Tag Archives: Messiah

The Humility of the King

Featured by

“The Humility of a King”

Matthew 21:1-10 – April 2, 2023 (March 20, 2005)

            Do you all have experiences of someone who is well-known? Someone whose name is on everybody’s lips? Someone who everybody is talking about? Whenever you hear the buzz, chances are it’s about that person. And when that well-known person, that person of greatness makes a big entrance, we know what to expect, don’t we? Well-known people are supposed to enter a city with pomp and ceremony: black limos, bands, waving, cheering crowds lining the streets, live coverage on television.

            That is just what we have here in the Gospel reading for today (minus the limousines and the television coverage). The name of Jesus was on just about everyone’s lips. Some people were glad He had come to Jerusalem, and some people were mad He had come, and some people weren’t sure what to think. But, I suspect almost everyone in Jerusalem that day had some sort of idea or opinion, one way or another.

            I bet a common question on people’s lips on that Sunday centuries ago was, “Who is this guy, anyway?” Let’s consider. The Rabbi Jesus had options. He could have quietly snuck into Jerusalem in the middle of the night, avoiding notice and controversy, and not making a fuss or bother. But that wouldn’t have been very kingly, would it?

            Jesus could have entered Jerusalem boldly and proudly, seated on a big white horse, like other triumphant generals or kings. A conquering king on a horse is the very image of war and forcing submission. But—that wouldn’t have struck quite the right note, not with everything we know about Jesus.

            What were people expecting? In other words, “Who is this guy, anyway?”

            At that time, the country of Israel in general, and the area surrounding Jerusalem in particular, was under enemy occupation. They were under the oppressive thumb of the Roman government, subdued by the Roman army, and had been in that position for many, many years. I know for a fact that around the time of Jesus, several people had proclaimed themselves “Messiahs”—meaning political leaders—for the purpose of overthrowing the Roman government and authority. So, this was not the first time this had been done. We can even see among Jesus’ disciples there was movement in this direction, and several of His disciples tried to persuade Jesus to be that powerful political leader.

            So, on that Palm Sunday, some people fully expected Jesus to make good on His claim to be Messiah—a claim to be a strong political leader, come to free the Israelite people from the tyranny of the Romans. True, Jesus had repeatedly proclaimed Himself the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. He used the title “Son of David” for Himself, which was a plain statement of His kingly claim, His claim to be Messiah. But with the Roman occupation and the messianic expectations of the day, a peaceful Messiah was not what anyone was expecting.

            Some people–I’m thinking of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and other temple leaders—were  awfully uneasy about Jesus. For them, Jesus was their worst nightmare. This rogue rabbi from Nazareth was saying things that penetrated right to the heart. Usually it was right to the hearts of the religious leaders—in a negative way. And, those things Rabbi Jesus was saying did not make the religious leaders feel good about themselves at all. Which made them want to get rid of Jesus even more.

            But, wait a minute! Jesus had also consistently healed the sick, given sight to the blind made the lame walk, and preached God’s good news to the poor. What about that part of His ministry? He certainly appeared to many to be a mighty prophet of God, and lots and lots of people were following Him as a result. Jesus’ words and teaching had authority. Jesus’ person had great credibility. Jesus’ healing showed God’s mighty power, and people even called the works He did miracles! Many people expected great things out of Jesus as a result of this aspect of His ministry.

            Who is this guy, anyway?

            Jesus entered Jerusalem the way He did as a fulfillment of prophecy. He didn’t just do this because He felt like it. No. I believe He fully understood what was prophesied in Zechariah 9 and Isaiah 62. So, the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem just as the prophets said He would, on a donkey, as a visible sign of His coming in peace. The donkey was the image of peace. And that was what Jesus was bringing. He came to bring peace to people’s hearts, not a popular uprising, and not war to the streets of Jerusalem.

            Yes, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a king, and what I’d like to emphasize, as a humble and peaceful king. Humility is brought out as an attribute of this Messiah, this Anointed One of God, in three places. First, in the prophecy from Zechariah; second, in our gospel text this morning in Matthew 21 (which is a quote from Zechariah); and third, in our epistle passage today from Philippians.

            Jesus not only entered Jerusalem as a king, but as a humble king. Jesus could have been mighty and powerful. Jesus could have entered Jerusalem at the head of a mighty army of angels, ready for war. But, NO. Jesus entered Jerusalem in humility. He humbled Himself.

            Humility gets a bum rap today. I can’t imagine big, burly sports stars regularly being humble. Or, look at Hollywood actors and actresses—the very opposite of humility! Or, think of our political leaders—can any of them be described as humble? Our Lord Jesus presents us with a very, very different picture of humility.

            Just by coming to this earth, being born as a baby in Bethlehem, putting Himself under the authority of His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, Jesus showed us how much He humbled Himself. Jesus showed how much He cared for us. Jesus’ willingness to become human, to humble Himself, to become obedient, to the point of death–even death on a cross–this is love. This is obedience. This is humility.

            As our Lord Jesus—Messiah—Son of David—Lamb of God—Savior of the world—was seated on that donkey, He knew what was going to happen later that week. He knew about the arrest and the crucifixion. He knew that some of that crowd who cried “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday morning would be screaming “Crucify Him!” on Good Friday morning. He had set His face and steeled His heart to go to Jerusalem, and on Palm Sunday morning, He was there. Jesus was preparing Himself to be obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, one of the most horrible kinds of execution ever thought of by anyone, anywhere.

            So—the question of the morning—who is this guy?—is a question that needs to be answered in each and every person’s heart. The hearts of the people in Jerusalem were in turmoil. Are our hearts any different today?

            Who is Jesus, anyway? Is He a great Teacher? Is He a troublemaker? Is He a prophet of God? Is He the fulfillment of prophecy? Or . . . is He something much more?

