In our gospel lesson today, we have Mary’s song of praise and gratitude, which has been given the title, The Magnificat. My soul proclaims your greatness O God, and my spirit rejoices in you my Savior. The Message, a paraphrase of the Bible, puts it this way, Mary says “I’m bursting with good news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior, God took one look at me, and look what happened- I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!”

Now really, she is not even technically a woman. She’s a pregnant teenager and unmarried. She has run off out into the country to her cousin Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth is much older and also pregnant. Where is the good news?

Mary must have had some fear. An angel, Gabriel had come to visit her to tell her that she would be the mother of the Savior of the world, which as a Jewish woman, would mean the messiah. Who would believe her? What were people going to say when they saw her, a pregnant, unmarried teenager carrying a baby? That must have been the reason that she ran off into the country to her cousin’s to stay at least three months. 

She would be a disgrace to her family, even though she had done nothing to get pregnant. Mary probably didn’t know what Joseph would do, as any other man who would be engaged and his fiancé became pregnant would normally want to disown her. Even going back after three months with Elizabeth, she had no idea how or who would receive her. 

Yet, despite all the shame, hardship and possibly death that she may encounter, here she is praising God. Mary can’t contain herself and it causes her to burst forth in song, singing the good news. She is looking at this as a gift from God. God has set her apart, yet no church leader would have done this. Culture would not tolerate this.

Is it God that doesn’t get it, or is it human beings that really don’t understand God. God seems to enjoy role reversals and surprising us with the unexpected. It doesn’t always make us feel comfortable. It shifts where power and control are placed by God, and we want to fight it.

First of all, here is a woman basically elevated above men. She is being given a role in our Christian faith that no man can hold. God has given her the mission to be the mother of God’s son, our Savior, the Messiah, as Christians understand him. We could easily say that of course she is carrying the baby as God didn’t create men to do this.

Although, God could have picked a woman of nobility, but God did not. Mary was probably seen as the least of all people by society, yet for God this was the person chosen to carry out this mission. In this song of gratitude, we also find prophecy of what kind of Messiah and Savior her son, Jesus would be.

          Did you hear when I read it that on one hand God has already done these things and yet I believe it is giving us hope that God will continue to do these things. Mary is describing that Jesus will continue to do the work and model what God wants.

God’s kingdom is forever in reform of bringing all people back in line. We are all made differently, and this is to be celebrated. Although not all people celebrate this, and it makes them feel uncomfortable and out of control. What God continues to do in God’s way is to bring everyone back to how God views people and that is, all people are gifted by God and important for life in the community.

I don’t believe that God sets up a hierarchy in a few people. No one has all the answers, but collectively a community can produce the best options and then make choices. I don’t believe that God puts certain people in power to control others. Yet some people have less money than others, but that doesn’t mean that they should be treated differently than others who have more money.

We are reminded by Mary and Elizabeth today that it doesn’t make any difference to God about age or gender who is called to do God’s work. Even in our Old Testament lesson from Micah, we are reminded that God did not choose a major city and palace for Jesus to be born in. Bethlehem was as The Message puts it, the runt of the litter. Jesus was born in a stable in the hay.

The Message goes on to say, from Bethlehem will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He’ll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished. David was a shepherd who was born in Bethlehem.

If God doesn’t see what God wants to see in our country today, these things prophesied by Mary will continue to happen. God can work through anyone to bring these things into action. But history tells us that God does not always work through those in high places. 

In order for human beings to see something different, God shakes it up and works through those who culture does not like to recognize as capable people. As people of God, we are called to listen and watch when people are being oppressed, when people are hungry and need care. We will be called to address these issues and thankfully we are doing some of that already. But there may be more coming where we will be called to take a stand. This is how we will continue to do God’s work modeled by Jesus.

Today our model for faith is Mary who is able to embrace her mission to be the mother of Jesus amidst all of the unknowns. She is willing to put her trust in God. We have some idea of what she encountered in this role given to her by God to be the Messiah’s mother. God kept her safe as well as having the support of Joseph. This is the good news that God is always with God’s people.

