First Lesson: Isaiah 52: 7-10 Responsive Reading: Psalm 98 Second Lesson: Hebrews 1: 1-4 Gospel Lesson: John 1: 1-14 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Let me tell you a story about Christmas with no shepherds, no manager, no angels, no wise men, no animals, nor any other element that we normally associate with the Christmas story[1]. The story, in fact, was not originally written to be a Christmas story at all but instead written to signify a different type of new birth. England 1674- Isaac Watts was born the son of an unpopular preacher and a refugee. I imagine kids would pick on Isaac growing up because of this. Isaac Watts was a short man no more than 5’1 and sickly all his life[2]. Isaac Watts being the son of preacher was frequently bored in church as a kid. What Isaac Watts couldn’t stand more than anything else was the music. Isaac Watts would complain to his father about the hymns all the time. Finally, Dad being sick of young Isaac’s complaining said: “If you can do better then why don’t ya?” At the age of 15, Isaac Watts wrote a hymn that became fairly well known called “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Isaac Watts’ story though as a hymn writer was not over and we’ll get back to it in a little bit. Today as a congregation, we gather to celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior. There is no greater event in life than seeing new life come into the world. Every new life that comes into the world has the potential to bring families together, win the Super Bowl, cure cancer or be President of the United States. Encountering new life in the form of a baby causes to imagine the world much different than what we see on this day. Let me tell you a story told by Edward Skidmore and Bret Harte[3] about how “new life” can change the world[4]. Roaring Camp was the meanest, nastiest, town in the wild, wild west. In Roaring Camp, you’d hope they would just take your money; you’d hope they wouldn’t take your life. The only people that would dare live in Roaring Camp were men that no woman would ever be foolish enough to marry. One woman lived in Roaring Camp though named Cherokee Sal. Cherokee Sal made her living the way that wasn’t honorable, but it was the only way for Cherokee Sal to survive in a place like Roaring Camp. Cherokee Sal one day got pregnant and would soon give birth to a child[5]. Cherokee Sal then died in childbirth and anyone of the men in Roaring Camp could have been the Father. The child presented a dilemma to Roaring Camp; now there was a baby present needing to be raised by men who knew nothing but drinking and fighting. The men of Roaring Camp were the last people equipped to be nannies. They decided though they should do something for this baby. At first, they gather what they could find in an old box and some dirty rags to place the child[6]. The men knew this situation wasn’t right. So one of the men decides to take some of his previous bounties to a town down the road and buy a new Rosewood Cradle for the baby. Putting the baby in Rosewood Cradle with filthy rags didn’t seem right though either, so another one of the men rode the other direction down the road to purchase some silk blankets. The men then tucked the baby girl into the beautiful cradle, but then saw that the floor underneath was filthy as could be. These were the type of men who had never cleaned a room in their life, but the next thing you know they are down on the floor scrubbing away. Pretty soon the entire room is spotless from the walls to the ceiling to the dirty windows. The baby’s room was looking better, but there was still a problem. These men had known nothing but carousing for the last years of their life[7]. The men were smart enough to know that a baby needed sleep and you can't get much sleep with nothing but rowdy behavior around. So the men worked on behaving better. They even began to talk in pleasant, cheerful tones. When the men went to work at the mine, one of the men was always put on baby duty so the baby wouldn’t be alone. While the men worked they would look for shiny stones so they could show to the baby, as they played with her. The men soon looked down and saw that their reflection within the baby’s eyes. It was a sign of weakness in Roaring Camp to cut your hair or your shave your beard. You might get called all sorts of names or worse for looking like a preacher. The men soon realized that they didn’t want to look scary in the baby’s presence. So soon, the general store in Roaring Camp sold out of shaving soap and other tools[8]. One baby with unexpected origins had changed the whole town of Roaring Creek. So this leads us to ask the question “Whether one baby can change everything in our lives on this Christmas Day?” Today’s Psalm is the 98th Psalm. Psalm 98 is a call for something new to come into the world. