During Christmas (all 12 days!), this is my altar. 
Category: Faith
A Reflection on 8 Days
The Gospel Reading is Luke 2:15-21.
When was the last time you used “eight days” to signify something new coming up? I can’t remember the last time I did that. When I talk about things happening in the future, I might say “next week” or “in one week.” I rarely say “in eight days.” But according to Luke and Leviticus, a baby boy who is Jewish is to be circumcised eight days after birth. So why the number eight?
In the Bible, the number seven represents the idea of wholeness. When God created the earth, it took God six days and God rested on the seventh. The entire creation event took seven days to complete; seven days to be whole. In Leviticus 12, a woman remains ritually unclean for seven days after giving birth. The idea of being ritually unclean is not an easy concept for Christians to understand. We sometimes say being unclean comes from the Israelites lack of medical knowledge and access to modern hygiene (like indoor plumbing). But ritual uncleanness was deeper than that. The Israelites had a sense that certain experiences changed us, making it difficult to approach the holy and perfect God. By following certain rituals, we are made clean, and our ability to approach God is reaffirmed. When a woman gave birth to a baby boy, she’s “unclean” for seven days. It takes time for her to be made whole again. And then, once she’s whole, her son is circumcised on the eighth day.
As Christians, ritual impurity when it comes to childbirth is something we do not teach. But there is something compelling about the symbol of the eighth day. The eighth day is the day after something is made whole and complete. The eighth day symbolizes something new; a new cycle; a new creation. At the end of a week, a new opportunity arises. As Christians, this is who Jesus is. Jesus is a new creation. And as followers of Christ, we are more than just individuals. We are part of Christ himself. We are living in his eighth day. So, in this time of something new, what is God calling us to do?
Each week, I write a reflection on one of our scripture readings for the week. This is from Christ Lutheran Church’s Worship Bulletin for 1/01/2017.
What’s in a name? A sermon on Jesus’ name day.
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 the Lord 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.
After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2:15-21
My sermon from New Year’s Day (January 1, 2017) on Luke 2:15-21.
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Would God be Born: When does Christmas show up?
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord 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 Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 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 he favors!” 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 the Lord 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.
Luke 2:1-20
My sermon from Christmas Eve (December 25, 2016) on Luke 2:1-20.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Unregistered Hope: Slow tv and the Sacred Everyday
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord 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 Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 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 he favors!” 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 the Lord 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.
Luke 2:1-20
My sermon from Christmas Eve (December 24, 2016) on Luke 2:1-20.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Christmas Cookies
The Gospel Reading is Luke 2:1-20.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie Elf is when Buddy the Elf is talking to his elf-dad while fixing Santa’s sleigh. Buddy is appalled that some people do not believe in Santa Claus. One of the questions he asks pertains to cookies: “I guess . . .parents then eat all those cookies?”
This is the season to eat all those cookies.
There’s something joyful about Christmas Day falling on a Sunday. The church gathers together on every Sunday to remember, proclaim, and celebrate the entirety of Jesus’ story. We share God’s Son through worship, song, and communion. We also share our story as people living in the light of his resurrection. Each Sunday is a day to celebrate Jesus. And Christmas Day is a day to remember God entering the world and spending God’s first moments wrapped in blankets and resting in a feeding trough.
We don’t always get to decide what moments come into lives. But we do have a God who promises to be in those moments with us. God didn’t need to be born as a child. God didn’t need to spend that first night in a manger. But God decided to have parents. God decided to grow up like we do. And God went on a journey that did not escape death. God goes where we go. Christmas Day isn’t the start of God’s presence in creation; God has never been far from what God loves and made. But Christmas is the moment when God took a chance to be one of us because we are worth the love only God can give. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and many blessings (cookies and other treats) in the New Year.
Each week, I write a reflection on one of our scripture readings for the week. This is from Christ Lutheran Church’s Worship Bulletin for 12/25/2016.
A Christmas Eve Countdown Reflection
The Gospel Reading is Luke 2:1-20.
In my kitchen is my family’s Advent calendar. The calendar is large, made of felt, and has dates embossed on little pockets. Inside each pocket is a Christmas character. We have magi, camels, angels, and even a Christmas goose. On the Nativity scene above the pockets, there is a piece of Velcro for each character to be stuck to. Every morning, I pick up my two year old or four year old (or both) and we empty a pocket, adding that character to the Nativity. Sometimes the Christmas goose ends up in the manger or the camel ends up in the sky. Other times I let my two kids change the entire scene. Once they’re distracted by something else, I stick everything into a more traditional setup. My daily countdown to Christmas involves letting a little chaos happen before sorting everything out.
