Some upcoming events:
Wednesday, March 28, 2012 8 - 10 pm
Charity Bingo at breakaway Gaming Center (Crawford and Wyandotte). For every person who attends and signs up as affiliated with MCCW, we receive an additional $10. Come join us for some fun and maybe a win!
Saturday, March 31, 6 - 10 pm
Spring is in the Air Pasta Dinner!
Tickets available from any Board member or by calling the church office (519-977-6897)--$10 each for dinner (pasta, salad, roll, coffee/tea and dessert) and an evening of dancing! Silent auction, too!
Sunday, April 1 1:30 pm
Palm/Passion Sunday worship celebration
We will remember the joy of Jesus' procession into Jerusalem as well as the sorrow of the crucifixion through special Scripture readings, prayer and music. Palms provided!
We are teaming up with Bedford United Church, Lincoln Rd United Church, and Westminster United for our Holy Week services.
Thursday, April 5, 6 pm
Maundy/Holy Thursday service
Join us at 6 pm at Lincoln Rd. United Church (659 Lincoln Rd in Walkerville) for a "meagre meal" followed by a worship time reflecting on Jesus' last supper with his disciples.
Friday, April 6, 10 am
Good Friday service
Bedford United Church (3340 Sandwich St. in Sandwich) will host our Good Friday service, featuring a dramatic reading of Jesus' Crucifixion.
Sunday, April 8, 7:30 am
Easter Sunrise service
Westminster United and MCC Windsor together will host a sunrise service of celebration of Jesus' resurrection. We will meet at the church (1680 Dougall) and weather permitting, celebrate the service in Jackson Park. A continental breakfast will follow.
1:30 pm
Easter Evening service
We will celebrate the risen Christ through joyful worship and song!
If you have any firther questions, please call the church office at 519-977-6897 or email us at info@ mccwindsor dot org.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
“God Speaks” Lent 5B (March 25, 2012), Rev. Martha Daniels
Jeremiah 31:31-34
The
days are surely coming, says the Holy One, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out
of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their spouse,
says the Holy One. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, says the Holy One: I will put my law within them, and
I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the
Holy One,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,
says the Holy One; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no
more.
John
12:20-33
Now
among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came
to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to
see Jesus.”
Philip
went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus
answered them, “The hour has come for the Human One to be glorified. Very
truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it
remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those
who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves
me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever
serves me, the Creator will honour.
“Now my
soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No,
it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Holy One, glorify your
name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify
it again.”
The
crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An
angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus
answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment
of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am
lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to
indicate the kind of death he was to die.
***
“God
Speaks”
Will
you pray with me? Gracious God of all times and places, give us grace to hear
and to listen; to recognise your voice. Give us the courage to hear your voice,
in all the many ways you speak to us in our lives. In all your names, amen.
The
clouds are gathering. We are getting
closer and closer to Good Friday—can’t you feel the wind picking up, the
temperature dropping, as we come nearer to the day of dread—the day when Jesus
is crucified. We aren’t there yet, not quite. But there are hints,
foreshadowings. This talk of being lifted up, of Jesus feeling troubled in his
soul...it doesn’t sound good. And then God speaks to Jesus. Some of the people
who were there hear God’s voice; others hear thunder—which was the loudest
noise humans had ever heard, remember, before gunpowder was invented, or known
in the West.
What, I
wonder, would you and I hear, if we had been there? Would we have heard God, or
would we have looked for a coming storm?
The
people near Jesus—including many of his disciples and apostles—heard only
thunder.
Do we
hear God’s voice? Do we believe God still speaks? Do we believe God would speak
to us? Three very important questions.
God
doesn’t always speak in our language, our human language. Sometimes God speaks
through events, or through other people, or the actions of other people. I
thought I might have a call to ministry, but didn’t believe it, really, until,
in a Bible study exercise we were asked to list the Christian qualities we saw
in the others in the class. I was shocked to find that several of them saw me
as an apostle, as a leader and teacher for God. I had heard God’s voice, but I
didn’t really think God would speak to me, directly. Others, though, believed
it—and they believed in my call. That group of 10 were my staunchest supporters,
all the way through seminary and after.
Because
we know God cares for us, we have to believe God is still speaking. If you love
someone, if you care about them, you communicate with them, you speak to them. One of the first
signs of trouble in a relationship is that sense that the other person is not
communicating with you. And by the way, that doesn’t have to be verbal
communication—we all know people who have difficulty speaking their feelings
aloud, but find other ways to communicate.
So we
hear God, we believe God speaks—but do we believe God would speak to us? That
was part of why I didn’t really believe that I had a call—I didn’t think God
would speak to me. And to be honest, I didn’t really want to answer! I had just
finished a master’s degree program, was settling into a comfortable life in
suburbia, bought a house…I knew God’s call would change and disrupt all that.
So sometimes we are afraid of what it means, and so we pretend we didn’t hear.
Sometimes
we think we aren’t “good enough,” that we are not the sort of person God wants
or needs. But God is perfectly aware of our shortcomings—and yet God still us, calls
us in spite of them, sometimes because of them.
