"Life In His Name" Sermon for Easter 2C 4/11/2010

"Life In His Name"

Sermon for 4/11/2010
Easter 2C

John 20:19-31; Psalm 150

Doubting Thomas.... Poor Thomas gets such a bad rap. We read this Gospel story each year on the Second Sunday of the Easter season.  Whenever I hear this story, the moniker "Doubting Thomas" comes to mind.  Poor, Poor Thomas.  One question, one request, and he is forever labeled a doubter.   

This passage begins on the evening of the Resurrection, and then finishes up a week later.  It provides two accounts of the disciples encountering the resurrected Jesus.  It's an important passage within the Gospel of John, and Thomas' doubt tends to be the focus.  I prefer to see Thomas as an Inquirer.  He asks a question that is important.  He wants evidence of Jesus' resurrection.  He's a good scientist, and wants data before he proves the theory correct.[1]   

Do you like to ask questions?  Craig in his children's sermon last week invited the children to ask tough questions, and boy did they ever!  Questions are a good thing.  Questions help us to understand what is going on and make good decisions based on what we learn.  Questions help us receive answers, or at least help us to ask further questions.   

In today's text, Thomas is stating his question in a request to see the wounds of Jesus in order to help him believe in the Resurrection.  For whatever reason he was absent from the rest of the community when Jesus appeared the night of the Resurrection.  A week goes by, and Jesus appears to the community of disciples again, and this time Thomas is present.  Jesus sought him out to help him believe. [2]  Jesus pursued him to provide the answers to the questions he had.  When Jesus shows up, Thomas changes from one with questions to one with answers.  Through Jesus' providing Thomas with evidence and answers to his question, he is able to believe.  That was Jesus' purpose.  He showed up that night to help Thomas believe.  Jesus invites him, "Do not doubt, but believe." (John 20:27)

Thomas does believe.  One of the most important parts of this whole passage comes next.  Thomas provides a confession of believe in the Risen Christ.  Thomas proclaims, "My Lord and My God."  This is HUGE.  Thomas gets it.  He understands.  His questions have been answered, and it has changed his life.  "MY Lord and MY God!"  Thomas has new life through his confession of Christ Jesus as Lord and God.  Thomas is no longer a doubter, but the first person to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and God in John's Gospel.[3]  What a significant thing to be remembered for.   

When Thomas proclaims Jesus as Lord and God, he is hearkening back to the beginning of John.  Remember the prologue to John that we heard at Christmas.  John 1 says, "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God." (Jn 1:1)  "The word became flesh and lived among us." (Jn. 1:14)  Now we hear the connection between Jesus as the Word of God proclaimed for the whole community to hear.[4]  Not only is Jesus the Word that became flesh and lived among us, but as John 20 tells us, "Through believing, you may have life in his name."  The Gospel has come full circle, and the circle of life now extends to us as well.  We can have life in Christ's name, when he is our Lord and God.   

The Gospel writer tells us that the signs done in the presence of the disciples are written so we may come to believe in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God (vs. 31).  Not just Thomas, but all of us.  The community of disciples were present those days when Jesus appeared, and this passage is clear that the witness and proclamation extends to the whole community.  Belief isn't end of the journey here, either.  Belief leads to life--Life in Christ's name.   

Life in Christ's name.  What does that look like?  What does life mean after the resurrection? We receive one clue to what life means in Jesus' blessing in this passage.  "Peace be with you." (Vs. 21) Shalom: Peace, wholeness, completeness, health.  The peace that Jesus bestows on the gathered community in this passage is complete, whole peace.  Peace that only Jesus fully gives.  Peace gives life, but just not any life.  Resurrected life.  Life anew.  Life in Christ's name. 

The other evening, Steve and I watched a movie that documents an important story of new life in our world's history in the last 100 years. [See blog post for 4/9/10]. We saw "Schindler's List."  For those who might not be familiar with this 1993 Oscar award-winner, it's based on the life of Oskar Schindler.  He was raised as a German catholic who moved from Czechoslovakia to Poland to run a factory during World War 2.  In Krakow, he employed Jews in his factory.  Though he was technically a Nazi, he befriended the Jews and worked keep them in his factory in order to save them from death.  Schindler's List documented the names of 1200 Jews that he saved during the war from the Shoah, the Holocaust.  He resurrected them, if you will, by placing their names on the list of workers and giving them a chance at a new life after the war.  Schindler bribed, blackmailed, persuaded, and paid off Nazi officials to keep his workers in his factory, and at the end of the war, he sent them off as Free Jews with 3 yards of fabric and vodka to sell for money to start their new lives.  He amassed a fortune and spent every last Reichmark saving their lives.  He fled to Argentina completely broke at the end of the war.  The Schindler Jews, as they are know, were so appreciative of him saving their lives, that they supported him financially. 

Itzhak Stern, Schindler's Jewish Accountant, assisted with the business and typed the List of names of the Jews.  Once he realizes what Schindler was doing, he exclaimed, "The List is an absolute good.  The List is life."  Numerous survivors have recounted via video and written documents about the good that Oskar Schindler did through his list.  He was not perfect, but he risked his life for the sake of others.  He provided peace for these Jews--peace from the war--food and health care for their sick bodies----shelter from the storm raging around them--peace and wholeness for them during the worst of times.  The List was Life--New life.  Today decedents from the list number 7000. (http://www.auschwitz.dk/Schindlerslist.htm) 

Today, April 11^th, is Yom HaShoah--the International Day of Remembrance for the Holocaust.  A day we pause and remember all those lost around our world because of genocide.  And a day we pause and give thanks for those, like Oskar Schindler, who did what they could to provide life and peace from the death around them.   

One of my favorite scenes from the movie was when Schindler, near the very end of the war, reminds the Rabbi that it is almost sundown on Friday and it is time for him to begin preparing for the Sabbath.  The Rabbi gathers the wine and leads the community in the prayers of their faith, giving thanks and remembering all God had done and was doing in their midst.  The voices of the community in prayer are heard as candles are lit.  The sign of God's presence is revealed through the light, and they proclaim what they believe. 

