Christmas Sermons

Christmas Eve Family Service Is 62.6-12; Ps 97; Titus 3.4-7; Luke 2.1-20

          Tonight we've just heard Luke's story about how Jesus was born. For some of us for the hundredth time, for some of us it may be the first time.

          It's one story of MANY that we hear - especially at Christmastime, there seem to be a lot of stries out there.

          Some of them we think are great, some maybe we don't like as much.

          But these stories - they give us a LOT of information - but they don't give us ALL the information.

          They give us the words, and then invite us to use our imaginations to fill in the gaps. We make it our own - we imagine how tall someone was, or what colour dress they were wearing, or what the something smelled like or how warm the room was. When someone says "a dog walked across the street" I might think of a big old black dog, and someone else might think of a tiny little brown puppy.

          And this is part of what makes a story a GOOD story - because it invites people to make it their own, reflecting their own interests and experiences. When a story activates out imaginations, we want to make it even better.

          That's why some stories get really complicated. The more characters there are, the more likely we'll relate to at least one of them. The more descriptions of the setting, the more we can feel what's happening. The more action, the more we can visualise the events unfolding.

          And sometimes, the more we get into the story, the more it grows bigger and bigger, every time we tell it. Sometimes with many people there, we might interject more and more details. Think about family stories - those good, funny, tell-it-every-year stories. Every time they're told, they get a bit bfunnier, a bit more descriptive, a bit more fascinating. They get more fun as more and more people get involved in the telling and hearing and re-telling.

          Well, our Christmas story tonight does this for us too. For some 2000 years we have been hearing it, imagining it, and telling it.

          And WOW do we tell it! We - Christians - always have done. Because this is the greatest story of all time.

          Not because of the words on the page - let's be honest, those words aren't the greatest themselves; I can't imagine any English teacher being happy with the little information that we get as words on the page.

          The whole birth is ONE VERSE. One sentence. No special effects, no exclamation mark - just that Mary gave birth, wrapped the child in cloth, and laid him in a manger.

          BUT! The impact is HUGE. We know that every child is a miracle; we celebrate every birth. And THIS birth - despite it's few written words - changes the world. Jesus's birth is where the story begins.

          Immediately the story starts to grow. Even before Mary and Joseph can get word to their relatives that the child has arrived safely, the angels come and tell it to the shepherds.

          Then the shepherds go and verify it - we know it's always best to tell a true story, to make sure it's not just rumour. And this story seems so fantastical to them that they want to make sure they've got it right!

          And then the shepherds tell it - as much as they can.

          And then the people who hear it tell it.

          And then those people also tell it.

          So each time it gets bigger and bigger, more people hear it, more people imagine what it was like (what colour were the bands of cloth Mary used? Where was the manger she laid him in? Who else was there to help with the birth?)

          And over the years - the 2000 years - this has also become our shared story.  We've embellished it with a stable, and animals, and a flowy angel at the birth scene, and all other sorts of imagery.

          And now - NOW - tonight - we celebrate this as OUR story. It's the story of a baby, small and vulnerable, who would grow into a great teacher and leader. Someone who would preach love and forgiveness and peace and joy. Someone who would remind the world to find ways to be kind to one another, to look for ways to get along, to always seek out the light. Someone who promised us that the light is ALWAYS there.

          And, divinely, someone who offers to us the gift of forgiveness of sins, redemption and salvation for our souls, and the hope of eternal life with all we love and have loved.

          THIS is our story. This is the story that we have been told.

          This is the story that we have been invited to connect with.

          This is the story that we have been challenged to relate to.

          A story that has been trusted to us, given to us, gifted to us. A story for us to tell - to everyone we encounter. Using our words, using our prayers, using our actions.

          This is a story of love - the perfect unconditional love that comes from God.

          May we live the story of love.

          May we continue the story of love.

          Like the shepherds, may we go into the world bearing this love and this light - glorifying and praising God for all that we have heard and seen, as it had been told to us.

