Moment of Clarity With Rev. Lorrie Daly-Price

The scriptures chosen for this week focus on listening for the voice of God and God’s movements within our lives. God is constantly speaking in our lives through insights, encounters, hunches, dreams, bursts of energy, and inspirational thoughts. Our calling is to listen to the many voices of God, often hidden in everyday experience, and then follow God’s guidance, shaping our encounters with God in our own unique ways. In our reading today from John‘s gospel Jesus’ ministry begins with calling disciples – and significantly, disciples who will immediately go off and call others, saying, “Come and see! We’ve found him!” So Andrew calls his brother, Simon, and in today’s passage, Philip goes off to find Nathaniel. John’s point about the story of Nathaniel’s call is that Jesus knows Nathaniel; Nathaniel is called to come and get to know Jesus. Look at Nathaniel’s question: “Where did you get to know me?” In other words, he says, “We’re not acquainted, are we?” This becomes an epiphany for Nathaniel who makes the connection that John intends us to make: only God could know these things. Only God has such intimate knowledge of us.

This week as we hear the story of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist from Luke’s gospel. This provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our own understanding of baptism. Jesus’ act  of being baptized is the assurance of his commitment to partner with us, and is the invitation for us to participate in the work of God’s reign. There is also the promise of God’s Spirit to empower us, and the gift of God’s living word to challenge, guide and strengthen us. We are provided with an assurance that we have all the resources we need to participate in God’s work

This Sunday we focus primarily on the Gospel of John, chapter 1 verses 1-18.  It is a tightly packed prologue that allows us to ponder Jesus as divine, but also one who came to live among us in human form. Similar to perhaps some childhood games you may have played growing up, you might get a ‘do over’ if you mistakenly did something—you’d ask for a ‘do over’. In a way, each year as we travel through the season of Advent with Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem which culminates in Jesus’ birth—consider that we all have been given a ‘do over’ in the miracle and mystery of Jesus’ birth. How did Christ’s birth and life help shape or define who you are in the world; who you are in Christ?

Today’s readings from both Luke and Matthew's gospel speak of our ability to notice God in our midst. God is abundant, providing hints and revelations everywhere, but do we have senses to notice? If we can notice God in a Bethlehem baby, perhaps we can notice God in all things, and all things in God. Perhaps, if we train our senses to discover God’s presence, every cup of coffee will become, as Joyce Rupp suggests, “the cup of life.”

This Sunday we come together to hear the story from so long ago. We will see Mary, riding a donkey, accompanied by Joseph, making their way to Bethlehem to be counted. It is here that they end up staying in the only place available to them, a stable where Jesus is born. Angels appear and summon the shepherds, who come with their offerings of sheep and other animals. Then wise men follow the star that was over the very place where this child had been born, bearing gifts for the child. Come and be apart of this magical performance of the story being told. Our pageant this year is sure to be a special treat, make sure to tune in to our 10 am service.

This week we turn to Luke’s writing which is an account in two acts: the Gospel biography of Jesus and then the story of the early church–the “Jesus community." Whether you were a Jew or Gentile in those days, deciding to become a part of this illegal early Christian movement could bring punishment for your allegiance. Surely the message in both Luke and Isaiah that the  downcast, lowly, and oppressed would rise up is a welcome and inspirational account. Like the Jewish exiled people of Isaiah’s time and the early Christians, we also sometimes wonder where God is in our suffering. We long to hear the promise that a reason for joyful praise is the good news on the way!

“Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him, Emmanuel (‘God with us').” (Mathew 1: 23 and Isaiah 7: 14) In both the Gospel of Matthew and Isaiah, a messenger appears as a sign from God, heralding a new era. In each passage, the words “do not be afraid” appear... offering a clue that the messenger–whether prophet or angel–was referencing something that induced fear in the recipient. A new way of being, of relating and loving takes courage– eschewing the present order of things so that a new and better day can be born.

“Prepare the way...”“Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news.” “Raise your voice... raise it; don’t be afraid” 

(Mark 1: 1-15 and Isaiah 40: 1-11) 

This Advent, we are looking to hear some comfort, some challenge and some good news. The prophet Isaiah and the four Gospel authors were writing in a time when people needed desperately to hear all of these as well. This first week, Isaiah and the gospel writer who published first–Mark–reassure the people that good news is beginning and yet they both say, “make yourself ready!” Raise your voices, change your hearts, get ready to be transformed, because now is the time. Have hope that we can do what needs to be done to bring more light into the world.

This week we hear Jesus’ parable of the “sheep and the goats” from Matthew‘s gospel. A  parable reminding us of our role in caring for the vulnerable, for when we do we are implicitly caring for God. God feels the pain of the vulnerable and the joy of their restoration to wholeness

The reminder today is straightforward, it seems to me. We will encounter Jesus in the ‘least of these’ — in the hungry and the thirsty. In the stranger and the naked and the sick and those in prison. Oh no, our faith is not only of the mind and of the heart, but is also for the hands and the feet. We live our faith in what we do. In those moments we become the face of Christ for another and in our times of need they become that for us. 

 

Think of a time when you were confronted with great need.  How were  you able to see Jesus then?  How did you respond?

This week is Jesus’ parable of the talents found in Matthew‘s gospel. It is about the ways we use our gifts and resources. The Master congratulates and rewards the business savvy of two servants, while punishing the servant who holds onto his allotment, fearful of risk-taking. There  is no need to punish judgment, and perhaps the third servant doesn’t deserve the rebuke he receives. Still, the times call out for risk-taking, that is, trusting God with the future and acting creatively and responsibly. Adventure can be risky but it can also be rewarding, opening to us new gifts and horizons of possibility.

 

Today‘s reading begs the questions: What prudent risks do we need to take as individuals and as a congregation? What would happen if we were awake to events and energies emerging in our current situation? It challenges us to speak out on behalf of the vulnerable, even if this may involve a degree of risk.