            The one who embodied the peace of heaven died just outside a city that was AND is blind to peace. Yet that one who died—Jesus—Son of David—Savior of the world—came to be King of our hearts, not King of a small territory on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. That one who died—Jesus—Messiah—Lamb of God—brings peace to all who trust in Him.

            Through all the pain and suffering of Holy Week, Jesus brings peace. Despite the horror of crucifixion, Jesus brings peace. Through the glorious resurrection of Easter Sunday, Jesus brings peace. I trusted Jesus to bring peace to my heart over thirty years ago, and I praise God for that peace and security, and for His presence always at my side.

            What about you? Have you trusted Jesus to bring peace to your heart? Trust Him today. And praise God that Jesus is King of our hearts, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

            Amen, and amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

Introductions!

Featured by

“Introductions!”

John 1:29-42 (1:36) – January 15, 2023

            Have you ever looked in a Where’s Waldo? book? The character we know as Waldo was first drawn in England in 1986 by illustrator Martin Handford, and the first book with the character published in September 1987. “Wally” was his name originally in the UK, although the worldwide popularity of this character often gave him different name changes. Although, he always looked the same, no matter where the books were published, regardless of his name.

            In our Scripture reading today, we have several distinctive names for the brand new teacher and preacher, Jesus of Nazareth. We can see several different people with different ideas about this preacher, too!

            We cannot go to a book and look up an exact photograph or definitive portrait of Jesus of Nazareth, though. Sure, different artists throughout the years have drawn what they think Jesus might have looked like. Or, their impressions of what Jesus might have resembled. But, no one can be exactly sure how Jesus looked.

            This Scripture reading today helps us to understand quite a number of things about Jesus, though. Not exactly how he looked, like a digital photograph, but more importantly, about His character. We have three instances where people introduce others to Jesus. Each one talks about Jesus in a slightly different way.  

            When you introduce someone, do you lead off with an important aspect of their character? Or, telling people what you find most endearing about them?

            Let’s see what John the Baptist said about Jesus: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” and “I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” John says some very significant things.

            John the Baptist not only had this calling to baptize people, but he also understood that he was the Messiah’s forerunner. Every day in the Temple in Jerusalem, a lamb was sacrificed for the sins of the people of Israel. John was fully acknowledging that Jesus was the Messiah, born to take away the sins of the world.

            John knew Jesus well. (They were cousins!) What is more than that, John also stated that he saw the Holy Spirit come down and remain on Jesus at His baptism. The Person who had that happen was a special Person, indeed! John names Jesus “God’s Chosen One.” John was the one who pointed people to Jesus the Messiah.

            Do you need an introduction to Jesus? Perhaps, a re-introduction? Maybe you haven’t been following Him much any more. Maybe you have left Jesus behind, and are going your own way. Don’t you think – don’t I think – that we can walk more closely with Jesus from now on?

            The next day, John again goes walking with two of his disciples and identifies Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” We can see that John fully expects God’s chosen Messiah. John’s disciples do, too, because they immediately leave John and start following Jesus.

            Have you – have I – recently thought about ways we learn about Jesus? I know this church and especially this sanctuary is very familiar to many here. But, is there anything here in the sanctuary that tells us more about Jesus? Let’s look around. First and foremost, there is the large cross up above. This reminds us all of Jesus and the whole purpose of Him coming into the world. Jesus willingly became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

            But, that is not all! Look at the altar. We see the chalice or cup, and the plate for communion. I know our Scripture reading today comes from the first chapter of John, and this example of communion is the end of the story. This is one of the concrete, tangible ways that Jesus has given us to remember Him. And, it is definitely a way to introduce people to Jesus.

            We also have visual reminders in our church banners, and audible reminders in the church hymns and other music. Everywhere we look and listen we have introductions to Jesus.

            Our Scripture today gives us just a glimpse about Andrew, one of John’s disciples who turns to follow Jesus. It was Andrew who was so excited about meeting God’s chosen Messiah, Jesus, that he immediately got his brother Simon Peter and introduced the two of them. Plus, Andrew was so enthusiastic that he was eager to introduce everyone he could to Jesus.           

Today’s Scripture reading from John’s Gospel “is a story about people who told others what they knew and introduced their friends to important people. They teach about Jesus in everyday situations to people they knew.” [1] I give you a challenge, to be like John the Baptist and Jesus’ disciples! Speak up to our friends, and siblings at home, or neighbors or coworkers, or wherever you are during the week. Even if people have some understanding about God, there is always more to learn, to know and understand! 

            Do we need an introduction to Jesus? Perhaps, a re-introduction? Do we hear the call to follow this Chosen One of God who restores not just a nation but all of creation to right relationship with God?  Do we hear a call to join with Andrew to introduce Jesus to our neighbors and families? I’ve found the one we’ve been looking for, the one in whom our restless hearts will find their rest!   

            Let us take these words to heart, and go and do them. Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2013/12/year-second-sunday-after-epiphany.html

All We Have Gone Astray

by

“All We Have Gone Astray”

Isaiah 53:1-7 (53:6) – April 15, 2022

            On this day – this night – of Good Friday, we finish our Lenten journey. We walk the way of Jesus, to the Cross. This bitter, grievous Biblical event and the other heartbreaking parts of the Passion are widely depicted in art and music. Music is so important to me, and I relate to much of the musical settings of the Passion and of Good Friday.

            This Passion Week can be overwhelming. Today’s story is the big story to which all the rest of the week has been leading us. As we walk (or listen) through these stories, I encourage you to take them one at a time. I invite all of us to focus on that one part; pray and meditate on the event depicted.