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together[9]. " Let me tell you the story of a young woman who this Psalm influenced[10]. This woman was going through troubles in her life. She had received word that she had gotten pregnant. She wasn’t sure, whether the man to whom she would be married was going to stick around. She didn’t have much money to her name. When she told people her story, no one believed her. The world around her didn’t seem to offer a lot of hope as she lived under an oppressive political regime that would soon target the life of every baby born. This young woman believed that new life would, as the case of the baby at Roaring Camp, change the world. A few months into her pregnancy- she would feel her child singing and be compelled to sing a hymn of praise for what lay ahead in the child’s life. The woman was Mary (The Mother of Jesus), and the Hymn was the Magnificat[11]. Mary was not the only person influenced by the 98th Psalm. The small, sick child who wrote hymns, he was also a fan of Psalm 98. The hymn that Isaac Watts wrote based on this Psalm, you may have heard and we sing today entitled “Joy to the World.” Here’s the thing about Joy to the World it was not merely written to celebrate the birth of Christ, it was meant to celebrate what Christ would become[12]. It’s not so much a hymn about Christmas as it is about Christ’s 2nd coming, how Christ will come back again in bodily form. Isaac Watts like all people of faith was not merely celebrating what has taken place in the past but was eagerly anticipating that which is to come. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”-John 1:5. Watts in “Joy to the World” expresses our great hope as Christian people. Christ will one day make creation whole again. Every baptized child is marked with the cross of Christ as a reminder that one day God’s promises will come true. The same baby born out of Mary’s womb in Bethlehem will come back. The same God that promised Mary that she would conceive a child as a virgin promises to keep the word of his return. We anticipate a day with no more sins or sorrows growing. We anticipate a day when our Lord makes his blessing flow far as sin’s curse is found. So we eagerly anticipate a day when we can sing “Joy to the World” together with all those who have gone before us. The day when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords shall rule the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness, And wonders of his love. Anticipating the following day is the good news of great joy to our world that we celebrate this Christmas. Amen [1] Hunter, Monica. “Story Behind the Song: Joy to the World.” A Godly Heritage. Dec.13.2010. Web. 13.Dec.2016. [2] Kalis, Robert. “Joy to the World.” Joy Bringer Ministries. 2006. Web. 13.Dec.2016. [3] Harte is the author of “The Luck of Roaring Camp” published in the August 1868 edition of Overland Monthly. This information was found on “The Luck of Roaring Camp.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.Sept.16.2016. Web. 13.Dec.2016. [4]Skidmore, Edward. K. “Joy to the World.” Sermon Central.. Dec.13.2005. Web. 13.Dec.2016. [5] Skidmore, Edward. K. “Joy to the World.” [6] Skidmore, Edward. K. “Joy to the World.” [7] Skidmore, Edward. K. “Joy to the World.” [8] Skidmore, Edward. K. “Joy to the World.” [9] [10] McFadden, Dave. “Joy to the World.” Sermon Central. Dec.18.2006.Web. 13. Dec.2016. [11] Luke 1:46-55. [12] Hunter, Monica. “Story Behind the Song: Joy to the World.” First Lesson: Isaiah 9: 2-7 Second Lesson: Titus 2: 11-14 Gospel Lesson: Luke 2: 1-20 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Let me begin this evening with a story from my childhood. When I was about 12 years old, the local radio station out of Forest Lake-WLKX was putting together a radio program on “Christmas traditions amongst Ethnic Swedes in America.” The program was supposed to re-air in Sweden on Christmas Eve. My Grandma, my sister and I were asked to be interviewed for this special. My sister and I were on because we spent a few years as children participating in the Santa Lucia festival where we would hold candles and sing songs in Swedish to honor Saint Lucy (The patron saint of the blind). Santa Lucy’s cultural significance is Sweden due to their geography receives very little sunlight in the winter. Santa Lucia is a celebration of how the light will eventually overcome darkness. So my sister and I talked about role in this festival. Grandma then got up to speak about her own Swedish heritage. Now for Grandma, the important thing was telling the radio people what they wanted to hear, even if it contains some slight exaggerations. So Grandma started talking about our family’s allegiance to Swedish traditions. Grandma begins talking about our family Christmas celebrations. She said we only ate Swedish food. We did have some Swedish food such as Herring, Rice Pudding, Lefse, Meatballs, and Swedish Sausage generally on the menu along with other Swedish specialties such as “Salsa”. But where the story got stretched is when Grandma said we only spoke “Swedish” at Christmas. The problem with this is the only conversational Swedish that I ever heard growing up was a colorful way of saying “horse manure.” It would have been pretty hard to carry on a conversation with everyone knowing just this one word. Then Grandma said after dinner; we celebrated Christmas by dancing around the Christmas tree singing Swedish Christmas Carols in the Town Square. My sister’s, Mom’s and my jaws were dropped at this point as Grandma told her tale. The story doesn’t end at this interview, though. A few years later, my mom was paging through an issue of Bon Appetit[1] when she came across an article on various towns across America’s Christmas traditions. One town written about in the story was