Christmas Eve 11pm Is 52.7-10; Ps 98; Heb 1.1-12; Jn 1.1-14

          We live in a world of words. They're everywhere. Really - we are bombarded with them. We are a profoundly literate society. It's a gift - but it also means that sometimes we can be distracted by too many words.

          Think about how many words you saw today. Words on a Christmas card. Words on the TV commercials. Words on your social media feed. Words on the street signs. Even words in your worship bulletin tonight.

          Words. They're everywhere; all vying for our attention, all begging to be noticed, all wanting a tiny speck of our time.

          And yet - this holy night - in this world where we are surrounded by words, where we are distracted by words, we are called to look for THE WORD. The "Good News of Glad tidings for all the people"

          And it's there. THE WORD is there. The GOOD NEWS is there, waiting to be known! It's up to us, however, to be ready to receive it - and that's where we sometimes drop the ball. Now, this distraction is NOT a new phenomenon - we're not unique here, this isn't just from social media or smart phones or Google.

          Throughout the ages, throughout the scriptures, we have been promised that THE WORD is coming - and we, as God’s people, have slowly slid into obliviousness.

          Even our scriptures tonight invite us to recognise that this is a common theme, that we need to be shaken into awareness.

          Isaiah declares that the GOOD NEWS is coming!! There is a special messenger announcing peace!

The people were excited!! ...and then they got distracted by their normal lives again.

          Then we hear the good news from the psalm - that there is so much goodness happening by God that we are invited to sing and rejoice, in a new song!

The people were excited!! ...and then they got distracted by their normal lives again.

          The letter to the Hebrews is encouraging an entire community that KNOWS about Jesus to listen to God; sharing the history of how God spoke of good things, good things which were literally embodied in the person of Jesus the Christ!

The people were excited!! ...and then they got distracted by their normal lives again.

          And then we have the beautiful, mystical, cosmological message from the Gospel of John - and it is all about the Word. But not just any word - not just a random collection of letter that's been assigned some meaning. Nope, this is THE WORD. The word of the Lord. The WORD become flesh.

          This is the Word that spoke creation into being - in the beginning.

          This is the Word that spoke through the prophets - promising the hope of salvation.

          This is the Word that spoke through the messengers, those angels, that a child king would be born to faithful yet humble people.

          This is the Word that made John (later the baptiser) LEAP in his mother's womb when he sensed the mere presence of his cousin, Jesus – who was at that time new in Mary’s womb.

          This is the Word that spoke of healing, of compassion, of kindness; the Word that became the teacher of peace, of love, of empowerment; the Word that became and remains the LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

          The Word of the Lord.

          This is the logos: the powerful reality of being the WORD that is with God and IS God; and encompasses so much more than our simple mortal words can convey. It is word and reason and intention and belief and action. It is the whole heart and mind and soul and strength.

          It is the entirety of God:

It is a light shining in the darkness that will not be overcome - no matter how dark the world may seem.

It is a love burning through the apathy - no matter how angry or hurt the people it encounters.

It is a forgiveness offered to every changed heart - no matter what the sins of the past.

It is a peace that goes beyond anything we can understand - no matter what conflict exists in the hearts it surrounds.

          This is the logos - this is the reality - the WORD of God, the good news come to earth in human form, humble and vulnerable and dwelling among the people!

          So naturally, the people were excited!! ...and then, gradually, they got distracted by their normal lives again.

          This time, though - WE are THE PEOPLE. We are the folks who are being invited to become excited by this great news - to truly hear it and believe it and embrace it and be changed by it. We are the ones being invited to love and serve and continue the sharing of these words - of THE WORD - of the Light.

          This night; this Christmas: May we delight in the knowledge that this night breaks forth into our normal lives and challenges us to be changed by its Word and Light.

          May we celebrate our shared ministry to be bringers of THE WORD to those who would hear it; may we embrace our shared ministry to be light-bearers into any darkness that lurks. May we be excited by the good news of God in Christ - living and dwelling in the very midst of us - this night and every night. 

