Didn't You Know That I Had To Be Here?

“Didn’t You Know That I Had To Be Here?” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 30, 2018. Inspirations for this sermon included Scripture, commentaries, the holiday season, and the area Presbyterian churches coming this Sunday for morning worship.

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Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

    praise him in the heights!

2 Praise him, all his angels;

    praise him, all his host!

3 Praise him, sun and moon;

    praise him, all you shining stars!

4 Praise him, you highest heavens,

    and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

    for he commanded and they were created.

6 He established them forever and ever;

    he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

    you sea monsters and all deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and frost,

    stormy wind fulfilling his command!

9 Mountains and all hills,

    fruit trees and all cedars!

10 Wild animals and all cattle,

    creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,

    princes and all rulers of the earth!

12 Young men and women alike,

    old and young together!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

    for his name alone is exalted;

    his glory is above earth and heaven.

14 He has raised up a horn for his people,

    praise for all his faithful,

    for the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

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Luke 2:41-52

41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

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I have a confession to make.

I haven’t been in church the Sunday after Christmas Day in… well, I’m not sure how many years. It has been so long that I’ve been in church the Sunday after Christmas that I can’t even remember that last time I was.

And in my defense, or in the defense of all pastors, the Sunday after Christmas is notably one of the best Sundays for a pastor to be away. We had just worked on Christmas, organizing and leading two or three or even four or five services within a span of a few days. And as I’m sure you all agree, pastors deserve Sabbath too; that sacred time of rest after an extended time of ministry and preparation.

But I’m here this Sunday, and I am thankful that I am.

I actually had a personal mantra this holiday season. If you spent more than five minutes in a conversation with me the week before Christmas, you probably heard it. I dramatically kept saying, “We will survive Christmas.”

And the reason I kept saying it, besides that I thought it was funny, was I had a lot going on in my personal and professional life this year during this year. I’m not going to bore you with all the mundane things they were, but know that I, like many of you, have in a busy time in my own life. I still actually have a lot going on and will have a lot going on until the week of January 8^th. I have the word REST in all capital letters in my electronic calendar on that day because that’s when things will slow down. Maybe. Hopefully.

We will survive Christmas.

According to our liturgical calendar, we are still in the season of Christmas. Our sanctuaries should still remind us of Christmas, which they do, and we should still be singing Christmas hymns, which we are, because Christmas isn’t over yet. Although we might forget that.

It's why Psalm 148 is a beautiful Psalm for today. We’re still celebrating Christmas, we still see Christ as the baby in the manger, but our minds are elsewhere.

At home, the memories of food and family and fun are starting to fade. My parents who came to visit for Christmas left earlier in the week, I’ve been eating leftovers nonstop, and I’m now looking at my Christmas tree not as something beautiful and joyous but now as something that needs to be put away and returned to its corner of the closet until next year. You all know what I’m talking about, right?

We’re moving on.. we’re already forgetting what we are called to do during the Christmas season. We are already packing baby Jesus away and returning our houses and our lives into that post-holiday slump. We’re failing to see that all of creation is still celebrating the birth the Christ. As the Psalmist writes: the heavens and the angels, the sun and the moon, the stars, the seas, fire and hail, snow and frost, wind—all weather, the trees and the mountains, all the animals and the birds—all are praising the Lord. Then the psalmist writes kings and rulers are praising the Lord… and then at the way end of this Psalm, it’s young and old people alike praising the Lord. It’s us. It’s almost we’re the last ones invited to the Praise the Lord party.. but we’ve not the last ones invited, we’re just the last ones who accepted the invitation. We’re just the last ones that remembered why we are here in the first place.

We’re so distracted the week after Christmas because unlike the rest of creation, we are already moving on to whatever is next. This is especially true on this Sunday.

But as I said, today I am thankful to be here.

And the reason I am thankful to be here is because, as corny or as cliché as it sounds, I am thankful to be here because I am here in a place of worship with all of you. Cue the “awww”s.

It’s a biblical practice to be together. The Greek word for it is koinonia, it’s a divine fellowship or community. Eve was created so Adam wouldn’t be alone. Abraham was given as many descendants as stars in the sky. David had Jonathan, his best friend. In the New Testament, adult Jesus walked the countryside with his twelve disciples, saying that whenever two or three gather together, they do so in the name of Christ. We’re called to be together with people.