God
speaks to us in other ways—God does not only speak to call people to special
work. God speaks to us to comfort us, to share our pain when we are grieving or
lost or afraid. And God speaks to us in joy and approval when we celebrate—a
renewed relationship, healing, simple beauty. God celebrates with us. Sometimes
I think we remember God only when we are afraid or sad, and forget to thank God
and celebrate with God too.
God
speaks—in the hug of a friend, in the rain, in the smile of a loving parent, in
the embrace of a partner, in the bloom of a rose, in the rising music of an
orchestra, in the blaze of a sunset. And God speaks in the silent places of our
hearts, to us alone, in a language known only to God and ourselves; and God
comforts and God challenges and God encourages and God celebrates.
God
speaks.
God
spoke to the Hebrews, promising them a covenant that would be written in their
hearts. Some would say we have received the fulfillment of that covenant in
Jesus, but I would challenge you to look at the signs of that fulfilled
covenant that Jeremiah talks about, and tell me if you see them around us…do we
all have the knowledge of God written on our hearts? No. We are still working
towards that realm of God, aren’t we?
The
realm of God…it’s not some pie-in-the-sky heaven where we all sit around
plucking harps. It’s a world where all
people are treated with justice and love, where no one goes hungry, or is
homeless, a world where there is no war, no hatred. The message of Jesus is
that we can have that world—if we are prepared to work for it. It’s such a
radical message—don’t hurt others, don’t judge others, make sure everyone has
enough to eat and a place to sleep, that everyone is safe from attack and from
hatred and mockery—such a radical message that people will tell you it can’t
happen on earth, not with humans the way we are. But Jesus says, yes, we can.
It won’t be easy, and some people will be so angry at the thought of such
change—and the loss it would bring to them—that they will kill anyone who talks
about such a place—the realm of God—as Jesus was killed, and Paul, and Peter,
and Archbishop Oscar Romero, and Ghandi,
and so many others.
But we
do fall short, don’t we? We judge other people, we hold grudges, we belittle
others, we don’t care for the hungry or homeless as we should, we hurt other
people. That doesn’t mean we should give up and say it can’t be done.
I once
had friends who trained for a marathon—not something I was interested in doing,
but I supported them! And it seemed so impossible to me—run for 26 miles, 42
kilometres. Running for anywhere from 4 to 6 hours did not seem like a good
time to me! But they persevered, and ran the marathon in about 5 hours. They
didn’t just get up one morning and do it, though. They worked at it—they ran
every day, each day a little longer. They watched what they ate, staying away
from heavy fats and too many carbs. They made mistakes too. One of them trained
too hard, got shin splints and had to rest for a week. They got bored with
running that far (this was before the days of Walkmans or iPods), and sometimes
didn’t run the whole distance they had planned for that day. But they kept at
it, in spite of their mistakes and the temptations to quit. And when the day of
the race came, they ran the whole marathon, never having to walk or stop. And
they did it together, pacing and challenging each other. They agreed to stay
together the whole way, and they did. The next year one of them tried it
alone—and his time was worse because he pushed too hard and had to stop because
of leg cramps. His time was worse the second year.
When we
listen to God speaking to us, we’re in it for the whole marathon—we have to
work at bringing about God’s realm. We don’t do it alone—we have our sisters
and brothers in God to help us, to challenge us and to pace us, to keep us from
burning out as we work together towards making God’s realm real. It seems
impossible, even against human nature—but we remember that with God, all things
are possible.
Sometimes
life feels like a marathon—so many different demands on us, of family and work
and our own needs, so much to do and no time to rest—that we have to remember
we are not doing it alone, and we don’t have to do everything at once. As long
as we keep up a steady pace, don’t stop, we can keep going. With the company of
our friends, our sisters and brothers in Christ, we can pace each other, we can
challenge each other. Keep listening for
the voice of God, in pain and in joy, and know that you are never alone, as
together we work to bring about God’s realm.
In all
God’s names, amen.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Memories of the Heart; Christmas Eve 2011 reflection, MCC Windsor, Rev. Martha Daniels
Luke 2:8-20
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of God stood before them, and the glory of God shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Holy One. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favours!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which God has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
“Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are times of memory, of remembering, of pondering those things in our hearts. It’s a bittersweet time, when we remember and miss members of our family and friends who are no longer part of our celebrations through death, divorce, a move—the inevitable changes of life. And yet those memories sustain us; it is through those memories that we truly keep those people, places, times in our lives. Some of our memories are sad or angry, coloured by pain or betrayal; we choose to let go of the painful memories, to free ourselves of that grief. We don’t lose the memories, but we lose the pain. By remembering the times and people and places no longer in our lives, we help keep them alive.
When “the last surviving” person who participated in an historic event dies, it is news because we no longer have a living memory on earth of that event—the last survivor of the American Civil War, for example, or of the Shackleton expedition, or—someday—the last member of the Beatles, or the last WWII soldier.
There’s something vital about memory, and so many things can provoke it. The other day I was browsing a gift shop, picked up a lavender sachet—and was instantly in my grandmother’s arms. She loved lavender. The sight of a certain Christmas cookie my family makes brings me back to the family kitchen, learning to bake those cookies—the sounds of the record player—that’s a forerunner to the CD player and MP3 player, to you young ones—my sisters, the tree, our dog—all come back very vividly.
