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And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is might has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1:46-55

Intro: I won’t say this episode within the Christmas story has been neglected,

But it doesn’t get as much attention as the more familiar scenes
– it unfolds in a warm and intimate atmosphere
• the two women are relatives–both received a miracle
◦ both have been surprised by unexpected pregnancies
• we have no details of their time together, only their greetings,
◦ and each greeting is an eruption of joy and wonder
– Elizabeth’s greeting hints at the mystery Mary carries in her womb
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (v. 43)
• Mary’s response is nothing less than an inspired song,
◦ like one of the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures
• you know you’ve caught the mood of this story if when reading it you smile

I am going to zero in on one particular line that Mary sings
. . . he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts

My first impression of this statement is that it is prophetic
– Mary celebrates a future as if it were already present
• it describes one of the social upheavals her Child will cause
My next impression: the world will be better for it
– the day when the plans of narcissistic leaders are foiled
A third impression: Mary is traveling familiar territory
– last week I mentioned the two times we are told,
• she treasured a memory and pondered it in her heart
• Mary’s life will affect the realm of inner thoughts

Now we’ll jump from this lovely encounter to the temple

I mentioned Simeon last week, who took Jesus into his arms,
– and prayed over him
• birth and death are featured in this encounter
• a birth is celebrated, a death is anticipated
◦ the one is connected to the other
◦ a peaceful death is possible because of the divine birth
Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed (Lk. 2:34-35)
• Simeon’s prediction: Jesus will be a sign
◦ a sign doesn’t make things happen; it simply points out what’s there
• by his very presence, Jesus would expose what was in the hearts of many

I have taken that last line for our meditation today
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed
– there are moments in Luke where we observe this happen–literally
• once when Jesus perceived the thoughts of the scribes and Pharisees,
◦ Luke says he “answered” them – they were thinking something, but had not said anything
◦ in other words, Jesus answered their thoughts as if they had spoken them out loud!
Why do you question in your hearts? (Lk. 5:22)
• another time when they were looking for a reason to reject him,
Jesus knew their thoughts (Lk. 6:8)
• and again, when they slandered him and pestered him for a sign from heaven
But he, knowing their thoughts addressed their criticism (Lk. 11:17)
• another time it was the disciples he corrected
◦ they were arguing over which one of them was the greatest
But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child . . . . (Lk. 9:47)
• one time Jesus told the Pharisees explicitly,
You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts (Lk. 16:15)

I have a book written by a Benedictine Nun, Thoughts Matter

Sister Mary Margaret tells a story regarding Abba Anthony
– in order to know God as fully as possible,
• he renounced everything in his worldly life; home, wealth, honors, etc.
◦ but when he was alone in the desert, he realized
◦ he the thoughts of those things he renounced followed him
• this required a second renunciation — a renunciation of his thoughts
Mary Margaret Funk, “He realized that his thoughts mattered and that they had to be taken seriously, because if he did not take them seriously, he could not pray. He began to train himself to notice his thoughts, laying them out, rather than resisting them. . . . [he] learned to redirect his thoughts, either by rethinking them or by placing a prayer alongside the thought.”
◦ later she explains
“To know our thoughts is an essential step in redirecting our heart to God in prayer.”
– Fr. Romuald once explained to me, “I am not my thoughts. I am not my feelings.”
• this is an important lesson to learn – we cannot allow our thoughts define who we are
◦ but still, our thoughts matter – true thoughts assist, strengthen, and refresh us
. . . whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Php. 4:8)
◦ thoughts that are untrue can trip us up, mislead and ruin us
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)
• fearful, anxious, shameful thoughts can twist our minds
◦ convince us that we’re worthless, irredeemable, hopeless

I’m going to share a few of my thoughts about thoughts

I don’t expect you to remember this list, but I hope you feel it
• Thoughts are not insignificant – they deserve our concern
◦ our unconscious thoughts run our lives
◦ they will bring us closer to God or carry us away from him
• Thoughts are not inert – they are dynamic, a mental energy
• We do not always know our own thoughts
◦ we get lost in them rather than look at them
◦ sometimes another person makes us aware of them
◦ we can learn to make ourselves aware of our thoughts
• When our thoughts are revealed, we’re responsible to own them
◦ we can discern our thoughts–choose to keep or dismiss them
◦ we can choose to think new thoughts
• Busy, shallow thoughts can distract us from our deeper selves
• We don’t have to fight horrific battles against thoughts in our mind
Sister Mary Margaret, “Thoughts come and thoughts go. Unaccompanied thoughts pass quickly.”
◦ if we do not engage a thought, it will dissolve on its own
• Our thoughts are a key issue in our spiritual development
◦ Jesus reveals our thoughts to renovate our minds
◦ a purification of our thoughts improves our vision of God
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Mt. 5:8)
• God throws us a challenge to think higher thoughts
. . . let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:7-9)
◦ God tells the wicked person, “Your actions are wrong”
◦ he tells the unrighteous person, “Your thoughts are wrong”
• It is possible to transcend thought
◦ to be in pure awareness of the experience of the present moment
◦ to enter the mystery that is the kingdom of God

