Doing Justice

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?             Micah 6:8

Mississippi Burning        Normal Rockwell

This line from the prophet Micah always brings me home. Micah calls us to clean up our relationships with God and with each other. To do this does not mean increased piety, increased numbers of circuits around a rosary or increased hours meditating on scripture. 

What does the Lord require of you – 

YOU who already been declared as God’s beloved child?

Micah prophetically reminds us that God requires relationships; relationships with our neighbors and particularly with those who are being denied justice and those who are being ignored or treated unkindly. To be in relationship with these IS to walk humbly with God; to do what God requires of us.

God has already told us what is good. Now comes the time to do justice and to love kindness – for THAT is God’s call to action, and that is what develops a deeper relationship with God.    

Light

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined.  

Isaiah 9:1-2

                                                               Church of the Holy Nativity Bethlehem

In the beginning……

With these three words, what we know as The Bible begins. The writer describes the world (in the beginning) as formless, empty, and dark. Formless, empty and dark until God decided to speak – and God’s first words were, “Let there be light.”

Light is God’s plan for us; God’s plan for the world. Darkness just “is” until light enters in and then… everything changes! The world’s religions have formed around this idea: that we are people of the darkness until light enters in. It is the very bedrock of our faith.  

God called it into being and God invites us into it; beckons us.  The prophet Isaiah proclaims, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.” Where in your life is there darkness? Where does God need to shine that light? Is it in our relationships? Or on our physical or mental health? On our sins? On our blessings.  

God’s first words were, “Let there be light.”  And there was light.  

Do We Mean It?

Almighty God: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth;  from the Book of Common Prayer, p215.

The Blue Hole          Jenny Huang   c.2007

                                                                             

On Sunday, we will pray this prayer. Do we mean it?

In it, we ask God to allow us to shine the radiance of Christ’s glory to the whole world. In it, we pray that we will be given the responsibility to tell others about Christ. In It we pray that we will be allowed to lead others to worship and obedience. Do we mean it?

Evangelize for Jesus? Shine his Glory on the whole world? Not me, you might say. But, if not us, who? This is our task: to shine the light of Christ’s Glory not on ourselves, but on Him for all the world to see.  It is a bold prayer. Humbling, scary, and perhaps overwhelming. But, if not us, then who? This is the task we pray for.

Perhaps the best way to start is not by quoting scripture on street corners or threatening others with an eternity in hell. Perhaps the way to start is by using the very words of our Savior himself: Come and see. 

Come and see.  

Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John and the River Jordan. But John tried to deter him, saying,  “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”   Matthew 3:13-14

Why did Jesus need to be baptized by John?

Jesus was without sin, yet he came to where John was baptizing sinners and asked his cousin John to baptize him. John was thunderstruck! “My cousin, You are without sin, why do you need the cleansing or repentance that I offer to this brood of vipers?” It’s a logical question.  Jesus did not need to repent; he did not need the ritual washing that John offered those out there in the wilderness.

So why?

Jesus came to that rocky, muddy bank of the Jordan for three simple reasons.  First, to show the world his Jewishness; his willingness to submit to  the traditions of Judaism.  Second, to bear witness to his Messiahship; to let the world know that He was the One about whom John had been preaching.  And finally, his baptism was a message to us. In entering those waters, Jesus demonstrated that he not only acknowledges our sinfulness, but that he is willing to immerse himself in the murky miasma of our sins. Talk about a metaphor!  He takes our sins upon himself in order to neutralize them. He did it symbolically in the waters of the Jordan, then did it again on the cross at Calvary.

Billy Graham summarized this way:

“Jesus — who was the sinless Son of God — took upon himself your sins and my sins, and the sins of the whole human race. Just as he didn’t have to die, so he didn’t have to be baptized — until he became the bearer of all our sins.”

And that is Good News. 

Being Tamed

The Reading:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions………  Titus 2: 11

"The Scream"   Alwy Fadhel    (coffee on paper)

Every Christmas Eve, we hear a passage from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to Titus.  It’s a strange story to be paired with the lovely Gospel of Luke because it had nothing to do with Bethlehem or the Holy Land, or Jesus’ birth. Titus had been left on the Mediterranean island of Crete to establish a Church there and Crete was a place of wild and rebellious people.  Titus was facing a nearly impossible job, and Paul's short letter was simply one of instruction and encouragement to a lonely missionary.

How is this passage relevant on Christmas Eve? Why include it here? Perhaps it's to remind us that the world is full of wild and rebellious people and life will be full of nearly impossible tasks. Or maybe it's to remind us that with the Grace of God, we can and will accomplish amazing things. Or that, whenever we face the impossible or find ourselves on the brink of failure, God will be right there with us. In other words, this passage is a gentle reminder that God became man; that God is an Incarnate God.

