{"id":2291,"date":"2023-12-17T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/?p=2291"},"modified":"2023-12-19T15:57:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T20:57:09","slug":"a-fire-in-our-bones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/2023\/12\/17\/a-fire-in-our-bones\/","title":{"rendered":"A Fire in Our Bones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Year B (Advent 6 \/ A 7-Week Advent)<\/em>
 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
 Canticle 15 (The Magnificat \u2013 Luke 1:46-55)
 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
 John 1:6-8,19-28<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May the words of my mouth O God\u2026  speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advent is a penitential season\u2026 like Lent\u2026  but not as severe\u2026  and historically\u2026  the primary color for both was purple\u2026  the color of penitence and fasting\u2026  but in modern times\u2026  the penitential aspect of Advent has been softened\u2026  with an emphasis on hope and anticipation\u2026  and some Protestant churches use blue to distinguish Advent from Lent\u2026  but much like the Lenten season\u2026  there is a slight adjustment around the midway point\u2026  in Advent\u2026  it comes today\u2026  in the form of Gaudete Sunday\u2026 when rose-colored vestments\u2026  or a rose-colored candle is used to represent that softness\u2026  and the significant difference between the two\u2026  is that Laetare Sunday reflects a lightness and joy that is expressed externally\u2026  whereas Gaudete Sunday reflects a joy and lightness that is expressed internally\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This morning’s Gospel tells us that John came as a witness to the Light\u2026  and it recounts the testimony he gave…  and that his was the voice of one crying out in the wilderness\u2026  to prepare the way of the Lord\u2026  and make God’s paths straight\u2026  and interestingly\u2026  surprisingly\u2026  the Greek word from which we get both witness<\/em> and testimony<\/em>\u2026  is the same Greek word from which we also get martyr<\/em>\u2026  now John wasn’t a prophet in the traditional sense\u2026  but he foretold the One who was to come after him\u2026  but I wonder\u2026  whether we loathe the words of the prophets\u2026  because John\u2026  like many of the prophets before and after him\u2026 many of the prophets who challenge the status quo<\/em>\u2026  many of the prophets who call out the rich and powerful\u2026  end up as outcasts\u2026  or dead\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Jewish Scriptures contain more information about the prophet Jeremiah’s life than any other prophet\u2026 ]  though there is no biblical record about how he died\u2026  church tradition suggests that he was stoned to death in Egypt\u2026  ]  it seems that there’s just something about lifting up God’s truth and justice\u2026  that is both difficult to speak\u2026  and that is difficult to hear\u2026  that when the testimony of the Lord comes to us\u2026  and that when we decide not to mention God\u2026  or speak any more in God’s name\u2026  then there may be within us\u2026  something like a burning fire shut up in our bones\u2026  and we may get weary from holding it in\u2026 ]  it may seem reasonable to hold it in\u2026  in order to protect ourselves\u2026  and reasonable because then others won’t have to change\u2026  but often\u2026  we reach a point when we simply can hold it in no longer\u2026  and when we cannot\u2026  there are almost always unwanted consequences\u2026  for both ourselves and for those who hear our words\u2026  who may feel forced to change\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Luke 4:16-17\u2026  Jesus comes to Nazareth\u2026 his hometown\u2026  where he had been brought up\u2026  and on the Sabbath\u2026 he goes to the synagogue\u2026  and stands up to read\u2026  and the scroll that is given to him\u2026  is the scroll of the prophet Isaiah\u2026  and he unrolls the scroll\u2026  and as he reads\u2026  the words he speaks are the same words that we heard this morning\u2026  the Spirit of the Lord is upon me\u2026  because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor\u2026  he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives\u2026  and recovery of sight to the blind\u2026  to let the oppressed go free\u2026  and to proclaim the year of the Lord\u2019s favor<\/em>\u2026  and what is the year of the Lord’s favor\u2026  it is a Jubilee year\u2026  listen now to Leviticus 25:10\u2026  And you shall hallow the fiftieth year\u2026  and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants\u2026  it shall be a jubilee for you\u2026  every one of you shall return to your property\u2026  and every one of you to your family<\/em>\u2026  or as Luke says\u2026  to your hometown\u2026  and Jesus’ witness to God’s justice\u2026  expressed in Isaiah’s words\u2026  Jesus’ testimony expressed in this prophet’s Good News\u2026  may have been something like a burning fire\u2026  shut up in his bones\u2026  and he could not hold it in\u2026  I mean\u2026  why would he want to\u2026   ]  and after Jesus’ truth telling\u2026  after the exchange with those in the synagogue\u2026  those he challenged drove him out of town\u2026  where they tried to throw him