January 5 - Epiphany
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time
of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the
East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of
the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him
homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with
him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he
inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem
of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in
the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from
you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod
secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the
star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search
diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I
may also go and pay him homage.” 9When they had heard the king, they set out;
and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until
it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star
had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw
the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then,
opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they
left for their own country by another road.
Anchor: The Star that everyone
can see
Frame: Love is Light
Thread: More Light
Social Issue: Religious Pluralism
The star was in the sky for
everyone to see. Yet not everyone read the same significance in that star that
our so-called "Wise Men" did. It was so significant to them that they
packed up and left the comforts of home to follow wherever that star took them.
It took them to Bethlehem and to Jesus. As far as we know, these astrologers
were neither Jewish nor Christian (meaning that there is no evidence that after
their encounter with the infant Jesus that they in any way continued to follow
his life much less his teachings).
This Sunday observes “Epiphany”
the day when we proclaim that the world saw the glory of God in the baby Jesus.
The word “epiphany” means “manifestation.” For years this was an occasion to
herald that the definitive light had come to the world: the Christian light.
The story of the Wise Men, people from foreign nations, being led to Jesus is
told as evidence of this. Yet I find it odd that nothing much is made of the
fact that in the story when all the intrigue and mystery is played out these
foreign scholars “left for their own
country by another road.” Presumably they went back to their homes and lives
and studies and likely their own religions. They paid homage to what they saw
revealed in Jesus, but they didn’t follow him. For most of Christianity’s
history we have been touting the goodness and God-ness of the light we proclaim
that we have rarely thought about how we make that light look to others.
And Christianity has rarely
thought to ask how God’s light looks in other theological or even geographical
places than our own. Eastern religions have been recognizing and talking about
light for hundreds if not thousands of years longer than Christianity. How
might their perspective on divine light illumine our own?
January 12 – The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13-17
13 At that time Jesus came from
Galilee to the Jordan River so that John would baptize him. 14 John tried to
stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?” 15 Jesus
answered, “Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all
righteousness.” So John agreed to baptize Jesus. 16 When Jesus was baptized, he
immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the
Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him. 17 A voice from
heaven said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.”
Anchor: water toys
Frame: playing with God Thread: More Light
Social Issue: Setting an
intention for the Common Good – world citizenship
Baptism has been laden down with
the scrim of sin that it seems to have lost its symbolism as a beginning and a
way of life. We get involved with questions like, “Why did Jesus get baptized
if he had no sin?” “Did Jesus sin?” “Did Jesus repent of anything?”
If we remember that “repent”
means to turn a new direction (Borg says that its implication is “turning
toward home as if from exile”) then the answer to that last question is yes.
Each of the synoptic gospels tells their version of Jesus coming to John for
baptism at the initiation of his (Jesus’) ministry. In his commentary on Mark’s
gospel, Borg refers to this incident as Jesus’ conversion story. It seems that
Jesus sensed that he was setting out on something big and he wanted a way of
marking that. In many ways he was giving up his conventional life (taking up
his father’s trade, finding a wife and having kids, settling down) for the life
of pleasing God by inviting others to explore a new Way.
At the beginning of the New Year
we tend to make (or joke about making) resolutions that will improve our lives.
Eating better. Being more organized. Getting more exercise. None of these are
bad things, but it seems that most of our resolutions have to do with
ourselves. What if we claimed in our baptized nature that we have the
capability – like Jesus – to bring happiness to the God who dearly loves
us? What if our resolution is not to
make ourselves better but to live in god’s Creation in such a way as to bring
happiness to the Divine?
As a parent I remember specific
moments when I set aside my own agenda (whatever I thought was important that I
had to do as a responsible adult) and did something one of my kids wanted. My
motivation was not necessarily to improve their lives. I have to admit it was
kind of a selfish motive: seeing my children smile and hearing them laugh is a
unique and life-charging experience. What if we stopped whatever we think it is
that is so important and sat down with the single intention to make God happy?
What would that look like? For me, that changes my perspective on the things
that followers of Jesus often do. Feeding the hungry then is not an obligation,
not just serious work but also a cause of joy. Waging peace (in pickets, in
polling places, in prayer groups) is not a heavy-shouldered labor but is like
chasing butterflies – a celebration of the lightness of life. Caring for
Creation (certainly a life-preserving reality in our generation) is not just
about rescuing the planet from our own self-centered and rapacious use of the
Earth, but is also the planting of a garden of laughter and happiness as we
love what God loves.
When we listen to stories like
this from the bible, we rarely imagine smiles in them. But I can’t help that
think that when Jesus had that feeling of being dearly loved and sensed the
delighted laughter of God, that a broad and genuine smile didn’t spread across
his heart and his face.