Doesn't Thomas do the same for us today?  Thomas, no longer the doubter, is now the proclaimer.  "My Lord and My God."  He names the sign of God's presence in our midst.  Just as Jesus gave peace, shalom, to the gathered community and gave new life through his resurrection, Schindler gave peace to his Jews through their jobs in his factory, and gave them a new chance at life through the list.   

In the Gospel passage, Jesus is there with the community.  We get so focused on Thomas that we easily loose sight of the community around him.  The disciples are gathered.  Nowhere does it indicate it was only the 11--I believe it was a much larger group. [5]  The peace and life that Christ breathed into the disciples extends to us through the gathered community.  Christ gives us peace and sends us out to share the good news of God living with us.  New life comes from death.  The Word has become flesh and indeed, STILL lives among us.   

We practice this faith as a community and live into it together.  We live out life in Christ's name each time we celebrate and worship as a community.  We live out life in Christ's name each time we speak peace to one another.  We live out life in Christ's name every time we bring a child forward for Baptism.  This morning we proclaimed our belief in God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together and shared together as a community in Winston's Baptism.  We mark this step in his faith journey and live out life in Christ's name together.   

[Photo by David Cherveny of RMC's Easter Sunrise Service at Oakwood Cemetary, Raleigh NC, 4/4/10]
Last Sunday we celebrated life in Christ's name.  We proclaimed, "The Lord is risen" while the birds chirped and the sun rose.  Next Sunday we will celebrate life in Christ's name.  We will celebrate another baptism, and share together in the Lord's Supper.  We will gather as a community to eat and drink and remember Christ, and live out life together in Christ's name through the Sacraments.  Two Sundays from now, on April 25th we will gather to celebrate the Confirmation of our youth as they proclaim their own faith and mark the next step in their faith journey.  We will be here celebrating with them and living together into life in Christ's name.   

Each time we gather as a faith community to worship, pray, study, learn, make music, eat, or spend time together, we are living life in Christ's name.  We are practicing shalom, God's peace, and enacting it in our world.  The more we practice living life in Christ's name with His peace and the Spirit in us, the more we can share it.  We are taking it with us from this place to wherever we go from here--work, school, home.  We are sharing Christ's life and peace with everyone we meet.  Christ gave the gathered community His peace and then sent them out with the Spirit to a world longing to hear and see and know Christ's peace.  Christ gives US peace and sends US out with the Spirit to a world longing to hear and see and know his peace.   We live life together in his name and we must share it with those around us.   May we share Christ's peace and live life in his name today and always.  Amen.

[1] Martin E. Marty, "Theological Perspective on John 20:19-31" in Feasting on The Word (Year C,Vol. 2) eds. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 396.
[2] Gail O'Day, "John" in New Interpreter's Bible, Vol IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 849-850.
[3] Gregory A. Robbins, "Exegitical Perspective on John 20:19-31" in Feasting on The Word (Year C,Vol. 2) eds. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 401. Gerald Sloyan, John. Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1998) 226.
[4] Gail O'Day, "John" in New Interpreter's Bible, Vol IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 850.
[5] Gail O'Day, "John" in New Interpreter's Bible, Vol IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 846.

"Cana-Grace" Sermon for 2nd Sunday After Epiphany C 1/17/10

"Cana-Grace"

Sermon for 2nd Sunday After Epiphany

1/17/10
John 2:1-11

Do you eat every day? This is a question that comes up in a song I heard a few years ago. It was written by pastor/song-writer Brian Sirchio after he went to Haiti to work with the poor on a mission trip.[1] The song tells the story of striking up a conversation with a man when he asked him a question. 

"Do you think I'm rich?

And this was his response to me

He said, well how many times a week do you eat?

Well his question took my voice away

And then he said, you mean you eat every day?

And I said, yeah, and he just said this

Well if you eat each day, you're rich."

[See Post from 1/15/10 for Full Lyrics and link to hear song.]

The images of Haiti this week have been staggering to say the least. It's almost too much to comprehend--the devastation, death, and destruction that this small country is suffering. The song's lyrics have played like a broken record in my head all week as I've seen countless reports and read numerous articles about the earthquake that struck this past Tuesday. I'm sure many of you can relate to the feelings of helplessness and heartache that come with the pictures and reports.

Amid the unfamiliar images and stories of this week, our Gospel lesson stands out today as one that is likely a familiar passage. It's one of the best-known passages in all of the Gospel of John. Jesus' first miracle, or sign as John calls it, takes place early in his ministry. Jesus has just come onto the scene and has just called his disciples. And then they find themselves invited to attend a big celebration. Jesus, his mother, and the disciples are in Cana of Galilee to attend the wedding of someone familiar, likely a family member of Jesus. Wedding celebrations in this time were extensive, as they usually celebrated for seven days. Hospitality was not only important in this culture, it was expected. Social etiquette indicated that the family would save for months or years in order to have a lavish wedding, and it would be a disgrace for the newlyweds if things went badly.

In John's story the symbolism and power of the story is palpable. This is a story about God's care and concern for people. This is also a story about grace, abundance, and celebration---the grace of God given to the people in abundance and the celebration that happens because of it. The crisis of running out of wine would result in social disgrace. Their hospitality would be judged as poor, and they would receive the shame of their guests because they had not planned and saved properly to ensure enough wine would be available for the wedding.[2] Because of Jesus' care for people and his concern over their well-being and life, he stepped in to save the day. In this moment of crisis, he worked through others to bring about transformation. Jesus used the servants to help solve the problem. If you notice in the passage, Jesus used actions--the actions of those around him--he told them to "fill," "draw out," and "take" the water to the steward, whom we might call the headwaiter. Jesus empowers the servants to do the work of transformation, and the steward does not even know that Jesus is the one responsible. Yet, ultimately God gets the glory for the change through Jesus, and the disciples believe in Him.

The details about the stone jars are another interesting aspect to this passage. John uses them to show the abundance of grace that Jesus provides for the people at the party. The stone jars were large--each probably held 20-30 gallons of water.[3]  In Jewish understanding, seven is the number that signifies completeness, where as six signals incompleteness.[4]  Though they are incomplete, Jesus is still able to use them for good. The abundant grace that Jesus shows through the excess of wine is the same abundance of grace that extends to us. Jesus could have acted in such a way that showed his care and concern, but did not cause a scene or brought glory to God. When it came to hospitality, one has to figure that the wedding celebrations were about halfway finished. They only needed enough wine to last until the end. Jesus could have very easily turned one jar into wine, while leaving the others filled with water for the ceremonial washing for the guests to use to keep clean, as Jewish law dictated. One jar would have likely been enough. One jar would suffice. One jar would have been a gracious gift. Jesus didn't stop at one jar, though. He carried the task through to completion and transformed all of the jars from water to wine.