I think one of the most interesting links for memory is between music and words in song. If I am trying to remember the words to a song, the easiest way is to sing it. There is a connection, a neurological connection, in our brain, between music and words. They are intimately connected and when you learn one in association with the other, it can be very difficult to disconnect them. I first learned the words in the passage John read as part of Handel’s Messiah—and now when I read them, I hear that stirring music in my head—and it is difficult for me to not sing them!
Memory is at the heart of all we do in worship. We remember in an individual sense—the Prayer Jesus Taught Us—the Lord’s Prayer—the creeds, many of the hymns. But we also remember in a larger sense—as a congregation, a community—and we also remember as a church. We remember. The Hebrew tradition is full of acts of memory—the histories, the retelling of the exodus story every year at Passover, the reminder to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Paul tells his readers to remember all that they have learned. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
“And Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”
These memories give shape and purpose to our lives—we remember, and so we name children after family and friends who have died; we tell stories of Great-Aunt Doris, we hold All Saints services, AIDS memorial services, we walk in the Relay for Life, we keep the Sabbath day, we sing Christmas carols, we take bread and we remember.
Remember this Christmas season—remember what you have heard tonight—how Mary and Joseph travelled to a crowded city, managed to find a sheltered place for Mary to give birth, and were welcomed by the locals, the shepherds, who listened to the angels and remembered what they were told; remember the joy and hope, remember. Remember what we do tonight—light candles to drive away darkness, sing songs of promises fulfilled, share in the presence of those we love and those we do not even know, share the feast of God at God’s own table. Treasure all these things, and keep them in your hearts. In all God’s names, amen.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of God stood before them, and the glory of God shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Holy One. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favours!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which God has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
“Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are times of memory, of remembering, of pondering those things in our hearts. It’s a bittersweet time, when we remember and miss members of our family and friends who are no longer part of our celebrations through death, divorce, a move—the inevitable changes of life. And yet those memories sustain us; it is through those memories that we truly keep those people, places, times in our lives. Some of our memories are sad or angry, coloured by pain or betrayal; we choose to let go of the painful memories, to free ourselves of that grief. We don’t lose the memories, but we lose the pain. By remembering the times and people and places no longer in our lives, we help keep them alive.
When “the last surviving” person who participated in an historic event dies, it is news because we no longer have a living memory on earth of that event—the last survivor of the American Civil War, for example, or of the Shackleton expedition, or—someday—the last member of the Beatles, or the last WWII soldier.
There’s something vital about memory, and so many things can provoke it. The other day I was browsing a gift shop, picked up a lavender sachet—and was instantly in my grandmother’s arms. She loved lavender. The sight of a certain Christmas cookie my family makes brings me back to the family kitchen, learning to bake those cookies—the sounds of the record player—that’s a forerunner to the CD player and MP3 player, to you young ones—my sisters, the tree, our dog—all come back very vividly.
I think one of the most interesting links for memory is between music and words in song. If I am trying to remember the words to a song, the easiest way is to sing it. There is a connection, a neurological connection, in our brain, between music and words. They are intimately connected and when you learn one in association with the other, it can be very difficult to disconnect them. I first learned the words in the passage John read as part of Handel’s Messiah—and now when I read them, I hear that stirring music in my head—and it is difficult for me to not sing them!
Memory is at the heart of all we do in worship. We remember in an individual sense—the Prayer Jesus Taught Us—the Lord’s Prayer—the creeds, many of the hymns. But we also remember in a larger sense—as a congregation, a community—and we also remember as a church. We remember. The Hebrew tradition is full of acts of memory—the histories, the retelling of the exodus story every year at Passover, the reminder to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Paul tells his readers to remember all that they have learned. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
“And Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.”
These memories give shape and purpose to our lives—we remember, and so we name children after family and friends who have died; we tell stories of Great-Aunt Doris, we hold All Saints services, AIDS memorial services, we walk in the Relay for Life, we keep the Sabbath day, we sing Christmas carols, we take bread and we remember.
Remember this Christmas season—remember what you have heard tonight—how Mary and Joseph travelled to a crowded city, managed to find a sheltered place for Mary to give birth, and were welcomed by the locals, the shepherds, who listened to the angels and remembered what they were told; remember the joy and hope, remember. Remember what we do tonight—light candles to drive away darkness, sing songs of promises fulfilled, share in the presence of those we love and those we do not even know, share the feast of God at God’s own table. Treasure all these things, and keep them in your hearts. In all God’s names, amen.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
"Not What You Expected" Message, December 18, 2011 (Advent 4A), Rev. Martha Daniels
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was
sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And
he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! God is with you.” But she was
much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with
God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a child, whom you will
name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Child of the Most High,
and God will give to him the throne of
his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
realm there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I
am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born
will be holy; he will be called Child of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth
in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her
who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary
said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your
word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Will you pray with me? Gracious God of
good surprises, give us wisdom to see your gifts in all things, even when we
don’t believe you could possibly be a part of our lives, when what has happened
seems so far from what you would want or desire for our lives. Open our eyes
and hearts to your grace, not only in the little happenings of our lives, but
in your greatest gift to us, your Child, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Travelling!
We’ve been on a journey the last few weeks, and now we are at our destination.
We have arrived! But is what we were
looking for? Is it what we thought we wanted?
