7 January 2015 - ain't afraid of no ghost

There are times when we feel like Jesus calls us to go off ahead. At such times we seem to have to fend for ourselves.

Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd. 

He and his disciples are separated for a while. Or so they think. He goes off to the mountain to pray and his disciples are out on the sea. There is distance between them. And Jesus is spending time in prayerful communion with the Father. The disciples must think that they are not even on his mind as he does this. They must think themselves too insignificant to be in his prayers. This is why they don't expect him when he comes. They seldom expect him. They are always more ready to discover a fearful ghost than a God of love.

But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out. 

Yet it is Jesus. He says, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" It seems, moreover, that he has been thinking of them all along. Even from his vantage point on the land "he saw that they were tossed about while rowing for the wind was against them." From the mountain top with the Father he sees them better, not worse. They are always in his heart. These are the ones whom the Father gives him. These are the ones whom he wills not be lost (cf. Joh. 6:39). They are the shared love of Father and Son and are therefore not forgotten even in their most intimate communion. And somehow, so are we.

But we too are afraid. We are so ready to attribute everything we experience to chaos and chance, if not to ghosts and aliens. We are ready to believe that we are forgotten out on the waves of life. Jesus tells us this morning, "Take courage". He comes to us amidst the apparent chaos and chance. He does not abandon us. He does see and know our circumstances. He wants to get into our boats and to calm the storms that surround us. This is the perfect love which drives out fear.  Fear has to do with punishment. But when we learn that we are loved and not forgotten we know that we aren't suffering at the hands of a vindictive God. He allows the storms of life for our sakes. He is guiding us to experience and share a love that cannot be shaken by wind or waves. He himself is this love. But even when he does allow the storms he remembers us. Even the storms are a chance to cling to a peace which is unshakable. This is the peace that is found in Jesus alone.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.

Let us, with every nation on earth, adore him!

6 January 2015 - god is love

Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.

God wants us to know him. He wants to communicate the deepest truth of who he is to us. He does this in many ways. One way is our subjective experience of his love for us. But a more complete revelation is in the love he gives us with which we love him and love our brothers and sisters. In our love for one another we experience the power of God's love for us. Love is the deepest truth of who God is.

Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;

Because this is so it follows that we know him most completely in love. This isn't simply feelings of love but love itself. It is necessarily a gift. It known most perfectly when it is given away. God is known most perfectly when the grace he gives us is given away.

And the gift he gives us cannot possibly be given any more completely than he does in Jesus Christ.

In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.

The love with which we love our brothers and sisters and the love with which we love God has its source in this gift from the Father. Our fallen humanity puts all sorts of qualifications on whom we should love, when we should love, and how much we should love. We have difficulty dying even for just men, though perhaps for those we perceive as just we might dare to do so. But while we are yet sinners, Christ dies for us (cf. Rom. 5:7-8). There is no limit to his love.

In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

And this love he shares becomes our power to love as well. Our hearts no longer see friends who deserve love and enemies who don't. They see "sheep without a shepherd" that are hungry and tired in a deserted place. They are hearts that are no longer content to let lost sheep fend for themselves. When Jesus commands us, "Give them some food yourselves" we rush to reply. It isn't because we have enough resources to solve the problem, either. We only have five loves and two fishes. But somehow the power of his love makes more of whatever we offer than we can imagine. There is not only enough, but there are even baskets left over. In this we see not our love, but his.

The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor.

5 January 2015 - feeling like a neumann

the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.

The dawn from on high breaks upon us. The star that marks his birth is just a prelude. It hints at the greater light of the world who is come. The shepherds and the Magi follow the light of the star. But even stars eventually succumb to the darkness. The star leads them to the light which even the darkness cannot overcome.

The darkness is in the world. There are evil spirits and antichrists all around us. Denying Jesus Christ come in the flesh is a reliable way to sell books. It is a perennial topic of conversation on television. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, but they "belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world and the world listens to them."

What difference does the light make in the face of darkness like this? It protects us from the darkness, not just shining on us from without, but shining forth from within us.

You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them,
for the one who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.

We have the grace to resist the lies the world tells. We have the power to have a world view based on truth no matter how habituated we get to the lie. No matter how many credentialed voices tell us otherwise we can still believe the truth. It shines brighter than the lies. It is within us giving us strength. The very power to believe comes not from ourselves but from the light within us.

Believe what? Jesus is not merely a man, not merely a teacher, not even just a spiritual leader:

He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people. 

He is a healer. He is a worker of wonders. But even more than this, John the Baptist is arrested for standing in the truth of who Jesus really is: the Son of God. He is the one about whom the psalmist truly writes when he says:

The LORD said to me, "you are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.
Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession."