Six jars of wine--This was grace upon grace. Grace that went beyond the steward's wildest imagination. Grace that showed his total care and concern for the wedding couple. Grace that was poured out so completely that an abundance of wine was likely left over. This was the waitress receiving a 2000% tip instead of the customary 15-20%. We can truly only estimate the response since details are sketchy, but I have a feeling everyone there was blown away by the extensive gift.

Jesus not only provided wine, but allowed the couple to not be disgraced. He joined in the festivities and empowered the people to celebrate in style that was fitting of the king and queen, not the peasants they likely were. The grace shown in this story is abundant grace. Grace that is bigger and better than we can imagine. We can call this grace "Cana-Grace" after the town where this first sign took place.[5]  Cana-Grace is a spirit of celebration and abundance that goes beyond what is needed and expected to something that is beyond measure. Cana-Grace is the unexpected, unimaginable abundance that happens when Jesus gets involved and God's blessings rain down just as the wine was beyond the wedding party's wildest imaginations.

Today's Gospel is somewhat hard to hear given the lack of sustenance in Haiti. They don't really have an abundance of anything right now--except rubble and bodies in need of proper burials. Their need of water and food is profuse. I hear the song "If you eat each day, you're rich" in my head and watch the screen with horror. The song was written years ago. It doesn't reference the suffering of the earthquake. It expresses the suffering and reality of daily life that most Haitians experienced last Monday, not just since Tuesday. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 80% of the population lives in poverty, with 54% living in abject poverty. Most live on less than $1300 a year. 38% of the country is under the age of 15.[6]  Haiti has been in a bad situation for a long time. These problems are only compounded now with the death and destruction that the earthquake piled on top of the daily struggles they faced for survival. And yet, it takes a 7.0 earthquake to finally get Haiti on the national and international radar. So if we haven't taken notice before this week, let us at least take notice now.

As I have followed the news of the earthquake, I have been so thankful for the coverage of all the different mission groups that are serving in Haiti. With this disaster they are now receiving press coverage for their efforts and are being recognized on a national scale. Though I am sure many of them live out their callings from God and are quite content never making the news, their efforts are now being lifted up for God's glory. I’ve heard a few of the missionaries who are now back in the States being interviewed, and I was struck by how vocal they are about returning to the people they serve in Haiti to help with rebuilding of lives. They are there as the hands and feet of Christ serving those who have so little, and they want to be there now during the months and years ahead as the country begins to rebuild. Christ is using these people to create abundant wine where there were only empty jars before. We have the opportunity to support their work through the Relief Buckets the MYF will be assembling this afternoon and by giving to agencies who are on the ground there.

The recovery for Haiti is going to be a long-haul situation. Much like Katrina and the Tsunami, it will take years to even get them back to where they were in terms of housing and infrastructure. That's the grace that they need—to rebuild and move on. Yet, I believe they need more than just to get back to where they were. The Cana-Grace, that extravagant, unfathomable, beyond measure help and love from God, is what it will take to get them beyond where they were. A friend of mine in Seminary had spent years prior working in an orphanage in Haiti. She told stories of seeing children literally eating mud-pies. The pies would be made with dirt and dirty water, baked in the sun, and then eaten. They felt it was better to have something in the stomach, since it lessened the hunger pains, then to not eat at all. Let us, as global citizens and believers in a gracious God, work to supply the basics--the abundance of water and food--that will help them to flourish and eat each day.

There has been much talk about this "act of God."[7]  I don't believe God causes disasters. I believe God, instead, is there suffering with the people, comforting them in this time of crisis. God is present in the jars of water that are being shipped down, in the tent cities that are being set-up, and in the convoy trucks of supplies that are trying to reach those in need. The "act of God" in Haiti is what is happening after the earthquake. Cana-Grace is present as the servants of God dip out the water and watch as it turns into something more wonderful than they could even imagine. Cana-grace is also seen in the giving to disaster funds through the American Red Cross and other relief organizations. At last report, giving is on pace to surpass that of the Tsunami and Katrina and break the record. Giving like this during bad economic times--that's Cana-Grace. Maybe the rececssion, if nothing else, has made us more compassionate and willing to share. Only time will tell. The Cana-Grace will also be seen in the long-term efforts. Hopefully Haiti will stay in our minds and hearts for the long haul as we all join together as a nation and world to help them. That is Christ's call. This is Christ's gift--the grace of God in unimaginable, unfathomable abundance.

Cana-Grace is needed today for Haiti. God's gifts in abundance are what it's going to take to help. John's Gospel does speak to the crisis in Haiti, just as it spoke to the crisis during the wedding celebrations. My prayers are that people will continue to respond like we have seen this week already, and that Haiti will remain on our radar for the months and years to come that it will take to move beyond this disaster. I pray that God will use us all, as global neighbors, to tend to their hurts and needs. I pray that our abundant jars of wine will become the overflowing wells of water that they need.[8]  May we all share God's gift of Cana-Grace with our brothers and sisters. Amen. 

[1] Brian Sirchio, "If You Eat Each Day" from the Justice and Love Album.

[2] Gerard Sloyan, John: Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 36.
[3] Gail O'Day, "John" in The New Interpreters Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 538.
[4] Sloyan, John: Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 35.
[5] Robert M. Breasley, "Pastoral Perspective on John 2:1-11 for Second Sunday after the Epiphany" in Feasting On The Word [Year C, Volume 1] eds. David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 262.
[7]  Facebook Page "The Text This Week" Taken from a comment posted by Rachel Wangen-Hoch posted on 1/15/2010. 

[8]  Facebook Page "The Text This Week" Taken from a comment posted by Vaughn Nelson posted on 1/15/2010.