          May the logos - the Word of the Lord - forever touch your life.

Christmas Day; Is 9.2-7; Ps 96; Titus 2.11-14; Luke 2.1-20

Our scriptures this morning are such beautiful, wonderful messages. And they are familiar to us - of course. For some of us, we heard this very same gospel passage last night,

And they are so familiar, that sometimes we might take for granted the richness and depth of the message that God is speaking to us in these astonishing verses.

I'm going to highlight just a few of those today.

So the Gospel passage starts off with Quirinius as the Syrian governor and Augustus as the Emperor. These are high powered, important folks. What a way to start off a story; with the height of all society. These are the folks that make the headlines, that draw attention. These are important people - the IT crowd - and Luke wants to make sure that we know who they are, what their positions are - these people demand respect! 

Then we move to the census. Ah, government paperwork being understood as awkward and inconvenient. Some things never change! BUT - the census is happening, so that tells the people first hearing this account the timeline. It was tense. It was busy. Thousands and thousands of people all had to get to the city centre at the same time. It's a busy place. There are any number of young couples, any number of pregnant ladies. Joseph and Mary and her baby bump are just part of the crowd. 

The birth itself, at first description, is just as unimportant. One sentence. One verse. Mary was delivered of her child, wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in the closest thing to a crib, which was a feeding trough. One presumes where there is feed, there are animals, and maybe even the after-effect of what the animals ate. Needless to say, friends, this is a HUMBLE birth. About as low as it gets. 

Then - the birth announcement. That joyous news! An ANGEL from HEAVEN appears to deliver it! WOOHOO! And obviously, something like this - well GOSH the angel MUST be giving this great news to the hoi poloi, right? Wrong. God's messenger goes away from all the people, away from the city, away from the benefits of civilisation, to the shepherds. Folks who have no other employment but to chase after wandering critters, trying to keep them together and safe. Folks who live in the fields - meaning they are essentially homeless. And without homes, with the demands of their work, they are vulnerable to all sorts of attacks in the darkness of night. 

These are the folks who society deems to be expendable, unimportant, insignificant. Nameless - even in Luke. 

Yet they are favoured by God - clearly. They are celebrated as the faithful. God has given THEM this wonderful message, this holy visitation, this blessed news. 

This is amazing. The entirety of this Gospel, throughout this Christmas story, is set against the backdrop of the elite and 'powerful', those who consider their earthly successes and accumulations to be a sufficiency of goodness. And yet God acts to and through the average, the lowly, the people society might forget. The people who can most benefit from good news that transcends the harsh realities of this life. People who will not take this news as just one more thing that happens, one more goodness. These people are those who will be overjoyed and overwhelmed by this news - and will share it widely, living into the magnitude of the angelic proclamations - to Mary about her pregnancy, to Joseph about the nature of the child, to the shepherds about the birth - and to all who celebrate this sacred event. 

This good news is a game changer - it's a world changer. And the message is of God demonstrating that things are changing. That God is here for ALL the people. Not in a trickle-down sort of way; in a truly grass-roots building up sort of way. 

What a POWERFUL message for people to receive - in those fields, in those communities, in our community. For the past 2000 years we are blessed to hear how God acts in unexpected ways; in unconventional ways; even in awkward ways. May we then delight that to us is given good news of great joy for all the people: to US is born this day a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

sermon, Advent 4

primary text: matthew 1.18-25

So, this week our Gospel is about Mary. She's pregnant. Clearly it's all about Mary. Right?

Well, sort of.

Because - as I'm sure you are all aware, you wise and intelligent people - for humans, pregnancy is never a one-person thing.

And in this account, Matthew gives us SO much detail! But not about Mary - she gets one sentence: "Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with a child by the Holy Spirit."

Wow.

But Joseph - he gets our attention today. "Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.

Whoa. This is important stuff. This is BIG stuff.