This is also true for child Jesus and his earthly parents. Jesus, coming from the faithful Jewish family that he did, would travel every year in a group to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. The reason they would travel in a group was a practical one. With relatives and friends, the Jews would travel together in a group to Jerusalem to avoid dangers on the road. This could include bandits or thieves, animals or weather. The entire group had to watch over each other.

So when Mary and Joseph were returning to their homes from the Passover, they did so in the same group that that traveled with them to Jerusalem. They went a full day’s journey without checking on their son assuming he was somewhere with someone in the group of travelers. It was then after that full day they realized their son was missing. But the Gospel of Luke, and I think this is important, doesn’t criticize Mary and Joseph for leaving Jerusalem without their twelve-year-old son. They, after all, followed through with the plan of traveling back to their home as a group like have done so year-after-year. It was Jesus who stayed in Jerusalem. No, the Gospel of Luke doesn’t focus on Mary or Joseph losing their son. The Gospel of Luke focuses on Jesus staying and heading to the temple to be with the religious leaders and teachers as a demonstration of intellect.

It took Mary and Joseph three days to find Jesus. He was missing for four days, one day while they were traveling and three days while they were searching. When they finally find him in the temple, Mary asks, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” I don’t see a meek or mild Mary here. This is the same strong woman who sang the courageous Magnificat while she was pregnant. No, I see a woman with an angry voice and face. I see a mother.

One time, when I was seven or eight, my mother thought I had gone missing. I was at swim practice and apparently she told me that she had an errand to run. She told me if I finished before she was back, my clothes were up in the stands and that she would be back shortly. Well, apparently none of this registered with me because when I finished swim practice that day, I couldn’t find her nor could I find my clothes. So I did what every kid would do when they think their mother has abandoned them at swim practice. I decided to walk home in my swim trunks. That walk was about two-and-a-half miles. I made it home about halfway, maybe about twenty or so minutes of walking, before my mother found me. I can’t imagine what she must have felt when she first got to the pool and I wasn’t there; when I was gone… but I’m sure it wasn’t a good feeling. I imagine it’s any parent’s greatest fear. But when she had finally found me, I do remember her grabbing me and hugging me fiercely. It was almost like she was saying through that hug she would never lose me again.

So Mary’s reaction of fierce anger makes sense to me. But what surprises me is Jesus’ answer to his mother. When Mary asks him, “Child, why have you treated us like this?” Jesus replies, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation of this passages states that Jesus said, “Didn’t you know that I had to be here?”

“I had to be here.”

Jesus said, “Didn’t you know I had to be here?”

I think this is powerful statement. I think this is even more powerful because this is the only thing recorded in any of the four gospels of what Jesus says or does in between his infancy and the beginning of his ministry. The one story of Jesus as a child or as a teenager has him in a temple, surrounded by religious leaders and teachers, saying he had to be here.

Jesus assumed his parents would know where he would be because this was his Father’s house. He assumed they would know this because he was supposed to here in his Father’s house.

And although Mary and Joseph didn’t understand what Jesus was saying to them, we as readers of this passage understand that here, Jesus at the age of twelve, is understanding his calling. He is understanding his role as the Son of God and as God incarnate.

Now many people today are confused about identity and vocation, about who they are, and what their purpose or mission in life is. This is particularly true in younger generations. This is not, of course, exclusive to younger people because many of us cry out to God with the “What?”s and the “Why?”s.

And yet when we do, we don’t always seek the answers to these questions.

Following a religious holiday, the Passover, Jesus went to the temple and asked questions and engaged in teaching and learned for the sake of understanding. He went seeking answers. When Jesus wanted to understand his role in the world, he surrounded himself with people in a community of faith.

Is this different then why we go to church today? See if you recognize this question I’m about to ask:

Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture this person by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of the church?

Have you heard this question before? Have you been asked this question before?

Sure you have! When a person is baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ, this question is asked to all of us.

The same reason Jesus had to be in the house of his Father so many years ago is still true today for us. We have to be here.

We surround ourselves and we surround each other with the faithful. We give a place for people to come, to bring themselves, their questions, their doubts, to be free. We offer an opportunity to teach and to learn; to grow together. We offer companionship and community. We offer a home for all to be in relationship with Christ.

We make this promise to every child that has been baptized. And so we have also made this promise to you.