Christmas 1C-"Celebrate Love" 12/27/09

"The Power Of The Word" "Celebrate Love"

Christmas 1C, 12/27/09

John 1:1-14

            Before I begin, I must make a note to the bulletin.  Due to having to run the bulletins early this week, I came up with a title for my yet-unwritten sermon.  After writing it, I realized it needed a different title.  This sermon is entitled, "Celebrate Love."  After all, the power of the Word is love, and it is that Love of God we celebrate today!

Yesterday I walked into a CVS, and watched as the lady was taking down the Christmas Cards from the display, and was replacing them with Valentine's Day cards.  The signage she put up said, "Celebrate Love."  It struck me as bothersome that Valentine's Day, according to the card company, is only when we are to celebrate love.  Everything in me wanted to yell out, "What about Christmas?"  I felt like Charlie in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" when he says, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"[1]  But where was Linus when I needed him?  The music on the radio has already changed back to the regular stations, and Christmas music, like the decorations in the store, has been packed away for another year.  I was struck standing there thinking, "If all of this has changed back to 'normal' so quickly, then what difference does Christmas make after all?  Why do we celebrate it and what does it mean?"  Maybe I'm somewhat cynical, or my tiredness from Christmas Eve was still clouding my mind.  But it did make me really stop and think--Isn't Christmas about Celebrating Love?--Celebrating the love of God found in a baby and that love found in the world all these years later--Celebrating a love that physically came down from the heavens and was there for everyone to see.

         Christmas Eve, in the Church's understanding, is the beginning of the celebration, not the culmination of the festivities.[2] Christmas lasts 12 days, and ends on January 6th when we mark the Epiphany.  We gather in celebration of the birth that starts the story --our story--over again.  Advent is preparation for the big event, and then it's here and the Christmas Eve Lovefeasts start the Birthday Party for our King--complete with food, drink, and candles!  I came across this quote that I thought was so fitting for this season.  The author said, "Remember also that for Christians, this is the birthday party of all birthday parties, one that should spin us into a different place, not simply into exhaustion: 'Christmas is a time for enormous celebration, but also a time for pondering, for reverence, for awe at our sheer good fortune that God sent his only child into our midst.'”^[3]

         If we look at Scripture, we get 4 different views of Christmas.  Luke, the one most commonly read for Christmas, presents Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem with nowhere to stay and thus they end up in a barn with the animal's manger for a crib for the new baby.  Shepherds and Angels appear and sing God's praise over the birth of this special child. We see how God's love came in the unlikely places and was presented to the poor, meek, and lowly. If we look at Matthew, we see no manger, no shepherds, no chorus of angels.  Instead we hear of an undocumented number of wise men and three gifts brought to a home where the holy family is now living.  God's love in Matthew is for everyone, even those from distant lands.  Mark, on the other hand, skips the event entirely, and instead rushing ahead to tell of the adult Jesus.  God's love is powerful and immediate.  And then we have today's reading from John that uses metaphors and philosophy to describe the incarnation of God.  God's love in the logos, the Word, has been present since the beginning.  Often we hear the story of Christmas with all of these stories lumped together into an indistinguishable tangle of shepherds and wise men arriving together at the manger.  In many ways there isn't real harm in combining the stories, as they do help us see a fuller picture of Jesus' birth from various viewpoints.  But I do find it interesting to look at them individually.  Today's Scripture reading let's us focus on John's version of Christmas, though it noticeably leaves out the birth all together.  John focuses more on the incarnation and how God has come into the world to bring love through life and light.  For John, it's ultimately about God's love for the world as we hear later in Chapter 3. "16For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17, NRSV) The Gospel of John calls us to look for the love of God in the world and to celebrate that love whenever and wherever we see it.

         Though love is the focus of Christmas, it's sometimes hard to focus on that love.  I ran across a list the other day about the Top 10 Things WRONG with Christmas.  With all of the craziness associated with the holiday and my frustration at CVS about the holiday already having come and gone, I could resonate with many of these. I have also heard many of you naming these things.  Here's the list.  Do any of these things sound familiar?
TOP 10 THINGS WRONG WITH CHRISTMAS [4]

10. A loss of the sense of the miraculous

9. Not enough peace and joy

8. Feeling like you have to give something or you’re a bad person

7. Credit card bills through next Christmas

6. Insane travel schedules

5. Conflicts with the family

4. Feeling alone or alienated

3. Having to decorate to keep up with the neighbors

2. Hours spent searching for the present for kids or grandkids (etc.)

1. Feeling disappointed—again—by the season

         During the Congregational Lovefeast last Sunday evening, I told a story about a man who, though tired from Christmas Eve's craziness, went to feed his neighbor's sheep.  He paused for a moment, during his actions, when he realized that he was in the manger where it all started. He was standing by the manger on Christmas Eve.  I invited everyone to pause sometime during the holiday to reflect on the meaning of Christmas.  So on Christmas day, I took a few minutes to pause and reflecte.  With nods to David Letterman and Rogers and Hammerstein, I've written my own "Top 10 Favorite Things About Christmas" to help me name where I celebrate love during Christmas.  Before I read my own, I invite you to pause for a minute, take out a pencil or pen, and jot down a few of your own Favorite Things where you Celebrate love this Christmas.  [I invite you to include your list in the comments section of this blog.  See "Comments" below!]
         There are no right or wrong answers here.  Each of our lists will look different.  Having said that, here's my own list.

My Top 10 Favorite Things About Christmas

10. Receiving Christmas Cards and photos from family and friends

9. Phone Calls to hear "Merry Christmas" from a distance, especially when you can't be together on Christmas Day

8. Hearing "Morning Star" and remembering back 20 years to when I was the soloist up front.

7. Spending time with loved ones laughing around the dinner table.

6. Watching the Dieners and Choirs' faces as the lovefeast is served

5. The sight of spam, squirty cheese, beef jerky, and other treats inside my Lovefeast bun.

4. Eating together as a church family during the Workers Potluck.

3. The smiles on the faces of the children when it was FINALLY time to put Baby Jesus in the Manger.

2. The smells of beeswax and coffee and the sight of the candles raised in the air at the end of Lovefeast.

1. The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. (John 1:14) [This is how The Message translates the verse, and it's my favorite translation.] 