So, as you attend Christmas Eve services this weekend, listen not only to Luke’s lovely story about the birth of the baby Jesus, listen, too, for the still small voice of Paul, encouraging Titus, and reminding him that God is right there with him, as he is with each one of us.

Merry Christmas.  

Dismissed

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her is from the Holy Spirit."    Matthew 1: 20

"Dream Under a Desert Sky"    Stella de Genova

Joseph resolved to dismiss her quietly. That proves he was a nice guy; not out to bring disgrace upon Mary or her family. But she did show up pregnant -- and he KNEW he wasn't a part of that. .

And then the dream. And that angel. Surely a figment of his imagination. But Joseph took the risk; believed what the angel said.  He felt in his bones that something extraordinary had occurred.  "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, Joseph." . 

Wondering this week if God speaks a to us in our dreams anymore. Do we have the faith of Joseph? And how would the story be different if he had dismissed her quietly? 

Fear

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God. He will come and save you."   Isaiah 35: 4

                                           "Fear"                                     Ty Agha              

There is an annual list published of things Americans fear most.*  This year, 61.6% of those polled responded that “corruption of government officials” was their top fear. Number 2 (at 41%) was “fear of terrorist attacks." Other items on the “Top 10” list include: governmental restrictions on firearms and ammunition, Obamacare, and identity theft. (It would be interesting to see a list that people living in Syria or South Sudan might compile.)

By contrast, Scripture often beseeches us not to be afraid.  In a society rife with fear, Christians are called to confront their fears with faith. We are called to accept that God is bigger than our fears; to believe God’s promises. That is our faith made manifest.
"Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God. He will come and save you."

 C.S. Lewis wrote, "Gratitude looks to the past. Love looks at the present. Fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.”

Let us live Advent in the present.
Let us be people of Love.    

·       USAToday.com

Shoots...... and new life

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.   Isaiah 11: 1

A stump. You’ve seen one. What once had been a mighty oak,  a graceful elm, or a winsome ash became sick and died. And people with chainsaws came and carted away what was left, leaving only a stump. Ignorable. Inert.

But God promises us that what is dead will provide sustenance and shelter for that which is being resurrected.

              “A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse,                                                              and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

In you, what has died? And what shoot, what quiet idea, is silently gestating in the deepest part of your heart?                            

What is longing to be born?

God promises all new life. 

Advent

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!   Isaiah 2:4-5

This Sunday, after we eat our Thanksgiving dinners and face the pandemonium that is Black Friday, we will enter into the season of Advent.  Advent means “before the coming” in Latin and it is the season of the church year where we consider Christ’s promise that He will come again.  To dismiss Advent as simply a “countdown to Christmas” or “four candles and a wreath” would be a grave mistake.

During Advent, the Church considers how the world will change when Jesus returns. We are called to self-examination and repentance as we think about how ready we are to stand before Christ upon His return. But it’s not all about dread; Advent calls us to glorious hope as well. We wait with joy and hopeful expectation because He promises that, when he comes again, wars will stop, dissension will cease, and an era of  peace will ensue. How ready are we for a dose of peace and an end to dissension?

His Law is Love and his Gospel is Peace.  O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! 

Light Bearing

In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace. The Song of Zechariah

Light over Galena       L.Meade

God promises to bring relief to the tormented, the poor, the oppressed; to “shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

Those lines, somehow, are grafted into my synapses and mysteriously appear in my consciousness when things get rough;  a balm to my soul when my heart is troubled. This week. I’ve been wondering what it might be like to be the agent of such blessing. What would be like for me to bring such light into another person’s life? To carry the lamp of tender compassion into another’s distress or grief? 

And then I realized, it is most always another traveler who brings the light to me when mine has grown dull – often someone regular and rather unremarkable; often someone just like me, being God’s agent at work in the world. God uses regular folk, folks just like you and me, to bring a guiding light to others when they’re in darkness. God’s funny that way.  

Just regular folks like us. 

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent-- its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.  Isaiah 65: 24-25

None of us are perfect. There is no perfect candidate, no perfect government, no perfect solution. And we have a new President-elect this day; and neither is he perfect. The letter to the Colossians reminds us that there is no perfection except in Jesus Christ.

So whether you are celebrating or grieving today, let us remind ourselves that the goal is God: relationship with Jesus Christ, love for one another, and that we are all beloved of God. Perhaps the greatest challenge will be to live into the prophesy of Isaiah: the promise that the wolf and the lamb will come together, perfectly, in Jesus Christ. That is my prayer. 

Praise

Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful. 

Psalm 149:1

An abbreviated Whispering this week, because I am on vacation.

As I've been traveling through the Rocky Mountains and the desert Southwest these last two weeks, I've seen God in many faces and in many skies and I've whispered "Hallelujah!" many times.  We're called to that; called to praise and sing songs to the Lord.

What does praising God feel like or look like to you?  What are your songs? And do you have any NEW ones?

Thanks for your prayers. May the peace of God bless each one of you this week.
Liz+