I’m going to turn now and come at this another way

This last week, reading in Luke I came across the following statement:
. . . where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Lk. 12:34)

I asked myself, “How do I know where my heart is?”
• What thoughts come to me most often?
• What thoughts do I use to console myself? (e.g., “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you” ; Ge. 27:42)
• What thoughts do I use to entertain myself?
• What thoughts give me hope?
• What thoughts trouble me?
• What do I think would make me happy?
• What am I thinking right this moment?
– the answer to each question reveals where my heart is
– my heart thoughts swirl around whatever I treasure

Conclusion: I’ve been trying to imagine, what would it be like

To have Jesus on my mind all day
– would I be more aware of how he blesses me than how others annoy me?
What would it be like to love him so much,
to be so enthralled with him that he was always present to me,
and my thoughts automatically returned to him–always
I imagine, that would be the best Christmas gift I could ever receive

My Christmas wish–my prayer–
is that each of us will enjoy a day like that;
a day when Jesus is everything to us
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36)

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In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. Luke 1:26-29

Intro: I know — this is a strange place to stop reading

These few verses are a small piece of story surrounding Jesus’ birth,
– many big things take place in this long chapter,
• so it is easy to skim this short scene and get to the action
• but I think it may do us some good to linger here awhile

There is something odd about Mary’s reaction

I’ll show you why – earlier, the same angel appeared to Zechariah
– even before the angel spoke
Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him (v. 12)
• later on, an angel appeared to shepherds, and immediately
they were filled with great fear (2:9)
◦ this is typical of angel sightings in scripture — angels frightened people
• now here in our verses, an angel appears to Mary
◦ she also reacts – but not to the angel!
– it wasn’t his presence, but his opening line that troubled her
Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!
• Luke tells us, she was greatly troubled at the saying
◦ and she began wrestling with what sort of greeting this might be

Centuries prior to this story, someone else had a similar encounter
– Israel had been conquered and oppressed by a powerful nation
• the character in this episode was Gideon – a angel appeared to him and said,
The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor (Jdgs. 6:12)
◦ when you read his story, you discover Gideon was anything but a man of valor
• Gideon’s response reveals the despair of his people
Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? (Jdgs. 6:13)
– Mary did not respond with words as Gideon had
• instead, her response was with concerns and thoughts
• she was troubled, not because she knew what was coming next,
◦ but because she had no idea where this was going
• I think most of us would wonder, Why me?
◦ “Favored one? I’ve never done anything to distinguish myself. How did you get my address?”

As we get to know Mary, we will discover this trait in her

That she was a deep thinker – held things close to her heart
– after the shepherds found their way to her, Joseph, and the baby,
• they went away telling everyone what they had seen
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart (Lk. 2:18-19)
• then when Jesus was twelve and had given her and Joseph a scare,
. . . they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. . . . And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart (Lk. 2:49-51)
– mothers are frequently the family historians
• the ones who put together the photograph albums
◦ who cherish the special memories and tell the stories
• of course, for Mary this became a journey of discovery
◦ and along the way, she paused to contemplate the meaning of things

At the outset, Mary’s experience was not wonderful

It wasn’t like unwrapping a Christmas gift to find exactly what you wanted
– it was disturbing and unsettling
• God’s will for us sometimes affects us this way
◦ whether we are thrown into it or choose to step into it
• our predictable routines are disrupted
◦ the future we had planned for ourselves dissolves
◦ instead of knowing where we’ll be tomorrow, we are uncertain
– do you ever wonder if God has a purpose for your life?
• whether he is in control or things just happen randomly?
• even if you cruise along for awhile and life is going well,
◦ if there’s a sudden and unexpected deviation, a hardship or loss
◦ and it seems to have no rational place in your imagined world,
it can make you wonder if there is a purpose for any of it

At that point, a lot of people give up on God
– they may still go to church, pray before meals, donate to charities
• but they don’t believe their lives serve a spiritual purpose
• and they don’t trust God for every detail of their lives
– if ever we are tempted to think faith and trust are easy,
• all we have to do is follow just one character in the Bible
◦ even those on whom God poured out his love,
◦ their safety and security were not guaranteed (think of Job!)
• God does have a vision for each of us
◦ we do not have to understand all that happens, but we have to trust
◦ he can work with everything that enters our story
God lets nothing go to waste