Firstly, Joseph is already Mary's husband. Not fiancé, not boyfriend - husband. Because biblical Jewish custom had engagement as a legally binding contract; the marriage was the celebration and blessing when a couple was starting to live together - already legally married. Today we combine both those aspects into one ceremony.

So - they are married, but have never lived together - in fact probably never even been alone together.

This is important to Joseph - to do things the right way. That's why we hear "he was a righteous man". There's a proper way to do things, and Joseph did things that way. Following God's law and societal custom.

And yet - SURPRISE! Mary's pregnant.

So Joseph, knowing how these things work, has grounds for a divorce. He's never consummated his marriage with his wife, and yet she reveals that she is with child.

Awkward, to say the least.

So what is the right thing to do? What does the law say a righteous man can do in these circumstances?

He can shame her. He can publically announce what she has done - gotten herself pregnant!

But he also knows the ramifications of doing this. And they're harsh. Mary's father will be shamed; he will be shunned in the community. He will be fired for being dishonest, he won't be able to get a new job, he won't be allowed to buy things at market. His family will suffer. At best, they will have to move away, in shame.

Mary herself - well, likely she'll be dealt with according to the letter of the law - and that meant stoned to death, or cast out (and at best turned to a life of prostitution).

This is NOT what Joseph, a caring man, wants to do; even though it lies within his rights.

So he decides to do the compassionate thing. He is unwilling to expose her to public disgrace. He plans to dismiss her quietly.

Kind. Nice. Good guy, yes? But now he's got to come up with a story as to WHY he's dismissed her. And then hope that no one discovers the truth - or else he will be shunned, rejected by the community, publically mocked. Business would be slow, friends would be few. He'd probably have to move.

So, poor Joseph is stuck, between a rock and a hard place. The word in Greek tells us that he was brooding over this decision. And he chooses compassion. And immediately he has a dream.

So here's where I'm going to unpack this a little bit more. Let's talk about that dream.

Because this is not your average dream at night time - not a "I was in my canoe but my paddle was spaghetti so I asked the hippo to take me to shore" kind of dream. Because - Joseph didn't go to sleep, in that comfy bed and pillow kind of way.

This dream is actually the Greek word "onar" - meaning trance, or vision. It's a state of being, not something that comes out of the subconscious. It's the same type of 'dream' that we hear about all throughout the scriptures, when we hear that the Lord is coming in a dream.

Because when the Lord has something to say to us, we're going to hear it. One way or another, we're going to hear it. And if we completely refuse to hear it when we're alert and going about our daily work and prayer, then God will send a messenger to us in a dream. There's a long history of this in the Old Testament.

So. God has something to say to Joseph. And it starts with that classic introductory line that angels - not the fluffy guys with wings and feathers, mind, in Greek 'aggelos' just means messenger. So the dream-state messenger starts with: "Do Not Be Afraid" - words that always seem to precede some seriously challenging message. It's not so much a "do not be afraid that I'm here" as a "when things get really crazy, just remember that this is part of God's plan, and try not to be too afraid to continue in your ministry."

And here Joseph gets clear direction. Take Mary as your wife. Throw the party with all the friends and family. Make a home with her. Create a life with her. Show her the ultimate in compassion and kindness. And love that child, teach him all you know, let him learn from your compassionate self how to best be in this world. Also, congratulations, it's a boy! By the way, name him Jesus, for he will save people from their sins."

Now, for those of us with the luxury of hearing this message after the fact, it sounds pretty good. Nice. Pleasant almost. But for Joseph, this is shocking. Life-changing. Because for Joseph, this leads him to a spiritual awakening.

Joseph is a man who knows his scriptures. So he recognises the weight of these words from the messenger.

Conceived a son by the Holy Spirit - that meant no other man. Which means his lovely Mary has not been unfaithful to him - rather she has been so faithful to God that she is now the theotokos - the God-bearer - a woman of such hope and conviction that she would be willing to risk her life, her status, her family - for the love of God.

