Year B
Isaiah 62:6-12
Psalm 97
Titus 3:4-7
Luke 2:8-20<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not yet midnight\u2026 it’s not yet December 25th\u2026 but we can still say\u2026 can still legitimately say\u2026 Merry Christmas\u2026 that’s because based on the Jewish calendar\u2026 Christmas actually began at 5:13 this afternoon\u2026 you see\u2026 according to the Jewish calendar\u2026 it\u2019s not only Jewish holidays\u2026 but every day\u2026 that begins at sunset\u2026 and this understanding is based on the creation story in Genesis 1:5\u2026 when the text says\u2026 and there was evening\u2026 and there was morning\u2026 the first day<\/em>\u2026 because before God created light\u2026 there was darkness\u2026 darkness and then light\u2026 and by mentioning evening before morning\u2026 the Torah describes a day as beginning with the evening\u2026 followed by the morning\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so\u2026 as we begin Christmastide\u2026 let us pray\u2026 Holy God\u2026 may the light of this new day shine around us\u2026 and not only shine around us\u2026 but percolate through us\u2026 infuse our bodies and our being with its luster\u2026 that we become so steeped in the light of Christ\u2026 that it cannot help but shine forth from us\u2026 and guide our way into grace\u2026 and peace\u2026 perfecting us\u2026 making us whole\u2026 and inviting forth our authentic selves\u2026 in Jesus\u2019 Holy name\u2026 Amen<\/strong><\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a lot to ask for\u2026 that seems like a lot to ask for\u2026 but it\u2019s not asking for more than God already has in store for us\u2026 ] we know that one candle loses nothing of its own light by lighting another candle\u2026 we know that lamps don\u2019t go under bushel baskets but are put on lamp stands\u2026 we know that light shines in the darkness and that darkness doesn’t overcome it\u2026 we know the song This Little Light of Mine\u2026 we associate light with being lighthearted and emotionally available\u2026 with not taking ourselves too seriously\u2026 and that being vulnerable\u2026 is disarming\u2026 that being real with others\u2026 endears us to them\u2026 and when we let go of our ego’s heaviness\u2026 when we share our stories of not quite having it all together\u2026 and when we\u2019re the first to say I\u2019m sorry\u2026 it becomes easier to be forgiven\u2026 and to forgive\u2026 ] I remember well\u2026 that when my brother and I used to get in trouble\u2026 and rushed to tell our dad how we managed to do that\u2026 as soon as he walked through the door\u2026 it always went better for us… than if our mom was the first to tell him \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n But even though the angels\u2026 and Jesus\u2026 say\u2026 Do Not be Afraid<\/em>\u2026 we are still\u2026 far too often afraid\u2026 afraid of disappointing\u2026 of not measuring up\u2026 of not being enough\u2026 of being seen as weak\u2026 of being exposed\u2026 of being found out\u2026 ] and so in order to not risk feeling that\u2026 we move from here [heart] to here [head]\u2026 and we’ve gotten very good at discounting our feelings\u2026 at becoming human doings\u2026 instead of human beings\u2026 it’s almost as though we figure that since emotions\u2026 have little currency\u2026 why bother with them\u2026 and we may even begin to amend our stories and our truths\u2026 with versions that we believe to be socially acceptable or politically expedient\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Keck\u2026 Chaplain at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University writes\u2026 that someone\u2019s harsh words can stick with us\u2026 with disproportionate power\u2026 we may remember criticisms spoken in one heated moment\u2026 more than we remember the loving and appreciative words which family and friends have expressed over years\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And there are many reasons why someone might be afraid\u2026 some might be where they worship\u2026 or the vocation they choose\u2026 or how they vote\u2026 or where they shop\u2026 or who they love\u2026 ] but we know that this is ultimately unfounded and myopic\u2026 because all of these fears\u2026 are the same fear\u2026 the fear of being rejected\u2026 we all desire to be accepted for who we are\u2026 by those we love\u2026 and by those who love us\u2026 and especially by God\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not be afraid<\/em>\u2026 and sentiments like it\u2026 appear more than fifty times in the Bible\u2026 most frequently when a divine being\u2026 speaks to a human being\u2026 but far too often\u2026 we are fearful\u2026 afraid that God will judge us for thinking what we think\u2026 for feeling how we feel\u2026 for being who we are\u2026 but our emotions are not our weakness\u2026 our emotions are our strength\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus had feelings\u2026 Jesus expressed emotions\u2026 he loved\u2026 