            What songs, what hymns, what pieces of music come to your mind as you think of this bitter event in our Lord Jesus’s time here on earth? Musical settings of Scripture come to my mind right now. I am especially remembering George Frederic Handel and the second section of his oratorio “Messiah.” All have words of Scripture, and all are gorgeous musical settings.

            Nancy read a portion of Isaiah 53 just now, and this Scripture is found in three choruses, which follow each other in quick succession in Part II of the “Messiah.” I sang in the chorus of music majors at the undergrad college I attended. Each year we sang “Messiah,” and singing this masterpiece was one of the highlights of my school years there.

            The lyrics of the first chorus? “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.” I invite you to enter into the profound grief of this Scripture reading. As He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, we can receive and attempt to understand what our Lord Jesus bore. He bore it all for our sakes.   

            The second chorus is somber and incredibly moving. “And with His stripes we are healed.” I am led to consider my own unrighteousness. Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself. Through the events of that arrest and trials on Thursday night and Friday morning, Jesus was beaten. Somehow, a healing comes from the stripes, the bitter lashes in some way. It is so difficult to contemplate, but the book of Isaiah tells us it was for our corporate healing.

            The third chorus from Part II: “All we like sheep have gone astray.” The lightness of the opening of the chorus is fitting for sheep, gamboling about in green pastures. Musically, they go every which way, as the bright lines of polyphony lead us in separate directions. Yet, the homophonic finish brings us all to a sharp realization. The Lord has indeed laid on Jesus Christ the iniquity of us all.

            As a result of our Lord taking upon Himself our iniquity, “we are no longer defined by our sin, our iniquities, our sorrows, our transgressions. All are defined by Christ’s death. God’s mercy revealed in the ugliness of Christ’s crucifixion defines us all.” [1]

            We have a postscript, a coda on the life of George Frederic Handel. A few days before Handel died, he expressed his desire to die on Good Friday, “in the hopes of meeting his good God, his sweet Lord and Savior, on the day of his Resurrection.” He lived until the morning of Good Saturday, April 14, 1759. His death came only eight days after his final performance, at which he had conducted his masterpiece, “Messiah.” Handel was buried in Westminster Abbey, with over three thousand in attendance at his funeral. A statue erected there shows him holding the manuscript for the solo that opens part III of “Messiah,” “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” [2]

            Yes, the events of Good Friday are bitter and overwhelming. Yet, we can remember Christ bears all our iniquities. Christ gives us His righteousness freely. As the statue standing watch by Handel’s grave testifies, “I know that my Redeemer liveth.”

Through Jesus Christ, His Passion, and death, and Resurrection, we are forgiven! Believe the Good News of the Gospel! Amen, and amen.

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/good-friday/commentary-on-isaiah-5213-5312-8

[2] https://revelationcentral.com/the-story-of-handels-messiah/

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

Blessed Is the One Who Comes!

by

“Blessed Is the One Who Comes!”

Luke 19:28-40 (19:38) – April 10, 2022

            The Palm Sunday procession is a much-loved tradition in many churches. Some churches get the whole congregation involved! Have you ever been in a Palm Sunday procession? I have, when my older children were small. Families were encouraged to march together that year. The whole congregation was invited to participate!

            Have you ever thought of what Jesus might do if He were making a Palm Sunday procession today? If Jesus were to ride into our town today, what would be His means of transportation? How would Jesus enter the city? Perhaps a big, shiny black SUV, surrounded by His security personnel? (I mean, His disciples?) I leave that to you to think about.

            From all the descriptions of the Palm Sunday Triumphant Entry in all four Gospels, this big procession is what we are looking at today in our scripture passage. Except, Jesus did not ride a big white horse when He rode into town. That is exactly what a powerful king would have done, in Jesus’s day! What, a donkey-riding king? How ridiculous!

Let’s take a closer look. Here’s the situation: It’s almost Passover, the most important religious observance of the year. A great number of faithful Jews from near and far come to Jerusalem, in pilgrimage, in commemoration of the exodus event.  

Jesus comes, too. He publicly, intentionally enters Jerusalem, even though the religious leaders are not very pleased with Him or what He has been doing for the past few years. Even though Luke does not mention the prophecy in the book of Zechariah (which the other Gospels do), Jesus’s disciples must have known about the prophecy of an entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. This was clearly a scene with “Messiah” written all over it.  

This Sunday is the last Sunday in Lent, and the last petition in the Lord’s Prayer we examine. This Sunday, we highlight “for Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever!” What more appropriate day to highlight this petition? Today is the day that many people in Jerusalem welcome their King, their Messiah. And Jesus does not sneak into the city, all hush-hush. No! He comes in with a procession. With crowds of people waving palms and shouting “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

What is the meaning of those cries of “Hosanna” and “Blessed is the King?” If we look at Psalm 118, we’ll find these words written by the psalmist. This was the usual Passover greeting one person would give another, except with the addition of the word “King.” And just to let you all know, the majority of the crowd in Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday morning understood what they were quoting—they were intentionally welcoming someone they hoped would be their Messiah, their King! Someone who would save them from the awful situation they were in.

            There was a disconnect between the people and their limited understanding, and what Jesus actually was going to do. But I’m getting ahead of myself by rushing on to later in Holy Week. We are still here on Palm Sunday. And many people are still excited to welcome the Rabbi Jesus—their hoped-for Messiah—into the city. They are hoping He will save them from the Romans and maybe, possibly, become their King. Except they had an earthly King in mind, an earthly, powerful Messiah!

Let’s read on in our scripture passage for today. Dr. Luke makes another striking statement. He starts to mention “peace.” “Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!” What on earth is Luke mentioning “peace” for?