When I look around and see that Christmas is ending; when I look at my Christmas tree and see it as something else that needs to be put away; as just another thing to do; when I think to myself, “We will survive Christmas!”… I will remember this passage. And I hope you remember it too: The only thing we have to do.. is be here.

And here I am. And here you are. We are here. Praise the Lord. Amen.

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Christmas Chaos

“Christmas Chaos” was preached at First Presbyterian Church of Mishawaka, IN on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018. Inspirations for this sermon included scripture, commentaries, youth wisdom, and the holiday session. 

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Matthew 1:18-21

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

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Luke 2:1-20

2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

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Merry Christmas! What a joy it is to sing carols together announcing the birth of our Savior! In between our carols this Christmas Eve, we’ve been hearing the Christmas story.

Tonight our story started in the Gospel of Matthew with an Angel of the Lord coming to Joseph in a dream saying his soon-to-be-wife has conceived a child through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Joseph is told that child is to be named Jesus, for he will save the people from their sins. Jesus will be their Savior… Jesus will be our Savior.

When then switched over to the Gospel of Luke for our next three lessons. Joseph and Mary travel to his hometown of Bethlehem. There, Mary went into labor and Jesus was born. She wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid in a manger. In that moment, our Savior was born.

Then, out in the countryside, there were a group of shepherds watching their flock by night. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared before them, and with what I imagine to be a bright light and a great shout declared, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And soon that angel was joined with a multitude of angels. All were proclaiming the birth of our Savior!

Following the declaration of the angel, the shepherds went with haste to the town of Bethlehem to see the infant the angel spoke of. When they arrived, they saw Joseph and they saw Mary.. and then they saw the child, and they knew in that moment what the angel had said was true. And so they went out, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, announcing to all the birth of our Savior.

It’s a nice story; it’s a lovely story.. As I retell the Christmas story in my own words, I feel like there’s something missing here. This is not the complete Christmas story.. or at least, not for us.

A few weeks ago, the church in which I serve hosted a Christmas party for our youth. As part of that Christmas Party, I challenged the youth to give a Christmas present to their adult leaders. The Christmas Present was they were to act out the full Christmas story complete with a full nativity scene—without any adult direction or guidance. They were given thirty minutes to prepare.

However, I didn’t even make it out of the room before nearly everyone was talking and someone was loudly playing the piano that was in the room. One of the youth is now yelling across the room, “Pastor Taylor! Make the rule that no one can play the piano!”

I kept walking, gave them a wave, smiled, and exited the room. It was almost cruel, right? But that was their challenge. They were, as a youth group, without the help of the adults, act out the Christmas story. I went downstairs to meet up with the other adults, the youth were directly above us, and for the entire thirty minutes we heard screaming and yelling and just… noise. Lots and lots of noise.

After thirty minutes passed, the other adults and I went upstairs to see what the youth had prepared. We sat down, and after a few moments while the youth “collected” themselves, the story started.

The was a reader who narrated the story, there was a Joseph and a Mary, one of the youth was acting as baby Jesus. They were surrounded by youth acting as sheep and cows and goats. In the background of the manger scene was a youth with a large, lit candle shining as the angel of the Lord surrounded by a multitude of other youth angels. Then the shepherds came in and then so did the wisemen and the innkeeper because he wanted a small part in the play too and everyone was just there, surrounding a 13-year-old baby Jesus. And it was incredible!

The first question I asked all of my youth after we all got settled was, “How was that experience of acting out the nativity scene without the direction of the adults?”

One of the older youth, who did his very best to lead and organize the other youth, shouted, “Chaotic!”

And then my colleague, without missing a beat, says, “Yes! You understand the Christmas story! It was chaotic!”

And that’s the truth. The birth of Christ was chaotic! With all that was happening; unwed parents, a manger surrounded by animals of all sorts, angels in the sky, music and lights, stranger shepherds; all surrounding a newborn baby, which is honestly enough on its own. This story was chaotic and crazy and wild.  And sometimes when we tell the Christmas story, we forget that part; just how chaotic it really was.

But that’s also the beauty of it. That in the midst of that chaos, a child named Emmanuel was born. A name that means, “God is with us.” In the midst of chaos, God is with us.

That’s the Christmas message I need this year. And perhaps you need it as well.

