Jesus’ light shines

Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 1:26-35, 38; Luke 2:1-7; Matthew 2:1-11; John 1:1-14

Today, we are reading 5 of the traditional 9 lessons for a service of Lessons and Carols. The readings all tell us in various ways: just who this Jesus is. Since we add a sermon and Holy Communion, 5 lessons is all we can manage in the usual hour allotted for worship.

Since John’s image of Jesus is different from that of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, I will focus on that today. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels, since they are similar to each other in many ways. Synoptic means seen together: syn for together, optic for seeing – like when you go to get new glasses at the optician.

The synoptic gospels all portray Jesus as a man who grew into his identity as God’s Son. Over three or so years, Jesus figured out who would be good disciples, trained them to do what he did, and to believe that he was sent by God. It’s only toward the end that people make the connection that he was indeed God.

On the other hand, John tells the story with a cosmic identity for Jesus from the beginning. Many of you may have memorized at least the first verse of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Jesus enters the story as the divine being incarnate, doing what God the Father sent him to do, because he is one with the Father. Jesus brings the true light into the world because he is the true light. John gets a one-line mention here: John was sent by God to testify to the light that Jesus brings.

The Bible translation The Message puts it this way: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” When Jesus moves into the neighborhood, he shines light into everything. Good things are highlighted as life-giving; evil spaces are illuminated so they can be recognized as evil and dealt with appropriately.

The light that Jesus brings is life-giving for all who believe and receive him. Unfortunately, there were those who refused to see his light, and did not accept him. Those who do receive him, who accept him as the Light of God, become children of God. And we see his truth, his glorious light.

John writes this section for our reading today as a prologue to the rest of the story. After the prologue, John recounts the signs and conversations in which Jesus helps people see his power and God’s light: water into wine, discussing being born from above with a Pharisee, accepting water from a foreign woman with a questionable reputation, feeding multitudes, casting out demons, giving sight to the blind, raising Lazarus from the dead.

With John’s Jesus, it’s clear that no one is unacceptable. All are welcome and invited to receive the light and life that Jesus brings into the world. Those who receive healing, whose eyes and hearts are opened are so enthused with God’s Spirit, with the light and life Jesus brings, that they are unable to keep the good news to themselves. They run – RUN – immediately to tell others about Jesus.

… People ask me all the time, “How do we grow the church, bring more people here?” I first say with a wink and a smile, “We need to have more babies!” When I was on internship in Iowa 25 years ago, many of the families’ older generations had 10 or more children. With that birth rate, it was easy to grow the church, if most of the children stayed in town. But the more recent generations had 4 or less children and many of them moved away from small rural towns.

Today, we are learning we need to be proactive if we want to grow the church. We need to run with passion to tell others about Jesus. The trouble is that we are afraid to talk about God with others, we don’t know how to invite people, and we don’t get it that Lutherans have something special.

So, we need to learn to brag about ourselves a bit. Lutherans regularly say we know we are sinners and we know we are forgiven, saints and sinners at the same time. We are usually authentic, saying and doing the same things on Sundays and Mondays. Around the world, Lutherans are known as the people who are among the first to show up at a disaster, and stay the longest, to make sure all is well when they leave.

It’s time to recognize within ourselves that we all carry Jesus’ light and life within us, and it’s time to let it shine for others to see. Yes, you are probably not going to get your Catholic or Pentecostal or Baptist friends to join you at church on Sunday.

But you might have a chance with those who don’t know God the way we do. You might have a chance with the neighbor who is afraid God can’t possibly love him, or with the friend who worries that she has a secret she considers unforgivable.

That was exactly the point of the TV show Touched by an Angel. The team of angels showed up as regular people in the life of someone who was hurting, taught them about God’s love, and in the end, God’s light shone all around Monica, revealing that she was an angel bring God’s light to hurting people.

This week, I hope you can find ways to let God’s light shine through you onto someone who needs to see it. Amen

Good news for all the people

 

2024 12 24 Sermon

Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20

The world today is in a mess. Wars everywhere. Global economy favors the wealthy. Illness and poverty abound. Partisan politics divide people who insist their point of view is the only valid one. Racism and sexism and agism and isolationism cause painful division today. Two thousand years ago, the isms may have been different, but the result was the same. Some people have power and wealth, and most don’t. Into this messy world, comes God’s activity.