This sentence is an echo of the Gloria in excelsis Deo that the angels—the heavenly host—sang at the birth of the baby Jesus, several decades before. I know the heavenly host gave the shepherds good news of great joy, but wouldn’t that be good news for anybody? I know that was good news at the time Jesus was born, but isn’t that good news for today, as well? Peace? Glory in the highest? The difference is that at Jesus’s birth, it was peace on earth. Now, the crowd is saying “Peace in heaven.”

            When Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd prays for peace in heaven. But, the coming of Jesus causes a division. It causes anything but peace on earth. The theologian Tom Mullen in his book Laughing Out Loud and Other Religious Experiences makes this statement about his denomination the Society of Friends: “They work for peace — and if you really want to cause conflict, you work for peace” So it was for the Rabbi Jesus—the Messiah Jesus riding into Jerusalem. For all that Jesus wanted to bring peace, His message created division, tension, and crisis—as seen by the violent reaction of the religious leaders.

            Thank God, Jesus is more powerful than any division, any tension, any crisis. He entered the city not as an earthly King, not as a conqueror, not to set up a nationalistic empire, but as the True Redeemer of Israel. And not of just Israel, but also of the whole world. This Holy Week is where all of the prophecies focus to a fine point, and reveal the Rabbi Jesus as not only the Messiah and King, but also as the Suffering Servant. The Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world.

            As we remember this Passover time, this Holy Week, we can thank God that our Lord Jesus did enter Jerusalem. As a King, as a Messiah, yes! But, also as our Redeemer and Savior. Praise God, Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior, just as much as He was Redeemer and Savior for that crowd at the procession in Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday. In the first century, Jesus came to save His people from their sins. Even today, Jesus wants us to know He came to save people from their sins. Praise God, He came to save you and me, too! Amen! And amen!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

What Do We Want?

by

“What Do We Want?”

Mark 10:46-52 (10:51) – October 24, 2021

            What would it be like to have a blind person as a next-door neighbor, as a co-worker, or in your class at school, every day? What kinds of experiences would we have, as close friends? I have known several people who have limited vision, and have been friends with two people who are blind, who have since moved away. But, I never thought about such a personal question before – what might our blind friend want more than anything else?       

All those thoughts and more were going through my head as I read this Bible reading from Mark chapter 10 this week.

The Rabbi Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Palestine, as they had been for months and months. They arrived at the town of Jericho, on the way for Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem. The townspeople were really excited! They had heard great things about Jesus! They had heard about the miracles He performed, as well as the marvelous teaching and preaching He had done. It was almost like a parade, with Jesus and His friends entering the city.

Have you ever been at a similar function, or activity? Where there is someone really famous or important, and a whole crowd is gathering to meet and greet Him? Say hello? Get a moment of His time? It can be a really hectic and crowded situation for the crowd, even if someone is in good health and has the free use of their arms and legs.

But, what about for someone who is disabled? Deaf? Or, blind? What would a loud, noisy, chaotic commotion like an impromptu parade welcoming Jesus be like for a person who is disabled? What do you think it was like for this blind man, Bartimaeus?

Today, of course, there are lots of jobs available to blind people and persons with limited eyesight, thanks to advances in modern technology. What about in that time? Not very much, according to the society of that day. Our Gospel writer Mark tells us that Bartimaeus was in his usual place, begging for money. That was something many disabled people did at that time – as well as today, in third world countries, anyway. It did not matter to Bartimaeus. As soon as he heard than the famous, itinerant Rabbi Jesus was coming by the place where he usually sat as a beggar, he started yelling. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!”  

            I really appreciate what our commentator Karoline Lewis says about this whole scene: ““Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly.” Thank God. Literally. Bartimaeus won’t be told to shut up. Good for him. I like this guy.

“Because, how often do we feel like we are required to keep silent? How often are we asked to keep our voices down, lest there is some offense that would cause a disruption in our very controlled and contrived world? Lest there be an utterance that might tear apart that which we’ve constructed to keep out what, or who, we don’t want to see, or hear, or acknowledge? Or, how often do we silence others, convinced that their cries for mercy are not worthy of God’s attention?” [1]     

What does Bartimaeus cry, even louder? Not only “have mercy on me!” which is a common appeal to God for help (used in the Psalms, for example), but he also cried “Jesus, son of David!” No matter what other people at that time thought about this itinerant Rabbi, Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Bartimaeus was using a title that meant this Rabbi Jesus had messianic credentials![2] That was huge!

            We are not told this, but I wonder whether people ever paid attention to Bartimaeus in the past, and made him feel like a real person, someone’s friend. I wonder whether Bartimaeus was habitually told he wasn’t worth much. Perhaps as a pesky beggar, members of the crowd just wanted to shut him up, and even make him go away.

            But, our Lord Jesus heard Bartimaeus. Jesus came over to where the blind man sat! Perhaps Jesus knew Bartimaeus down to his very soul, and so Jesus asked: “What do you want Me to do for you?”

            What would you respond if Jesus asked you that same question? What do you – what do I – want Jesus to do for us? Our Lord Jesus can see deep within each of us, and He knows the deepest wishes and desires of each of our hearts. I felt this question deep in my soul, as I prayed. I used Ignatian prayer, and Jesus asked me directly, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Do you feel it, too? Is Jesus asking you, too?

            Perhaps Bartimaeus was born seeing and lost his sight, or maybe he was born blind. We do not know. What we do know is his response to Jesus’ question: “The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” Praise God! the man who had been blind not only was granted eyesight, but he became a follower of Jesus!

            Maybe that is what you and I need – to become true followers of Jesus. Maybe you and I cannot see very well, and are caught between seeing, and not seeing, and realizing we never really saw Jesus at all. Perhaps that is exactly what Jesus wants us to do – wants all people to do. Follow Jesus. Yes, some places where Jesus leads us can be frightening and confusing. Or, dark and scary. But, Jesus is right by our sides.