There is chaos in this season. You know, with all that happens during this holiday. Maybe it’s the traveling to see family and friends.. maybe it’s the hosting of family and friends. There’s the shopping and the gift wrapping and the present exchanging. It’s the thinking and planning and preparing and cooking the perfect holiday meal because everything has to be just right.

And it’s also the emotion that comes with Christmas. The joy and celebration! A time to be surrounded by people you love most in this world.

Or maybe unfortunately it’s not. Maybe this isn’t a time of joy. Maybe it’s a heartbreaking time. For many, Christmas is a time when we are in need of comfort. Perhaps we are grieving over the loss of a loved one, struggling with illness, or have experienced the loss of a job. Maybe we just can’t be with someone we miss so dearly.

Whatever we are feeling or whatever we are doing, we hear the name whispered tonight as we sing songs and light candles. Emmanuel. God is with us.

In the silence and in the noise, in the nativity and in the chaos, we feel the Christ-child around us. Emmanuel. God is with us.

And so it is, friends. Emmanuel is born, and thus, God is with you, this day to the end of all days, until Christ comes again. Merry Christmas! Amen.  

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Advent

“Advent” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 23, 2018. Inspirations for this sermon included the writings of D.L Mayfield, Jill Duffield, Jan Richardson, Judith Jones, Niveen Sarras, Amy L.B. Peeler, and the woman pastors in my life. 

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I was raised into ministry by woman pastors.

The person who first told me to consider seminary because she saw the call that God placed in my life is a woman pastor: Pastor Michelle.

The most influential professor I had in seminary who taught the art and skill of preaching is a woman pastor: Professor Lammers-Gross.

My first official colleague in ministry while we were both seminarians working as chaplains at an outdoor ministry site is a woman pastor: Pastor Allie.

The first person to ever invite me to preach a sermon in a church, actually two sermons, is a woman pastor: Pastor Carol.

My first teacher in youth ministry who showed me how to show youth radical love is a woman pastor: Pastor Katie.

The person that trained me most as a pastor and helped me find my own pastoral identity is a woman pastor: Pastor Nina.

And a person I still learn from all the time as I have the joy and honor of working alongside her every day is a woman pastor: Pastor Susan.

I was raised into ministry by woman pastors, and I am the pastor I am today due to their ministries. I also share this sacred calling with so many other female friends and colleagues who serve in ministries all over the world who bless their communities with their gifts, with their words, and with their songs. I’ve seen it and heard it and felt it; the Word of God comes to us through women. This is true throughout all of history, as seen in our passage today. Let us turn toward the Gospel of Luke and the conversation between a pregnant Elizabeth and a pregnant Mary and Mary’s song that follows:

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Luke 1:39-55

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

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.”

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As I said, I was raised into ministry by woman pastors. These women; their voices and their ministries; are strong. When I hear this passage, when I hear Mary’s song, I don’t hear a Mary who is meek or mild, as some of our carols may depict, I hear a strong woman who was preparing the way for Christ. When I hear Mary’s song, I see the strong woman pastors in my life telling the story of God. I see Mary and my pastors lifting their voices to prepare the way for Christ.

It’s also a reason why I love the season of Advent; it’s a time for us to be strong, to lift our voices, and to prepare the way for Christ.  

Now one of the ways we do this at Sunnyside is through song. Music is an important part of our worship, especially during the season of Advent. Over the last month we’ve had the Children’s Christmas Program, we’ve had the Christmas Cantata, we’ve heard the Sunnyside Band and we’ve heard the Sunnyside Sisters, today we listened to Phoebe on the piano, the choir is still here following their incredible and I’m sure exhausting performance last week. We will be blessed by the Reimbold-Thomas trio coming up later in the service. Rachel and Yvonda and the choir have led us in music the last month all while they along with Gretchen and the handbells have been preparing for our Christmas Eve services. We even have caroling tonight for our neighbors in our community. Music and song are a crucial part of our Sunnyside Advent season.

So it’s fitting that today features song in our scripture passage, or to be exact, a specific song, Mary’s song.

In our liturgical tradition, this song is called “The Magnificat.” And as I said, this song is not sung by someone who is meek or mild, or even gentle, or vulnerable. Mary, here, is bold and strong and she, Mary, the unwed, young, faithful woman is who I want to follow into Christmas as she prepares the way for Christ to come into my life and to come into your life; into all of our lives.