We are going into a difficult time of
year for me—winter. I’ve never been officially diagnosed with Seasonal
Affective Disorder, but I think I might have a touch of it. Some of the most
difficult experiences of my life have happened in the January – March
timeframe, too, and so those months bring that pain and struggle back to mind. In
February, especially, I find myself taking “cyber-vacations” to lush tropical
islands by surfing all those hotel and B&B websites, fantasizing about
being on those beaches, relaxing beside those pools, walking in those gorgeous
gardens, enjoying the luscious meals they describe, experiencing the night
life… But of course I have to wonder—is it really that good? Or are those
descriptions like real-estate listings, where “cozy and intimate” means, “too
small for more than one person?” Or “ideal for handyman” means “tear it down
and start over?” Or “expansive lawns” means “get a goat and a couple of sheep
to mow the grass?” I’ve read accounts of people who had that experience—the
“full breakfast every day,” meant cold cereal and toast, lukewarm coffee and watery
orange juice; where the rooms looked good in the pictures only because they
were carefully prepped, and you couldn’t smell the musty odour from the closet.
When I lived on the East Coast, we knew the code for beach hotels—“beach front”
meant across the street from the beach, “beach views” meant that if you craned
your neck around the balcony you could catch a glimpse of the beach,” only “on
the beach” really meant that your windows looked out on the beach. But if you
didn’t know the code, you could be sadly disappointed—you didn’t get what you
expected.
On the other hand, there’s the other
experience as well—when you go somewhere not expecting much and are surprised. A
few years ago I was looking for a place to go on a retreat by myself. I didn’t
want anything organised or planned—I had my own reading and praying and
thinking to do, and I didn’t need guidance on it. I just wanted a quiet place
in the country where I could stay, where I could feel God’s presence, where I
could leave behind my responsibilities and simply be open to God’s moving in my
life. I found several places but most of them were places where you had to meet
with a spiritual director to plan even a solo retreat, or they were too close
to a city or too expensive or too primitive or too far away…none were quite
what I wanted. But then I found a location that I thought would do. Absolutely
nothing was specifically organized for people staying there—yoga or art classes
and prayer services were sometimes offered in the evenings, but each person was
free to go or not as they wished. Everyone had their own cottage, and did their
own cooking, so you never had to deal with another person if you didn’t want
to. On the other hand…the cottages looked a little close together, and then I
also wondered about how I would fill up all the time, and it was still three
hours away, but it seemed the best choice. It was not what I expected. Simple
cottages the size of a bachelor apartment, set in the woods around a field and
arranged so that you didn’t see most of the other cottages, gardens and woods
and pathways to walk and explore, a good library at the main building, quiet,
and solitude that was respected. It was everything that I wanted and needed,
but it was not what I expected.
Mary couldn’t have known what to expect.
I mean, simply the fact of an angel showing up must have been confusing—to
start with, how did she know it was an angel? We always think of angels as
having wings and flowing hair, but certainly not all of them do—especially the
ones we meet here on Earth. And then the news—you’re going to have a baby! I’m
sure that Mary did expect to have children—it was just part of a woman’s life
in those days, like going to school these days. But as she points out—she’s
never been with a man. Notice she doesn’t say that she isn’t married—which was
the human scandal, that she was having a baby out of wedlock, and her fiancé
was not the father. She probably would have been forgiven if Joseph had been
the father—a lapse but a forgivable and very common one. I’ve seen statistics
that show that in the 1700s, perhaps 25% of women were pregnant at marriage, as
shown by the fact that their first children were born less than eight months
after they were married. So it was not
really a big deal to simply be pregnant when she was married—but Joseph was not
the father. That was the difficulty and
potential scandal. But Mary’s more focused on the hows, though—how can she
become pregnant?
And I think she must have been
thinking—anyone would be—“how can this be good? God is asking me to do this, so
it must be all right, but how in the world can this be a good thing?”
One of my favourite new Christmas
songs—not a traditional carol—is Mary Did You Know? by Clay Aiken, most
famously sung by Kathy Mattea. I think anyone who has parented—which is all of
us—can identify with the lyrics—we hold a baby and wonder what she or he be
like as an adult, how we can help to raise him or her to be a loving, kind
human being. And we wonder if Mary knew what we know--this infant, this tiny
child is God incarnate. The last line especially, can bring me to tears—“The
sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.”
There’s been a lot of debate and
discussion about whether Mary is degraded or lifted up in this—whether she is
seen as a walking womb, so to speak, or as a person with a choice and influence
in the situation. Some people will even say that Mary was, in effect, raped by
God—that she had no choice because God is in a position of authority over her
and she doesn’t have the ability to say no to God. I think that view is totally
wrong for two reasons. One is that this is not about biology—if we try to see
this as a physical, biological process, we are on the wrong road. Yes, it is
literal in that a baby was born, but if we try to see this too literally and
try to figure out ways and means, we lose the meaning. Quite without human
means, God came to earth as a baby. How God did that is not something that be
explained or even discussed in human terms, anymore than we can discuss how God
created the earth in literal human terms. Secondly, Mary did have a choice. We
don’t read it in the way the angel makes the announcement—Gabriel seems to
assume a lot—but Mary is not afraid to challenge the angel. She is not prepared
to assume that this can just happen—she accepts it. We always see this in the
Bible—an angel tells someone what God wants them to do—Isaiah in the temple
being told to speak truth to power, David called to be a ruler, Moses told to
go set God’s people free—and they consent. Every one of them says, “Yes, I will
do what God asks of me.” They had a choice. We don’t know what would have
happened if they said no—that’s not our story—but God would have made another
way.