          Are we able to sing with our whole heart in gratitude for God calling us to be followers of Jesus? We can be called by God to any role, and we can resist or with faith embrace whatever God is calling us to do. Remember the good news is that God continues to be with us. Jesus walks beside us through all of the unknowns in our life.

May we sing this good news in our life shown by the way in which we connect with our neighbor!

Let us pray, God who brings good news to us in so many ways, May your Holy Spirit help us to respond to your call in faith as Mary did. Mary was the least of all people who others thought would be called to this role. We know that you are calling each one of us to serve you. Help us to serve you in joy that others may hear and see the good news in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen

This is a special musical presentation of the People, Look East by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is the Christmas Pageant presented by the youth of Faith Lutheran Church today. It is entitled 12 Symbols of Christmas!

This is a special musical presentation of the Angels Advent Carol by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Will We Know Him by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Sermon for Faith Lutheran Church-Okemos

December 8, 2024; Advent 2 – Year C

Megan Floyd

Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior… the one for whom we prepare.  Amen.

I think we all know… babies tend to arrive without regard for whether the parents are fully ready for them… or not.

In fact, I don’t know anyone who claims they were fully prepared and ready in every way for the arrival of their children. …and if they said they were, I wouldn’t have believed them.

When my husband and I were awaiting the birth of our first child, we did all we believed we were supposed to do to prepare the way.

We… made the soft colors bright… and the sharp edges round… we filled baskets with diapers and baby stuff… and we made the rough ways in our home smooth.

And yet… we were not fully prepared. We were not prepared for how much the arrival of our child would change us…  

We were not prepared for the shift in our relationship and… the love! Who knew you could love someone so much?

There was so much to do, and yet, an enormous amount of the preparations happened, not in our home, but in our hearts… and in our minds.

Preparing for God’s arrival is much the same… it is mostly an internal, ongoing work that we must do to be ready to receive our God and Savior, who chooses to come to us as a lowly, innocent child.

In our Gospel today, we hear the prophet John, crying out from the wilderness… prepare the way!

This child is coming… no ordinary human child… but a savior! Prepare!

This word from God does not come to us from the rulers of the day, or even the temple leaders… no.

The word of God bypasses all that earthly power and authority to rest on John… ruler of no one and governor of nowhere… just… John, son of Zechariah.

God’s word comes to us from out of the wild… a place unbound by time and unbidden to society… from out of the desert wilderness… we hear…

Prepare the way! …for none other than the light of the world is about to break over us like the dawn… prepare!

Driven by love and tender compassion, our Creator, God the Almighty… has chosen to meet us exactly where we are.

Our heavenly parent has come down to meet us in the ordinary, the humble and lowly… to shine a holy light into our dark places… and guide our feet into the way of peace.

But we must prepare to receive that light… we must make ready our hearts and minds… to open ourselves up to the ongoing transformation that follows when you give your life over to the way of Christ.

Because God comes to us through Jesus to purify us as with the refiner’s fire…

God comes to us through Jesus to wash us clean as with the fuller’s soap… to redeem us… and claim us as God’s own beloved.

God comes to us through Jesus, the Christ child, to forgive our sins and offer us salvation…

not only for our eternal life with God but also salvation in the here and now… salvation for this life here on earth.

Prepare the way of the Lord! …for all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Prepare! …we must ready ourselves to receive our Redeemer…

and know this… the work of preparation will change you… it will mold you… and shape you and draw you toward God’s justice and mercy.

We are not passively waiting for Jesus to arrive – we are actively engaged in reshaping our senses to receive God in new ways.

The work of preparing for God involves repentance… metanoia… a change of heart… a turning back.

We turn back to Christ to be released from the captivity of our sins… so that we can recognize God with us, Emmanuel in our wilderness… Christ in the stranger…

We repent and turn back to Christ… so we can be liberated from the bonds of sin and joyfully engage in the work of preparing for the arrival of our Lord.

…Of making the crooked paths straight… of filling in every valley… bringing low every mountain… and making the rough ways smooth.