Lindstrom, Minnesota where the people gather to sing Swedish Christmas Carols and dance around the tree. (I think I know where Good Housekeeping got that idea!) Grandma had an ideal in her mind of the ideal Swedish Christmas and proceeded to tell about it. For Grandma, the reality of Christmas in Lindstrom wasn’t the way that she thought that Christmas should look. Now let’s consider our evening Gospel lesson from Luke 2[2]. Nothing in the Christmas story looked like it was supposed to. Today’s Gospel story centers around a girl probably no more of thirteen whose tale of a virgin birth hardly anyone believed. A father who people laughed at for believing Mary’s tale. As they give birth on this night, surrounding them are shepherds who would have been the first century equivalent of long distance truckers spending night after night away from home separated from family, just hoping to scrounge out a buck. If God was coming into the world, it certainly wasn’t supposed to look like this. The Son of God should be born surrounded by Herod’s court and adorned by only the most upstanding and holiest of men. We think we know how God should work until he chooses to work another way. I imagine as Mary and Joseph set out on that Journey to Bethlehem, they were like many of us would be. They worried about how they might support this newborn child. They were scared and uncertain about what the days ahead might bring under Herod’s reign. I imagine that as they were forced to give birth in a manager that it would have been real easy to wonder how God was going to reveal his presence in a situation like this one. Ed Markquart tells the following story[3]: There was a young Norwegian soldier during World War II who had lost everything. His mother, his father, and his whole family had been killed. He had lost close friends during the war and the land around him was in shambles. Now here he sat alone on Christmas Eve alone feeling isolated from the whole world around him. There was no more crushing situation for a man to be. So the man walked outside to stare at the Norwegian Fjords and in his despair shouted out “Glory to God in the highest.” The Fjord echoed back highest, highest, highest. The young man continued “And on Earth peace!” .And the Fjord echoed back “peace…peace…peace.” As the young man heard these things, the Voice of God seemed to be nothing more than an echo chamber from which no good answers could come[4]. The young man began to cry as he imagined the next chapter moving forward from that Christmas Eve. No different than Mary and Joseph could only merely go forth from Christmas night guided merely by God’s promises even as everything else seemed to be against them. What we need to take from Christmas is that often all that we have to go on is faith, but this doesn’t mean that our God won’t come through. 2016 was a significant year in the history of our land. When people remember, this year they might remember the loss of Muhammed Ali, Prince, Carol Brady and people within our lives both close and distant. The continual presence of death serves as a reminder in our world that something isn’t quite right. A while back, I was gathering to watch a Vikings game with Father Steve from down the road at Saint Mary’s talking about the challenges facing our nation. What we agreed is that the longest standing belief in the Church is that of apocalypticism. The World is going to end soon especially if this happens has been proclaimed as long as there has been a Christian church! Contrast this to the tale of Mary and Joseph on this night. What our tale of a Virgin Birth though reminds us of, on this night, is the World will only be saved or end on God’s terms rather than our own. Our God has a plan as little sense as it might make that involves a timid, young girl, her husband to be, some aimless drifters known as “shepherds” watching over the Bethlehem sky, and a child that they called Jesus for he was to save people from their sins[5]. We might have a hard time believing this all. What the Christmas story reminds us is that new life can still be created in the midst of deepest darkness. Let me close with a story told by Tim Zingale[6]. There once was a young girl who ran away from home to get married. Her father objected to the marriage in no uncertain terms; he said if she went through with it that he would never forgive her or see her again. The girl wrote letter after letter to her father to explain her side. The father kept ignoring this correspondence. One day, the girl had a son. The boy began to grow in years and an idea is born the daughter’s mind. I will send my son to my father. The son would serve as a symbol of her love for her father and her desire for reconciliation. Mother and Son drove to Grandpa’s house[7]. The son had not been there before, but the house was just as mother remembered it. She told the boy to walk up to the door and give Grandpa a hug upon answering. The boy knocked on the door, Grandpa answered, the boy reached his arms around Grandpa’s neck. Grandpa’s heart changed in this instant. He saw his daughter and motioned for her to join them inside the house. Picture this story of reconciliation and now picture what happens on this night. God sent his Son into our world to make all our wrongs right. God sent his Son to bring new life in the midst