Now this song of Mary’s is quite remarkable and even powerful. What stood out to you as you heard her song?

The first few lines are about Mary’s role in God’s work here on earth; her role in God’s plan. Right from the start, Mary is glorifying God, magnifying the name of her Lord, rejoicing in her savior because God has selected her to bring the Christ-child into the world. She calls herself lowly because society has let her know her status, after all, we know that she was young and unwed, Mary wasn’t wealthy nor was she considered that important. She wasn’t even Elizabeth, who was married to a priest and was older and possibly wiser. No, Mary is to be wed to a carpenter, a man of sawdust and tools. But Mary looks at her life and sees her blessings. She sees herself as blessed for God’s favor has been given to her. That’s typical thing for God to do; to bless those who were once considered lowly by society. She holds true to God’s promises and so she sings.

But Mary isn’t just singing for herself. She is singing with courage to spark change, and she wants to sing it loud and proud… and so she starts by singing it to her cousin Elizabeth. Now I love that the first person Mary told about her miraculous, scandalous pregnancy is Elizabeth, her older cousin. When Mary tells Elizabeth this unbelievable story, Elizabeth responds with joy and acceptance and encouragement. This moment redefines family for us; it shows that family are the ones who respond to news with affirmation; with love! It’s why we at Sunnyside selected what we call “chosen families” to light the Advent candles this year. Friends and shepherds and mentors and students of all ages; people who show that family are those who support one another with joy and love as we walk this journey of faith.

But despite how much joy in found in this moment between Mary and Elizabeth, there must be a little fear and therefore courage. Now I think this is true for pregnant women of any age and of any time and place. There is joy and excitement but there is also a little worry and possibly a little stress; perhaps there is a little fear… or even a lot of fear. For Mary and Elizabeth, their sons would bring truth into a difficult world. Elizabeth would give birth to John the Baptist, who would prepare the way, and Mary would give birth to Jesus, who would be the way. And both would carry out their mission of truth, hope, and love into this difficult world and because of that difficult world, both would be killed.

I can’t say for sure if Mary and Elizabeth knew in that moment that their sons, that their babies, the ones that were formed in their wombs and were raised by them to be young men would one day be killed.. but I do know that they knew that their sons would change the world around them and that it would be dangerous. Elizabeth even acknowledges, through John leaping in her womb, that Jesus wouldn’t just change it; he as her Lord would save it. For Elizabeth to respond to Mary’s pregnancy with joy and for Mary to sing her song of glory knowing that the future would be scary for their sons and for themselves as mothers; that takes incredible strength. I listen to Mary’s song, and I hear the courage that shines through.

Do you question where her courage comes from? Those of you with children or grandchildren, with nieces or nephews, those with students or other children you care for; those of who know how scary life can be; do you question where Mary’s courage comes from?

Mary’s courage comes from what she knows about God and what she sees God doing in her own life and in the world. She sees God’s love and power and justice, and she trusts it!  

Mary said she was considered lowly but God lifted her up. And God does the same for others like her: those who are lowly. God lifts up those are pushed aside, those who are treated miserably, those who are scared, and those who are sad. God raises up the hungry and the poor and the disenfranchised and the lonely and the forgotten because this is the will of God.

In Mary’s womb is Christ. The Word made Flesh. The Word that was with God and the Word that is God. The Holy Son. Emmanuel. The Lord of Lords; the King of all Kings. Jesus. Mary is carrying our Savior in her womb.

Our Hebrews passage that Andrew read for us tells us that Christ came into the world to do the will of God. It was the Will of God to be born as a baby in a manger surrounded by animals and shepherds. It was that will that led Christ into the temple as child. It was that will that had Christ perform miracles and provide teachings all over the countryside. It was the will of God that Christ would break bread with his disciples and pour a cup of new salvation. It was the will that led Christ to die upon the cross for us. It was also the will of God for Christ to defeat death through the resurrection; once again, for us. And it was that same will that led Christ to give his final command to her disciples; to go out and baptize more disciples “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

The same will found in Christ to serve God and the people of God was found in Mary. Mary knows the story of God. She knows what God has done and she knows what God will do. She holds onto this and it gives her courage to sing her song: a song of faith that displays God’s providential promises.

Mary knows the story of God because she herself is intertwined into that story. And friends, so are you. You are intertwined into God’s story. The will of God to serve; that will of Christ to save; that is still with us today.