…It really sounds like impossible landscaping.

But it’s not… it’s about letting God’s love wash over you and turn you over like a stone in a river…

buffing away your rough edges so you can better receive and reflect that love from God into the world around you.

But we resist change… don’t we.

Especially something as life-altering as the full transformation that comes from a relationship with God.

We fall back into old habits… close our eyes to the needs around us …and in us… because changing the status quo is challenging work!

And yet, resisting the transformational change that comes through a dynamic relationship with God is to ignore the work that God calls us into…

Resisting that transformative change is to resist the work of Christ.

Preparing the way for the Lord means opening our eyes to injustice and inhumanity… and then working to change those systems… so that all people will see God’s salvation.

But we resist being changed, and we remain captive to our sin.

It is true that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven… you belong to Christ… and yet, we remain in bondage to our sin.

And so, we must die daily to that sin through our repentance and receive the grace that comes only from Christ.

We must repent… turn back to Jesus… and prepare the way for the Lord… Prepare for the Lord and participate in the in-breaking of God’s kingdom here on earth.

For John proclaims, a new era of God’s peace is dawning! And we get to take part in that luminous work!

This is amazing… this co-creating work with our God… it is incredible and beautiful work.

But here is the best news… Christ will arrive… even if you are not prepared.

Just like our ordinary human babies arrive, whether the nursery is freshly painted or not…

The Christ child will arrive.

Yes, God invites us to join in the incredible work of smoothing our rough edges, leveling the terrain, and shaping our world around love, justice, and mercy…

But the completion of this work is not dependent on us.

God calls us to prepare and participate because God loves us and desires a vibrant relationship with us…

But we are not ultimately responsible for our salvation, let alone the salvation and redemption of the whole world and the bringing forth of God’s new Creation!

This is God’s promise to us… that God’s got it covered.

And we, faithful followers, we get to help by preparing the way for the Lord… preparing our hearts and minds, and our communities, to receive our Savior…

…so we can recognize our God with us.

I don’t know about you… but I hear that as good news.

Out of pure and holy love, Jesus, the light of the world, will break like the dawn and shine over us, even if we are not ready.

Christ will shine into the darkness and into the shadow of our death… and guide our feet into the way of peace.

I want to be ready for that, and I’m certain you do, too. So… let’s prepare the way.

***

Will you pray with me…

Gracious and loving God, we praise you and thank you for claiming us as your own, and for not giving up on us.

You are continually forming us with your mercy and guiding our feet into your way of peace.

Help us, Lord, to prepare for your arrival so we might recognize you in our presence and receive you into our lives… and so we can celebrate as your light shines into the darkest valleys, so that all may see your salvation. In your holy name we pray, Amen.

This is a special musical presentation of Listen Here, Listen Here with a solo from Christopher Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Advent is a season that is counter cultural. We can get busier and busier as we approach Christmas. Yet when we gather together for worship we talk and sing about slowing down and waiting. We sing those Advent hymns in minor keys, that some people don’t like. We don’t even sing a Hymn of Praise and instead we sing only a Kyrie.

The ceremony of the candle lighting is added in every Sunday service as well in our Christmas Eve services. This year we are using something new that I suggested. It is entitled – “God is Near”. This may be the message that we need to hear this Advent season.

In order to hear that God is near, we may have to stop and wait, to be alert and pray. No matter whether you think something good will come out of the craziness in our country or not, it can become loud. Hearing God may become more difficult.

The people that Luke was writing to were probably becoming confused as to what he was talking about also. Jesus said there will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the seas and waves. The Son of Man will be coming in a cloud.

Now when these things take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. I’m sure if we saw this we would raise our heads, and our mouths would be open. Whether Jesus comes this way or not, the point is he will return. This is our future hope.

He also said that heaven and earth may pass away, but his words will not pass away. Another word of hope. Jesus talks about the fig tree and the growing cycle. Things come and go. Sometimes things will be crazy and not make sense to us, but God in Jesus Christ isn’t going anywhere. God always promises to be near.