Some places do have scary things and mean people in them. Again, Jesus is right by our sides. [3] Jesus was preparing to walk the darkest road of His life on that road to Jerusalem, and Bartimaeus walked it with Him, following Jesus. Could it be that following Jesus is exactly what we, like Bartimaeus, are given what sight we have for?  

            With Jesus close by our sides, what a tremendous journey we have. We can follow Bartimaeus. Follow Jesus. And, live the life God intends for us. Truly. Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1]  https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/no-more-silence

“No More Silence,” Karoline Lewis, Dear Working Preacher, 2015.

[2] http://www.lectionarystudies.com/studyg/sunday30bg.html

“Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus,” Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources.

[3] https://dancingwiththeword.com/my-teacher-let-me-see-again/

On the Road!

by

“On the Road!”

Luke 24:13-35 (24:31) – April 18, 2021

            We are all on this journey called life. Putting one foot ahead of the other, step by step, one day at a time. Each of us – whether on an easy, smooth road or a more difficult, twisty-turny path – is proceeding along, steadily, through life.

            The Gospel lesson today comes from the Gospel of Luke. It’s about two of the disciples of Jesus on the road. Isn’t that a metaphor for all of us?

            Luke chapter 24 says: 13 On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”

            Walking and talking often seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. I know my husband and I love to go on walks, and we have wonderful talks while we are traveling. These two disciples of Jesus certainly had a lot to talk through, and to process – intellectually, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Notice that Jesus – the risen Lord Jesus! – comes alongside of His two friends, and initiates conversation. To continue from Luke: 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?” 19 “What things?” he asked.” So, Jesus asks a leading question, too!

You and I very well know their response; and Dr. Luke provides an excellent synopsis for us. “The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

Some commentators say that these two disciples were running away, compounding their problems by heading away from Jerusalem. I don’t know about that. Perhaps they very much needed to walk, to talk, to process all that had gone on in the past week. And, Jesus was there with them, walking at their sides.

“Walks like this restore balance to the soul.  Lives are shared, complaints are released into the winds, concealed fears become revealed insight.  Burdens are shared, questions asked, reality checked, evasions give way to revelations.  Then hearts heal, ideas flow, plans are made, compassion is rekindled, harmony is restored and change is possible.  That is how it goes on a long walk with a good friend.” [1] 

To continue with Dr. Luke: 25 Then Jesus said to them, 26 “Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?” 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.

            I don’t know about you, but I would have loved to be along for that walk! I would love to have Jesus tell me all about mentions about Himself in the Hebrew Scriptures!

That would be such a boost to my understanding about Jesus! But, wait – there is more to come.  28 As they came near the village of Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then Jesus broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

Don’t our hearts burn within us, from time to time? When the risen Jesus comes close, when we have an especially cherished encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, doesn’t that cause our hearts to burn especially bright? It’s not my faith tradition to have regular ecstatic experiences with my God, but this reading today makes me wish for one, certainly!

It is sort of like that devotional reading “Footprints.” I know many, many people receive much encouragement and comfort from that reading. When I was a chaplain in the hospital, patients and their loved ones would regularly ask me for copies of that reading. Walking and talking on our journey, whether difficult, easy, or somewhere in between. Our Lord Jesus may very well be carrying us some of the way, too.

Jesus is walking by our sides, no matter where we are in our walk. We may be resting on the side of the road, off on a long detour, or altogether in the wilderness, a long way from the road, but Jesus is still right by our sides.

Dr. Luke ends his Gospel with the end of chapter 24, but he will go on to write the Acts of the Apostles. Many of the great events in that book are going to happen out on the road. A disciple named Phillip meets a eunuch from the Queen of Sheba while traveling, and that official is among the first to be baptized.  Saul is on the road to Damascus, has a vision of the Risen Christ, and becomes a world traveler and itinerant missionary.  Faith emerges as we walk the road together. [2]

The earliest covenant of the Congregationalists in New England 400 years ago goes like this, “We doe bynd our selves in the presence of God, to walke together in all his waies.”

I invite you, the hearers of this word, to walk the road to Emmaus with me and with the disciples of Jesus. Come along with us – on the road. We’ll be in for the adventure of our lives!

Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://withallmysoul.com/2018/04/09/walking-and-hoping-with-jesus/

“Walking and Hoping with Jesus,” Todd Weir, With All My Soul, 2018.

[2] Ibid.

A Topsy-Turvy Palm Sunday

by

“A Topsy-Turvy Palm Sunday”

Mark 11:1-11 (11:9) – March 28, 2021

            When my children were little – preschoolers and kindergarteners – I attended a larger church. I can remember seeing my children, with many others, marching around the sanctuary, waving their palms. Something many people fondly remember, and greatly miss. We cannot celebrate a Palm Sunday procession right now, due to pandemic concerns. Some churches are starting to return to in-person worship, but with lots of changes and adaptations! But – was there a formal, planned Palm Sunday procession, all those centuries ago?

Let’s look at today’s reading from Mark 11. “They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the animal, and Jesus got on. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches in the field and spread them on the road. 9 The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout, “Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 God bless the coming kingdom of King David, our father! Praise be to God!”

            That description does sound like a procession, doesn’t it? But, a spontaneous one. An impromptu one. No one expected Jesus to march into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday. It took everyone off guard.

Except – remember Holy Week, last year? Remember the sudden shock and heightened anxiety that surrounded the encroaching pandemic? No one was really ready for that, either. It took everyone off guard, too.

