Treasures New and Old

(Text: John 3:1-21) In one of the most famous chapters of the Bible, a Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to Jesus looking for answers. Confronted with Jesus' insistence that he must be born again, Nicodemus asks the key question: "How can these things happen?"

"(Text: John 2:13-25) Jesus is causing a disruption at the temple, overturning the tables of the money changers and driving out the animals and those selling them for sacrifices. Since these practices are allowed in the Law of Moses, the people ask Jesus by what authority he does this. His response is startling: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up!”

(Text: John 2:1-11) John begins his telling of Jesus' ministry with a puzzling miracle: turning water into wine at a wedding. Though this seems relatively unimportant, it is in Jesus's quiet care for his hosts that we see his glory "full of grace and truth."

(Text: Luke 2:1-20) With all of the fancy decorations and cheerful lights, it's easy to forget that Jesus was born without honor in a stable to poor unwed parents. The miracle of Christmas is that even in such a lowly state, God still showed up in Jesus Christ. (This sermon was preached at our late Christmas Eve service.)

(Text: John 1:19-34) John the Baptist is making quite a stir in the wilderness, and so leaders from Jerusalem are coming to him with a question: ‘Who are you?’ John answers not by pointing to his own qualities, but by pointing to Jesus. Similarly, though our culture expects us to build our own identities, it is only in relation to Jesus that we can truly answer the question: ‘Who are you?’

(Text: John 1:1-18) Here at the transition between Advent and Christmas, we hear a transition in God's plan to fix the broken relationship between Creator and creatures. At Christmas, God's creative word becomes a person, and God speaks in a new way to break through our deafness.

(Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14) We hear of a vision given to Ezekiel which involves the resurrection of a whole valley full of bones. These bones, we are told, are the whole house of Israel, and the Spirit of God is able to give them life in the face of exile. We, too, rely on God's enlivening Spirit to make us whole and give us life in a world dominated by death.

(Text: Daniel 3) Daniel 3 brings us the famous story of three Jewish exiles in Babylon refusing to bow down before the king's golden statue. For their resistance, they are sentenced to be burned alive in a fiery furnace. Still they are defiant, trusting in God even against the threat of this powerful king. We, too, are called to trust in God and reject all idols, no matter how attractive they may be.

(Text: Jeremiah 29:1-14) Jeremiah writes a letter from Jerusalem to the recently deported exiles in Babylon. While it is a letter of comfort, it comes with a hard edge: the chosenness of Israel will not prevent Babylon from conquering them. Today, too, Christians are exiles in the world, and the chosenness of our nation will not save us.

(Text: Amos 1:1-2, 5:6-24) Our reading today ends with the famous call to let justice and righteousness “roll down” from heaven. While this is an inspiring message, we often forget that Amos is addressed to those who have neglected justice and righteousness, oppressing the poor and exploiting the needy. When God’s justice does roll down, it is not for them a pleasant shower, but a destructive deluge.