off the brow of a hill\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s impossible for us to know\u2026  to really know\u2026  what daily life\u2026  what the felt experience was like\u2026  two-thousand years ago\u2026  in Israel\u2026  in Jerusalem\u2026  but it’s not hard to imagine that there were some people who were quite content with how their lives were going\u2026  like the Romans who had lavish homes with inlaid mosaic tiled floors\u2026  who ate imported food\u2026  and who even had indoor plumbing\u2026  who may have been like the wealthiest top 1% of Americans\u2026  ]  it’s not hard to imagine there were some people who were fairly content but who tried to improve their and their family’s lives\u2026  who may have had a home but who worked hard to stay afloat\u2026 ]  but there were also people\u2026  maybe by far the largest number of people\u2026  who were day laborers and whose daily existence was a daily struggle\u2026  who lived hand to mouth\u2026  like those at the bottom of the American caste system\u2026  who are now unhoused and who live with food insecurity\u2026 who live at the whims and the mercy of those with wealth and power\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And because of these stark disparities\u2026  it’s not difficult to imagine how unbelievable and at odds these ancient promises were against the weight of the oppressive rule under which they lived\u2026  it’s not difficult to image how out of reach God’s promises\u2026 to the oppressed and brokenhearted\u2026 spoken through Isaiah\u2026  seemed\u2026   ]  and God’s promises… also spoken by Mary in this morning’s Magnificat\u2026  must have seemed unattainable\u2026   like pie-in-the-sky\u2026  unbelievable that God would scatter the proud in their conceit\u2026  cast down the mighty from their thrones\u2026  and send the rich away empty\u2026  ]  and when God does this\u2026  when the words of the prophets change hearts and minds\u2026  and inspire repentance\u2026  I don’t think God has ever taken pleasure in doing these things\u2026  I don’t think God does these things with smug satisfaction\u2026  I don’t think God will continue to do these things with joy\u2026  that’s just some people’s psychological immaturity and perhaps vengeance\u2026  being projected on to God\u2026  but I do think\u2026  that when we’re not yet experiencing\u2026  and sharing\u2026  the abundance that God offers\u2026  because the deck is stacked against some of us\u2026  ]  and when we hear in Mary’s prayer\u2026  that God uses what is insignificant to bless the lowly\u2026  and that God will continue to use that insignificance to heal the places which fall short of God’s aspirations for us\u2026  we know that God will use us to establish God\u2019s glory\u2026 ]  because remember\u2026  it wasn’t the signs and wonders that made people want to follow Jesus\u2026  it was his unconditional welcome and love\u2026  and the beloved community to which he pointed\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John the Baptist was a witness\u2026  was like a supporting character in God’s unfolding story\u2026  the church is a witness and a supporting character too\u2026  we point to Jesus\u2026  not to our gifts\u2026  or our buildings\u2026  or our programs\u2026  or ourselves\u2026  ]  our scriptural passages this morning\u2026  are all about those who witness to God’s spirit\u2026  and peace\u2026  and truth\u2026  and justice\u2026  so how can we\u2026  and will we\u2026  kindle this fire in our bones\u2026  so we continue the work of witnessing\u2026  and speaking God’s truth to power\u2026  so that we\u2026  and all of our neighbors\u2026  may fully rejoice\u2026  always\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Year B (Advent 6 \/ A 7-Week Advent) Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Canticle 15 (The Magnificat \u2013 Luke 1:46-55) 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8,19-28 May the words of my mouth O God\u2026  speak your truth\u2026 Advent is a penitential season\u2026 like Lent\u2026  but not as severe\u2026  and historically\u2026  the primary color for both was purple\u2026  the color of penitence and fasting\u2026  but in modern times\u2026  the penitential aspect of Advent has been softened\u2026  with an emphasis on hope and anticipation\u2026  and some Protestant churches use blue to distinguish Advent from Lent\u2026  but much like the Lenten season\u2026  there is a slight adjustment around the midway point\u2026  in Advent\u2026  it comes today\u2026  in the form of Gaudete Sunday\u2026 when rose-colored vestments\u2026  or a rose-colored candle is used to represent that softness\u2026  and the significant difference between the two\u2026  is that Laetare Sunday reflects a lightness and joy that is expressed externally\u2026  whereas Gaudete Sunday reflects a joy and lightness that is expressed internally\u2026  This morning’s Gospel tells us that John came as a witness to the Light\u2026  and it recounts the testimony he gave…  and that his was the voice of one crying out in the wilderness\u2026  to prepare the way of the Lord\u2026  and make God’s paths straight\u2026  and interestingly\u2026  surprisingly\u2026  the Greek word from which we get both witness and testimony\u2026  is the same Greek word from which we also get martyr\u2026  now