Thankfully this is one part of history that does repeat itself. Thus, we know that this will not change and so we are challenged to be in the moment. Even for the people that Luke was writing to, Jesus had told them to be alert and pray for the strength to make it through their craziness. It is no different for us.

Advent is about paying attention so as not to get caught up in the craziness. Be alert, wait and pray for the strength to stay focused on Jesus. Our culture for the most part does not observe Advent. I believe at least if not before Halloween, we can begin to start finding Christmas things in stores.

Advent pulls in the reigns and reminds us that Jesus will return. Too often there are Christians who like to use the second coming to scare people to be a Christian their way. This is not what advent, and the second coming are about.

It is to remind us that Jesus has come and on one hand is still here and also will return physically again. Jesus may have confronted people when he was here, but his goal was never to scare them. He tried to teach what God expected, but people always had a choice. Just as we do.

Jesus was always teaching about how to live in community. During advent we might reflect on how we interact in the community with our neighbors. There are many scared and anxious people in our world today. What message do we hear and have that we can share with them?

How do we get ready to do this? While we wait our Psalmist today prays show me your ways, O God; teach me your paths! I wrote about this in my Pastor’s Corner. Do we trust God enough to hear the answer and act on it?

We will not know what God wants us to do until we ask. In my experience, God loves each one of us as individuals, but then asks us to share that love in community, in different ways. I would dare say that the answer to our petition will have something to do with how we treat our neighbor. Even the ones we don’t agree with.

After the Psalmist has asked God to show them the way and teach God’s path, they ask God to remember how merciful God is and God’s steadfast love is for all people. They ask God not to remember their prior sins, but to remember them according to God’s goodness.

Could it be that Psalmist is thinking even though they are asking to know God’s will, that they will probably have trouble with the answer? Thus, they are asking God to remember that they are not perfect, and that God has promised to love them and have mercy on them. Maybe we can relate?

Here is the key, I believe, the Psalmist prays, you lead the humble in what is right. It is only when our I bends enough that we are able to hear God’s answer in our waiting. This is when we are ready to be taught.

The Psalmist finally comes to the conclusion that all of God’s paths are steadfast love and faithfulness. We are able to see this as we keep our baptismal promise with God in Jesus Christ. In our waiting, it is only when we are able to release ourselves to God that we are able to hear and be taught how to love our neighbor.

Advent may be a penitential kind of season, but it doesn’t lack hope for today and tomorrow. Hope for tomorrow is that even though things continue to turn and turn around, Jesus will return.

Our hope for today is that God’s word will never pass away which means God is near. As we experience the craziness in life we are challenged not to get caught up in it, but to remain focused on Jesus. Be alert, wait and pray for wisdom with the Psalmist. This is what we are called to practice during this Advent season. This is counter cultural.

Even though we are challenged to be alert, to wait and pray to hear God’s word, we are assured that we can wait in hope and that God is near. Waiting is not so bad when we know that we are not waiting in vain. We can have hope that God is near.

Let us pray, God of hope, we long for your word of hope in our lives. The craziness of our world and season get in the way of being able to hear your word of hope. We ask that your Spirit help us to be alert, to wait and pray that we may be able to hear your word of hope, that you are near. In Jesus name, Amen

Today is Christ the King Sunday or Reign of Christ Sunday. Pope Pius XI in 1925 began this festival which was around the time of World War I. He felt that the followers of Christ were being lured away by secularism. They were choosing to live in the kingdom of the world and focus on themselves and not the kingdom where God reigned where the focus is on others.

Christ the King Sunday was declared to counter nationalism. People at that particular time were getting the 2 kingdoms blurred. Could this be what we are experiencing today?

The worldly kingdom, nationalism, is about gaining power and control to benefit only a certain group of people. It is about making one race, gender and sexual orientation superior. Jesus’ kingdom is about making sure everyone is taken care of. It is about recognizing that every person is part of God’s creation, and are equal. Each person has gifts and abilities that the kingdom needs in order to function.