Jesus - well, the name itself isn't all that uncommon - it roughly correlates to Joshua. But to be told by a messenger of God about your child - before it was born - this was unusual. And also comes from a long scriptural tradition - like Samson and John, for example. Men who had great ministries to fulfill.

And, of course, the promise of salvation - fulfilling the scriptures, putting into action the prophesy of Isaiah, the hope beyond hope that had been promised for generations. This was too good to be true; how on earth could Joseph - this God-fearing and righteous man - refuse to be part of this, especially when God is calling him so directly.

And so, Joseph wakes up. But again, not from his comfy bed - from his comfy complacence. This is a spiritual awakening! God has spoken to HIM! God has called him to a very specific ministry, a very specific task. Joseph’s life will never be the same.

But, no spiritual awakening ever leaves us unchanged. By definition, spiritual awakening is becoming aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit into our lives in such a way that everything - EVERYTHING looks different. Everything IS different. Because our eyes have been opened, our sleep has been cast off, and our actions will reflect that. When we have been awakened to our ministry, we will not be able to ignore it. When we have opened ourselves to the living Spirit of God in and around us, we will never be satisfied with "the status quo" anymore.

And this is what we celebrate this last week before Christmas. The opening up of ordinary people to do extraordinary things, by the grace of God. God chose Mary, and as difficult as it was, Mary awoke to her role in God's world, bearing the Son of Man. And thank God for that.

God chose Joseph, and as awkward as that was, Joseph awoke to his role as earthly father to Jesus, teaching him the compassionate way to be human in God's world. And thank God for that.

And God chooses US. As inconvenient as that may be sometimes, we are called to discern how we are being called to continue the story of God's grace and love, active and alive, in and amongst us all.

So my prayer for us this week is that we may all WAKE UP to the reality that we are being involved in God's world, to engage with God's world, to minister in God's world. May we be spiritually awakened, may we be not afraid, may we delight that things can never be the same, once we have accepted Emmanuel - God IS with us - now and forevermore.

Advent 3 Sermon

Isaiah 35.1-10

Psalm 146.5-10

James 5.7-10

Matthew 11.2-11

It's so close. It's SO CLOSE! The season we've all been waiting for...

So here's my question. ARE YOU READY? Are you ready for ADVENT?

I know what you're thinking. "Wait. We're IN Advent. Don't you mean 'are you ready for Christmas'?"

But no. The question stands. Are you ready for Advent?

The reason I ask this today is that often times, we're not. We're not ready for Advent. We don't often give it the time and care and prayer that this season rightly deserves. Instead, we get caught up in the season of hustle and bustle and frazzle and dazzle and lists and lights and baking and buying and wrapping and ... well, we're all living in December right now, we all know about all of this.

We miss Advent because we're caught in the season of pre-Christmas. Yup, I just created a new season. It's cultural, it's common, and it's stressful.

And our society has decided that it's good. It's expected. It's a season that equates dollars spent with love. It connects parties thrown with prestige. It considers decorations to mean importance.

And it Completely. Misses. The. Point.

Because Advent is none of those things. Advent is NOT pre-Christmas.

Pre-Christmas is a season about judgement. Judging ourselves. Judging others. Judging gifts, judging parties, judging food choices, judging clothing choices, judging house decoration, judging everything... it's all about judgement.

And seldom are things "good enough" when compared to the neighbours, or the next community, or last year, or...

Judgement. Deeming others unworthy so that we can feel better about ourselves.

And here's a sad reality: it's what many Chrstians are known for. A study by author Gabe Lyons showed that in the 18-29 year old crowd, 87% of them viewed Christians as being judgemental. Christians are being perceived by the outside world not as loving and caring, but as judging.[1]

This is not who we want to be. This is not what we are called to be.

And Advent - not pre-Christmas - Advent invites us beyond that.

Our scriptures this morning invite us to move beyond judgement and into love.