The angel immediately reassured Mary

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God
– “It’s true, from now on you will not have a normal life,
• but you have been graced by God”
◦ that is the meaning of the word “favor”
◦ verse 28, “graced one” and verse 30, “found grace with God”
• God’s grace will carry you through all that comes at you
– remember the annoyance Paul called his thorn in the flesh?
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:8-9)
• personally, I don’t want to believe this
• I want to believe that if things get really bad, it’s okay for me give up
◦ but by this point in my life, I know better
◦ I’ve witnessed God’s grace too many times to give up

Do not be afraid, Mary – on the other hand, be terrified
– your destiny has arrived at your front door
• it will seem an impossibility to bear
• but God will support you through all of it
– your destiny is worth giving up the life you dreamed for self
• it will be worth the suffering
• God will be gracious to you all the way through
◦ this is the new condition of your life–grace
◦ God bring his purpose for you to fruition by his grace

I am not trying to throw cold water on our holiday spirit

But the thing is, we do not know Christmas if we leave out the cross
• the cross cuts through everything
• when Jesus was only eight days old,
◦ the happy couple brought him to temple to present him to the Lord
◦ we’ll meet old Simeon next week, but he was there and predicted Jesus’ future
He also told Mary, a sword will pierce through your own soul also (Lk. 2:35)
– what kind of pain pierces all the way down into the soul?
• not physical pain, but emotional pain
• the grief of seeing a loved one suffer – the grief of loss

Viktor Frankl discovered that people can survive pain and suffering,
– if they can find a meaning for it or in it
• those who research pain tell us that, “the symptom serves a function”
Jake Caldwell, “Bodily suffering is the refusal of the body to be ignored and treated like a lifeless machine, and is the refusal of the soul to be ignored and forgotten . . .”
• pain has a story to tell us, and we can learn to listen to it
Caldwell, “If nothing else, illness should change us, make us wiser and deeper. We come back, if we come back, with a deepened experience of life. We will never be the same.”
Thomas Moore, “If we allow sickness to lead us into wonder about the very base of experience, then our spirituality is strengthened. Accepting that we are wounded, we enter life differently.”
– in Genesis we read about Jacob after wrestling with God
• he emerged from that match wounded but changed
◦ God gave him a new name, which is equivalent to a new identity and destiny
◦ God also gave him a permanent disability–his limp

What did we do for our children when they complained about some of their pains?
– we told them, “Those are growing pains”
• we gave their pain a meaning
– the cross is a mystery – it is a surgical instrument
• it cuts in order to heal, it kills in order to give life
• it tells us we are experiencing growing pains

Conclusion: When I was kid I read stories about children in other countries

That in some places, they would leave their boots outside their homes
– then when St. Nicholas came by he would leave them a gift in their boots
• that gift, for instance could be an orange
• when I read that, I thought, “What a rip-off!”

Before the United States commercialized Christmas,
it was not all about materialist gift-giving
Christmas was focused on our longing for Jesus
and our joyous celebration of “God with us”
An orange was a good-enough present,
because what matter most was the Infinite coming to us as an infant
Can we recover that simplicity?
If I tell you, all I want for Christmas this year is an orange,
I’m saying I want to spend Christmas with Jesus
I want to approach the manger, but stay near the cross
The one brings God to us, and the other brings us to God

[Please read] Matthew 1:18-24

Intro: Because of my irrational need to justify myself at all times,

I want you to know I was not goofing off last Sunday
– I was invited to be a guest speaker in a church
• the people there were gracious and my talk went okay
◦ but something surprised me
• the worship team had prepared several Christmas carols
◦ although they were familiar, certain phrases hit me as if for first time
◦ I thought, “What have we been singing all these years? Why is it just now that I’m hearing this? And why am I so moved by it?”
– I will give you one example – “Hark, the Heard Angels Sing”
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth,
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the new-born King”
• in the line, “born to raise the sons of earth” “sons” is, of course, generic
◦ this is what we are; physical beings drawn from the earth,
◦ made of same stuff as our planet – earthlings
• we would be earth-bound if God had not revealed more,
◦ if he had not shared with us his own Spirit, and life in the Spirit
◦ if not for Jesus, we’d have come from dust and returned to dust

So maybe I’m suffering from a bout of Christmas nostalgia

Here I am today, and don’t feel like talking about anything profound
– as much as I am enchanted at the concept of the Incarnation,
• I don’t want to talk the theology of Christmas
– so, from now to the end of the year, my talks will be devotional
• I want to reflect on Christmas with you
• so let’s unwrap this “gift” over the next four weeks