he grieved\u2026 he wept\u2026 he got angry\u2026 and no one ever called Jesus weak\u2026 God emptied God-self into a fragile human body\u2026 God incarnated as one of us\u2026 and no human being was ever as powerful\u2026 as authentic\u2026 probably because no human being ever knew themselves as fully\u2026 as perfectly\u2026 as Jesus did\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not be afraid\u2026 I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people\u2026 for to you is born\u2026 this day\u2026 in the city of David\u2026 a Savior\u2026 who is the Messiah\u2026 <\/em> and in that announcement\u2026 creation moved from chronos<\/em>\u2026 human time\u2026 into kairos<\/em>\u2026 God\u2019s timelessness\u2026 the eternal now merged into the here and now\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s only when we hang on to our own conditional love\u2026 in our short-sightedness\u2026 that we sell God short\u2026 because Isaiah 66 tells us that God will comfort us like a mother\u2026 Ps. 139 tells us that God was there when we were knit together in our mother\u2019s womb\u2026 Ps. 56 tells us that God collects our tears in a bottle\u2026 Luke 12 tells us that God knows how many hairs are on our heads\u2026 and Proverbs 9:10 tells us that reverence for and knowledge of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom\u2026 so knowing God\u2026 knowing who God is\u2026 knowing God\u2019s immeasurable love\u2026 radical grace\u2026 and unmerited forgiveness\u2026 is to know ourselves as well\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles Campbell writes\u2026 the political powers\u2026 in both Jesus\u2019 day and in our own\u2026 play on fear to get their way\u2026 whether it be the fear of the Emperor\u2026 the fear of terrorists\u2026 the fear of the other\u2026 or the fear of death\u2026 but those days are over\u2026 because this night of light\u2026 is here\u2026 and because we are loved so completely and unconditionally by God\u2026 that there is nothing we could ever do that could make God love us any more\u2026 and there is nothing we could ever do that could make God love us any less\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And we can honestly say that even though God loves us just exactly\u2026 precisely\u2026 the way we are now\u2026 in this day\u2026 on this night\u2026 that God is not yet finished with us\u2026 and that seems to imply that we’re not enough\u2026 but maybe it’s more than that\u2026 maybe it’s that we’re not yet finished with God\u2026 that as we grow into the Mind of Christ\u2026 we’re capable of expressing even more of God’s light and peace and forgiveness and justice\u2026 not only in our own lives\u2026 but in the lives of our neighbors\u2026 ] and this may express a truth\u2026 that like Mary\u2026 we might treasure\u2026 and ponder in our hearts\u2026 Do not be afraid\u2026 and Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year B Isaiah 62:6-12 Psalm 97 Titus 3:4-7 Luke 2:8-20 May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026 It’s not yet midnight\u2026 it’s not yet December 25th\u2026 but we can still say\u2026 can still legitimately say\u2026 Merry Christmas\u2026 that’s because based on the Jewish calendar\u2026 Christmas actually began at 5:13 this afternoon\u2026 you see\u2026 according to the Jewish calendar\u2026 it\u2019s not only Jewish holidays\u2026 but every day\u2026 that begins at sunset\u2026 and this understanding is based on the creation story in Genesis 1:5\u2026 when the text says\u2026 and there was evening\u2026 and there was morning\u2026 the first day\u2026 because before God created light\u2026 there was darkness\u2026 darkness and then light\u2026 and by mentioning evening before morning\u2026 the Torah describes a day as beginning with the evening\u2026 followed by the morning\u2026 And so\u2026 as we begin Christmastide\u2026 let us pray\u2026 Holy God\u2026 may the light of this new day shine around us\u2026 and not only shine around us\u2026 but percolate through us\u2026 infuse our bodies and our being with its luster\u2026 that we become so steeped in the light of Christ\u2026 that it cannot help but shine forth from us\u2026 and guide our way into grace\u2026 and peace\u2026 perfecting us\u2026 making us whole\u2026 and inviting forth our authentic selves\u2026 in Jesus\u2019 Holy name\u2026 Amen\u2026 That\u2019s a lot to ask for\u2026 that seems like a lot to ask for\u2026 but it\u2019s not asking for more than God already has in store for us\u2026 ] we know that one candle loses nothing of its own light by lighting another candle\u2026 we know that lamps don\u2019t go under bushel baskets but are put on lamp stands\u2026 we know that light shines in the darkness and that darkness doesn’t overcome it\u2026 we know the song This Little Light of Mine\u2026 we associate light with being lighthearted and emotionally available\u2026 with not taking ourselves too seriously\u2026 and that being vulnerable\u2026 is disarming\u2026 that being real with others\u2026 