Yet we have a tendency to doubt the supernatural nature of his kingdom. We treat Jesus like a helpful imaginary friend who doesn't have the power to initiate in relationship with us. We talk and do not listen. We pray and do not expect miracles. We read "We receive from him whatever we ask," and immediately think, 'No we don't.'. But wait, what else does it say?  We read on, "because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him." OK, so we don't do that either. But does this mean that we need to earn miracles? Does it mean that the reason the Church seems no more supernatural than the government or the History channel is because we've failed to earn the proof? No! It isn't a matter of earning. It is a matter of hearts open and set on the kingdom. Because the commandments to which he refers are not the ones we think of at first:

And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.

It isn't any arbitrary list of ritualistic rules. It is love on a supernatural level to which we are called to be open. When we are open to it miracles flow, as it were, naturally.

Ask, seek, and knock! He longs to give us the deepest desires of our hearts.

4 January 2015 - starry eyed wanderers

We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.

Let us follow the star this morning. Let us come to do homage to the newborn king. We need this king. He is heralded by a star because he himself is the light of the world. And we desperately need the light.

Maybe we haven't looked around lately. Maybe our heads are buried in the sand. If we look up we notice that this place we live is the valley of the shadow of death. We notice that "darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples". A brief glance at the news reveals politics, disease, and disaster. What else does it have to offer? Distractions: sports, movies, and the like. Forget the darkness, it seems to say. Look down. Bury your head.

This morning we hear a different message.

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

We are suspicious of reports of the light. Maybe that's why they aren't in the news as often as reports of darkness. We think that they are too specific and local and probably temporary to be of any use on the global scale. And for the same reason, we doubt they can do much for the darkness that marks our own lives and hearts. But this is no mere wavering candle flame this morning. This star blazes, calling not just a local few, but kings of nations to adoration.

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.

This light is more than enough to cast out the darkness. This is the light, finally, that all of the darkness cannot overcome. It is enough, not just for the Jews, but for we Gentiles as well.

that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

We too are allowed, called, and commanded to do homage to the king that this light heralds. Yes, it relatives earthly power. In so far as we are Herod we do have cause to be greatly troubled. This changes everything. This casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. And this paradigm is raised to a global scale as the kings of nations bow down to worship. It is no longer possible to keep our heads buried in the sand. The old "security" is stripped from us and we are greatly troubled along with Herod. But let us not do what Herod does. Let us embrace the new security in place of the old ignorance. Let us embrace the new light that shines in the old darkness.

To the child we find let us surrender every paradigm of value we know. Let us surrender political leadership with our gold, religious leadership with our frankincense, and self-centered pride as we anoint his body for burial with myrrh.

This star shines brightly enough for the whole world. But it reveals a newborn infant king. He is enough for the nations, yes. But he is also real enough, concrete enough, individual enough, for each of our hearts. Come, let us worship.

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

3 January 2015 - lifting the wait

Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.

John the Baptist knows something big is coming. He knows that he is destined to announce someone important. He is someone far greater than John. John knows that he existed before him. Does he know that he was in the beginning with God? Even if he knows that, he does not yet "know him". But even though he does not know him he still goes where he is called to go. He takes up his post in the desert. He waits. He waits even though he doesn't know exactly for whom. He sees people come and go wondering when the promised one will appear. He has no particular insight into who it will be. He has to wait for the Spirit to show him.

The Spirit does show him. He descends on Jesus and remains with Jesus. He anoints him to proclaim the good news. The Father speaks, saying that Jesus is his only Son, his beloved. John sees the Spirit. He hears the voice of the Father. He comes to know that the one who existed before him is a specific individual with a name: Jesus. In what can only be a thrill of hope he sees a glimpse of the Father's plan for humanity when he recognizes the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It is a good thing his expectations aren't too specific. Where the world insists on a powerful and conquering messiah John is able to recognize the lamb offered as a sacrifice for all of us. He recognizes this even though he knows that Jesus existed before him, which would seem to make the world's expectations for the messiah even more likely.

The Spirit descends on us, too. The Father speaks over us, too. The Spirit remains with us and we are called "the children of God. Yet so we are."

For ye have not received the spirit of slavery to be in fear again, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (cf. Rom. 8:15)

We are so blessed. John the Baptist is killed before he sees Jesus fulfill his destiny. We know so much about Jesus. John knows that Jesus is the lamb of God. But we know what that means concretely. We know about his life, death, and resurrection. We know that he does this for us all. We know that it is this mystery which makes salvation available to us. We receive that salvation to a degree which John does not, for even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John (cf. Mat. 11:11). Yet even with all that we know and experience we realize that "what we shall be has not yet been revealed." The more we know about God the more we realize we don't know. The more closely we see Jesus the more we realize his transcendent glory. We are promised a share in that glory. What can that possibly mean?