What was first sung by Mary quotes the words of Hannah in the Hebrew Scriptures and what was first sung by Mary is quoted by Jesus in his teachings. And then throughout history this song was whispered and declared and sung throughout churches and cathedrals and temples and sanctuaries. At some points in history, this song was even banned in certain countries because it was considered a threat to power. But still the song was sung. Still this song is sung. We heard it today because this song is supposed to be heard by you… and you.. and you. By all of us.

Because as I said, this song is the story of God, and you are a part of that story. Mary’s song is your song.

I was raised into ministry by strong woman pastors because they sang Mary’s song with strength and courage. They sang it through their perseverance and dedication, through their acts and deeds, through their wisdom and teachings, through their sermons and songs. They told God’s story; they tell God’s story. And so now I do the same. I join my voices with theirs, and I tell God’s story. And now I’m asking you to do the same. Will you sing with me? Will you join your voices with mine? Will you tell God’s story? Will you prepare the way for Christ with strength and courage?

St. Ambrose, an early bishop of the Roman Catholic Church said, “Let Mary’s soul be in us to glorify the Lord; let her spirit be in us that we may rejoice in God our Savior.”

Let that be our prayer this last Sunday of Advent. Let that be our song. Sing loud, my friends. Sing with strength and courage. Glorify and rejoice. Christ is coming. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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WWJG?

“WWJG?” was preached at Sunnyside Presbyterian Church on Sunday, October 28, 2018. Inspirations for this sermon include scripture, biblical commentaries, stewardship season, youth-led worship, and church ministry. 

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Mark 10:46-52

46 They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

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You know that acronym, WWJD? We teach it to children as a moral compass. WWJD? What would Jesus do? Honestly, we probably ask it for ourselves sometimes, or at least we should. What would Jesus do? Answering that question points us in the direction of being more Christ-like and doing the right thing.

Well, here today, I figured we could change one letter of that acronym and pose the question that might inspire us during stewardship season.

WWJG?

Now I googled this to make sure this acronym wasn’t already taken, and to my surprise, it was. WWJG—Walk with Jesus Gang. Not what I meant, Google. And although I like the idea of walking with Jesus, I meant something else by this acronym.

WWJG? Why would Jesus give?

To answer this question, we must understand what is happening in our Gospel reading today.

This passage – the healing of Bartimaeus – is the second blind man Jesus healed in the Gospel of Mark.

Now this is… interesting. Jesus healing a second blind man in the Gospel of Mark is interesting. And it’s not just my opinion. Biblical scholars and commentators write again and again that this passage is different, uncanny, even odd…

The Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson actually poses the question in her commentary, “Was Mark feeling quite well the day he jotted down this one? Had he eaten something funny..?”

To understand why this passage is.. “interesting,” – to understand why scholars thought Mark was feeling a bit off that day this story was recorded – we must understand some of the characteristics of the Gospel of Mark.

Like the other Gospels, Mark records Jesus’ life: his miracles, betrayal, death, resurrection, and commission. However, Mark’s Gospel is very brief, by far the shortest of the four Gospels. In fact, it’s nearly half as long as the Gospel of Luke. Every word is intentional. Every word has purpose. The entire Gospel is told in rapid succession; there’s no time to stop and breathe or waste time on the fluffy details. No, the Gospel of Mark is a quick, urgent, bold message about who Jesus is and what Jesus did.  Even in our short passage today, we see the word “immediately.” “Immediately Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed Jesus on the way.” This is one of no less than forty times the word “immediately” is used in the Gospel of Mark. As I said, this is an immediate Gospel with immediate details on what Jesus did in his ministry.

In a way, I’m betraying the Gospel of Mark by spending time explaining the characteristics of it. If I stayed true to how this Gospel was written, this moment would go something like, “Pastor Taylor went up into the pulpit, read our scripture passage, and immediately returned to his chair.”

I apologize to those of you who would prefer for me to do that, but I can’t, not today, not with this passage. The Gospel of Mark, where every word is written intentionally, purposely includes two stories where blind men are given their sight. That in itself is odd.

This means that Mark didn’t include this passage to show that Jesus could heal the blind. He did that first back in chapter eight. No, this passage was included for a different reason.