         At Christmas we celebrate the Love of God that has now taken on human form in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Because God loves us, we can love one another.  And I believe that the more we look for examples of God's love, we find them, even in the unexpected places.  By now many of you know about the ongoing gift that the dieners bestow on the pastors in their Christmas Eve Lovefeast Buns.  If you haven't seen the pictures, I've posted them on my blog and they are worth checking out.[5]  This year at the 7:30pm Lovefeast, our Bun came complete with icing that said, "Love You" in the form of a heart and the letter "U".  Thought it was meant as a good-hearted joke, I laughed and then took it much more symbolically.  God loves me, and sent his son for me.  God sent Jesus for each and every person that was celebrating lovefeast that evening together.  God sent Jesus for each of us.  This bun spoke volumes to me about how God's love spread out from that first Christmas to share that love with each other.  God moved into our neighborhood here on Ridge Road, and we saw it tangibly in the celebration of love that took place.  As the candles spread the light and none were diminished by the sharing, so is God's love spread by the sharing and is not diminished.  It began tangibly in Christ's birth through the incarnation, and continues to spread.  May we continue to Celebrate Love throughout these 12 days of Christmas, and proclaim through buns and candles, through cards and hugs, through all the ways God can speak through us, that God's love has moved into the neighborhood.  Amen.

---

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZw06AbW6Vw

[2] Michael Bennett, "Pastoral Perspective of John 1:1-14" in Feasting on the Word, Volume 2, Number 1 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 140.

[3] [Bill McKibben, Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998) 68-69] quoted in Greg Garrett, Reclaiming Christmas: Seeking an Alternative from (www.thethoughtfulchristian.org, 2007) 2.

[4] Greg Garrett, Reclaiming Christmas: Seeking an Alternative from (www.thethoughtfulchristian.org, 2007) 2.

[5] livingonemmausave.blogspot.com (Post for "RMC Christmas 2009: Part 2" dated 12/26/09.)

Christmas Eve at RMC 2009

Yesterday was a whirlwind of cider, buns, coffee, candles, and true joy and merriment!  My second Christmas at RMC was even better than last year.  I'll write more soon, including the photos of my decorated buns from all 3 lovefeasts!
Check out the Raleigh News and Observer's photos from our 2:30pm Children's Lovefeast.  http://www.newsobserver.com/galleries/gallery/256173.html We made photos 19-30 in the list.

Thanks again to everyone who helped--diening, making coffee, making candles, ushering, making/folding bulletins, keeping the nursery, reading, playing firefighter (aka blanket holders), etc.  I can't begin to list all the people involved, but I appreciate all of your hard work!

May everyone have a wonderful Christmas and have a moment today to pause and reflect on the true meaning of today--God became flesh and moved into the neighborhood (John 1:14, MSG).

Congregational Lovefeast "Candle Talk" 2009

This is my short "Candle Talk" from the 2009 Congregational Christmas Eve Lovefeast at Raleigh Moravian Church.  It was held on Sunday, Dec. 20th at 7pm.  The Scripture text was: Luke 2:1-20.

So the story goes...The night was much like tonight--cold and dark--it was Christmas Eve.[1]  The children were in bed fast asleep from a long day of waiting for Christmas to finally come.  The father and mother were tired from all the preparations and work that had gone into getting ready for Christmas. The presents were finally wrapped and under the tree.  The dinner dishes were done, the lights and stockings were hung, and the dreaded words of parents-- "Some Assembly Required" --had been conquered.  Bedtime was finally here.

Just as he was taking off his slippers and getting ready for bed, the father remembered he had promised the neighbors on the farm next door he would feed their sheep tonight.  He'd almost forgotten with all the hustle and bustle of the day.  But it was cold and the animals needed to be fed.  So he put on coat and boots, and took off into the cold.  A small lantern lit his way as he trekked down to the sheep's pen.

The lantern reflected off the fresh coat of snow that had fallen that evening.  He arrived at the barn and found the sheep in the pen.  He found the switch and turned on the light.  Combined with the full moon and the lone bulb hanging from the ceiling, he could see despite the darkness.  As he entered the pen, the sheep stood in the corner watching the stranger's every move.  He got down the bales of hay and opened them up in the trough for the sheep to reach easily.  They stirred from their corner, eagerly welcoming the gift the father brought. 

Finally the father was done and it was time to return to the warmth of his home.  "He [reached] up to turn off the bulb, and suddenly [realized] where he was.  The winter darkness.  The glimmer of light.  The smell of hay and the sound of the animals eating.  Where he [was], of course, [was] the manger."[2]  He almost missed the significance.  So instead of rushing home, he paused for a moment to remember the humble beginnings of the Light of the World. Then he headed back home with the lantern lighting his way.  The light perhaps seemed just a bit brighter against the darkness.  The cold perhaps seemed a little less cold. 

"While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."[3] "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood."[4] 

As a reminder to us that we celebrate the Light of the World that has come and entered our world, we each receive a candle tonight. We invite you to raise your candles on the last verse of our last song ("Christ the Lord, the Lord most glorious") to signify that Christ does indeed shine brightly in our world.  We also invite you to take your candles home as a reminder of the Christ Child, the Light of the World, has moved into our neighborhood yet again this Christmas.  My prayer is that we may each have a few moments this Christmas to pause and notice where God is present in our world and how we can celebrate the light even in the mundane and ordinary places of our lives. And then whenever you see the candle throughout the year, it will remind you to pause, despite how tired you are, and give thanks for the Light of the World that shines in our lives, just as the father did in the manger.  May the light shine just a bit brighter for us this year as we remember anew the birth of the Light of the World.  Amen.

---

[1] Adapted from Frederick Buechner's story in "Christmas" from Whistling In The Dark: A Doubters Dictionary (NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988) 29-30.

[2] Frederick Buechner, "Christmas" from Whistling In The Dark: A Doubters Dictionary (NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1988) 30.

[3] Luke 2:6-7.  NRSV.

[4] John 1:14.  The Message.