We humans look at our own part of the story, but God has the whole picture in mind, with the back story, the possible alternative endings, and the main plot all in mind. Over and over, God has had influence over God’s people from Adam and Eve, to Noah and Mrs Noah, to Abraham and Sarah, to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, to the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, Amos, Micah, and Hosea.

In so many ways, God has called God’s people to be faithful, to trust God. The people repeatedly turned away from God, and worshiped other gods who could not make good on their promises.

… This time, about 2,000 years ago in human time, God decided to speak directly to the people by becoming human. And, God decided to start out as a human baby, fully human, yet fully divine.

It was nine months ago, in Mary’s life, that the Angel Gabriel announced to her she would have a baby who would be the savior of the world. Tonight, God appears in the body of an infant. His name is Yeshua/Joshua/God Saves/Jesus. And Emmanuel/God with us.

It’s hard to imagine that this baby will save the world. We believe he is the child promised in Isaiah, promised to be wonderful counsellor and prince of peace. And we know that like all babies, this baby grew up. He taught and preached and gave his life so we would all know the salvation promised over and over again by God.

… Tonight, the shepherds hear the promise again, from the angels. They are told the birth is good news for all people. This salvation is not our “Get into heaven” card. It is not about individual salvation, but about how God plans for Jesus to bring peace and justice into the world for good.

Jesus’ message is given in words, parables and conversations with the wealthy and the poor folks; and his message is given in actions, through healing and feeding and storm-stilling.

And his message is clear through the intentional inclusion of women and foreigners and children, the intentional inclusion of Pharisees and Sadducees and Romans. His message is given through intentional generosity and servanthood throughout his ministry, including the giving of his life.

The stories of his birth, life, parables, encounters with all sorts of folks have been told repeatedly for two thousand years. We are still telling these powerful stories that lead us to trust in the God who sent him, the divine being he was, even as he walked the earth as a human person.

These stories have been models of how life on earth should be, and once in a while we see it happening before our eyes. Once in a while, a war ends with justice for all parties. Once in a while, justice is brought about through changes in the law and people become committed to ensuring it is true justice. And it feels like salvation has come.

This vision of the good news of salvation for all people can be seen in little ways every day, if we look for it. It is visible in the way some folks at Gloria Dei care for others, offering rides to church, taking Holy Communion to those who struggle to get out, spending a couple hours handing out food.

… On CBS News, David Begnaud does human interest stories. They always touch me, sometimes bring me to tears, and remind me that God is active, that justice and salvation can be real, and present in this moment.

A few months ago, CBS ran a story about a Texas women named Lyn, who is a member of a Social Media program called Nextdoor, which connects people in neighborhoods. One day, she saw a post that someone needed a ride to her chemotherapy appointments. Lynn volunteered. Someone else posted that they had low vision, and needed a ride to work three times a week. Lyn volunteered. Lyn doesn’t have a lot of income, yet she uses her own car, her own gas, to offer such care to others.

After the story ran the first time, CBS aired an update. Philadelphia car dealer and philanthropist David Kellaher noticed Lyn’s story, and arranged to get her a new car. And it was not only a car, but a full package – extended warranty, taxes and insurance, so she could drive her car worry-free for years. This was not only a gift, but a gift with justice – a view of God’s salvation. And Lyn’s response was that she will continue to check Nextdoor for more people who need rides.

… Tonight, in the promise from God through Isaiah, in this story from Luke about the birth of Jesus and the angel’s announcement to the shepherds, we see God’s purpose of salvation for all people. Salvation happens in large and very small, very real ways. And we are encouraged to be part of it every day.  

How can you be part of this good news? Who do you know who needs to hear it, or better yet, experience it? Amen

God at work

Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55; Luke 1:39-45

Finally, our Advent waiting is almost over. At last, we are talking about Mary and Jesus. And our fourth week of Advent is short, just a couple days this year.

We could say the focus this week is on the little things. Bethlehem is a little town, and a little clan. Mary is a little – meaning young and unimportant – woman, at this time. Although Elizabeth is the female descendant of a high-ranking family, because she was barren until 6 months ago she is also a person of little importance. Mary’s song highlights God’s power to uplift the little and lowly people. And the babies in the women’s wombs are little creatures, at the moment.