endears us to them\u2026 and when we let go of our ego’s heaviness\u2026 when we share our stories of not quite having it all together\u2026 and when we\u2019re the first to say I\u2019m sorry\u2026 it becomes easier to be forgiven\u2026 and to forgive\u2026 ] I remember well\u2026 that when my brother and I used to get in trouble\u2026 and rushed to tell our dad how we managed to do that\u2026 as soon as he walked through the door\u2026 it always went better for us… than if our mom was the first to tell him \u2026 But even though the angels\u2026 and Jesus\u2026 say\u2026 Do Not be Afraid\u2026 we are still\u2026 far too often afraid\u2026 afraid of disappointing\u2026 of not measuring up\u2026 of not being enough\u2026 of being seen as weak\u2026 of being exposed\u2026 of being found out\u2026 ] and so in order to not risk feeling that\u2026 we move from here [heart] to here [head]\u2026 and we’ve gotten very good at discounting our feelings\u2026 at becoming human doings\u2026 instead of human beings\u2026 it’s almost as though we figure that since emotions\u2026 have little currency\u2026 why bother with them\u2026 and we may even begin to amend our stories and our truths\u2026 with versions that we believe to be socially acceptable or politically expedient\u2026 David Keck\u2026 Chaplain at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University writes\u2026 that someone\u2019s harsh words can stick with us\u2026 with disproportionate power\u2026 we may remember criticisms spoken in one heated moment\u2026 more than we remember the loving and appreciative words which family and friends have expressed over years\u2026 And there are many reasons why someone might be afraid\u2026 some might be where they worship\u2026 or the vocation they choose\u2026 or how they vote\u2026 or where they shop\u2026 or who they love\u2026 ] but we know that this is ultimately unfounded and myopic\u2026 because all of these fears\u2026 are the same fear\u2026 the fear of being rejected\u2026 we all desire to be accepted for who we are\u2026 by those we love\u2026 and by those who love us\u2026 and especially by God\u2026 Do not be afraid\u2026 and sentiments like it\u2026 appear more than fifty times in the Bible\u2026 most frequently when a divine being\u2026 speaks to a human being\u2026 but far too often\u2026 we are fearful\u2026 afraid that God will judge us for thinking what we think\u2026 for feeling how we feel\u2026 for being who we are\u2026 but our emotions are not our weakness\u2026 our emotions are our strength\u2026 Jesus had feelings\u2026 Jesus expressed emotions\u2026 he loved\u2026 he grieved\u2026 he wept\u2026 he got angry\u2026 and no one ever called Jesus weak\u2026 God emptied God-self into a fragile human body\u2026 God incarnated as one of us\u2026 and no human being was ever as powerful\u2026 as authentic\u2026 probably because no human being ever knew themselves as fully\u2026 as perfectly\u2026 as Jesus did\u2026 Do not be afraid\u2026 I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people\u2026 for to you is born\u2026 this day\u2026 in the city of David\u2026 a Savior\u2026 who is the Messiah\u2026 and in that announcement\u2026 creation moved from chronos\u2026 human time\u2026 into kairos\u2026 God\u2019s timelessness\u2026 the eternal now merged into the here and now\u2026 But it\u2019s only when we hang on to our own conditional love\u2026 in our short-sightedness\u2026 that we sell God short\u2026 because Isaiah 66 tells us that God will comfort us like a mother\u2026 Ps. 139 tells us that God was there when we were knit together in our mother\u2019s womb\u2026 Ps. 56 tells us that God collects our tears in a bottle\u2026 Luke 12 tells us that God knows how many hairs are on our heads\u2026 and Proverbs 9:10 tells us that reverence for and knowledge of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom\u2026 so knowing God\u2026 knowing who God is\u2026 knowing God\u2019s immeasurable love\u2026 radical grace\u2026 and unmerited forgiveness\u2026 is to know ourselves as well\u2026 Charles Campbell writes\u2026 the political powers\u2026 in both Jesus\u2019 day and in our own\u2026 play on fear to get their way\u2026 whether it be the fear of the Emperor\u2026 the fear of terrorists\u2026 the fear of the other\u2026 or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2299,"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":[47,211,299,298],"class_list":["post-2298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sermons","tag-christmas","tag-christmas-eve","tag-gods-unconditional-love","tag-kairos"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ChristmasEvesmaller.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2298","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=2298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2300,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2298\/revisions\/2300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/twochurches.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}