January 19 – MLK Weekend
Psalm 40:1-3 (Nan Merrill’s “Psalms
for Praying”)
I waited patiently for the
Beloved,
who
came to me and heard my cry
Love raised me from the pits of
despair,
out
of confusion and fear,
and
set my feet upon a rock,
making
my steps secure.
There is a new song in my mouth,
a
song of praise to the Beloved.
Many will see and rejoice,
and
put their trust in Love.
Anchor: Garbage cans
Frame:
Thread: More Light
Social Issue: Racism and
Inclusion
To me, there is a difference
between prejudice and racism. Prejudice is a personal feeling and pre-judgment
(as the word itself literally means). Racism is systemic. Those who live and
function in a racist system are affected by it, either as privileged or
oppressed. As a straight white male living within the racist system of American
culture, I receive privileges withheld from those who are neither male nor white
nor straight. While I strive and aspire not to be prejudiced, by benefit of
being a member of a racist system I have to confess (and deplore) that I am
racist.
Martin Luther King was not only
working to change the hearts of the bigots who opposed him, he was working to
change the very system that perpetuates the racism that subjugated African
Americans in the 50’s and 60’s. And though we have now elected the first African
American President, in many ways that election has only brought to light the
depths to which the racist American system has not changed since King’s
generation.
King’s biblical foundation
enabled him to begin that system-changing campaign from the bottom up. It was
with the striking garbage collectors that brought him to Memphis. King
addressed the United Nations and had conversations with Presidents, but it was
for the garbage collectors he gave his life.
The psalmist writes of singing a
new song when God, the Beloved, has restored light and life to the poet. Sometimes
we have to learn the new song even before liberation is fully attained. We
cannot wait until the last stones of racism are torn down before we sing of God’s
equal and unconditional love. Maybe the singing can urge us a step or two
closer to that day.
The psalm also reminds us that
our restoration by God requires a new song. It is a new day and a new world and
an old song will not do. The new song may feel strange on our lips, and maybe
that newness will tempt us to long for the treasured songs that feel so comfortable
in our mouths. But singing only the same old songs of the old empire makes it
all the more difficult to root out its foundations. Fear and confusion beg for comforting old
songs. God’s liberation and recreation of life requires a new song!
January 26
Matthew 4:12-23
12 Now when Jesus heard that John
was arrested, he went to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum,
which lies alongside the sea in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This
fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of
Naphtali,
alongside the sea, across the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people who lived in the dark have seen
a great light,
and a light has come upon those who
lived in the region and in shadow of death.[a]
17 From that time Jesus began to
announce, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” 18
As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is
called Peter, and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were
fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for
people.” 20 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 21 Continuing
on, he saw another set of brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother
John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father repairing their nets. Jesus
called them and 22 immediately they left the boat and their father and followed
him.23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced
the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the
people.
Anchor: Headlights and
Heartlights
Frame: Entering the Darkness of people’s
lives
Thread: More Light
Social Issue: Mental Illness,
depression, despair
I’ve often wondered what was so
compelling about the person of Jesus that those fishers would drop their nets
and immediately follow him. Matthew gives a hint when he more or less quotes
Isaiah about the people of Zebulun and Naphtali seeing a light in the midst of
their darkness. The story of the call of the first disciples is an example of
the people of that region encountering that light. And like moths to the
compelling flame, they left their nets and their families and went toward that
light.
I took a tour of a cave in the
Black Hills a number of years ago (I haven’t made it to see Kartchner Caverns
yet). It was a beautiful underground cathedral of crystals and spires. The minerals
made the rooms sparkle in the artificial light. At one point on the tour, the
guide wanted us to see the cave in its natural setting. We gathered in a wide,
flat area and they turned out the lights. I have never seen a dark so
impenetrable. There was no sense of direction, or time, and but for the murmuring
of the people around me no sense of anything else. I was surrounded by beauty
and companionship, but without the lights I could not see them.
It seems to be a hallmark of our
society that we tolerate a great deal of darkness and lostness. We have created
a culture that fosters isolation, with the particular characteristic that if
you don’t fit in (aren't wealthy, happy, secure, skinny, outwardly beautiful,
etc.) you are encouraged not to talk about your feelings and experiences.
Mental illness especially is a ninja-like condition. It’s all around but nobody
sees it and it is striking more and more every day.
The signs of Jesus’ Messiah-hood
were that the good news was proclaimed and that every kind of disease and
illness were healed. He embodied the light that revealed the beauty of the dark
cavern. Today we are called to be the Body of Christ, imperfect for the task we
may be but we are called nonetheless. Just as those first disciples saw the
light in the darkness when they saw Jesus, so in some way we should strive to
shine for others. Some of us are pretty ashamed of the kind of Christianity
that gets shown in the world. What might
be ways that we cast a different, a healing light?