John wasn’t a prophet in the traditional sense\u2026  but he foretold the One who was to come after him\u2026  but I wonder\u2026  whether we loathe the words of the prophets\u2026  because John\u2026  like many of the prophets before and after him\u2026 many of the prophets who challenge the status quo\u2026  many of the prophets who call out the rich and powerful\u2026  end up as outcasts\u2026  or dead\u2026  The Jewish Scriptures contain more information about the prophet Jeremiah’s life than any other prophet\u2026 ]  though there is no biblical record about how he died\u2026  church tradition suggests that he was stoned to death in Egypt\u2026  ]  it seems that there’s just something about lifting up God’s truth and justice\u2026  that is both difficult to speak\u2026  and that is difficult to hear\u2026  that when the testimony of the Lord comes to us\u2026  and that when we decide not to mention God\u2026  or speak any more in God’s name\u2026  then there may be within us\u2026  something like a burning fire shut up in our bones\u2026  and we may get weary from holding it in\u2026 ]  it may seem reasonable to hold it in\u2026  in order to protect ourselves\u2026  and reasonable because then others won’t have to change\u2026  but often\u2026  we reach a point when we simply can hold it in no longer\u2026  and when we cannot\u2026  there are almost always unwanted consequences\u2026  for both ourselves and for those who hear our words\u2026  who may feel forced to change\u2026 In Luke 4:16-17\u2026  Jesus comes to Nazareth\u2026 his hometown\u2026  where he had been brought up\u2026  and on the Sabbath\u2026 he goes to the synagogue\u2026  and stands up to read\u2026  and the scroll that is given to him\u2026  is the scroll of the prophet Isaiah\u2026  and he unrolls the scroll\u2026  and as he reads\u2026  the words he speaks are the same words that we heard this morning\u2026  the Spirit of the Lord is upon me\u2026  because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor\u2026  he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives\u2026  and recovery of sight to the blind\u2026  to let the oppressed go free\u2026  and to proclaim the year of the Lord\u2019s favor\u2026  and what is the year of the Lord’s favor\u2026  it is a Jubilee year\u2026  listen now to Leviticus 25:10\u2026  And you shall hallow the fiftieth year\u2026  and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants\u2026  it shall be a jubilee for you\u2026  every one of you shall return to your property\u2026  and every one of you to your family\u2026  or as Luke says\u2026  to your hometown\u2026  and Jesus’ witness to God’s justice\u2026  expressed in Isaiah’s words\u2026  Jesus’ testimony expressed in this prophet’s Good News\u2026  may have been something like a burning fire\u2026  shut up in his bones\u2026  and he could not hold it in\u2026  I mean\u2026  why would he want to\u2026   ]  and after Jesus’ truth telling\u2026  after the exchange with those in the synagogue\u2026  those he challenged drove him out of town\u2026  where they tried to throw him off the brow of a hill\u2026 It’s impossible for us to know\u2026  to really know\u2026  what daily life\u2026  what the felt experience was like\u2026  two-thousand years ago\u2026  in Israel\u2026  in Jerusalem\u2026  but it’s not hard to imagine that there were some people who were quite content with how their lives were going\u2026  like the Romans who had lavish homes with inlaid mosaic tiled floors\u2026  who ate imported food\u2026  and who even had indoor plumbing\u2026  who may have been like the wealthiest top 1% of Americans\u2026  ]  it’s not hard to imagine there were some people who were fairly content but who tried to improve their and their family’s lives\u2026  who may have had a home but who worked hard to stay afloat\u2026 ]  but there were also people\u2026  maybe by far the largest number of people\u2026  who were day laborers and whose daily existence was a daily struggle\u2026  who lived hand to mouth\u2026  like those at the bottom of the American caste system\u2026  who are now unhoused and who live with food insecurity\u2026 who live at the whims and the mercy of those with wealth and power\u2026 And because of these stark disparities\u2026  it’s not difficult to imagine how unbelievable and at odds these ancient promises were against the weight of the oppressive rule under which they lived\u2026  it’s not difficult to image how out of reach God’s promises\u2026 to the oppressed and brokenhearted\u2026 spoken through Isaiah\u2026  seemed\u2026   ]  and God’s promises… also spoken by Mary in this morning’s Magnificat\u2026  must have seemed unattainable\u2026   like pie-in-the-sky\u2026  unbelievable that God would scatter the proud in their conceit\u2026  […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2292,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[25,295,296],"class_list":["post-2291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","tag-advent","tag-testify","tag-witness"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/McCownvoicein-the-wilderness-cropped.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2291"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2293,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions\/2293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}