This week Pastor Penny’s message will be rooted in Matthew 5:13-20. Together we will wonder about how we are called to be “the salt of the earth and the light of the world”.

Karoline Lewis writes:

“It is not enough to know about God. As disciples, we have to be the activity of God in the world. We are called to live out our identity as salt and light.”

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This week we continue to ponder the question “Who is this?” as we encounter Jesus through the stories of some of his earliest ministry experiences in Matthew’s Gospel. As both Pastor Kelly and Pastor Jorge have already alluded to, this is a question that echoes around Jesus throughout his ministry and also directly impacts who we understand ourselves to be as a people who seek to follow in his way with passion and purpose today.

Our scripture reading for this week focuses on the opening section of what is commonly referred to as “The Sermon on the Mount”. The opening section, commonly known as “The Beatitudes”, is comprised of several pronouncements of blessedness by Jesus. Here, we see Jesus fulfilling the role of teacher, as he tries to impart to his disciples a deeper understanding of both the mind and heart of God. Knowledge shared for the purpose of shaping the values that will guide them in their shared ministry.

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As we celebrate his fight for racial equality and justice through nonviolent protest, honoring his commitment to freedom, service, and building a “Beloved Community” for all people, we continue the journey through the season that describes Christ’s revelation to the world, asking “Who is this?”

This question anticipates the questions that follow Jesus throughout his life and ministry – questions from both followers and adversaries. It’s also a defining question of our own faith journeys: Who is this Jesus, and what difference does the answer to that question make in my life? But asking “who is this?” about Jesus suggests the same question at other levels, too:

Who is this community? Who are these people who walk the journey of faith with me?

And who am I, seen through the lens of faith?

This worship series leans into curiosity and openness as we embark upon a season (and a lifetime!) of ongoing discovery.

Our scripture for this week focuses on the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, revealing who he is through where he goes, what he proclaims, and whom he calls. Jesus begins not at the center of power, but in Galilee—among ordinary people living under economic strain and political pressure—announcing that the reign of God has drawn near.

He calls fishermen to follow him, forming a community shaped by trust and shared purpose, and he embodies the good news through teaching, healing, and restoration. Liberation theologian Jon Sobrino captures the heart of this moment when he writes that Jesus is “good news for the poor and a challenge to all that makes them poor.”

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Our scripture reading for this week features John – known as the baptist – introducing Jesus. John suggests two aspects of who Jesus is: “Lamb of God” and “Chosen One.” Later, Simon-Peter and Andrew call Jesus “Rabbi” (“teacher”). Jillian Nelson writes:

“What is particularly poignant to me about this passage is that these markers of Jesus’ identity are not used to elevate him above everyone else, making him unapproachable. Instead, Jesus invites his new disciples into participation with him. He invites them to follow him further to discover what they seek to know. The rest of the gospel provides us with deeper insights into Jesus’ identity if only we will ‘come and see.’ “

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Matthew 3:13-3:17 (CEB)

Excerpts from Karri Alldredge’s commentary for this text on Working Preacher points out:

”While the five short verses of the gospel reading focus attention on Jesus’ baptism, it is important to honor the many people who made it possible for Jesus to arrive at this point. For Jesus would not have made it to adulthood, much less his baptism, without individuals and communities attuned to listening to God and protecting the vulnerable…

…Today’s gospel narrative invites us to reflect on the communal nature of Jesus’ baptism along with our own. It calls us to reflect on communities who have nurtured our faith journeys and the ways we are called to support others as the body of Christ.

Matthew’s gospel opens with a genealogy. This genealogy roots Jesus in the story of the people of Israel from the beginning, unlike Luke, whose genealogy follows Jesus’ baptism. Matthew’s account provides Jesus with a lineage traced through Abraham and David. Ultimately, this affirms Jesus’ role as the Messiah.

But the genealogy does more than merely trace lineage; it serves as a reminder of the stories and experiences that shape a culture, a faith, and a people. It provides reminders of stories of resilience, like Ruth’s, and those of violence, like Tamar’s. It also memorializes collective experiences such as the Babylonian deportation. It reminds readers of the stories we know much about, like Abraham’s, and little about, like Achim’s. These generations, complete with historical anomalies, remind Jesus that as he enters the Jordan River, he does so guided by the faith of ancestors who came before him…

…As witnessed by those who supported Jesus, this is not only a spiritual practice, but a political one as well. As we recount Jesus’ baptism, it is a time to honor the many people who aided in getting him to the Jordan River that day despite the threat of imperial violence and the power of cultural norms. May it invite us in a time when children are being violently separated from their parents over immigration, and when transgender youth are being denied access to gender-affirming care, to consider the role of the church and community to protect the vulnerable and support them in living into who God has called them to be…”