My point here, though, is that Mary said
yes—even though she didn’t quite know what it was all about, she trusted that
God had a purpose and a reason for asking her. She knew the difficulties ahead
of her if she said yes—but she did.
And the result was not what she
expected! Over and over again, God surprised her. Joseph did not abandon her.
Her baby grew up to be a teacher and healer, not the carpenter she expected;
nor did he simply gather students around him as would be expected of a teacher.
He didn’t overthrow the Romans, as she must have thought the Messiah would.
Jesus wasn’t rescued from the cross by an army of angels. And he didn’t stay in
the tomb, either. Over and over God surprises her and us.
God does what God does, and that often
upsets human expectations and wants. It’s not what we expected—but like the
vacation that is even better than you expected and planned for, God’s surprises
always bring us to be more of who we are, nourish us in ways we didn’t know we
needed, and draw us closer to God.
No one who was looking for the Messiah,
who was hoping for God’s help, who struggled under Rome’s rule, who looked at
Israel’s history, could have guessed that God would choose this way to come to
earth. As another new Christmas carol says, “What a strange way to save the
world.” It is not what anyone expected.
In this season of surprises, remember
God’s greatest unexpected gift of all—that baby, laid in a manger, who had come
to be God with us, Emmanuel. The gift
you need from God will be given to you—but it will not be what you expect. It
will be more than you ever hoped for or dreamed of.
In the name of the God who journeys with
us, amen.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Christmas, Blue and Otherwise....
We have three events coming up in December!
Tuesday, December 13, 7 pm "Blue Christmas" Service
For those of us who have lost a loved one, ended a relationship, had a job loss, or another loss; or who live with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), this can be a very difficult time of year. MCC Windsor is joining with Westminster United Church for a service of remembrance and healing. Please join us for a time of prayers, gentle music, reflection, and a healing ritual.
At: MCC Windsor, 1680 Dougall, Windsor
Saturday, December 24, 7 pm Christmas Eve Service
MCC Windsor and Westminster continue their holiday tradition of sharing the Christmas Eve candlelight service. Lessons and carols, with reflections of the season, Holy Communion and a candlelight closing highlight this family-friendly service.
At: MCC Windsor, 1680 Dougall, Windsor
Sunday, December 25, 1:30 pm, Christmas Day Service
You'll have time to open your gifts, visit with family, and still get to church on Christmas Day! MCC Windsor's Sunday service for Christmas Day celebrates the season with music, fellowship, and joy!
At: MCC Windsor, 1680 Dougall
Coming up in January....mark your calendars now!
Saturday, January 21--Shawn Thomas, in concert at MCC Windsor!
Sunday, January 22--MCC Windsor celebrates 24 years of service to the Windsor community with a special service of celebration and renewal!
Tuesday, December 13, 7 pm "Blue Christmas" Service
For those of us who have lost a loved one, ended a relationship, had a job loss, or another loss; or who live with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), this can be a very difficult time of year. MCC Windsor is joining with Westminster United Church for a service of remembrance and healing. Please join us for a time of prayers, gentle music, reflection, and a healing ritual.
At: MCC Windsor, 1680 Dougall, Windsor
Saturday, December 24, 7 pm Christmas Eve Service
MCC Windsor and Westminster continue their holiday tradition of sharing the Christmas Eve candlelight service. Lessons and carols, with reflections of the season, Holy Communion and a candlelight closing highlight this family-friendly service.
At: MCC Windsor, 1680 Dougall, Windsor
Sunday, December 25, 1:30 pm, Christmas Day Service
You'll have time to open your gifts, visit with family, and still get to church on Christmas Day! MCC Windsor's Sunday service for Christmas Day celebrates the season with music, fellowship, and joy!
At: MCC Windsor, 1680 Dougall
Coming up in January....mark your calendars now!
Saturday, January 21--Shawn Thomas, in concert at MCC Windsor!
Sunday, January 22--MCC Windsor celebrates 24 years of service to the Windsor community with a special service of celebration and renewal!
"In Reverse: God is Turning Things Upside Down" December 11, 2011, (Advent 3B) MCC Windsor, Rev. Martha Daniels
Isaiah 61:1-11
The spirit of our God is upon me, because the Holy One has anointed me; God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of God’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Holy One, to display his glory.
They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; but you shall be called priests of the Holy One, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. Because their shame was double, and dishonour was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs. For I the Holy One love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom God has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Holy One, my whole being shall exult in my God, who has clothed me with the garments of salvation, and has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
John 1:6-28
There was one sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of humans, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of an only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Child, who is close to the Creator’s heart, who has made him known.
This is the testimony given by John when the religious leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of our God,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
**
Will you pray with me? God who is present in all places and times, open our hearts to be aware of your presence in our lives today, here and now. Give us grace to accept your love for us, and the courage to share that love with others. In the name of your child, our saviour Christ, amen.