Yet this moment in the lives of Mary and Elizabeth is anything but little. Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant by this time, and Mary is pregnant, but maybe just a month or two. By now, Elizabeth has begun to feel baby John move within her. As he grows, she can feel some shifts in position, maybe an elbow or a knee pushing against her insides. Those who have born babies know these feelings will grow stronger and stronger until the baby is born.

Today, as Mary approaches the home of her kinswoman, Elizabeth moves quickly to greet her. Within her, she feels more than a knee or elbow moving. She feels the child leap as she is filled with the Holy Spirit. I was trying to imagine what that felt like, since the womb is such a limited space. Maybe John stretched out to his full length, or shoved arms wide to the sides, or maybe he did a somersault. Yeah, probably a somersault.  

Elizabeth shouts loudly, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” She continues celebrating the moment, praising God for the future they see before their eyes. I notice that Elizabeth, the mother of John the Forerunner to Jesus, points to Jesus, just as John will later.

And Mary responds with the song we call the Magnificat. It begins, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” The images in Mary’s song are anything but gentle and sweet. They are not little. … Mary first praises God, just as Elizabeth does, then she puts some power behind her words. She stands with fist raised, as Ben Wildflower imagines her. And declares that the coming of her son means justice for all who are oppressed in any way. … Can you imagine Mary teaching this song to her son Jesus as he grew to manhood?

… Today, we are still singing the Magnificat, and wishing and hoping all its promises were already fulfilled. But we are far from that, because we are all still human, and both saint and sinner.

The people of the city of Bethlehem, Palestine, know all too well how broken the world still is. A year ago, when the war in Gaza was new, Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem posted this image, along with the message that Christmas services were cancelled.

The nativity has Baby Jesus wrapped in a black and white checked keffiyeh – a Palestinian scarf – lying in a pile of rubble. Surrounding him are the usual creche figurines: shepherds and sheep, magi and gifts.

Unfortunately, this year, Christ is still in the rubble. There are still no visitors, no Christmas pilgrims, in Jerusalem or Bethlehem. It could just as easily be 2,000 years ago! However, there is still hope in Bethlehem. On Friday evening, there was a sumud service, in which many Palestinians gathered to pray for peace and justice, which is just the promise Jesus made to us so long ago. Bishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar preached. Here is the Sermon PDF .

… God is as active today in healing the world as God was 2,000, 4,000, 6,000, 4.5 billion (the approximate age of the earth), and 13.7 billion years ago (the estimated age of the universe).

In our day-to-day lives, we will see God’s activity if we pay attention. Gloria Dei’s quilters send their offerings to Lutheran World Relief, where people around the world make creative use of the quilts they make. Of course, God is present in the quilters’ time together, as they begin with prayer and study, and we send the quilts off with a blessing.

We also see God’s activity in the people around us – our biological families and our in-law families and our church families and our chosen people families. Here’s a chosen family story, which highlights the way God works.

This picture is of Mike and me with our friends Ned and Joyce on a cruise on the upper Mississippi in 2022. When Joyce and Ned and I (and my now ex-husband) were much younger, we knew each other at Saron Lutheran Church, St Joseph, MI. Our children were about the same age. Ned and Joyce and their daughter moved away after a few years and we lost touch with each other.

Our children grew up. I got a divorce and went to seminary. I got remarried. I had just started serving Hope in Citrus Springs as their pastor and went to talk with some inquiring visitors, which turned out to be Ned and Joyce! We get together often these days for a meal and conversation. Certainly, they are God’s gift to us, and I hope, we are to them. One of our favorite God-incidences!

… This week, I hope you pay attention to how God is present in your lives. And I hope you will tell me the story of what you discovered. Amen

 

Joy

Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18

Traditionally, the third Sunday of Advent is Joy or Rejoice Sunday. Often, churches use a pink candle today amid the blue to celebrate the joy. Let’s look for the causes for rejoicing in the texts.

Today, we continue the story of John the Baptizer. He’s in the wilderness along the Jordan River, preaching and baptizing all who come to see and hear him. The variety of the people in the crown is astonishing: besides “regular” Jews, there are leaders, maybe scribes or priests keeping an eye on John, some wealthy folks, tax collectors, and soldiers.