of winter’s seeming perpetual darkness. Grandma knew how a Swedish Christmas was supposed to look. Lots of singing around the greatest Christmas tree the people of Lindstrom had ever seen. Christmas though happens pretty much the same way every year regardless of how we think it should look. A light shines way off in the darkness. The darkness of this world might appear to overwhelm this light. This light is still present. The light keeps shining even as in the case of the Norwegian soldier it appeared to flicker out. Our message is this: no matter what brought you here on this night. This light was born into world on this night for you. This light will not leave you or forsake you even as all the forces around you might threaten to overwhelm you. This light brings hope to you when you look out into the world desperate to find it. Unto you, on this day has a Child been born. Amen [1] Orginal sermon text had Good Housekeeping, my mom corrected my memory of this event. [2] Luke 2:1-20. [3] Markquart, Ed. “The Peace of Christ or Christmas”. Sermons from Seattle. Christmas Sermons. Web. Dec.20.2016. [4] Markquart, Ed. “The Peace of Christ or Christmas”. [5] Matthew 1:21 [6] Zingale, Tim. “Christmas Colors.” Sermon Writer.org. 2006. Web. Dec.20.2016. [7] Zingale, Tim. “Christmas Colors.” First Lesson: Isaiah 35: 1-10 Responsive Reading: Psalm 146: 5-10 Second Lesson: James 5: 7-10 Gospel Lesson: Matthew 11: 2-11 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Let me begin by telling you a story about a friend of mine named Ira. The one thing that you should know about Ira is that his whole social life revolves around either fishing or hunting. These are the things that Ira is passionate about in life. Here’s a story to illustrate this. Ira used to live in Western Wisconsin about 15-20 minutes from where I grew up. So I’m driving to Ira’s house one night. Ira lived way out in the country there’s a hardly a light near Ira’s house. I pull into Ira’s driveway and hear a whole bunch of yelling. What I heard wasn’t just raised voices yelling. The voices that I heard were top of your lungs (hysterical yelling). During all this yelling, all I could make out was that those yelling weren’t going to have anything to do with each other again. Most of the words that I heard I will not repeat in church. I remember as I opened the car door at Ira’s, I seriously thought about turning around and going home. I didn’t want to talk to a police officer later that night. I saw Ira’s brother walk out with his wife. Ira’s brother Milo wouldn’t make eye contact with me or acknowledge me. All I heard Milo say was “I’m never coming back here.” As he hopped in his car and drove off. As I walked to Ira’s backyard, I had no clue about what they were arguing. I wondered if they were fighting about money. If it wasn’t money, I figured someone had something about the other’s wife or even worse. So I walk into Ira’s backyard and see that he’s furious but trying to calm down. Everyone sits there for five minutes with no one capable of saying a word. All of a sudden, one of Ira’s friends Carl sounds irritated as he blurts out “How come whenever You and Milo get together all that you do is argue about boat motors?” Now it might seem silly for Ira and Milo to invoke so much passion over which is better between an Evinrude and a Mercury but for Ira and Milo these convictions were so strong that they were going to fight for them with every fiber of their being. Boat motors in their mind are worth fighting for with every fiber of their being. Now if boat motors invoke so much passion imagine how much passion salvation can bring. Now this morning let me continue the story of a guy whose religious fervor was such that he was now in prison in John the Baptist. John the Baptist was going to fight so others may hear his message of baptism for the forgiveness of sins with every fiber of his being. Our Gospel lesson from Matthew 11 speaks of John waiting in prison after dedicating years of his life to proclaiming the coming Messiah. John was at the point in his life where he seemed to be more existing than anything else. The forecast showed no signs of life getting better for John the Baptist. John a couple of years back had seen the high point in his ministry when he baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. John maybe had a grandiose vision on that day of Jesus and him working together to reach people throughout Judea. Now here John was in Jail. All John had done was told the truth; Herod Antipas had taken residence with his brother’s wife[1]. John had proclaimed that this wasn’t what God intended. John was now sitting in prison, thinking alone night after night. John was growing impatient. Jesus wasn’t shaking up the situation fast enough for his liking. John began to wonder whether his hopes in the man that he had baptized were misplaced. So, John, has his followers pass the following question along to Jesus: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” John’s question could very easily be: “Jesus, if you’re really the Messiah why do you have me sitting in this jail cell with no hope of rescue?”