Isaiah tells us that the pathway to God will be a place of safety and comfort for all who revere and respect the Lord. God's people will be able to move beyond all barriers (they're still there, the lions and beasts, and the road is still long, but "the redeemed shall walk there" and return to God and come to Zion with singing and joy. It's a journey worth taking.

The Psalmist invites us to engage in the world in a way that shows we are God's people. We're invited to open our own eyes to the world around us and see the injustices that happen - and then to take action against them. The Lord gives food to the hungry and seeks justice for the oppressed and lifts us those who are bowed down and watches over the stranger - all of those good things - through us. Through God's people. By giving us every opportunity to open our hearts and lives to celebrate the power of God in our lives - not judging, but engaging in real and meaningful ways.

James encourages us to be patient and to strengthen of our own hearts because the coming of the Lord is near. "Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged." Instead, James writes, learn from the example set by the prophets, and speak in the name of the Lord, in the name of love.

In the gospel, Jesus himself encourages his followers to shift their thinking, to realise that what society thinks is okay is not always the way that God is working. Here they are, lovely folks, who had heard the message of John the Baptiser - yet now a bit later on they're grumbling about him. Can you imagine their comments: John? THAT guy? He hadn't had a shave or haircut in YEARS. Eating bugs and honey! Wearing camel skin! And don't get me STARTED on the SMELL! Why on EARTH would we actually listen to what HE had to say?" This is what Jesus hears. Judgement. Closed hearts, choosing not to love. An unwillingness to accept that the way of the Lord is not always the way of humankind. And how very blunt and earthy is Jesus' response: what did you THINK he would look and speak and smell like? "What then did you go out to see?" Of course he wasn't dressed as you expected or as society would accept - but that does not diminish the weight of his message. Repent. Pray. Believe. Love.

Our messages this third Sunday of Advent are therefore, very clear. We are invited to move beyond ourselves, beyond our comforts, beyond our societal norms, beyond trying to change others, beyond judgement.

We are invited beyond "pre-Christmas."

We are invite to become people who love.

To love those who look like us, and those that don't.

To love those who do things our way, and those that don't.

To love those whose opinions we agree with, and those we don't.

To love those we would invite to our homes, and those we don't.

To love those who expect our love, and those who do not.

To love those whom Jesus, the Christ our Saviour loves, and those -

            ah - that's just it. There's no one that Jesus does NOT love.

So if Jesus loved all - and we are truly preparing to welcome Jesus into our hearts and minds and lives - then we are called to love.

THIS is what Advent is. A time of getting ready to love everyone as freely and as honestly as Jesus does. It's a time to love more than the world says is enough. More than the world expects. More than anyone at any time is prepared for.

THIS is what we're invited to do in Advent. To love. To see the presence of the divine in every single person we encounter. To welcome anyone who comes through our doors with the same hospitality as we would welcome Jesus. To assist anyone we are able to, as openly as if Jesus himself was asking this of us.

It's a season that invites us to prepare - truly prepare - as we wait for the Lord's coming. We are preparing not things or places, but the space in our own hearts; the Advent journey is a time of transformation deep within ourselves. Looking inwardly, not outwardly, at how we might make the world a better place - a little more welcoming for that glorious moment of Love made manifest in the person of Jesus the Christ.

And this is why Advent is so difficult for so many; and pre-Christmas is (comparably) so easy. Preparing our hearts and souls for Christmas is not something that can be put on a to-do list, or fit into a budget, or scheduled in a calendar. Rather Advent is a careful, prayerful, adventurous journey into the transformative delight that comes with welcoming Jesus.

So in the next few weeks, I invite us to do the unexpected, the unconventional, the unimagined: let's counter the judgemental, pre-Christmas world with an unencumbered, uncontainable Advent love.

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[1] http://wwv.group.com/refresh-the-church/blog/the-antidote-for-judgmental-christianity/#.WExPOBRjzdl  Accessed 08 dec 2016