What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,
and what has not entered the human heart,
what God has prepared for those who love him

In this we are a little like John. We don't fully comprehend the promise for which we wait. Yet unlike John, we have a fixed point on which to gaze even, perhaps, without understanding.

We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

Even now all the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Yet many places still want and thirst for the transformation that saving power brings. Many places in the world do not yet burst forth with song to the king. Many places in our hearts are slow to sing as well. It is hard, sometimes. We don't understand everything. 

Let's fix our eyes on the promise. We see it more concretely than John the Baptist. But John teaches us not to run ahead with human expectations. He teaches us to live in this in between time in which we find ourselves. Since we have such a great promise let us pursue it with all that we are.

Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.

How is he pure? We can see it even if we can't quite understand.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

2 January 2015 - from the beginning

“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” 

John knows his mission is to prepare the way of the Lord. He is popular. The people of Jerusalem and all of Judea go out to him (cf. Mat. 3:5) even though he's in the middle of the desert. Even the Pharisees and Sadducees can't stay away. If they can't accept his message at the very least they can't ignore it. It is easy for people in a situation like the one in which John finds himself to make a subtle shift in message. Even if the content of the message isn't entirely different it becomes more about the person delivering the message than the message itself. But not with John. When folks become popular they usually ride the momentum and try to increase. As a result the actual message they have decreases. But not with John. He is faithful to his anointing of the Holy Spirit which is on him since birth (cf. Luk. 1:15). This special anointing is to prepare the way for "the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit" (cf. Joh. 1:33).

And now we ourselves are baptized with the Holy Spirit in baptism and confirmation. We must now be faithful to this anointing just as John the Baptist is faithful to his. We hear from the beginning the truth of who Jesus is. We hear that he brings us into relationship with his Father. We hear the promise of eternal life. We don't need anyone to teach us anything new. We need to rediscover what we already know. Yes, we are anointed. Yes, we know the truth. But this anointing and truth are able to transform us more than we have allowed so far. At the most basic level they keep us free from error. But at a deeper level they guide us into a relationship with Jesus that is personal. We "confess" him, not like a crime about which we are embarrassed, but like confessed love. We "remain in him", not just in what we hear about him. And when we have Jesus we have the Father, too. We have the anointing and the truth that makes this possible but we are often content with too little. We are content to just know things about him when we are called to remain in him. We may talk up the truths when the real content of the message is neglected. The real content of the message is a person. Because of that, the message has power, if we'll use it, to keep us in such a close relationship with that person that we remain in him.

The LORD wants us to fan into flame the gift we have received through baptism and through the laying on of hands (2 Tim. 1:6). It isn't just in the time of John the Baptist. The LORD wants to make his salvation known now, today, starting with you and I.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

1 January 2015 - the first hour

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.

They find an infant in a manger. But who is this child? He is the Word who is with God and who is God (cf. Joh. 1:1). He is the image of the invisible God (cf. Col. 1:15). The fullness of God dwells in him bodily (cf. Col. 1:19). He is God in his very nature (cf. Phi. 2:6). He is, as the creed reminds us, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, consubstantial with the Father. Yet the shepherds find him as an infant in a manger. Is anything more incongruous than this? Even so, it is not just outward appearances. "Every spirit ... acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh" (cf. 1 Joh. 4:2). Though truly God he was "born in the likeness of men" and "found in human form" (cf. Phi. 2:7). "Now since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them" (cf. Heb. 2:14).

No wonder Mary keeps these things in her heart and reflects on them. There is more here than even preternatural intelligence will ever fully grasp. Mary knows her child is not to be ordinary. But to give birth to the Word: What wonder! If God simply enters the world through Mary as though through a door we might understand. But the one whom the world cannot contain becomes part of the world. He becomes part of Mary. The Word which is from all eternity becomes the child of Mary. Mary becomes the mother of God himself!

The LORD lets his face shine upon us in a way greater than we dare to hope. This face is no longer simple metaphor for a personal being that has no physicality. There is a true Holy Face to behold and adore. There are true eyes to look kindly on us. His ways are known upon the earth because he himself comes to demonstrate those ways. We are right to rejoice.

May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!

Only in this flesh he receives from Mary can he bear the burden we cannot bear. Only with this humanity can he offer obedience to the Father for us. Only as true man, subject to pain and suffering and death, can he die for us. In doing so he sets us free. Because "through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life" (cf. Heb. 2:14-15).

Thank you Mary, for your yes. You have unleashed greater blessings than even you realized for all mankind. This new year teach us to say yes as you do. May the full Jesus, fully human and fully divine, be born in the heart of each one of us today!