Jesus prepared to ride into Jerusalem on that unbroken colt, on a donkey that no one had ever ridden before. Sure, His disciples made preparations and fetched the colt, but Jesus rode this humble beast into the city. “There was a tradition from the book of Maccabees of a triumphal and victorious entry of a king (1 Maccabees 4:19-25; 5:45-54; 13:43-51) into Jerusalem; instead, Jesus comes in peace and relatively quietly. Jesus would have known the verse from Zechariah about the Messiah coming into Jerusalem riding on an unbroken colt (Zechariah 9:9). The colt had never been ridden before, which seems a significant fact.” [1]

We can see Jesus entered Jerusalem as a King! What a King – not parading in a fancy chariot or riding on a white stallion. None of the fine trappings or fancy costumes of a King. No royal robes for the humble Rabbi Jesus. Sure, Jesus displayed power as He took part in this procession. “Something unusual occurs: Jesus has power, power over nature, again not the kind of power that is normally associated with kingship or political leadership. He is demonstrating a different kind of power, that in time people will recognise as evidence of His divinity.” [2]

Have you experienced something unusual in this Holy Week? What about last year’s Holy Week, and all the weeks in between? Sure, the world has been turned topsy-turvy. Everything has shifted, and nothing – it seems – is the same. But, hasn’t Jesus displayed His power in this modern Palm Sunday procession in the middle of the pandemic? Just as He displayed unusual power and authority in that Palm Sunday procession so long ago?

No, there were no kingly trumpets blaring as Jesus made the procession. But, people raised their voices when they saw the impromptu parade. “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna! Praise God!” We might not be able to raise our actual, physical voices, but we can lift our hearts. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

As we reflect further on power – the kind of power Jesus displayed, which was definitely not worldly, raw, overbearing power! As we think about the gentle, spiritual, yet foundational power that Jesus embodies, what other memories come to mind from this past year of pandemic? Many in our country have a sharpened awareness of power – and the absence of it. Who has power, and who is using it.

As we think about essential workers, so many of them are low-wage workers. Workers who must go into a facility to do their jobs, or who punch a time-clock. Plus, workers put their health and even their lives on the line every time they go into work. “Those often paid least in our society are crucial to maintaining and caring; delivery, stocking and serving in shops. The majority of people who have lost jobs are people earning less than £10 an hour, while the rich have got richer.” [3] What would Jesus say about the increasing inequities of this past year?

Jesus and His Palm Sunday procession is a continuation of the topsy-turvy way He presented Himself to Israel as their King, as their Messiah. If we follow Jesus, we are certainly not called to be of this world. Jesus commands us not to get too comfortable or self-satisfied. That self-satisfied, self-righteous lifestyle was what many of the leaders and teachers of Jesus’ time tried to maintain. Is that what we try to maintain, too? Are we too comfortable to follow Jesus, to take up our Cross and follow Him down that difficult road of discipleship?

This week, I invite you to walk with Jesus, in that topsy-turvy way of discipleship. Not the self-satisfied, self-righteous strut, but the humble, kind walk with our Lord. Jesus walked through this Holy Week with eyes wide open. He knew what lay at the end of it – crucifixion and the Cross. As we travel with Jesus through this particular Holy Week, “are you more aware of what comes at the end of it? Because we know what comes next in a way we maybe never did before. But even more than that, perhaps because we also know our need of God in ways we maybe never did before.” [4]

Yes, we can say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” I invite all of us to travel with Jesus through these topsy-turvy times, because He is the one who will keep our steps safe and help us even when we stumble. Even on the way of the Cross. Amen, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/74513/28-March-6-Sunday-in-Lent.pdf

The Faith Nurture Forum would like to thank Rev Jenny Williams, Minister of Drylaw Parish Church, for her thoughts on Palm/Passion Sunday, sixth in Lent.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://dancingwiththeword.com/whispering-hosanna/

Seeing the Star

by

“Seeing the Star”

Matthew 2:1-12 (2:9) – January 3, 2021

            Have you ever been far away from the city, far enough that you could see countless stars when you went outside on a clear night? When I was far north in Wisconsin some years ago, I was amazed at how crystal clear the night sky appeared, with all the stars laid out overhead.

            That must have been how it was for the Magi so long ago. Imagine, having a job where your job description said you were required to examine the amazing night skies closely, night after night. These people were not “kings of the Orient,” but instead people skilled in any number of sacred arts of the time: philosophy, natural sciences, and especially astronomy.

            Did you see the conjunction of two planets some days ago? Just before Christmas? On December 21, a special astronomical event occurred: the closest great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 397 years! Sadly, the skies were overcast when I tried to take a look on the 21st, but according to some of my friends, it was truly a sight to see. The planets appeared to almost touch each other, high above. Some huge astronomical event very much like this was what the learned astronomers saw in the night skies two thousand years ago.

            These wise ones became important among the Medes and later among the Persians including interpretating of dreams or other divine messages, magic and divination. Our Gospel writer Matthew calls them “Magi.”

The Babylonians and Persians probably learned of the promise of the “Messiah” from Jews who had been brought to Babylon centuries before. These Magi – likely nobles or scholars from the East – determined to find the King their books of divination told them had just been born. That was why the Magi from the East appeared in Judea in the first place, and why they are in the narrative of the Nativity, in the gospel of Matthew.

            These Magi started off in a westward direction, following yonder Star, just like the Christmas (or, Epiphany) carol tells us. Except – they got lost along the way. Is that at all like us? Do we try to follow the Star, to follow Jesus, and get distracted, and detour along the way?

            One of my commentators tells about distractions, when he was visiting some good friends up in New Hampshire. “They took us on a long hike up a mountain and at the very top of it we stopped and had a picnic overlooking the valley down below. We were awestruck and silenced by the majesty and beauty of the face of God all around us. All the while that we were up there, on this beautiful mountain, there was another person down off to the side of us who spent all of his time trying to get his smart phone to work so he could check his emails while they ate.” [1]

Is it easy for us to get so distracted that we cannot even see the majesty of God? Do we get turned around? Do we get comments from an unlikely source? Because, that is exactly what King Herod was: an unlikely source of directions.

