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity b : devoted exclusively to one service or use (as of a person or purpose) 2 a : worthy of religious veneration : holy b : entitled to reverence and respect 3 : of or relating to religion : not secular or profane. If we look at the synonyms we read words such as Holy, Sanctified, Blessed, Consecrated and so on. Do you get the picture?
The opposite of Sacred is of course Secular, that which takes no part in the Sacred. Now this is where the danger comes in for us. I’m certain that most people would agree that Christmas is set aside for the Worship of Jesus the New Born King. It is sacred for Christians and there are many sacred symbols and practices surrounding this Festival. But for the most it has become a Secular Festival, the sacredness has been removed.
Now Western Society has done an interesting thing that is quite foreign to many other societies and that is to make that distinction between the Sacred and the Secular. African, Middle Eastern and Eastern societies cannot see the difference. Therefore religion permeates all culture.
My challenge today is two-fold; firstly to begin to realise that we should not and cannot separate the Sacred and the Secular and secondly that we should re-inject the Sacred into Christmas.
1. Cannot and should not separate Sacred and Secular.
When we read John 1, we read of a divine interruption, if you will the sacred entering the secular. This is John’s nativity, the time that the Word, the LOGOS, who was and who is and who is to come…the true Word of God Christ removes his Glory as one would remove a cloak and enters the world that he created in the lowliest of forms…a human child. Perhaps even more lowly, the male human child (since we all know that girl children are far superior to their male counter-parts…coming from the father of a girl child).
So, we have had the Children’s Nativity Play where we saw the Nativity Scene but there is something missing that Catalonian folk add. They add someone called “El Caganer” – who can be loosely translated as “the one who is doing his business” or “the one who is going to the loo”. I thought of showing you a picture of the figure, but this might offend some people.
The business in hand must be taken quite euphemistically, when I tell you that El Caganer takes his place in the Christmas Crib, besides the Wise Men, wearing a peasant beret and squatting, with his trousers around his ankles. Now this might come across as quite sacrilegious but I think there is some wisdom in the little character.
In the midst of all this solemnity, there is injected a little earthly humour, a little humanity in the midst of all this Godliness. And I say, that this is a good thing, a very good thing indeed.
The Nativity Scene such as we saw performed by was first created by Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis sought to remind people what the nativity actually meant: to ground the event in reality – to remind people that the nativity was not a chocolate box affair of gleaming straw and sterile food troughs, but a dirty, smelly, cold, faeces-covered battle of endurance for a young girl and her much older husband.
The incarnation, the miracle of the incarnation was the choice of a God who was prepared to pour himself out for us: not only at the end of his life in the triumph of the cross, but at the beginning. The incarnation was an act of vulnerable humility, of great risk.
The heresy of docetism suggests that God only appeared in human form, that the incarnation was symbolic, that the crucifixion did not kill, that Christ did not need to eat or drink or even. Such heresy was rightly crushed by the Bishop Ignatius of Antioch in his writings and condemned by ecumenical council, but I suggest to you this morning, that there is an element of docetism in all of us, an unwillingness to accept the vibrant truth of the incarnation, a temptation to sugar coat the nativity: “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes”
…as that Christmas Carol goes. We willingly agree with the unrealistic, unincarnational concept of an unreal, docestic Jesus, when we should be prepared to grasp that uncomfortable truth: that God-is-with-us, that Emmanuel was incarnated as a human being and that he became one of us.
What is Away in a Manager trying to prove? That Christ was sinless? Certainly, Christ was sinless, but no child cries because of sin, children cry because that is how they communicate (I know all about that). The word, the divine logos, became flesh and his first communications with us were not the beatitudes, or even “it is finished” but a cry of hunger, of cold and for a clean nappy.
God had no intention that we might separate the Sacred and the Secular. In fact the secular is merely a human construct. To God all is Sacred…that’s why he chose to fly in the face of what was expected, rather than coming as a grown King in all his glory he came in the most unclean of places to the most unclean of people. The sacred became the Secular.
2. Re-inject the Sacred into Christmas
So here we are 2000 odd years later with our minds set on the 25 December, when it all happens. When we celebrate the opening of the presents that put our overdrafts into overdrafts…sorry, I mean when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child.
You have heard it all before and you all know it, Christmas has certainly become a Secular event. Some say that Christ is X’ed out of Christmas when we write Xmas. One of my first year Seminary lecturers (Rock in the Grass) reflects on the Americanism “Happy Holidays” as a very helpful greeting.