Jesus’ kingdom is about loving our neighbor, which is the person living next door to us, across the parking lot, all over our country. Exclusion begins when we become jealous of what others have. It is when we decide someone is not worthy. This is not what Jesus’ kingdom looks like.

Jesus’ kingdom is about realizing that no one is really worthy of anything. This means that everything we have is a gift from God and we are called to care for them. So, this then ties in with Stewardship Sunday which is also today.

This Reign of Christ and Stewardship Sunday have appeared at a time in our country and the life of our church to remind us of what Jesus’ kingdom looks like. I believe that Jesus is looking for grateful followers who are willing to let him reign.   But his kind of reigning is not about just saying yes Jesus, but actually doing what Jesus commands us to do.

Jesus reminds us that we are commanded to love God with all of our hearts, souls and minds and our neighbor as ourself. We know this, so why do we have to keep being reminded. Because just as in the time of Pope Pious we are being lured by secularism. Our country is taking a direction that could be destructive, and I know not everyone sees it that way. It seems that our country is headed away from Christ reigning.

Our lessons for today instruct us about the difference in the 2 kingdoms. They describe for us what power and control look like. What we learn challenges us to look at where our allegiance lies and how to be followers in this time of the blurred kingdoms.

In our Gospel lesson we have Jesus being interrogated by Pilate. This is the trial narrative where Pilate confronts Jesus about being the king of the Jews. The Jewish leaders had accused Jesus of treason. Thus, they handed Jesus over to the Roman authorities.

Pilate represented the Roman authorities and not the Jewish people. He was kind of in the middle of it. He was being asked by the Jewish leaders to declare Jesus guilty of saying he was the messiah, and they didn’t believe it. The church and the state were working together. They like to keep each other happy.

Jesus is no different here than any other time that he was confronted. He did not answer anything directly or sometimes not at all. Pilate’s first question to Jesus was “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus turned it back on Pilate, “Are you asking this on your own account or did others tell you this?” 

Pilate responds. “Well, Do I look like a Jew? Your people have handed you over to me. Tell me, what have you done?” Jesus responds, “I’m not really from here. My kingdom doesn’t exist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”

Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?” Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.”

In the gospel of John, the truth is not just a piece of information, it is the person, Jesus Christ. Jesus is asking us to listen for his voice, which is the truth. The more the kingdoms may seem blurred, the keener our hearing needs to be. Then once we believe we hear the truth, Jesus, what will be called to do with it?

First of all, let’s talk about ways to hear the truth. I believe we are called to listen and observe how power and control are carried out. Is it used to control people or empower all people? 

Nationalism is about singling out one group to be in power and control. Christians are involved with this also. We are given the ability to see that this is not what Jesus’ kingdom is about. So, when we see this going on in our country, we will be called to stand up for the truth, Jesus.

Nationalism is about putting people in their places, defining for them what their place is in our country. Christians are saying that this is spelled out in the Bible, and this has been written into Project 2025. A number of the authors will be on staff in our new government.

We have come here today to offer our allegiance to Jesus, to remember that everything that we have is a gift from God, and be part of Jesus’ kingdom. On this reign of Christ Sunday, we are being reminded that there are two very different kingdoms. I have said earlier that the kingdoms may be blurred, but I wonder if when we work on hearing and observing the truth, Jesus, that the difference will become clearer and clearer.

Faith Lutheran Church has taken a stand on who we believe to be part of Jesus’ kingdom, Jesus accepts all and we are all equal. We will all be challenged to listen and observe as things change, whether it looks like Jesus’ kingdom or not. If it doesn’t is when we will be challenged to clarify as to how we see and hear the truth of what Jesus’ kingdom is to look like.

What will Faith Lutheran Church do if what is being done does not reflect what Jesus’ kingdom is to be like?

Let us pray, We gather on this day to recognize you, Jesus, as our king and remember our role as grateful stewards. We often find that difficult to live out in our lives. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see you, the truth. Give is your wisdom to know how to stand up for you when your kingdom and the worldly kingdom get blurred, or when we see stark differences. In Jesus Name, Amen

This is a special musical presentation of Will Give You Thanks with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.