This year we also counted down to Christmas is a different way. Kids in our Sunday School invited the entire congregation to create a Reverse Advent Calendar. Each family picked an organization to support (a food pantry, homeless services organization, etc.) and each day we placed an item in a box to support that organization. My family spent the month filling a cardboard box with diapers, baby food, and pacifiers. We wanted to help a family with a newborn baby. When a character left their pocket in the Advent calendar, a new item for a baby was given to help someone in need.
We spend months counting down to Christmas but I wonder if we should be counting down at all. Maybe we should be counting “up” to Christmas. We can’t countdown to something that has already happened and Jesus was born 2000 years ago. But we can look forward to what Christmas means for us today. God chose to live a human life. Jesus needed to experience everything we experience. In Jesus, we see how God loves the world. Through his life, we see what God’s love does for the poor, marginalized, and everyone in need. And in his death and resurrection, we watch as God refuses to let our brokenness be our final word. Darkness, despair, frayed relationships, sorrow, and pain will not be what we to offer the world. By coming down to us, God gave to us the faith, love, and support we need to live lives that reflect God’s love full into the world. When our countdown to Christmas runs out, that doesn’t mean Christmas is over. Christmas is already here. Christmas is all year long. Our calling is to love like it’s Christmas every day.
Each week, I write a reflection on one of our scripture readings for the week. This is from Christ Lutheran Church’s Worship Bulletin for 12/24/2016.
Found to Be: Joseph (Jesus’ Dad) and Silence
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSVue)
23 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.
My sermon from the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 18, 2016) on Matthew 1:18-25.
******
Is anyone here watching the tv show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? The show tells the story of a young woman named Rebecca who gives up her life in New York City at an awesome law firm to head west, to West Covina, California, to hopefully find love with an old boyfriend she first met at summer camp. The show is full of drama, wacky situations, adult themes, and also…songs. Each episode has at least one character expressing their inner thoughts through song and dance. Even the opening credits are a musical number with a very 1920s feel with backup dancers resembling the Rockettes and a bouncy, uplifting tune that masks the trouble and drama Rebecca brings to her world. Now my favorite part of the opening credits is at the very end. The backup dancers are holding these giant cutout hearts. The camera is looking down at the dance team and we watch as the dancers move closer and closer, using their multiple hearts to form one giant heart…with the face of Rebecca’s old boyfriend in the middle. And then, out of the blue, Rebecca’s own face bursts through with a Blam! And then there’s silence for several uncomfortable moments. We just sit there, watching Rebecca’s face smile….and just when we think the credits should end and we should be at our first commercial break, we’re still there staring at her face. The silence lasts a little too long. It makes us, the viewers, feel uncomfortable. The whole thing is totally awkward…and we wonder if maybe our tvs froze up.
Silence…can be all sorts of things. It can be a blessing, like standing in our front lawns in the middle of a light snowfall before the snow plows and snow blowers disturb the suburban air. Silence can also be a source of horror, like the unnatural silence of shell shocked children that we see in videos documenting the obliteration of Eastern Aleppo in Syria. Silence is heavy and the heavier we’re in it, the more I want to break it, the more I want to fill that terrifying or joyous or peaceful or awkward moment with any kind of sound. And that’s an urge I felt while reading this passage from Matthew because, in today’s story, Joseph never says a word. Angels speak, his fiancee is pregnant, and he plans to breakup with her – there’s a lot going on here – but, through it all, Joseph is silent. The gospel according to Matthew doesn’t record Joseph ever saying a single word. The world is about to change. God is doing a brand new thing. And..through it all…there’s just….silence.
And that’s a bit awkward. So what do we do with that silence? Maybe we try to fill it in [like that skit from Saturday Night Live that aired two weeks ago. Emma Stone is Mary and, well, Mary is tired after giving birth. Visitors keep coming and Joseph keeps letting them in.] [Like in the SNL skit we saw today.] Joseph’s silence lets us expand their story. Since he says nothing, we give him words to say and emotions to experience. Joseph is our blank slate, inviting us to enter the story and be there when Joseph sees Mary pregnant for the first time, or when a dream tells him who Jesus will be, or when another dream, later on, tells him to gather Mary and Jesus and head to Egypt as a family of refugees escaping a rampaging King Herod. Joseph’s wordless experience of his story lets us put our words on his lips and, for a moment, play in the Christmas story.