As I prepared for worship this week, I realized that we needed one more reading. It’s one of the suggested readings for this week in Advent, and in fact is the reading that gives it the name Rejoicing Sunday. This reading is from Luke 1, and is sometimes called the Magnificat, from the Latin for the first word, which means, “I will magnify.”
“Mary said, “My soul magnifies God, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for the Holy One has looked with favour on the lowliness of God’s servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation. Almighty God has shown strength with God’s arm; and God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. The Holy One has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; and has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. God has helped God’s servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
What an amazing affirmation to come from Mary! Remember, this is the young woman who was found to be pregnant before she was married, something so shameful that her fiancĂ©, Joseph, who knew he had had nothing to do with her pregnancy, thought of breaking their engagement. She has been shamed, embarrassed. I can easily imagine the gossips of Nazareth looking down their noses at her and whispering as she passed. Remember, in those days, engagement was considered as binding as a marriage, and extra-marital affairs were punished by stoning. Women were essentially the property of the men in their lives—fathers, brothers, husbands, sons—and legitimacy of the children was very important in that culture.
So Mary has turned things upside down—and not in a good way for those around her! She is pregnant, but Joseph is not the father. He’s considering not marrying her after all, we read in another gospel, and he is only convinced to marry her anyway because of an angel in a dream. This is serious stuff!
And yet Mary is overjoyed to be expecting this baby—she sings this wonderful song of excitement and joy and praise to God, because she is expecting a baby who will do wonderful things for human beings. There will be a reversal of everything—the poor will be rich, the rich poor; the hungry will be full and those who have everything will have nothing. All that is wrong will become right, and those who have done what is wrong will get what they deserve. Everything will be turned inside out and fixed.
We’re talking about journeys this Advent… We’ve all had reverses in our travels, haven’t we? The luggage that’s lost, the car that breaks down, the child that gets sick, the map that wasn’t right—or maybe the GPS that we didn’t trust—the flights delayed or cancelled. Sometimes those events make the rest of the trip even more important—the difficulties in getting home for a family Christmas make it even more special, the shared complications of a difficult trip bring out the best in our travelling companions. There’s a saying that if you really want to get to know someone, try building something with them or taking a trip with them! Those reversals help us to see what is good, and to appreciate what is good and right—sometimes only in hindsight, after it is all over, but those changes give us the opportunity to try again.
Remember in CS Lewis’s book—or maybe you’ve seen the movie—The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe that it was always winter and never Christmas, under the rule of the White Witch? But then Aslan, the son of the Emperor Across the Sea, arrives, and so does Father Christmas. The snow begins to melt, and the White Witch’s sleigh becomes useless; her powers wane away, in spite of her attempting to kill Aslan, and she is conquered. Aslan is a symbol of Christ in these novels; he is slain and rises again, he appears to several people throughout the series The Chronicles of Narnia, and he returns at the end.. When things begin to go backward—when the winter begins to fade—we know God is near.
And that’s what God is doing with the world in Jesus’ birth. God is rearranging the world, making the rich poor and vice versa. That reversal is in fact a very signal of God’s presence among us—when things start going backwards, we know God is present.
We can be at the very bottom of our well, no hope, no sight of a way out, desperate for another option, and certain this is the end, there is no solution—and it is in those moments that God comes to us and shows us how this upended life offers us a way, a new path.
I have been in this place. I was a destructive, abusive relationship with someone who denied that who I was, who I am, had validity or worth. I saw no way out. Because of circumstances—financial and personal—I felt that I was trapped. I saw no way out of this relationship, hellish as it was, even though it had scattered all my life-plans, all my hopes and plans and even my calling. When I saw no way, God sent a way—family members and dear friends who offered validation of who I was, encouragement as I struggled to find that way out, and support as I left the relationship and established myself again. It is no exaggeration to say that without those angels, those messengers from God, I would not be living out God’s purpose for my life. I would either be still in that destructive relationship or quite possibly dead. God sent me a way when I saw no way; God made that reversal possible.
We all have stories, or have heard stories, of people in similar circumstances—stripped of almost everything, without hope, utterly cast down. And then there’s a light, a hope—and that beam of hope becomes a rope to pull us out of that cast down place. Maybe it was financial straits, maybe it was a bad relationship, maybe it was loss of employment or income, maybe it was an addiction—whatever it was, God came to us in those times when everything we knew was in pieces around us…shattered, broken, scattered around us like so many shards of glass. The bits of our lives… But until we had come to that point, were we able to see and hear God’s guiding presence? If God had spoken to us one moment earlier, would we have heard? If we had known of God’s presence when things were just OK, would we have paid attention?
The power of God’s action in our lives comes from this fact—when life is at its worst, that is when God offers a reversal, a renewal—when things have most truly fallen apart, God’s grace comes to us, and offers a way when there seems to be no way.
Mary—pregnant when society said she should not be; the person struggling with addiction; the spouse caught in an abusive relationship; the worker in a dead-end job; the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered teen of homophobic parents; the employee laid off two weeks before Christmas, the homeless family ….and then God’s presence is clear, and the reversal comes, and God’s purpose is worked out.
It doesn’t mean that everything goes back to the way it was before, or that all of life is now perfect—but it does mean that we are living our lives as God intended. We have seen the reversal God sent, and our lives are on the right road. We have found the right map, the car is repaired, our luggage is found.