. The question could also be “Jesus, why don’t you banish sinners like Herod Antipas from the Earth once and for all?” or “Jesus, why if you’re really God’s Messiah must I wait for what is to come?” Now as you hear about John’s situation, your situation is not his situation. Yet John’s feelings very well might resemble your feelings. Plenty of people go through life feeling like they are continually in prisons of their own without any chance of escape. My grandma continually refers to her nursing home as “prison” of which she yearns for escape. These prisons we live in are especially noticeable this time of year. The reality of the Holiday season is there are a lot of people that do not look forward to it[2]. The reasons may vary. We might define Christmas by who isn’t around whether through loss or estrangement. Christmas might be defined by who isn’t in their life. No one likes to be under the mistletoe alone year after year. Christmas inevitability brings up the comparison to those around us of seemingly functional families and bottomless bank accounts. While you might not be in John the Baptist’s situation on this day, you very well might be longing for escape from that which afflicts you in life. “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else[3]?” This question is seemingly no different than Job’s question of” Why God Why? Why would you take my family, my possessions, and ultimately my health?” So John the Baptist’s disciples come across Jesus to finally unveil the mystery of God’s plan for it. Here’s the answer that Jesus gives. You will witness signs in your life[4]. The blind will be able to see. The lame will be able to walk. The deaf will be able to hear. The faithless will now believe[5]. The signs that we see as Christian people might not seem as dramatic but rest assured they are there. Tim Zingale tells the following story[6]: Some years back a small church like this one was gathering for a morning Bible study. They were discussing trying to find God’s presence in the world. Finally, someone pipes up “If God would take one of the towns down and outers and change that person overnight, it would do more to convince us of his presence than anything I can think of.” The Pastor finally remarks “What about Bob?” Bob had previously been as bad an alcoholic as anyone had ever seen[7]. Bob had drunk himself out of a job, out of a family, out of the respect of every single person in town. People would turn the other way when they saw Bob coming. One day though a new Methodist minister comes to town who because he seemingly didn’t know any better struck up a friendship with Bob. The new minister finally convinces Bob to go to AA Meetings, and Bob got sober. Three years later, Bob was back working again, Bob had reconciled with his family, and back in church. Within a decade, Bob was a leader in the community and lay preacher in his church. God was at work in Bob’s life, performing a miracle no different than blind being able to see or the lame being able to walk. This miracle was slow in unfolding, so people missed it. But God had performed a miracle in Bob’s life in every way imaginable[8]. Bob’s story reminds us that often all we have to grasp onto as people of faith are signs that the world’s eventual redemption is on the horizon, even if it is not here yet. Bob’s story should cause us reflection as we consider the meaning of this Advent season. What do we anticipate as Christian people or better yet what should we anticipate as we get ready for Christmas day? What we should do as Christian people is long for God’s promises to come true, even when every card in the world seems to be stacked against us in the present moment. Rev. Dr. David Leninger tells the following story[9]: “A few years ago in Reader’s Digest, a lady reported searching for the perfect birthday card for her husband. She came across a promising one. On the outside, it read: “Sweetheart, you’re the answer to my prayers.” Then she turned to the inside, which was inscribed like this: “You’re not what I prayed for exactly, but apparently you are the answer.” John’s Prayers for Freedom in this lifetime were not going to be answered within the walls of his prison cell. People will call out during this holiday season a longing for a different type of existence. During these times we remember Jesus’ words from our Gospel lesson: “And blessed is anybody who does not get tripped up on me[10].” Blessed are those who like John the Baptist even as they wait in their prison cells do not stumble because of their impatience. My point isn’t this morning that good Christian people in this life will never get impatient. Impatience in the case of John the Baptist or in your own life isn’t always a bad thing. Impatience speaks to a passion for experiencing a whole different world from that which you previously know. I’d rather encounter a soul crying out than one who is apathetic that the world around them can truly change. Advent is waiting for a miracle to take shape in the world around you. We long for a day when Ira and Milo can come to a relative peace over what is the best boat motor, when the Bobs within our community see their redemption story come to completion, when those lonely on this day come face to face with the source of love and acceptance. We long for the day when John the Baptist’s question of “Are you the Christ or shall we look for another?,” receives an answer with the sight of God’s new birth in our world. Word is this birth might be happening soon! Amen [1] Matthew 14:1-12. [2] Really good reflection on these issues written by Dr. Jeannie Miller-Clarkson entitled: “Bah Humbug! Three Reasons Some People Hate The Holidays.” The article is found on jeanniemillerclarkson.com published on December 3rd, 2016 and accessed on December 5th, 2016. [3] Matthew 11:3. [4] Allen, Ron. “Commentary on Matthew 11:2-11”. Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 11.Dec.2016. Web. Dec.6.2016. [5] Paraphrase of Matthew 11:5. [6] Zingale, Tim. “ What Do You Hear and See?” Sermon Central. Com. Jan.11.2002. Web. 7.Dec.2016. [7] Zingale, Tim. “ What Do You Hear and See?” [8] Zingale, Tim. “ What Do You Hear and See?” [9] Leninger, Rev.Dr.David. “Are You The One?” SermonWriter.Com. 2004. Web. 5.Dec.2016. Leninger cites: Barbara Bartocci, “The Unexpected Answer,” Reader’s Digest, 9/84, pp. 87-88 for this analogy. [10] Matthew 11:6 First Lesson: Isaiah 11: 1-10 Responsive Reading: Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19 Second Lesson: Romans 15: 4-13 Gospel Lesson: Matthew 3: 1-12 Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Homer Simpson was mad[1]! Homer being irresponsible like always, was late bringing the garbage to the curb for pick up. Homer then gets angry as the sanitation workers drive off, then refused to be swayed to turn around at Homer’s outburst. Homer refers to the garbage men as nothing but “trash-eating stink bags.” Springfield Sanitation wasn’t going to pick up Homer Simpson’s trash any more off after this. Homer Simpson was not one quick to learn a lesson[2]. Homer was never going to apologize for his insults. Homer vows to run for political office to be the new Sanitation Commissioner of Springfield. Homer being known by friends and neighbors as nothing more than a local “hot-head” figures to be a long shot against a beloved public servant in Ray Patterson. Homer Simpson though figured out something important about human psychologically that we love giving people our responsibilities .“Can’t someone else do it?” becomes Homer’s campaign slogan. Homer was going to reinvent the sanitation workers by bringing round the clock garbage service to the town. Homer was going to see to it that the sanitation workers would be able to remove every smelly diaper at the snap of a finger. Homer’s promises lead to a landslide victory. The start of Homer’s time as Garbage Commissioner is a smashing success. Homer begins to deliver on everything promised. The people of Springfield love Homer Simpson until he blows through the yearly garbage budget in thirty days. Let’s just say Homer Simpson’s big promise of “Can’t someone else do it? Led to the whole town of Springfield being a stinky, mess from which it could never recover[3]. Homer Simpson’s catchphrase of“Can’t someone else do it?”, certainly has its appeal. The other week, I was in my garage after some of our cold weather. I start up my car only to see the low tire pressure light is on. So what I was going to need to do is drive across town to Leblanc’s, bend down in freezing weather, unscrew the valve caps, and fill the tires up. Doing this had about as much appeal as chipping ice from one’s driveway . I understand “Can’t someone else do it?” certainly having its appeal especially when it comes to religious obligations. Let me tell a third story[4], some years ago; there was a gentleman living in a small town on the North Dakota prairie. His alarm goes off at 7:00 AM on a February morning. The gentleman looks outside. The wind is whipping. The temperature is supposed to reach zero on that day maybe. He was planning on going to church that day. There weren’t going to be all that many people there, though. The ones who would show would be kind of weird. The simplest thing to do would go back to bed and miss church that day. 7:15 rolls around, his wife comes into the room. “Honey, honey, you need to get up or else you will be late for church.” The man said, “It’s too cold, I’m not going.” Only for his wife to say “You have to go, Honey, you’re the Pastor.” What these stories of trash-collecting, cold-weather troubles, and even going to church remind us of are the following that life is going to full of moments where we’re going to be asked to take on tasks that we might not find all that glamorous. The type of tasks that we wish someone else would do for us. Let me tell you the story today of someone who specialized in doing some of the most unpleasant tasks in life. John the Baptist stood out in a crowd and according to most people not in a good way. The scriptures note John’s strange wardrobe and even stranger diet of wild honey and locusts[5]. Seriously, who wants a preacher that eats bugs without shame? Nothing, John the Baptist did in life was easy. Did John seek to live in the cosmopolitan Jerusalem? No. John the Baptist lived off the grid far away from people. John the Baptist had no formal theological education. John the Baptist didn’t even have a real appealing message preaching nothing but doom, gloom, and baptism. What made John the Baptist stand out though is he had conviction like no one else, even to the point of losing his life[6]. Something surprising happened to John as he began preaching, he starts attracting followers from all over[7]. In fact, when Jesus was gathering his “disciples,” Jesus choose two of John’s closest followers to