John critiques the current leadership and warns that a new day is coming. He shouts, “The old regime will soon be gone, replaced by a new reign of justice. Repent, and change the way you think and live!”

They all listen to what John is saying, and respond. Some of the crowd are thrilled with what John has to say. Some are furious with him. It’s probably the scribes, but it could be anyone who says, “Who do you think you are? You don’t know anything! We are descendants of Abraham!” John’s response is to ridicule their self-importance. “Hah!” he declares, “God can make children of Abraham from these stones.”

And others in the crowd are intrigued and want to know more. “What should we do to change?” And John gives specific answers. The wealthy should share their extra stuff. Tax collectors should charge only the proper amount – in other words, keep their thumbs off the scales, stop charging extra. Soldiers make enough money with their military stipend, so they should not use their swords to demand extra from people.

Luke says they all came to be baptized. Can you imagine it? Soldiers putting their swords down or giving them to others to hold while they are in the water? Tax collectors letting their fancy clothes get wet? Twenty or a hundred people in a line wading into the water to be immersed by John? All these people promising to change their ways?

So, think about this. If John the Baptizer showed up today, would you go to see him, listen to his rants about how people should return to God? Would you repent of some unfaithful behavior?

 

… About 25 years later, Paul is in prison and keeping in touch with his congregations by mail. We have only a few of his letters, and not always the whole letter. In this letter to the Philippians, he writes words of encouragement. There seems to be some tension in the congregation, because Paul includes some suggestions for how to resolve it. But no matter what struggles they have, Paul urges them to rejoice. No matter what, rejoice because God is nearby and loves you!

So, think about this, too. What brings you to rejoice? Are you able to rejoice even when life is hard? 

There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness can be short, fleeting, based on some event, but it doesn’t last. Eating chocolate makes me happy, but it doesn’t necessarily bring me joy. Joy comes from knowing that the leaders of this congregation thought enough of me, cared enough to ask a couple questions, and decided to present that gift of about 2 pounds of dark chocolate!  Plus an orchid, which is still glorious.

Paul is referring to a joy that is even deeper than the joy I have from knowing I am cared for here. For Paul, joy comes from God, and it’s soul-deep. Joy goes deeper than the pain we feel from the loss of a loved one, from the despair we feel every time we turn on the news or read a newspaper. Joy comes from knowing that we are loved, beloved children of God, in spite of the stuff that is happening in our lives or in the world around us.

… How do we know joy? By paying attention to the whispers or shouts of God’s Holy Spirit. Paul seems to recommend spending time in silence, in prayer, in communication with God, giving thanks for all you have. In this way, we will feel God’s peace, at Christmas, sure, but also in the midst of the turmoil of a crisis.

I think John the Baptizer also wants to help us rejoice. Luke says John was proclaiming good news. The good news isn’t the harvest and the unquenchable fire.

The good news is the coming of the one who is greater than John. The one who is coming is the savior, promised by the angel before John was conceived, before Jesus was conceived. Knowing Jesus, knowing his salvation through his self-giving love, this is what can bring us joy. It’s this joy that Paul is talking about, this joy that John hopes we will find.

… We’re more than half-way through Advent; Christmas is 10 days away. How are you doing with patience? How are you doing with stress? Do you need to repent and change your ways? Or are you ready to rejoice?

I hope you spend time this week seeking joy, and finding it deep in your soul. Amen

 

Our job to do

Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

Not much is known about the prophet Malachi. In Hebrew, Malachi means “My Messenger,” so that could be his name, or a job description. Further, it is not known just when he was active, though it appears from context that he lived after the return from the Babylonian exile, and after the temple was rebuilt. So somewhere from about 520-450 BCE.

Like all prophets, his job is to tell the people to shape up, because God wants to have a relationship with them and they are not paying attention. His message is a call for religious revival. It seems that although the temple had been rebuilt, there were too many people not bothering to come to worship, not bringing their sacrificial offerings, not putting God first in their lives.