Because in South Africa we all say “Happy Christmas” instead. This essentially Christian greeting is said to everyone and anyone – irrespective of whether there is Christian or any other form of faith behind the greeting. He tells how he was greeted by a very drunk man, who sought to excuse his public drunkenness by telling him that “it is Krismis afterall”. Christmas became his excuse for inebriation.
He continues to say, “Just like Christmas becomes the excuse for overeating; and Xmas becomes the excuse for shops to invite us to max out the credit cards; and Kersmis becomes the excuse for nookie with the secretary at the office party; and Krrissmass becomes the reason for drunkenness and violence. And what we really mean is “Holiday”. These activities are really holiday induced. A mass for Christ will not invite people into gluttony, and debt, and debauchery. But holiday fever can.”
The truth is that we will probably never get away from what Christmas has become. It is essentially driven by economics and money always talks. Christians could protest but we would probably be ignored or even denied permit to protest. That doesn’t matter.
What matters is how we respond in our own lives. The first Christmas was clearly not a pretty picture. God did not hold back when he decided to inject the sacred into the secular. He went the whole hog. What we can do is re-inject the sacred into the secular. We are all going to celebrate in our own capacities, how about we take time in our families to bring Christ back into focus. Find ways to take what we already do and make Christ the centre of the celebration. Before you eat make a toast the honoured guest whose birthday it is. As you open gifts let that be a time to remember the gift given to us and what it means (not just try to remember if you still have the receipt if that shirt doesn’t fit).
Conclusion
In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh. An interruption of divine importance but an interruption that was unexpected.
God does not mind his manners when it comes to us, he does what he pleases and it pleased him to come as a human (male) child. Is that interruption going to become the focus of our celebrations this Christmas or is it going to stay just that…an interruption.
God Bless you, Amen.
Manger and Mystery – Rekindling the Sacred
Aim: For people explore what sacredness is and how they can rekindle it this Christmas.
Readings: John 1:1-14
Introduction
As we go on this adventure called Advent and follow the theme Manger and Mystery we come today to the subject of Rekindling the Sacred.
Now if we sincerely prepare ourselves for Christmas, which is what Advent is about…not paging through the Shopper Supplement in the Benoni City Times for Christmas specials, we come to a number of realisations. One of them is that Christmas is a sacred time.
What does Sacred mean? Well when we look at a dictionary definition we find that it means 1 a : dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity b : devoted exclusively to one service or use (as of a person or purpose) 2 a : worthy of religious veneration : holy b : entitled to reverence and respect 3 : of or relating to religion : not secular or profane. If we look at the synonyms we read words such as Holy, Sanctified, Blessed, Consecrated and so on. Do you get the picture?
The opposite of Sacred is of course Secular, that which takes no part in the Sacred. Now this is where the danger comes in for us. I’m certain that most people would agree that Christmas is set aside for the Worship of Jesus the New Born King. It is sacred for Christians and there are many sacred symbols and practices surrounding this Festival. But for the most it has become a Secular Festival, the sacredness has been removed.
Now Western Society has done an interesting thing that is quite foreign to many other societies and that is to make that distinction between the Sacred and the Secular. African, Middle Eastern and Eastern societies cannot see the difference. Therefore religion permeates all culture.
My challenge today is two-fold; firstly to begin to realise that we should not and cannot separate the Sacred and the Secular and secondly that we should re-inject the Sacred into Christmas.
1. Cannot and should not separate Sacred and Secular.
When we read John 1, we read of a divine interruption, if you will the sacred entering the secular. This is John’s nativity, the time that the Word, the LOGOS, who was and who is and who is to come…the true Word of God Christ removes his Glory as one would remove a cloak and enters the world that he created in the lowliest of forms…a human child. Perhaps even more lowly, the male human child (since we all know that girl children are far superior to their male counter-parts…coming from the father of a girl child).
So, we have had the Children’s Nativity Play where we saw the Nativity Scene but there is something missing that Catalonian folk add. They add someone called “El Caganer” – who can be loosely translated as “the one who is doing his business” or “the one who is going to the loo”. I thought of showing you a picture of the figure, but this might offend some people.