And what else can we do but sing in joy?! Mary rejoices over God’s promises of the poor becoming wealthy, the empty full and satisfied, the ones who were cast down lifted up. We too celebrate—freedom from addiction, healing from abuse, new confidence in who we are, a new path of opportunity and hope… Indeed, what else can we do but celebrate?
Well, here’s something else we can do. We can stop to look at our own lives, and what part we truly play in the reversals of other people. Are we willing to admit that we, too, are a cause, sometimes, of those shattered lives? Or are we afraid to have our world turned upside down? Are we the poor who will hear the good news of reversal, or are we the ones responsible for their poverty? Are we the broken-hearted who will be healed, or have we broken their hearts? Are we the captives who will be freed, or are we the captors who have restrained them? On what side of the reversals do we find ourselves? Did we neglect to tag our luggage properly, to be sure the car engine was tuned up, to allow enough time between flights?
I think these are legitimate questions to ask. We cannot take on the blame for all the world’s ills, but we also have to admit that we are oppressors and deniers and unforgiving—just as much as we are oppressed and denied and unforgiven.
Yes, my former partner denied God’s image and action in me and in my life—but I too denied God’s presence in my life and calling and allowed my vocation to be denigrated. If I was belittled and put down, I also denied the truth of my life and of God’s action in me.
In this season of preparation for God’s arrival among us once again, as a tiny baby in a manger, it is time to examine our own hearts for God’s presence, our own actions for errors.
Which side of the reversals of others are we on? Are we casting them down—emptying them, refusing to forgive, taking all they have, not recognizing the image of God in them? Or are we lifting them up—sharing God’s grace, filling them with good things, forgiving, loving, supporting them as they seek to fulfill God’s purpose for them and for us?
While we rejoice in the good that has been done for us, we cannot forget that others too, need that hand, that blessing, that support or forgiveness or hope that we can offer them.
This year, let’s put our lives into reverse—reverse the sorrow, dismay, despair, pain, hopelessness and fear and turn them into joy, hope, healing, peace, and comfort. Let’s recognise the reversals from hope to grief as well as from sorrow to joy—especially the ones we have had a part in—and then do something about it. And then we can all truly sing Joy to the World.
In the name of the God who travels with us, amen.
The spirit of our God is upon me, because the Holy One has anointed me; God has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of God’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Holy One, to display his glory.
They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; but you shall be called priests of the Holy One, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. Because their shame was double, and dishonour was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs. For I the Holy One love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom God has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Holy One, my whole being shall exult in my God, who has clothed me with the garments of salvation, and has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
John 1:6-28
There was one sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of humans, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of an only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Child, who is close to the Creator’s heart, who has made him known.
This is the testimony given by John when the religious leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of our God,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
**
Will you pray with me? God who is present in all places and times, open our hearts to be aware of your presence in our lives today, here and now. Give us grace to accept your love for us, and the courage to share that love with others. In the name of your child, our saviour Christ, amen.
As I prepared for worship this week, I realized that we needed one more reading. It’s one of the suggested readings for this week in Advent, and in fact is the reading that gives it the name Rejoicing Sunday. This reading is from Luke 1, and is sometimes called the Magnificat, from the Latin for the first word, which means, “I will magnify.”
“Mary said, “My soul magnifies God, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for the Holy One has looked with favour on the lowliness of God’s servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation. Almighty God has shown strength with God’s arm; and God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. The Holy One has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; and has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. God has helped God’s servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
What an amazing affirmation to come from Mary! Remember, this is the young woman who was found to be pregnant before she was married, something so shameful that her fiancĂ©, Joseph, who knew he had had nothing to do with her pregnancy, thought of breaking their engagement. She has been shamed, embarrassed. I can easily imagine the gossips of Nazareth looking down their noses at her and whispering as she passed. Remember, in those days, engagement was considered as binding as a marriage, and extra-marital affairs were punished by stoning. Women were essentially the property of the men in their lives—fathers, brothers, husbands, sons—and legitimacy of the children was very important in that culture.
So Mary has turned things upside down—and not in a good way for those around her! She is pregnant, but Joseph is not the father. He’s considering not marrying her after all, we read in another gospel, and he is only convinced to marry her anyway because of an angel in a dream. This is serious stuff!
And yet Mary is overjoyed to be expecting this baby—she sings this wonderful song of excitement and joy and praise to God, because she is expecting a baby who will do wonderful things for human beings. There will be a reversal of everything—the poor will be rich, the rich poor; the hungry will be full and those who have everything will have nothing. All that is wrong will become right, and those who have done what is wrong will get what they deserve. Everything will be turned inside out and fixed.
We’re talking about journeys this Advent… We’ve all had reverses in our travels, haven’t we? The luggage that’s lost, the car that breaks down, the child that gets sick, the map that wasn’t right—or maybe the GPS that we didn’t trust—the flights delayed or cancelled. Sometimes those events make the rest of the trip even more important—the difficulties in getting home for a family Christmas make it even more special, the shared complications of a difficult trip bring out the best in our travelling companions. There’s a saying that if you really want to get to know someone, try building something with them or taking a trip with them! Those reversals help us to see what is good, and to appreciate what is good and right—sometimes only in hindsight, after it is all over, but those changes give us the opportunity to try again.