Malachi says, there will come a time when God will purify God’s people, like a refiner purifying gold and silver with intense fire; like a washer of wool, cleansing the oil and dirt from it before it can be spun into yarn.  So, the people should return to the Lord, and prepare for God’s return among them so they are not burned in the refiner’s fire or washed like wool.

Malachi is seen as the last prophet. After him the messages from God will come from the scribes and later the rabbis.

… Unlike Malachi, we know when John the Baptist lived. Luke has done his research, and uses the reigns of Tiberius, Pilate, and Annas and Caiaphas to give his story context. We have to remember that it was only centuries later that these times were given yearly numbers using Jesus’ birth as a baseline.

A similar counting system for us would sound like this: In the days when Joseph Biden was President of the US and Ronald DeSantis was Governor of Florida, and when Elizabeth Eaton was Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, and Francis was the Pope, Pastor Lynn preached a sermon. We get a sense of when this happened, but not a specific date.

So, we know it is about the year 29 when John the Baptizer began drawing crowds in the wilderness of Jordan. We know what life is like under these rulers: the Pax Romana is enforced at sword point and cross, and many Jewish people tended to abandon their own culture to become more like the Romans, because it was easier to go along to get along than it was to resist.

We know what John the Baptizer’s job is: it was given to him before he was conceived: he will be the prophet called to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus, the Savior. The Psalm for today is called the Benedictus, and it’s sung around the Christian world during Morning Prayers. John’s father Zechariah sings this song on the day of John’s circumcision and naming. So, for his whole life, John knows what his job will be: to prepare God’s people for the coming of someone more important than he, John, is.

Like any good Jewish boy of the time, he knows the scriptures, and finds it useful to quote the prophets who have gone before him. In the same way, we quote Martin Luther King, Jr, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and others, in addition to Jesus and Paul, of course.

John quotes Isaiah here in his call to the people to repent, to return to the Lord. With repentance, there is forgiveness, and with forgiveness the relationship between believer and God is restored. The people are now thinking about repentance and forgiveness, so when Jesus appears, they are more open to what he has to say.

… The Apostle Paul writes letters to his congregations as a way of keeping in touch with them, since he can’t be in all of them at the same time. This one, the letter to the Philippians, is my favorite. It just feels like it’s from Paul’s heart speaking to his people with love and truth.

Mostly it’s filled with joy as he reminds them to continue to love each other as he has taught them, though he also includes some admonitions for specific instances of a lack of love. Focus on what matters, Paul cautions, so your hearts will be pure and blameless, righteous in God’s eyes.

… Advent, as I keep insisting, is a time of waiting, of preparation. Just as John the Baptizer’s job was to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah, it’s my job to help us all prepare our hearts for his coming.

And it’s your job to take time to examine your hearts, and consider all the ways in which we are drawn away from God toward secular activities.

·       We spend time and money decorating and buying gifts; do we spend equivalent time and money worshiping and giving offerings to God?

·       Are our decorations secular – snowmen, reindeer, and Santa – or do we include Joseph, Mary and Jesus?

·       Do we allow the stress and anxiety of the season to interfere with our relationships with family and friends, or do we take time to enjoy each other without thinking about the gifts we need to buy?

·       Do we think kindly about those who have little, and ask for forgiveness when we don’t?

… Advent is a challenging time, often filled with stress. For some, it is filled with grief and a sense of loss as we reflect on those who are no longer with us. For some, the stress comes from the lack of funds to give as we’d like to give. For some, the stress comes from our past – or current – behavior.

Advent is a time to remember that the best gifts are the love we share today, and the love we have shared in the past. Advent is a time to remember that God loves us, and invites us to ask for forgiveness, so God can demonstrate the power of Divine Love for all of us. And Advent is a time to grant forgiveness, even without an apology. Because this is our way of passing on the love we receive so others may know it, too.

This week, I wonder what you will do to prepare your hearts for the coming of Jesus. Amen

When it feels like the end of the world …

 

Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36

Even if we have never been there, Notre Dame has been a huge symbol of faith for millions of Christians. It took almost 100 years to build it, and it has stood in the heart of Paris since 1260. It is more like a character, a person, than just a building. For many of us, it is one place where we can go to spend time in God’s presence. Even if we are there only in our imagination.