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Matthew 2:1-12, Matthew 2:16-28 (NRSV)

Luke’s Gospel begins the story of Jesus with this opening line: “In the time of Herod…” This detail may seem minor to modern readers, however, it reveals layers of information about the fearful world Jesus entered, one filled with rampant oppression, economic disparity, uncertainty, and instability. A world not so unlike our own. And yet, throughout the stories of Christ’s birth, we hear the whispers of angels delivering a surprising message: “Do not fear.” In our own time, we might ask: is it even possible to be fearless in a fearful world? When Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi are each called into God’s redemptive story, they do not deny their fears—they move through them. They ask questions, hold fast to courage, trust in good news, and say, “Here I am, Lord.” When we find ourselves in fearful times, can we acknowledge our fears while also insisting on hope?

This Advent series that takes seriously the angels’ message and trusts that Christ’s birth truly is good news of great joy for all people. The series looks closely at the fear and terror looming in the background during the time of King Herod and invites us to consider the fears we hold now. Fear can divide and paralyze us, and even be used as a tool for oppression. But what if we formed a different relationship with fear? Can we acknowledge fear without letting it rule us? Might we catalyze our fears into love and action? What if naming our fears helps us see more clearly how God is breaking in and where God is at work? This series gently invites us to identify where fear is present—both in the Advent story and in our lives—while also finding our way toward hope, with the angels’ voices in our ears.

Every Advent, we light candles, sing carols, and pray for Christ’s coming because we believe God entered a frightened world to bring good news. We hold onto hope because we believe that Christ did come—that’s the promise of the season. Our hope is not flimsy or fleeting. It’s gritty, resilient, and can endure—no matter what we fear or face. This season, let us insist on hope and trust that good news is greater than fear.

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Matthew 2:13-15, Matthew 2:19-23 (NRSV)

As we celebrate Christmas this week, we are filled with joy with the birth of baby Jesus, the announcement of the angels, the whole creation bursting with hope. And we are also reminded that the Holy Family endured fear, rejection, uncertainty at this moment in their life. Things could have gone wrong, but God accompanied them in the journey to Bethlehem. But that fearful and perilous journey was just the beginning.

The Holy Family fears for their safety and for their child’s life, like so many refugees around the world. Their valid fears motivate them to move—and so they seek refuge in Egypt until it is safe for them to return home. Instead of trying to push fear away, they used it as fuel. What if we harnessed that incredible source of energy for good, fighting for a world where no one fears for their safety? Utilizing our fear wisely not only helps others; taking action also interrupts the fear that so easily paralyzes us. The work helps others, but the act of putting our fear to work changes us, too.

The Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee helps us to understand the complexity of that moment:

Christmas is not a conclusion—it is a beginning.

In Matthew’s Gospel, the good news of Jesus’ birth is immediately met with a violent response from the empire. Herod, threatened by the news of a new king, responds with fear turned lethal.

Once again, fear drives people into flight. Joseph, warned in a dream, takes Mary and Jesus and flees to Egypt. This is no small journey—it is a border-crossing, a dislocation, a story of becoming refugees in a foreign land. Matthew’s account intentionally echoes the story of Moses: a tyrant ordering babies to be killed, a child of promise narrowly escaping death, and God’s presence moving through exile toward liberation.

What do we do with fear in this story? We often imagine fear as something to overcome or silence. But here, fear becomes a catalyst for movement. The Holy Family’s flight to Egypt is born of fear— but it is also born of love, of protection, of resistance to unjust power. (Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, Sanctified Art)

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Luke 2:13-20

Luke 2:7-20, (NRSV)

Matthew 1:18-25, Isaiah 41:5-10 (NRSV)

The theme for the fourth week of Advent is “When you’re afraid, give me your hand!” “Give me your hand” might be counter to how we usually respond to fear, but what if fear can result in connection instead of isolation? Joseph moves through his fears of rejection and shame in order to stand in solidarity with Mary, shielding her from harm. Their bond makes them each stronger. We don’t live out our callings in isolation— like the people of Israel in Isaiah’s time, our communal flourishing depends on each person stepping into their calling despite their fear. The Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee describes the power of community in this way:

Advent invites us not simply to “be not afraid,” but to act with love in the midst of fear. Not to fix everything, but to show up with courage. To reach out and say: “Give me your hand.” … God’s work in the world unfolds not through lone heroes, but through the joined hands of those who choose relationship over self-protection, accompaniment over certainty, and presence over perfection. Mary’s “yes” mattered. So did Joseph’s. So did Isaiah’s. So does ours. Today, and every day, we’re not asked to fix the world. We’re asked to take each other’s hands and walk forward into it—together. (Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, Sanctified Art)

Worship online with thetable.live. CCLI #805699 / CCLI Streaming #094804