"Just Breathe!" Sermon for 4/19/09 [Easter 2B]"

Easter 2B Sermon for 4/19/09 "Just Breathe!"
John 20:19-31 (Preaching Text)
Acts 4:32-35; Genesis 2:4-7

What inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration? I saw a video the other day on the Web that inspired me. In fact there are lots of inspiring videos available today, thanks to the power of the Internet. In this particular video, we meet Donna Rock who has trained her dog to do obedience and run agility courses. [1] They've won many national championships and ribbons over the past nine years. Yet, Donna has no arms. She uses her legs and feet for everything and has since birth. It was inspiring to watch all she and her dog can do together--they make such a great team. Her hard work and perseverance inspires me that anything is possible and we all have something to share with the world.

Or maybe you've caught a clip of the latest sensation from "Britain's Got Talent". On this British forerunner to American Idol, 47 year old, unemployed, somewhat homely Susan Boyle wowed the judges last Saturday, with her song, "I Dreamed A Dream," from Les Miserable.[2] She left the judges, including Simon Cowell, wide-eyed and speechless, which anyone who has seen American Idol knows is difficult to do. The clip of her singing has been all over TV and YouTube in the past week, and inspires me that all people have some type of talent or gift deep within us that is just bursting to get out and be shared. If you haven't caught these videos yet, I'll include links in my blog for you to check them out.[3]

Or maybe you felt inspired by participating in the Easter Sunrise service last week or a previous Easter dawn. Maybe you could relate to the women who first went to the tomb and discovered Jesus had risen from the dead. They were then told to go share the Good News with the other disciples. Jesus called them to use their gifts to share with others. Maybe you're one of the ones so inspired that you left last Sunday's worship and had a different, better spring in your step this week. Your outlook on life has changed because of Easter. Easter has made a difference and the whole world is taking notice. Can you relate? Are you inspired like the disciples were on Easter, all those many years ago?

I certainly felt inspired in Oakwood last Sunday morning as we gathered to celebrate Jesus' triumph over the grave. Did you hear when the birds started chirping and the 2 lone Geese honking overhead joined the chorus, all while we professed our faith in the Risen Lord? The trees and flowers were in full bloom to greet Jesus. I wonder if it is even possible to NOT be inspired by the beauty and celebration of close to 300 Christians gathering in worship as instruments proclaimed in song and nature echoed the joy, "The Lord is Risen. The Lord is Risen, INDEED!"

The Easter event is meant to be inspiring. Jesus, I believe, wanted folks to leave the Garden feeling inspired. He sent the women off to tell others about the good news that He had risen from the dead. Jesus wanted all of His followers to be inspired to continue on in His mission of love.

Some of you might be asking yourself, "How might one know Jesus wanted to inspire us?" Well, let's look back at today's passage again. There is a detail that might easily get overlooked in the Gospel reading. John tells us in Chapter 20:21-22, "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (NRSV). He breathed on them... Jesus opened his resurrected mouth and breathed on the disciples. Our first thought might be something like, "Ewwww, talk about 3-day old morning breath! Ugh."

Breathing on the disciples might seem strange, or not even be worth a glance, until we look more closely at what breathing means. The ancient Latin word, spirare, "to breath into" is where our word inspiration comes from. Jesus was in fact, inspiring the disciples by breathing into them.[4] I believe the words "breathed on" were intentionally used in the original Greek as well. It is the only time enefusesen "breathed on" is used in the New Testament. It is only used a few times in the Old Testament Septuagint [Greek translation of the OT] as well--most notably in Genesis 2. The writer of John's Gospel is drawing a direct connection to Genesis 2:7 when God breathes into Adam and gives him life. Genesis 2:7 says, "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being." (NRSV)

God's breath brought life to the human body in Genesis, just like Jesus, who is God-with-us, breathed on the disciples to give them new life. They became new, inspired creations. Resurrection was passed along to the disciples to empower and inspire them to go out and share Christ's love. Through Jesus' resurrection, new life is breathed into the disciples to inspire them discover their talents and gifts and go share those with the world. He breathed into them, so they could go breathe his life into the whole world to fill the world with God's inspiring love. Jesus' breath inspired action and change in positive ways.

I invite you each to take a breath right now. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes for a moment and feel the air as it fills and then leaves your lungs. Try it again. Just Breathe. Do you feel any different? There really is something to all these deep-breathing exercises we are encouraged to try... whether it involves conquering fears, reducing anger, or sharing love. I was talking with Cathy Hamner, our Music Director, the other day and she shared how she has been encouraged to use deep breathing exercises with her son Zach when they take him on outings because it helps him maintain better self-control. Cathy commented that she found it also helps her maintain control and peace when times can be stressful. I know in my own life, I find myself needing to pause and take a deep breath every once in a while, just to clear my head and find Christ's peace again. I came across an article this week in the Washington Post where a researcher affirms, "Traditional spiritual practices such as prayer and breath control can alter the neural connections of the brain, leading to "'long-lasting states of unity, peacefulness and love.'" [5] Breathing deeply can help us feel more peaceful and changes the brain in positive ways. Breathe... just breathe. Breathe in new life from Christ. Breathe in Christ's inspiration.

Speaking of breathing, have you ever heard a reference to the term "Caesar's breath"?[6] I find the whole idea interesting, even inspiring. It's the idea that the air Caesar once breathed is still around today. We know from physics that matter is never created nor destroyed--it can only change. So that means that the same molecules of air that Caesar once breathed are still around today, likely floating in the air we are breathing right now. In fact, I found one website that say there is a 99% statistical likelihood that you just breathed in some of the molecules from Julia Caesar's breath.[7] Take a deep breath. If Caesar's molecules are still around, then we can also assert that Jesus' breathe is still present. Just Breathe. You have likely just inhaled Jesus' breath. Do you feel inspired, empowered, or full of new life? Anyone feeling resurrected this morning? We are breathing in the Resurrection, the new creation, the breath of God. Be inspired. Just Breath!

We are new creations filled with the breath of Christ inspiring us to share this resurrection power and love with the world as we take the message from the garden and empty tomb to the room where the disciples gathered on the night of the resurrection and now to this place. Do you feel inspired? Do you feel different now that Jesus has breathed into each of us? Are you ready to head out of the Garden or leave the room where the early disciples gathered and share the Good News of Easter? We each have gifts and talents that God can use. We can help inspire others and share God's love. During this Easter season, how are you inspired?