The business in hand must be taken quite euphemistically, when I tell you that El Caganer takes his place in the Christmas Crib, besides the Wise Men, wearing a peasant beret and squatting, with his trousers around his ankles. Now this might come across as quite sacrilegious but I think there is some wisdom in the little character.
In the midst of all this solemnity, there is injected a little earthly humour, a little humanity in the midst of all this Godliness. And I say, that this is a good thing, a very good thing indeed.
The Nativity Scene such as we saw performed by was first created by Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis sought to remind people what the nativity actually meant: to ground the event in reality – to remind people that the nativity was not a chocolate box affair of gleaming straw and sterile food troughs, but a dirty, smelly, cold, faeces-covered battle of endurance for a young girl and her much older husband.
The incarnation, the miracle of the incarnation was the choice of a God who was prepared to pour himself out for us: not only at the end of his life in the triumph of the cross, but at the beginning. The incarnation was an act of vulnerable humility, of great risk.
The heresy of docetism suggests that God only appeared in human form, that the incarnation was symbolic, that the crucifixion did not kill, that Christ did not need to eat or drink or even. Such heresy was rightly crushed by the Bishop Ignatius of Antioch in his writings and condemned by ecumenical council, but I suggest to you this morning, that there is an element of docetism in all of us, an unwillingness to accept the vibrant truth of the incarnation, a temptation to sugar coat the nativity: “The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes”
…as that Christmas Carol goes. We willingly agree with the unrealistic, unincarnational concept of an unreal, docestic Jesus, when we should be prepared to grasp that uncomfortable truth: that God-is-with-us, that Emmanuel was incarnated as a human being and that he became one of us.
What is Away in a Manager trying to prove? That Christ was sinless? Certainly, Christ was sinless, but no child cries because of sin, children cry because that is how they communicate (I know all about that). The word, the divine logos, became flesh and his first communications with us were not the beatitudes, or even “it is finished” but a cry of hunger, of cold and for a clean nappy.
God had no intention that we might separate the Sacred and the Secular. In fact the secular is merely a human construct. To God all is Sacred…that’s why he chose to fly in the face of what was expected, rather than coming as a grown King in all his glory he came in the most unclean of places to the most unclean of people. The sacred became the Secular.
2. Re-inject the Sacred into Christmas
So here we are 2000 odd years later with our minds set on the 25 December, when it all happens. When we celebrate the opening of the presents that put our overdrafts into overdrafts…sorry, I mean when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child.
You have heard it all before and you all know it, Christmas has certainly become a Secular event. Some say that Christ is X’ed out of Christmas when we write Xmas. One of my first year Seminary lecturers (Rock in the Grass) reflects on the Americanism “Happy Holidays” as a very helpful greeting.
Because in South Africa we all say “Happy Christmas” instead. This essentially Christian greeting is said to everyone and anyone – irrespective of whether there is Christian or any other form of faith behind the greeting. He tells how he was greeted by a very drunk man, who sought to excuse his public drunkenness by telling him that “it is Krismis afterall”. Christmas became his excuse for inebriation.
He continues to say, “Just like Christmas becomes the excuse for overeating; and Xmas becomes the excuse for shops to invite us to max out the credit cards; and Kersmis becomes the excuse for nookie with the secretary at the office party; and Krrissmass becomes the reason for drunkenness and violence. And what we really mean is “Holiday”. These activities are really holiday induced. A mass for Christ will not invite people into gluttony, and debt, and debauchery. But holiday fever can.”
The truth is that we will probably never get away from what Christmas has become. It is essentially driven by economics and money always talks. Christians could protest but we would probably be ignored or even denied permit to protest. That doesn’t matter.
What matters is how we respond in our own lives. The first Christmas was clearly not a pretty picture. God did not hold back when he decided to inject the sacred into the secular. He went the whole hog. What we can do is re-inject the sacred into the secular. We are all going to celebrate in our own capacities, how about we take time in our families to bring Christ back into focus. Find ways to take what we already do and make Christ the centre of the celebration. Before you eat make a toast the honoured guest whose birthday it is. As you open gifts let that be a time to remember the gift given to us and what it means (not just try to remember if you still have the receipt if that shirt doesn’t fit).
Conclusion
In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh. An interruption of divine importance but an interruption that was unexpected.
God does not mind his manners when it comes to us, he does what he pleases and it pleased him to come as a human (male) child. Is that interruption going to become the focus of our celebrations this Christmas or is it going to stay just that…an interruption.
God Bless you, Amen.
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