Which brings us to another reason this passage is interesting. In it, nothing goes wrong. Now this is weird, especially for Mark’s explanation of how the crowds reacted to Jesus. From the very beginning of this Gospel, people were convinced that this version of Jesus was either crazy or demonic. In Mark 6, Jesus is even momentarily defeated by the “unbelief” of all the people he encounters. In Mark 8, during the healing of the first blind man, Jesus has to attempt it twice for the man to be able to see clearly. It is more common for Jesus and the people to experience complications than it is without in this Gospel.

But there are no complications here. Bartimaeus, the blind man, has great faith in Jesus and because Jesus heals him completely without error. And although people initially told the blind man to be quiet, they were okay with it once Jesus called him over. No one thought Jesus nor Bartimaeus were crazy or demonic; this moment was going to be okay. And then, to make this story even more perfect, Bartimaeus, now with his sight, followed Jesus along the way. Jesus didn’t even tell Bartimaeus to follow him as a new disciple, but that is exactly what Bartimaeus does. He joins Jesus in his ministry.

Let’s go back to our question: WWJG? Why would Jesus give?

Now that we understand how “interesting” this passage is, let’s attempt to answer that question.

The Gospel of Mark included a second story of Jesus healing a blind man, not to show that Jesus had the power to do so and not to show the people the error of their ways, but because something else is happening. Why would Jesus give? This passage shows us Jesus gives not because he has to but because he can. Hear this revelation again. Jesus gives because he can.

This is relevant to us Sunnyside, right here and right now. Sometimes we give because we feel that we have to give. We know that we are called to give our time, talents, and tithes. Without giving, the church would cease to exist. Sunnyside would cease to exist. Without time, without talents, without tithes--our community of faith would cease to exist. Let’s be frank. We know we have to give.

But dare I say it… right now we don’t really have to…

Right now we’re not in a bad place, we don’t have to give. But why would Jesus give? Jesus gave because he could. Sunnysiders, we give because we can.

Zach Brenner, one of our youth, mentioned in his sermon last week that we are all the future of the church. This is the truth.

I love that Sunnyside is so generous when it comes to building the foundations of a Christian life for our children and youth. But we can’t just say youth alone are the future of the church. Because the other truth is, we don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know what the lives of our children and youth will look like in the future nor what the church will be.

As I said, when Jesus gave Bartimaeus his sight, he didn’t do it because Bartimaeus was the future of the church. However, Bartimaeus became part of the future of the church because when Jesus gave to him his sight, Bartimaeus had to the opportunity to do so. But also, to be honest, when the first blind man was given his sight by Jesus, he went home; he didn’t follow Jesus along the way.

Sunnyside, we give because we can. We give to follow Christ. We give because we want to create opportunities within the church for all people to follow Christ, here in the present and for the future.

We give because we believe in what the church and its ministry does for us and does for the world. We give to glorify God.

We give because we offer safe spaces for our children and youth to ask deep questions, to be vulnerable, to grow in their relationships with one another and with God.

We give because we want a place for our entire community to come together, to greet one another in the name of Christ, to share a meal with one another, to drink poorly caffeinated church coffee together. We give so families outside of our community of faith can also share a full meal together, whether it be at Hope Ministries or through our food pantry.

We give so that we have a place to gather on one of the best days of our lives, to celebrate weddings and love and covenantal commitment and the vows that people make before God and the people of God.

We give so that on the worst days of our lives we have a place to come to grieve the death of a loved one, whether it be the death of our grandparents or our parents or our spouses. We give so we’re not alone in that; so others are not alone in that. We give so that all have a place to be reminded of the hope promised in the resurrection.

We give to watch babies be baptized, to see God claim that child as God’s own through the waters of grace. We give to be united with every saint of every time and place through the Lord’s Supper, through the body broken and the blood shed, through the bread and cup that holds sacred mysteries.

We give because the church can provide space for those who mourn and question what is happening in the world. We give so that people of the transgender community know that they too are made in the image of God. We give so that people like Matthew Shepherd, who twenty years ago was murdered through a hate crime because he was gay, finally have a place to rest. We give so that when eleven lives are taken at a shooting at a synagogue, we can be reminded that the neighbors we are called to love also may be Jewish.

We give because sometimes the pain of the world is too much to handle alone. We give to be in community and to form holy friendships. We give so we can support and be supported by one another.

We give because we can. Through the good and the bad, we give because we believe in the ministry of the church. We give because Jesus gives.

Amen.

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