Or maybe you are in a place today where it is difficult to feel inspired? Or you just can't seem to take the deep breath needed to be propelled forward in Christ's name? If so, let us help. This where being part of a community of disciples becomes vitally important. Just as the first disciples had gathered together in fear and confusion, not sure what to do until Christ breathed on them, we are here together, breathing together, being inspired together, to go serve together. Because some from this community are in Mississippi today, each one of us is serving there this week as supporters and "back-home helpers" for the Mission team that left yesterday. They are serving there, and we are here lifting them in prayer and supporting them in their efforts as a crucial part of the team. We are also raising awareness that problems still exist in Mississippi and people still need recovery help. We are a community inspired to help.

Christ's breath fills this place even when some of us are not ready to take the next step... The Spirit brings peace and comfort and will provide the inspiration to act in the right time. After all, Easter is a season of 50 days, not a singular day event in the church year. Sometimes inspiration takes a bit of time to appear or we need time to understand the message that Christ shares. It's ok, we're here together being inspired together.

Just like we are all serving in our own supportive way for those in Mississippi, sometimes our service comes through spreading the word back home. Love and support come in different forms, and I believe its good to share good news and inspiration as people receive love and care when they are in need. My suitemate at Meredith is truly an inspiration to me, and I want to share the message of how the Spirit is breathing new life into others through Naomi and her team from Doctors Without Boarders. Naomi wanted to go into the medical field, and went into the UNC-Chapel Hill nursing program after she graduated from Meredith (the same one Paul Couch did), with the hopes to serve overseas somewhere that really needed her. Well, I received an email this past week with updates from her time in Nigeria, West Africa. She has been inspired to use her gifts and follow her dream, and is serving as a nurse supervisor with Doctors Without Borders.[8] She is currently helping coordinate Meningitis vaccinations for many thousands in Nigeria. These Nigerians are in remote villages where the outbreak of Meningitis is immanent, if not already there. These villages, where death is literally knocking on their doorstep, are often only accessible by driving up dry riverbeds in 4x4s. Doctors without Borders is working tirelessly, often 16-hour workdays, for days on end to hopefully vaccinate 4-5 million people in that region, all while trying to stay ahead of the virus and rainy season that comes in May, which will make efforts and transportation very difficult. Naomi is using her giftedness with nursing and her compassion for people to breathe new life into these Nigerians with a single shot each. Inspired living.

Just breathe. We may not all be called to the bush in Nigeria to give shots or even to Mississippi, but we can share the news of what is going on. Also, there is work to be done here, because God has new life to breathe into the Triangle too. Let us all live inspired lives. Just breathe and see where Christ leads. Just Breathe!

[1] http://www.wwltv.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=343716&shu=1
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
[3] livingonemmausave.blogspot.com
[4] John Killinger, Sermon "The Everlasting Breath of Jesus" http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/killinger_4803.htm October 17, 2004. Also: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=inspire&db=luna
[5] Michael Gerson, "A Searcher with Faith in Mind" in Op/Ed (Washington Post, 4/15/09, A19) accessed via web on 4/15/09 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/14/AR2009041401879.html . In the article he discusses Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman's new book "How God Changes Your Brain". Quote is from Andrew Newberg.
[6] John Killinger, Sermon "The Everlasting Breath of Jesus" http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/killinger_4803.htm October 17, 2004. Also, a sermon by Lehoma Goode given at Duke Divinity School, then referenced by Fran Saylor in her sermon on John 20:19-31 from 4/30/05. See also: http://www.vendian.org/envelope/dir2/breath.html and http://www.stat.psu.edu/~tph/f01/stat100.2/Lecture35/
[7] http://www.hk-phy.org/articles/caesar/caesar_e.html (This is not the original website I found but it does give the math to show it is highly likely!)
[8] http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3520&cat=field-news&ref=home-center

"A Christmas Frame Of Mind" (1/4/09, Christmas 2B)

"A Christmas Frame of Mind"
Christmas 2B
Sermon from 1/4/2009
John 1:1-18; Ephesians 1:3-14

Christmas Day has come and gone again this year. The candy, cards, and gifts are 50 or 75% off. The 24-7 Christmas Music on the radio is over--the Christmas CD's and movies are packed away until next year. The returns have been returned, the decorations are likely down or will be coming down this afternoon. We're already though New Years Day as well, and Valentine's candy is already on the shelves in the local grocery store. The shepherds have visited the stable and returned home. The Magi arrive this Tuesday for Epiphany, and they will then return home as well. Christmas has come and gone for another year. Or has it?

As I opened my stocking on Christmas Day with my in-laws and family in Pennsylvania, I took out a magnet that said, "Christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mind." A frame of mind... I like that. It's a great phrase. A Christmas frame of mind. Christmas in the church is a season in fact--12 days long that begins on Christmas Day and carries us through to Epiphany on January 6th. These are the true 12 Days of Christmas, but somehow it seems we have forgotten to tell the rest of the world about them. Christmas is over according to our culture. Is it over this year for us too? Christmas as a frame of mind--what if it was actually true? What would it look like in our daily lives?

As I have spent the past week or so preparing for today's message, I must confess I have been confronted with more questions than answers. As a pastor knowing I get to stand up and dialog with you on Sunday morning, more questions than answers has led to little comfort and much frustration in my preparation process. I have thought back often to what my college thesis adviser told me when I got to the end of my paper and had multiple pages of questions for further study--I was frustrated that it wasn't going to end with neatly answered questions, but in fact my topic of research led to more questions. She said that more questions were a good thing because it meant I was thinking and engaging the topic.

I also have had to wrestle with the fact that as a trained pastor, I feel like I should somehow KNOW the answers... but I confess that just as I think I have an answer, more wrestling with the questions and answers is required. These questions are not easily or neatly wrapped up in a box and placed under our Christmas trees. So I would like to invite you all to journey with me through some of the big questions of Christmas that I have found myself mulling over this week. Maybe some of these are also your questions? Maybe some of my questions raise new questions within you? I am excited about the possibility of wrestling with these together, because I believe these are questions that can likely best be answered in community.