And so, many of us wept on April 15, 2019, when we saw the images of the Cathedral of Notre Dame on fire. It felt a bit like the world was ending. Would they be able to save it, or was it so badly destroyed it would be gone forever?

And yesterday, we rejoiced when we saw the images of the restored cathedral looking fresh and clean. French President Emmanuel Macron had promised it would be rebuilt, and 5 years later we celebrate the restoration of this symbol of hope and faith.

… Prophets speak God’s word to a specific people at a specific time and place with a message designed to challenge or encourage them, depending on the circumstances. Jeremiah writes in the middle of the conquest of Judah by the Babylonians. He shouts at the people with his words, “You foolish people! This destruction is a result of your lack of trust in God, your lack of righteousness. You deserve this desolation!” And yet, here and there, he includes a hint of promise, “The days are surely coming when God will restore Judah and there will be faith and righteousness in the land.”

Martin Luther wrote that the Old Testament is the cradle or swaddling clothes of Christ. While today we Christians like to look at this passage from Jeremiah and similar passages in the Old Testament as a promise of Jesus to come, it was first a promise to a people who felt like the world was coming to an end.

… Jesus’ words to the disciples are similar. It may feel like the end of the world is coming, but stay faithful! The Son of Man is coming, and with him comes the redemption of the world.

Most scholars believe the book of Luke was written in the 70s or 80s, 40-50 years after Jesus died, and a few years after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Romans. They destroyed the temple so thoroughly that only a few remnants are left for archaeologists to identify.

It surely felt as if the world was coming to an end! The temple had been the center of the world, the place where God resided, the place where believers brought their animals and grains to offer in worship, the place where they received forgiveness of sins. They must have been afraid that God would abandon them and move elsewhere.

In contrast, Jesus had shown them that God doesn’t reside in the temple but in himself. When they believe in Jesus as the Son of God, as God’s very presence with them, the temple is unnecessary.

Instead of dread at the destruction of the temple, Jesus says, look for all the little signs of the presence of God. For example, notice the leaves on the fig trees and the promise of fruit to come. As it turns out, the destruction of the temple and the persecution of Jesus’ followers by the Jewish leaders led to the rapid spread of Christianity around the Mediterranean Sea.

… Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest writing in the New Testament. It is believed he wrote this letter about 49-51, while he was in Corinth. At this time in history, there was a strong belief that Jesus would return any day, bringing an end to the world they knew. When that didn’t happen, many people stopped believing.

Paul’s letter is a message of encouragement to remain faithful to Jesus and to live Jesus’ way of loving each other and all people. In that way they will be blameless, righteous in God’s eyes, whenever Jesus comes.

… As we begin the season of Advent, we are like the Thessalonians, wanting Jesus to come now. Last week, someone asked me if we can sing Christmas carols before Christmas. My answer was, “No, there are so many lovely Advent hymns, let’s enjoy them all first.”

And, of course, in Advent, we practice patience. We know the schedule – four weeks of Advent before Jesus comes again as a baby. Four weeks of remembering why he came into the midst of us humans. Four weeks of preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of baby Jesus. Four weeks of remembering that he grows up to deliver a message of good news to those who fear the world is coming to an end any day now.

… In the meantime, and beyond, of course, we all have times when it feels like our world is coming to an end. We or a loved one gets a cancer diagnosis. A hurricane rearranges our world. Another war begins. We read or watch TV news and it all seems bad.

We need Jesus’ encouraging words today as much as the people who heard them first did. “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Some days we need to hear these words. Some days, those we love need to hear them.

The world is not ending, it will continue. We are not alone. Jesus loves us and cares about what we are going through. We have nothing to fear. We have been redeemed; we are God’s beloved children. This is the good news of Jesus, and we don’t have to wait for Christmas to celebrate it. Amen 

The Kin-dom of God

 John 18:33-37

In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared this day “the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe”. He was concerned about Hitler’s goal of elimination of the Jews and world domination, as expressed in the recently published Mein Kampf. Usually we call this day, the last Sunday of the Church year, “Christ the King Sunday”.

I prefer to call this day “Reign of Christ” because I’m convinced Jesus never wanted to be called king or wear a crown. It is a title and role that was given to him, to make him fit into the ancient worldview of power structures. But, he’s never a good fit into our systems. At the same time, he rules or reigns over everything!