Remember in CS Lewis’s book—or maybe you’ve seen the movie—The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe that it was always winter and never Christmas, under the rule of the White Witch? But then Aslan, the son of the Emperor Across the Sea, arrives, and so does Father Christmas. The snow begins to melt, and the White Witch’s sleigh becomes useless; her powers wane away, in spite of her attempting to kill Aslan, and she is conquered. Aslan is a symbol of Christ in these novels; he is slain and rises again, he appears to several people throughout the series The Chronicles of Narnia, and he returns at the end.. When things begin to go backward—when the winter begins to fade—we know God is near.
And that’s what God is doing with the world in Jesus’ birth. God is rearranging the world, making the rich poor and vice versa. That reversal is in fact a very signal of God’s presence among us—when things start going backwards, we know God is present.
We can be at the very bottom of our well, no hope, no sight of a way out, desperate for another option, and certain this is the end, there is no solution—and it is in those moments that God comes to us and shows us how this upended life offers us a way, a new path.
I have been in this place. I was a destructive, abusive relationship with someone who denied that who I was, who I am, had validity or worth. I saw no way out. Because of circumstances—financial and personal—I felt that I was trapped. I saw no way out of this relationship, hellish as it was, even though it had scattered all my life-plans, all my hopes and plans and even my calling. When I saw no way, God sent a way—family members and dear friends who offered validation of who I was, encouragement as I struggled to find that way out, and support as I left the relationship and established myself again. It is no exaggeration to say that without those angels, those messengers from God, I would not be living out God’s purpose for my life. I would either be still in that destructive relationship or quite possibly dead. God sent me a way when I saw no way; God made that reversal possible.
We all have stories, or have heard stories, of people in similar circumstances—stripped of almost everything, without hope, utterly cast down. And then there’s a light, a hope—and that beam of hope becomes a rope to pull us out of that cast down place. Maybe it was financial straits, maybe it was a bad relationship, maybe it was loss of employment or income, maybe it was an addiction—whatever it was, God came to us in those times when everything we knew was in pieces around us…shattered, broken, scattered around us like so many shards of glass. The bits of our lives… But until we had come to that point, were we able to see and hear God’s guiding presence? If God had spoken to us one moment earlier, would we have heard? If we had known of God’s presence when things were just OK, would we have paid attention?
The power of God’s action in our lives comes from this fact—when life is at its worst, that is when God offers a reversal, a renewal—when things have most truly fallen apart, God’s grace comes to us, and offers a way when there seems to be no way.
Mary—pregnant when society said she should not be; the person struggling with addiction; the spouse caught in an abusive relationship; the worker in a dead-end job; the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered teen of homophobic parents; the employee laid off two weeks before Christmas, the homeless family ….and then God’s presence is clear, and the reversal comes, and God’s purpose is worked out.
It doesn’t mean that everything goes back to the way it was before, or that all of life is now perfect—but it does mean that we are living our lives as God intended. We have seen the reversal God sent, and our lives are on the right road. We have found the right map, the car is repaired, our luggage is found.
And what else can we do but sing in joy?! Mary rejoices over God’s promises of the poor becoming wealthy, the empty full and satisfied, the ones who were cast down lifted up. We too celebrate—freedom from addiction, healing from abuse, new confidence in who we are, a new path of opportunity and hope… Indeed, what else can we do but celebrate?
Well, here’s something else we can do. We can stop to look at our own lives, and what part we truly play in the reversals of other people. Are we willing to admit that we, too, are a cause, sometimes, of those shattered lives? Or are we afraid to have our world turned upside down? Are we the poor who will hear the good news of reversal, or are we the ones responsible for their poverty? Are we the broken-hearted who will be healed, or have we broken their hearts? Are we the captives who will be freed, or are we the captors who have restrained them? On what side of the reversals do we find ourselves? Did we neglect to tag our luggage properly, to be sure the car engine was tuned up, to allow enough time between flights?
I think these are legitimate questions to ask. We cannot take on the blame for all the world’s ills, but we also have to admit that we are oppressors and deniers and unforgiving—just as much as we are oppressed and denied and unforgiven.
Yes, my former partner denied God’s image and action in me and in my life—but I too denied God’s presence in my life and calling and allowed my vocation to be denigrated. If I was belittled and put down, I also denied the truth of my life and of God’s action in me.
In this season of preparation for God’s arrival among us once again, as a tiny baby in a manger, it is time to examine our own hearts for God’s presence, our own actions for errors.
Which side of the reversals of others are we on? Are we casting them down—emptying them, refusing to forgive, taking all they have, not recognizing the image of God in them? Or are we lifting them up—sharing God’s grace, filling them with good things, forgiving, loving, supporting them as they seek to fulfill God’s purpose for them and for us?
While we rejoice in the good that has been done for us, we cannot forget that others too, need that hand, that blessing, that support or forgiveness or hope that we can offer them.
This year, let’s put our lives into reverse—reverse the sorrow, dismay, despair, pain, hopelessness and fear and turn them into joy, hope, healing, peace, and comfort. Let’s recognise the reversals from hope to grief as well as from sorrow to joy—especially the ones we have had a part in—and then do something about it. And then we can all truly sing Joy to the World.
In the name of the God who travels with us, amen.
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