For starters, what does Christmas mean? There is the easy answer--the word is from "Christ's Mass" celebrating the birth of the Christ child, the promised savior or Messiah--Jesus of Nazareth. The story is told in Luke 2 and Matthew 2, which many of us can quote at least in part. It's a cozy story that takes place in a stable in Bethlehem with shepherds, angels, magi, and a young couple who have an unexpected baby. But is it also so much more than this?

As I have wrestled, I have keep thinking about how we are often so busy and hurried in December and everything is focused on Christmas' arrival and being ready for the BIG DAY. In fact, shoppers take note--there are only 355 shopping days till next year's Big Day! Our preparation time is a blur of shopping, activities, parties, food, and craziness. Then it's here and over in a flash. Lovefeast buns have been consumed, our coffee's cold, and the smell of smoke fills this room as the candles are all blown out. It's all over and yet, how is life different? Yes, there is the stack of new DVDs to watch and clothes to wear, but how is life truly different? Or is it different at all? Why is Christmas even important to begin with? I kept coming back to the question of "So what does Christmas mean?" How does Christmas really affect our lives the other 364 days of the year? And if it doesn't, how might it be different this year to extend Christmas to make it a frame of mind or a way we view our world?

When we hear the story of Christmas, it is often from Luke or Matthew's story about the baby Jesus. But today, we are looking at John's telling of the Christmas Story. There are no shepherds; no angels; no Mary and Joseph; no overcrowded inn; no magi mentioned anywhere. Jesus isn't even named until 17 verses into the story. The writer in John takes us back to the beginning--literally-- by opening the Gospel's Prologue with the phrase "In the beginning." This phrase likely took your mind back to the beginning. We heard these passages paralleled in the reflective reading that opened worship this morning.

One phrase truly sums up the story of Christmas, I believe, but might need some unpacking to make more sense is in John 1:14. "And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory, the glory of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." The WORD, from the phrase “And the Word became flesh,” is a translation of logos in Greek, and is a term the Greek Philosophers used for logic or wisdom, and is even where our word logic comes from. The ideas of logos along with light and life were common terms used at that time by philosophers. But here the writer of John is taking these words and using them to show the world is forever changed. For the writer of John and for us, these words are not just philosophical ideas anymore; they live and breathe in the person of Jesus Christ. The God of the universe has become flesh and blood in human form--both fully God and fully human. Not only did this God-person exist, but lived in and among them. Because of Christmas, God now lives or tents or tabernacles or dwells among us. The tent and tabernacle images in John recall the Israelite image of the mobile tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant from the time of the desert wanderings in Exodus. As the Message translation explains, "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood." This is the point... this is what Christmas is all about--the Incarnation where God becomes human and moves into our neighborhood.

So why did God become human (incarnate) and move into our neighborhood? John writes that it is to show us God's glory in grace and truth. The ideas of grace and truth also hearken back to the Exodus and Moses when God created a covenant with the Israelites. This phrase “grace and truth” can also be translated as mercy and truth, or love. Jesus came to earth, moved into our neighborhood and showed us what LOVE looked like, smelled like, tasted like, felt like, and acted like. Jesus modeled love with his every breath so we could do the same--maybe that is a Christmas frame of mind? As one of my favorite authors, Shane Claiborne, puts it, "In the baby refugee Jesus, God becomes Emmanuel ("God with us"), crashing in the manger. And it is in the life of Jesus that God puts skin on to show us what love looks like." [Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006) 324]

This understanding of Christmas leads me to reflect on the other magnet I found in my stocking on Christmas Day--"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." A conspiracy of love--maybe that is what Christmas is all about. Christmas is God's cosmic conspiracy of love, and we've been invited to join in on the love-fest. Poet Ann Weems wrote a very short poem that I think brings these two magnet's saying together. She writes:

"When the Holy Child is born into our hearts
there is a rain of stars
a rush of angels
a blaze of candles
this God burst into our lives.
Love is running through the streets."
[Ann Weems, "Godburst" from Kneeling in Bethlehem (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1987) 27]

God has moved into the neighborhood, and, now, Love is running through the streets. Have you seen God's RV or Motor home parked in your front yard or at the next desk over from your cubicle? Was God standing next to you in the check-out lane at REI or Target as you made returns? Has God served you coffee and bagels or wine and bread recently? One writer I encountered this week asks, "Where then do we confront the divine, where do we touch the eternal living God, where do we experience the inner light?" Ahh--More great questions with no easy answers.

The Prologue tells us that John the Baptizer came to testify that Emmanuel, "God with us," was coming into the world, giving power to people to become children of God. So then, how do we TESTIFY to the presence of love running through the streets of our neighborhoods? Mother Teresa was quoted as saying, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love. It's not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it." Maybe that is a Christmas frame of mind. What small things can we do this year that will show God's great love to those around us--our families, our friends, our co-workers, and schoolmates? How can we love the stranger on the street corner or beside us in the check out line? Maybe its spending time with an elderly neighbor who needs to be reassured that someone really does care about them or holding a patient's hand as he or she awaits test results or treatment. Maybe we can demonstrate God's love running down the soccer field in Costa Rica as we help build a youth center and school. Maybe we participate in the conspiracy of love as we volunteer or take more time to show love to our family members who might be difficult at times to love. Hopefully we keep wrestling together with how we can see God's moving van in our neighborhood and join in with the conspiracy of love that Jesus modeled. Hopefully we can share the love of God with one another--those we love and those we have trouble loving.

I invite you to spend a few moments now quietly thinking about how you might enact a Christmas frame of mind throughout this year. Jot down ideas you have or questions that have been raised--maybe on the back of your watchword card or bulletin, and let's keep wrestling with our questions together. Email me, join me for coffee, pull aside a friend to chat as we all keep looking for God in our neighborhood and testify to the conspiracy of love... after all, Jesus came into the community to show us how to love, and here is probably the best place to practice our questioning, wrestling, and loving one another, so we can live the Christmas frame of mind in our world throughout 2009. Take a few moments now to reflect, and I will close us in prayer at the end.


God who's bigger than our questions,
thank you for moving into our neighborhood to give us Jesus as the model example of how to love and live. Give us the strength and insight needed as we wrestle with tough questions of faith and understand what it means that you took on flesh and blood. Empower us to testify to where we see you in our daily lives and show us where we can participate in your conspiracy of love. In Jesus' holy name, we pray. Amen.