            Oh, sure. At first glance, the local king seems to be a good choice to ask where the newborn King of Israel is to be found. Except, Herod had no idea that anything of the sort was going on. Moreover, Herod was particularly bloodthirsty. Not a good choice at all.  

Significantly, the Magi were foreigners. Gentiles. Non-Jews. “These Wise Ones from the East were scientists and practiced other religions, and God used their faith and knowledge to bring them to the Christ. More ironic, God used scientists who practiced other religions to let King Herod and the chief priests and scribes of the people [of Israel] in on the news that their Messiah had been born.” [2]

Do we get lost as we try to follow Jesus? Or, have you even found Him in the first place?

The amazing thing about the Magi was that they saw a star that was so bright, so meaningful, that they had to follow. After consulting their learned books and discovering which direction they needed to go, these foreign dignitaries “felt the prodding of one particular star to take this incredible journey; [and when] they came to the place to which the star led them, they were met there by God.“ [3]

What an amazing journey’s end, meeting God in the Babe born in Bethlehem.

As we approach the house the Holy Family lives in, with the Magi, are we hesitant to enter in? Do we hold back from the presence of the young Jesus, with Mary His mother? Is there something especially holy and precious about Jesus that causes us to bow our heads in worship? God in the flesh, Emmanuel, God-with-us. The Gospel of John calls Him the Light of the World, and the Bright Morning Star is one of Jesus’ names in Revelation.

We celebrate Epiphany, Twelfth Night, Three Kings Day, January 6th. We mark this celebration several days early, since the 6th falls on Wednesday this year. Today is also our celebration of Communion. Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Magi as told to us by Matthew. As we consider the Star the Magi followed, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the Light of the World, the Bright Morning Star.

As we celebrate the One who the Magi worshipped. Jesus holds out His arms to us – O, come, let us adore Him! Christ the Lord.

[1] https://homebynow.blogspot.com/2013/01/who-were-those-guys.html

“Who Were Those Guys?” Stan Duncan, Home by Now, 2013.

[2] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12

Craig A. Satterlee Bishop, North/West Lower Michigan Synod, Lansing, Mich.

[3] http://words.dancingwiththeword.com/2012/12/on-magi-and-journeys.html

“On Magi and Journeys,” the Rev. Dr. Janet H. Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2013.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

God’s Birth Announcement

by

Luke 2:1-7 – December 13, 2020

Welcoming babies into the world is such a joyous occasion. One of the first things most people do is spread the news about the new baby. When and where the baby was born, how big it was, whether it was a girl or a boy, and what the parents decided to name the baby are all details that are joyously spread, as soon as possible.

             I wonder . . . what would God’s birth announcement look like?

            In the fullness of time, God’s Son came into the world. Prophesied in many passages from the Hebrew Scriptures, foretold for centuries before His coming. Looking at the Hebrew Scripture passage for today, Isaiah 9, the prophet tells his readers about the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, who is the coming Messiah.

            Throughout the Advent season, we prepare for the coming of this Messiah. Soon we will celebrate the earthly birthday of the Babe of Bethlehem, the Savior of the World, the only begotten Son. Our Lord Jesus Christ, our savior and redeemer came into this fallen world as a baby. Emptying Himself of all His vast, eternal God-ness, and being born as a human baby.

            I wonder: what would God’s birth announcement look like?

            I think we have a pretty good idea, if we take a look at the second chapter of Luke. Doctor Luke gives a full accounting of what went on in those days. What an unexpected sort of announcement!

            Let’s look at the parents of the Baby, first of all. The mother, Mary of Nazareth, is not even married yet. Sure, she’s engaged to this carpenter, Joseph, but they haven’t yet been fully joined in marriage. Marriage in those days, in the Jewish culture, was a several-step process.

            We read in chapter 1 of Luke that the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and she conceived. Is Joseph the father of this Baby? No. Joseph could not believe this part, until assisted by some heavenly help. An angel came and reassured Joseph that Mary was on the up and up, and that the baby inside of Mary was really the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

            The circumstances of the birth are not quite the typical birth scenario, either. Imagine the birth of a baby today. Chances are that the baby would be born in a hospital, with the latest medical technology available, just in case. Not so for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Not only did she have the baby Jesus in less than optimum circumstances, in terms of hygiene and medical needs, but she was also far from her home as well.

            Mary and Joseph were both far away from familiar people, places and things. They were travelers, like many people in the town of Bethlehem at that time. Luke 2 tells us that there wasn’t any place for them to stay—anywhere. Because of the census ordered by Caesar Augustus, the town of Bethlehem was mobbed.

            Since Bethlehem was the ancestral home of King David, that meant there were quite a lot of people who had to be counted who were descended from David. We can see, from the offering that Mary and Joseph offered to the Lord shortly after the birth of the baby Jesus, that they did not have very much money.            

            Bethlehem must have been very crowded indeed, if a woman about to give birth couldn’t find even a room to have her baby in. We could even take it a step further, and draw some definite similarities between Mary and Joseph and some other young, homeless couple going to have a new baby, searching for a place to spend the night.

            I remember a suburban church I attended a number of years ago. One of the smaller trees near the front door to the sanctuary was practically covered with blue ribbons. A sign was posted next to the tree, saying “While celebrating One homeless Family, these ribbons ask us to remember the homeless with us today.” I had never thought about the Holy Family in that way before. Again, it’s God’s unexpected way of announcing the birth of God’s Son.