Giving Joseph these kinds of words is something we should do. Scripture’s not just words on a page. Scripture is a story we are invited to experience over and over again. When we enter into Christ’s story, we experience God. But scripture also gives us space to not always rush into the story that is told. Because what would happen if we let Joseph stay….silent? What if we didn’t give him words? Joseph, a carpenter, finds out his fiancee is pregnant and he’s not the biological father. So he says nothing and, instead, tries to dismiss her quietly…making this whole thing…silent. But an angel comes and tells Joseph to make Jesus his son. And Joseph tells the angel nothing. Jesus is born and again, Joseph…says nothing. Described in this way, Joseph seems like…a bit of a lump. Amazing things are happening – and Joseph can’t get the energy to say something Matthew might want to write down. But if we let Joseph stay silent… if we curb our need to fill his awkward silence with our words… our feelings of awkwardness about his story can unlock one of the many mysteries of Christmas.
Because, one of the miracles of Christmas, is that God works, even in the silence. In moments of silence that are our own making or in those moments when we think God isn’t speaking – God is there. Our silence to God or God’s silence to us doesn’t mean God is absent. Silence, instead, is a moment where we’re invited to see everything that God can do. We might, sometimes, imagine our faith will always be like Mary when she first met the angel. Mary, according to Luke, entered into her calling with a fullness of speech and heart. But in those moments when we are not Mary, when we have no words to say, no words to describe what’s happening to us, no words to even make sense of the unbelievable – God is already there. When Joseph saw Mary and knew she was pregnant, there were no words that could fully capture what God was doing. Joseph’s first instinct was to dismiss her, send her away, but God’s word interceded. God stepped in, breaking into Joseph’s silence and his desire to make the whole situation silent, and, instead, propelled him into the future that God was already bringing about.
And this future God brings….is a future where awkwardness becomes the norm. Uncomfortable mysteries will be central to Jesus’ story. This child is going to grow up and hang out with the sick, the paralyzed, the demon possessed, and even when he isn’t supposed to, he will bring them love. Jesus will seek out the poor, the miserable, the broken and tell them good news. His ministry will take him from the shores of Galilee, to the lands of gentiles and outsiders, connecting him with immigrants and refugees, syrophoenician women and samaritans, and he will see them all as children of God. And, finally, when it will look like Jesus’ story will end, when the sky grows dark, and he takes his last breath on the cross, the silence of 3 days will be broken by a resurrection that women are the first to see. Even in the silences, even in the awkwardness, even in the horror, God’s future breaks through. God’s promise of presence and love was made real on that first Christmas morning. And in those moments when it feels like the dawn has yet to break, when silence turns from awkwardness to something eerie and full of dread, let’s remember to hold onto Joseph’s silence, a silence that propelled him to be a willing participant in the future God is creating, a future that we are called to live in even now. God’s future is a future full of love, a future full of grace, a future that looks like the community Jesus called around himself – a community where all are fed, all are cared for, and all are propelled to stop being silent so that we can be to others who Jesus is to us – an Emmanuel for the entire world.
Amen.
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Who is Joseph?
The Gospel Reading is Matthew 1:18-25.
Today’s reading from the gospel of Matthew is almost a mini-Christmas. We’re hearing the story of Jesus’ birth one week early and we’re focusing on Matthew’s telling of the story. And this telling is very short. Jesus’ birth is only one verse long. The bulk of the the story is tied to a guy named Joseph.
So who is Joseph? It’s a bit complicated. We hear he’s a carpenter and…that’s about it. The details about Joseph’s life are lacking. Today’s story shares that Joseph was not involved with Jesus’ conception which means Jesus is not Joseph’s biological father. Using our modern day language and context, we could call Joseph Jesus’ stepfather. Joseph, like Mary, will take care of Jesus and his siblings. Our community is full of stepfathers, step siblings, stepmothers, and more. Our families are incredibly diverse in structure and makeup. Joseph, like all parents, is encouraged to be a parent even if the children they are raising are not their biological children. A parent does more than just share DNA with their child. A parent takes the time, energy, resources, and makes appropriate sacrifices so the child can thrive.
This description of parent fits who Joseph is. He raises Jesus. But we need to be careful with our stepfather language because, in Jesus’ time, there were no step-parents. There were only parents. Our language can add helpful additions to explain the complicated relationships that exist in families. But, in the ancient world, those additions rarely existed. Instead, a child with parents who claim him as their own did not depend on biology to set who belongs to what family. Once a child was claimed by a parent, that child had a parent and a family. God the Father is Jesus’ Father but Joseph, in the eyes of the ancient world, is also Jesus’ father too.
Each week, I write a reflection on one of our scripture readings for the week. This is from Christ Lutheran Church’s Worship Bulletin for 12/18/2016.