Let’s begin with a few comments about kings.

… In 1 Samuel Chapter 8, the storyteller says the people were asking for a king, so they could be like all other nations. Samuel resisted, saying, “Let me tell you what will happen if you have a king. He will take your sons and send them to war, where they will die. He will take your women and make them his wives. He will take your businesses and your profits and claim them for his own.”

Eventually, there was King Saul, who was OK for a while, until he resented David. Then David became king. He was not perfect, but he was a faithful follower of God and was able to unite the twelve tribes into one kingdom. David’s son Solomon was wise in some ways, and built the temple, using the slave labor of his own people. After his death the kingdom split into two Kingdoms, Israel and Judah. From then on, few kings were loyal or effective.

In Jesus’ time, the Pax Romana – the Roman Peace – kept down the likelihood of rebellions with the use of Roman soldiers and the latest technology in warfare. Caesars Augustus and Tiberius were absolute rulers who tolerated no disagreement, and the local kings owed their positions to obedience to Caesar. Protestors were quickly dispatched, and often crucified.

… It is this kind of king that Pilate has in mind when he questions Jesus about who he is. “Are you a king?” “You say so. All I will say is that I have come to tell the truth.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus has come to teach people about the importance of a relationship with God and with each other.

·       “I have not come to condemn the world, but to save it through love.”

·       “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly.”

·       “I am the resurrection and the life.  If you believe in me, you will never die, but have everlasting life.”

·       “If you love me, feed my sheep.”

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus speaks about the coming of the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, or as I usually say, the Reign of God. When God reigns, we are more focused on our relationship with God and each other, than with being wealthy and powerful. So, although in John’s Gospel Jesus doesn’t speak specifically about the Kingdom of God coming near, he is describing the same thing.

… Can we imagine what the world – or at least our communities – would be like if Jesus reigned in the hearts of everyone? One way to express this kind of relationship is with the word KIN.

As he walked the land, or sailed the sea of Galilee, Jesus saw himself as brother or kin with those he encountered, not as king over them, and we could say, then, that Jesus came to announce the kin-dom of God. In the kin-dom of God, all are equal. Wealth and status don’t matter. Health and ability don’t matter. Skill and training and employment don’t matter. We live in God’s kin-dom as neighbors with each other, and we are called to love each other as sisters and brothers, as kin with each other.

It strikes me that when we think of all God’s children as kin, we are related to gazillions of people, past and present, here at home and thousands of miles away, people we know and people we will never have the chance to meet. We are even kin with people we don’t like or don’t respect. We are still called by God, by Jesus, to love them as kin. We are called to love the lovable, and the unlovable. We don’t have to like them, but in the kin-dom of God, we are called to love them.

… We know that the kin-dom / reign of God is not yet a reality. But we can all do something to make it more so. Being kind, respectful, open to others’ opinions is one way, especially lately when our culture seems so divided and intolerant.

One of the ways to bring about God’s kin-dom is to provide a place for open, accepting conversation. Kristina Fruge from Augsburg University suggests that the kin-dom of God is like a front porch where people gather to talk, to have iced tea or coffee and a snack. Here in Florida, the equivalent could be a lanai. Or a coffee shop. Or a brew house. Or a gazebo. Or a fellowship hall. Or some chairs under a tree.

A couple weeks ago, I was asked to do a blessing of the cars at the car show, but when folks were invited to stand next to their cars, only one person did so, and she did it reluctantly. Likewise, it didn’t make sense to me to bless cars without the drivers, so instead, I went to find the drivers/owners of the cars. It took me an hour or more to visit all the clusters of folks sitting on folding chairs, near their cars or under the trees along Butler St.

I invited them to tell me their car stories, and heard a lot about the relationships the owners had with their cars, their spouses, and their friends. When I offered to pray a blessing for the cars and the owners, most were happy to receive it, though some declined. I thought my time was well spent, as I focused on getting to know the people. There was joking and teasing, and storytelling. It felt like we were kin, brought together by the love of their special cars, and with those who love them.

This week, I hope you will spend some time considering what it means to you to be a part of God’s kin-dom. Does that change how you view some people? I hope you will tell me some stories about it. Amen