“Our session, which is our church council, if you’re not Presbyterian, this year will be doing a book study together…”

“In the church I grew up in, in Springfield, Ohio, every Sunday after our children’s message…”

“This Changes Everything”

Luke 1:46-55

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

47     and my spirit rejoices in God

my Savior,

48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his

servant.

    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

50 His mercy is for those who fear him

    from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their

hearts.

52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

    and lifted up the lowly;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

    and sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

    in remembrance of his mercy,

55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

One of my favorite tv shows

is The Office. I am currently on about my 400th watch of the series.

I shared this last week in our Sunday morning class, and some people in the

class quickly questioned my tastes in entertainment. I don’t care. I love it.

The show centers around

Michael Scott, regional manager of Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In

the fourth season, his new boss Ryan Howard comes in for a presentation. In it

he shares plans to massively overhaul the way the company works. A new website,

where most of the sales will take place. Blackberries for every employee. Much

more of the company being online.

It doesn’t sink in for

Michael. After the meeting, he talks with Ryan in his office. He says to his

new boss,

“I

just want to make sure that vis-a-vis me in the office, everything is business

as usual.”

“Well,

it’s business but not as usual,” Ryan responds.

“Yeah,

no, I understand. We’re making great strides and you’re updating. – But

business as usual, no?”

“No.

We threw out the playbook, We are start from scratch. We’re implementing a

brand new system.”

“Good,

so we’re on the same page.”

“No.

We’re not.”

Michael ends it with a

frustrated face, just wanting everything to be the same way it always has been.

Throughout the scene, he never gets that things are changing. That this meeting

was not just for show, it was to lead them in a whole new direction. He feels

much more comfortable with “business as usual” than anything that shakes things

up, that leads in a new direction.

I am reminded of this scene

because that is often how we as followers of Christ act. We celebrate this

Advent and Christmas season – we hear the words of Isaiah and John, Elizabeth

and Mary, we sing songs of praise and joy, we light candles, we wrap presents,

we bake cookies, we share meals with family and friends. And I love all those

things.

But then we go straight back

to business as usual. We view the world and ourselves as if the incarnation of

Christ has made no major changes.

And that is why I love this

song of Mary, mother of Jesus. It is a song of joy. It is a song of praise. But

it is also a song about our world being flipped upside down. The lowly are

lifted up. The proud are scattered. Servants are favored above kings. The

hungry are filled, and the rich are brought low. Everything is about to

change 

One of the most beloved songs

of this season is “Mary, Did You Know?” It is a song that connects the birth of

Jesus to all he will do here on earth with us and for us. It is a beautiful

song. But it is an interesting title, because Mary knows the message of the

incarnation so much better than we do. While we are tempted to hold on to

business as usual, to a world still ruled by the mighty, the wealthy, the

Hope in a World of FOMO

Romans 13:11-14

11 As you do all this, you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep. Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had faith. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near. So let’s get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light. 13 Let’s behave appropriately as people who live in the day, not in partying and getting drunk, not in sleeping around and obscene behavior, not in fighting and obsession.14 Instead, dress yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t plan to indulge your selfish desires.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

I vividly remember the first

time I heard this passage in worship. I was in college, and the night before

was a night I am not proud of. It was the beginning of a semester, and I wanted

this semester to be the most fun and exciting and memorable. That night started

with going out with friends. But as I wanted to make it as exciting and memorable

as possible, it soon turned into me going from party to party, sometimes with

friends, sometimes on my own. I drank way too much, became way too loud, and my

actions quickly became more and more rude and selfish to all who were around

me, friends and strangers. By the time I made my way back to my dorm and

sobered up a little bit, I was left deeply regretting how I had treated people

and wondering who I had become that night. Because I realized as memorable and

exciting as that night was, this is not who I want to be.

The next morning I somehow

made my way to worship. There, I heard this text from Romans 13 read and

preached. Verses 13 and 14 especially seemed like far too much of a coincidence

to me:

Let’s behave appropriately as people who live in the

day, not in partying and getting drunk, not in sleeping around and obscene

behavior, not in fighting and obsession.14 Instead,

dress yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t plan to indulge your

selfish desires.

It was one of those mornings

where I could swear that God was using the pastor to speak directly to me. And

I needed to hear that message that morning. It was a good wake-up call, and a

correction to my selfish actions. So I’ve remembered those verses 13 and 14

ever since.

But what I didn’t pay

attention to that morning were the verses that came before them. What I didn’t

hear is the first part of the passage. I heard the correction. I heard what not

to do. But I missed the great message of hope that Paul starts this passage

with:

11 As you do all

this, you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up

from your sleep. Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had

faith. 

Our

salvation is near. While this passage includes words of correction, its main

emphasis isn’t guilt or shame or judgment, even on people who have acted like I

have. Paul isn’t saying, “I’m better than you.”

Instead,

it is a message of hope. God came to earth and lived as one of us. God healed

us and taught us and showed us a better way. God died on a cross and rose from

the grave, and lives forever. And God is inviting us to this much better party,

to this kingdom, to this life without end. We are a people of hope, Paul is

telling us, who are offered everlasting life. This is great news. This is

joyful news. This is news to sing about and dance for and share with others.

But this should also greatly change the way we live here and now.

In

the ancient world, there was a common phrase: “Eat, drink, and be merry, for

tomorrow we die.” Paul quotes it in 1 Corinthians 15. Jesus quotes it in a

parable about a rich man hoarding treasure for himself. It is a philosophy that

each person needs to cram in as much pleasure and toys and consumption as

possible each day, because we only have today. How we develop as people, as

communities, as relationships, none of that matters as much as getting and

consuming and experienci

When we think of kings and rulers, what images come first to our minds?