be his own (John 1:35). Someone sitting in 1st Century Judea could have come up with a long list of reasons not to listen to John the Baptist; only the Gospel has John the Baptist advancing Jesus’ ministry on Earth like no one else. Today, we will gather for two important events in the life of our congregation as we not only baptize Everly but receive new members into our fold. Today we as a congregation make a series of promises to walk alongside and support Everly and our new members in the years ahead. Our natural inclination is to think like Homer Simpson that there is someone better than us for this task. What the story of John the Baptist reminds us is that there is no one better than us for the task then who God puts in place to complete it. Carey Nieuwhof who is a Christian author writes about the challenges facing Christian churches in the 21st century[8]. Nieuhoff writes that the churches that thrive in the 21st century will not necessarily be the ones with the best sermons. People can turn on the T.V. or Internet to find more great preaching and often greater entertainment. Instead, the churches that thrive are going to be the ones that elevate relationships with each and every person that walks into their doors from the youngest infant to the wisest old man. There is truth to the saying that people are more connected than ever, but also more disconnected than ever. So what do we want for Everly and our other new members on this day? We want them to embrace a faith that can bring them hope when seemingly nothing but darkness surrounds them in life. We want them to cling to the faith of the promises of Baptism that John the Baptist proclaimed to those who came to see him in the wilderness. We realize this faith will be supported by those closest to Everly who promise to walk alongside her on this day. We (not anybody else) have to be ones to do this to avoid the church becoming nothing but a stinky mess. We have the power to change the world around us often in ways we cannot begin to fathom. Malcolm Gladwell tells the following story[9]. In 1995, Hush Puppies the classic suede shoe was on the verge of extinction. A mere 30,000 pairs a year were being sold in small family stores and Wolverine the parent company considered them no longer economically viable to produce. Then something strange happened, a couple of company executives received word that their shoe had become hip again in Downtown Manhattan. Retailers who would have never considered Hush Puppies were now selling Hush Puppies. They soon received word that trendsetters couldn’t get enough of Hush Puppies. Pretty soon, prominent fashion designers wanted to incorporate hushpuppies into their shows. By the end of 1995, sales of Hush Puppies were up 14 fold to 430,000 per year. By the end of 1996, Hush Puppies sales had increased another 400% to well over a million and a half pairs sold. In 1997, sales increased yet again. What happened is some time before the Hush Puppies explosion, a few kids in the East Village of Manhattan dared to be different, just like John the Baptist. These kids were going to preach a word that no one else dared to preach. The word of Hush Puppies would soon spread like wildfire. What the tale of Hush Puppies illustrates is how ordinary people no different than you and me possess power to influence others beyond what you can even imagine. “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”-Matthew 3:12. Just think a simple, uneducated country preacher named John in a land far away from this one many years ago starting preaching Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. John’s Baptism like “Hush Puppies” began to spread without explanation. John’s followers would soon become Jesus’ followers who would proclaim a “new baptism” promising “life eternal.” This Baptism comes to Sychar, Today. As we baptize Everly on this day, we remember that Baptism like Advent is about the future, not the present. Plenty of churches don’t get Baptism because they judge it on account of what they see today. Baptism doesn’t become a reality until the day of Resurrection. “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?..For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.”-Romans 6:3,5. Infants don’t seem to be the best testimony to God’s ability to change the world until we see a little, lowly crying infant lying in a manager. It is infants like these through whom God brings salvation to his people. Amen [1] “Trash of the Titans.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.11. Sept.2016. Web. Nov.29.2016. “Trash of the Titans” is the 22nd episode of season 9 of The Simpsons originally airing on April 26, 1998. [2] Trash of the Titans.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. [3] Trash of the Titans.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. [4] I believe that I heard this anecdote at Olivet Lutheran in Fargo, sometime when I was a student at Concordia College. [5] Matthew 3:4. [6] Mark 6:14-29. [7] Matthew 3:5. [8] Nieuwhof, Carey. Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow.The reThink Group, INC. Charlotte, NC. 2016. Print.P.119 [9] Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Back Bay Books of Little, Brown and Company. New York. 2013. Print (2000). P.3-5. |
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