            While we’re thinking about where Mary had her baby, what about that manger, anyway? Jesus was a descendant of King David, through both His mother Mary and His adopted father, Joseph. A manger is an unexpected place to find a king. I don’t know about you, but I’d expect royalty to be born in a palace, or at least in a nice house.

            And who are the people who first receive this birth announcement? Are they influential members of the community? Leaders of the local synagogues and teachers of the Law of Moses? Those would be the kinds of people who I might expect to have a birth announcement sent to them. But God doesn’t work that way. God does the unexpected, and chooses the most unlikely people to receive a hand-delivered message from the Lord of Hosts.

            God sends a birth announcement in unexpected ways to unexpected people, in many situations, all over the world. When and where the Baby was born, the news that it was a boy, and that the parents decided to name this Baby Jesus—for He would save people from their sins—are all details that the shepherds joyously spread, as soon as possible.

            Again, it’s God’s unexpected way of announcing the birth of His Son. Can you think of someone who hasn’t heard about this birth announcement? We today have the opportunity to spread the news about this Baby born in Bethlehem. And, we can joyously praise God, for Jesus is the savior and redeemer of the world, as was proclaimed so long ago.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2020: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

Magnify the Lord with Me!

by

“Magnify the Lord with Me!”

Luke 1:38-56 (1:46) – December 6, 2020

            Do you know any teenage girls? Any girls with the maturity and balance that teenaged Mary shows to us here? This kind of maturity and balance in one so young is not very plentiful among teens, believe me.

            Socially and culturally, Mary was in an awkward situation. Even, a tight spot. A young woman (for, that was what Mary was considered, in the culture of her day), pledged to be married, who turns up pregnant. Scandalous! I am sure the old biddies in Nazareth were clucking about Mary’s situation—and character—and a whole lot more.

            While we, today, may read this narrative and think, “what a nice bible story!” this reading today is much more than that. Mary decides to go and visit her older cousin Elizabeth, in the hills of Judah. Elizabeth has miraculously gotten pregnant several months earlier. (The angel Gabriel told Mary so!) Two miraculous pregnancies, two women blessed by God. Plus, Elizabeth was an older, wiser woman, able to be a companion and mentor to the teenage Mary.  

            Yes, Mary’s extended visit to Elizabeth probably was comforting and encouraging to Mary. However, my attention is drawn to Mary’s song. The Magnificat is a tremendous counter-cultural song, turning everything in the political and cultural order upside down and topsy-turvy.

            Do you have any experience with an extended situation turning our world today upside down and topsy-turvy? Any disease or pandemic that is causing nationwide—even worldwide disruption and confusion? These two instances do not have a direct one-to-one correspondence, but there are many similarities here! The political and cultural upheaval Mary sings about in the Magnificat will greatly upend the established order of things. And, in many ways today, so will the COVID pandemic and its surrounding upheaval.

            I am reminded of a fellow professor friend of one of my Bible commentators. She grew up as a missionary kid in a poverty-stricken area in the Philippines. “Growing up among that nation’s poor, Professor Malcolm has reported that when they heard Mary’s Psalm, it was the first time that anyone had told them the good news that God cares about them — the poor, the oppressed.” [1] Some people in poverty have never heard this Good News! “Christ has come to challenge the structures of sin, death, the devil, and oppression. Christ has come in the strength of the Lord to do what the Lord has always done: lift up the lowly, free the enslaved, feed the hungry, give justice to the widow, the orphan, and the sojourner.” [2]

            Imagine Mary, having the maturity and the balance to sing such a radical, counter-cultural song! Is there some secret that Mary knew about, helping her to stay balanced and level-headed during all the upset and disruption of her unexpected pregnancy and the surrounding gossip and backbiting and sometimes outright nastiness of her fellow townspeople? Did Elizabeth aid her in finding this hope and balance, this calmness and serenity?

            Knowing what we do about the marvelous words of the Magnificat, and its similarity to Hannah’s song from 1 Samuel 2, we can learn from Mary. Her strength was in her trust in the Lord. Her faith was in God’s mighty power to overthrow society’s structures and the cultural norms of her day. Although our continuing situation is not exactly similar to Mary’s, we can still rely on God, too. Our strength can be our trust in the Lord. Our faith can be in God’s mighty power to overcome society and cultural norms.

            I’d like to think that Mary had a pleasant voice. Not operatic quality, although I do enjoy the voices of people who have studied and trained their voices into wonderful instruments! I can see how Mary knowingly turned for help to the One who would never leave her nor forsake her. Singing is one deep-seated way to come to God in prayer, in sadness, in hope and in joy.

            As commentator David Lose says, “songs are powerful. Laments express our grief and fear so as to honor these deep and difficult emotions and simultaneously strip them of their power to incapacitate us. Songs of praise and thanksgiving unite us with the One to whom we lift our voices. And canticles of courage and promise not only name our hopes but also contribute to bringing them into being.” [3]

            As we come before God in these next days and weeks ahead, perhaps we may come with trust and faith. Trust and faith in the God who is always with us, even through dark valleys, even through sickness, depression, despair and death.

            And may we, like Mary, lift up Mary’s radical song of resistance. Even though there is so much oppression and evil, and so much disease and despair in the world, God has brought light and hope into the world with the birth of God’s Messiah.

            I pray that you, like Mary, find joy even in the darkness of this particular Advent season of 2020. I also pray that the songs of Advent and Christmas bring light and hope to you as you draw closer to God each day. Alleluia, amen!

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fourth-sunday-of-advent-2/commentary-on-luke-146b-55

Commentary, Luke 1:39-45, (46-55), Rolf Jacobson, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2014.

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/a-promise-that-changes-the-world

“A Promise That Changes the World,” David Lose, WorkingPreacher, 2012.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my regular blog for 2020: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and my other blog,  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!