“Celebrate with Me”

Luke 15:1-10 (CEB)

All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering

around Jesus to listen to him. 2 The Pharisees and

legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with

them.”

3 Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose

someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave

the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds

it? 5 And when he finds it, he is thrilled and

places it on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives home,

he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me

because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same

way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes

both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to

change their hearts and lives.

8 “Or what woman, if she owns ten silver

coins and loses one of them, won’t light a lamp and sweep the house, searching

her home carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds

it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me

because I’ve found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same

way, I tell you, joy breaks out in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner

who changes both heart and life.”

There is a church in northern

Virginia, which a few years ago began looking at the community living around

them. They noticed some big changes. The population was growing. Housing was

exploding. There were more jobs and restaurants, breweries and wineries

sprouting up everywhere. One of the biggest changes was who was now in their

community. The number of first and second and third generation immigrants was exponentially

growing. The church especially noticed that more and more people in their neighborhoods

spoke Spanish as their primary language. They also knew that one of their

pastors was bilingual, speaking both Spanish and English.

So after a few months of

study, prayer, and discernment, a group of leaders in the church decided to try

out a new ministry. Every Wednesday at noon they would open their doors to the

Spanish speaking community around them, offering a Spanish language Bible

study, worship, and lunch to all who wished to come.  The leaders of this new ministry were very

excited.

But a number of the other church

members were far less sure. Like every church, they had a tight budget and knew

volunteers were already stretched thin. They loved their bilingual pastor, but

wondered if this was the best use of her time. “Shouldn’t we be doing more for

the people who are already a part of our church?” they wondered. “The financial

cost, the volunteers, the time this took in the pastor’s week – shouldn’t these

things be more directed to serving our own members?”

These questions started to

spread. Pretty soon they made their way to the ear of this pastor who would be

leading this new ministry. Very wisely, she decided to reach out to those who

had the most doubts. “Come this Wednesday” she said to each one of them. “Check

it out. You don’t have to serve. Just come and have lunch with us and see it in

action.”

It’s hard to say no to that.

So the members came. Those first couple Wednesdays they sat down with their

Spanish speaking neighbors. And at first, their doubts continued. Over lunch, they

struggled. It was hard to have any conversation. It seemed like church members

were on one side and the Spanish speaking community on the other, and their

doubts grew. Both groups didn’t know each other well and had fears and mistrust

in one another.

But then the Bible study

started. The pastor gathered everyone in a circle, and one by one, the Spanish

speaking neighbors sat down with the church members. They brought out their

Bibles. As the pastor taught in Spanish, the members saw their neighbors lean in

more and more in excitement, writing down notes the whole time, speaking u

“To You, Even Silence is Praise”

Psalm 65:1-8

God of Zion, to you even silence is praise.     Promises made to you are kept— 2     you listen to prayer—     and all living things come to you.

3 When wrongdoings become too much for me,     you forgive our sins. 4 How happy is the one you choose to bring close,     the one who lives in your courtyards! We are filled full by the goodness of your house,     by the holiness of your temple.

5 In

righteousness you answer us,

    by your awesome deeds,

    God of our salvation—

    you, who are the security

        of all the far edges of the

earth,

        even the distant seas.

6     You

establish the mountains by your strength;

    you are dressed in raw power.

7     You

calm the roaring seas;

        calm the roaring waves,

        calm the noise of the nations.

8 Those who

dwell on the far edges

        stand in awe of your acts.

    You make the gateways

        of morning and evening sing for

joy.

A week ago, I spent two and a

half days at a retreat on Celtic Spirituality. The retreat was held at Roslyn

Retreat Center, which if you have never been there, I highly encourage you to

go for a personal retreat or conference. The grounds are spectacular. Rolling

hills, wooded walking paths, Adirondack chairs, hammocks, and patios to gather

along, talk, pray, meditate, and breathe. Their chapel is especially beautiful.

It sits on top of a hill and the entire back of it is glass. So as you are

worshiping inside of it, you look out upon the trees changing color, the canal

and river below, and birds flying past.

The first day I was there was

one of those rare perfect fall afternoons in Virginia, with sun shining, and

white clouds moving slowly in the sky. It was easy to see God that day. But the

next morning we woke up to about a twenty degree drop in temperature, dark

clouds rolling in on the horizon, and soon rain pouring down upon us. We met

again in the chapel that morning, worshiping and hearing the story of George

MacLeod, who restarted in the 1930s the Iona Community off the west coast of

Scotland, an ancient pilgrimage site of music and prayer, literature and

worship, justice and ecumenical mission. MacLeod’s famous phrase was “Matter

matters,” inviting people to see God and the holy in everyday, ordinary

substances and people, locations, and creations. We were invited to take the

next 45 minutes and go wherever we would like to meditate, to pray, to watch,

to wake up, to walk, to sit, to do whatever our soul was calling us to do. But

to do it in silence.

I knew exactly where I wanted

to go. On the side of the dining hall, where I knew I could get some more

coffee to wake me up, was a covered patio. I put on my jacket, grabbed a mug,

and sat outside on the brisk and a little bit damp patio chairs. Sitting there,

I first thought I needed to say or do something or come with a litany before

God. But something was calling me to instead just sit and watch and be silent.

It was still raining hard in front of me, and I was grateful for the overhang.

As I sat there for a few minutes my eyes made their way down the hill to an

outdoor altar that stood there. And all around the altar were these geese,

walking and playing, honking back and forth to each other, without any cover at

all. At first I thought, what are these geese doing? It’s wet. It’s cold. It’s

raining harder and harder. They should be running or flying for shelter. They

should be upset and worried about this new, rainy weather instead of happy and

playing, splashing and talking out in the middle of this field.