The story of Christmas begins in the Hebrew Scriptures

If we think about it, what comes to mind might be Isaiah’s words
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forever more.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this (Isa. 9:6-7)
– or we could remember the prophecy in Micah
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days (Mic. 5:2)
• but I am thinking of a passage written centuries before that
[please read] Genesis 3:1-19, 22-24
– if the first two chapters of Genesis tell us the universe exists because God “created” it,
• chapter 3 explains how evil entered the world
(the Hebrew word translated evil is rah and rarely refers to evil as a moral category. Rather, evil can be any sort of suffering or unfortunate situation including poor health, personal injury, loss of property or loved ones, and so on)
◦ the story begins when a new character is introduced and strikes up a conversation with Eve
• the snake wants to talk theology
◦ he begins as if he has a real interest in God’s word
◦ but he immediately questions God’s word, and then denies it

The strategy the snake uses is really this old
– there has always been someone willing to be the devil’s advocate
• “You think you know God, but you don’t, really. I’ve studied this, looked at its history, read it in the original languages. You won’t hear the truth from your priests or preachers”
• even if you walk away thinking, “What a creep!”
◦ that person has planted a seed of doubt
– the first man and woman were deceived
• they chose to ignore God’s word – to go against it
• what their enlightenment gave them was the curse – evil
◦ up till now they had only known one half of the truth

But it is within the curse that we find the first promise of Christmas

– the woman would bring a son into the world
• one who would put an end to the snake,
• and undo the evil that had been unleashed on the earth

This is the first promise of a Christmas

The first glimmer of hope that will shine over Bethlehem
– the first note of the song,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased (Lk. 2:14)
– the two historic events are connected
• the story of Christmas is a response to the story of the curse
• I want to point out some of the parallels I see between the two stories
◦ then maybe you will be inspired to find some parallels of your own

Mary and Joseph were born into broken world of Adam and Eve

Hardship and suffering were not new experiences for Mary and Joseph
– they accepted misery as an unavoidable aspect of the human condition
• they did not expect life to be easy
• other than that, they were human persons, the same as Adam and Eve
◦ they shared similar emotional and relational dynamics
– it was revealed to Mary and Joseph that they would play a role
• as significant and world-changing as Adam and Eve
• they would be used to bring hope to the world
◦ to reverse the damage that came through the actions of first couple

Similarities between the two couples include the following:
– Adam and Eve instantly felt a new emotion–shame
• their nakedness had not been a cause for concern
◦ they had never felt the need to cover themselves
• but now they were afraid to be seen
◦ they attempted to hide themselves from each other and from God
– shame was also a factor in Mary and Joseph’s situation
• it was to spare Mary shame, that Joseph resolved to keep their divorce quiet
• but that shame was transformed into the greatest honor in human history
Mary sang, from now on all generations will call me blessed (Lk. 1:48)

– Adam and Eve were thrown into a world of fear
I heard the sound of your in the garden, and I was afraid
– the first word the angel spoke to Mary, Do not be afraid
• and to Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife

– Adam and Eve were thrown into a world of fear
• before biting into the forbidden fruit, they knew only intimacy
◦ with the world of nature, each other, and with God
• those relationships were fractured
– Mary and Joseph’s first challenge was the healing of a broken relationship

– in the original story, angels blocked the way back to paradise
– in the remake, angels directed Mary and Joseph to the way back

– in the original story, the perpetrators released evil into the world
– in the remake, the couple cooperated with God and brought the Savior into the world

These two stories combine to bring us to Jesus – and to Christmas

This week I came across an idea that had never occurred to me
– it is related to the curse of thorns and thistles
• further on in the Hebrew Scriptures, thorns are associated with punishment
– I read a portion of an ancient sermon
• the preacher was Hyppolytus, at second century theologian
◦ he said, “to banish every curse from the earth, Jesus was first crowned with thorns”
◦ this is the message of redemption
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13)
• there is nothing in your life that Jesus cannot redeem

Conclusion: What now? We carry forward the work of Jesus

We are agents of redemption in the world;
a redemption that includes the world of nature as well as humankind (Ro. 8:19-23)
The burden of redemption is not on us
all that is on us is the message of redemption as we live it
When another life is touched by that message,
a bit of redemption from the cross of Calvary enters the world

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I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me and there are many adversaries 1 Corinthians 16:5-9

Intro: The last chapter of 1 Corinthians is not as interesting as rest of the letter

It is mostly business – like when we were of age and our parents left for a week vacation
– they instructed us, “Don’t forget to feed the dog, water the plants, bring in the mail, and put out the trash”
• so here: Paul’s last-minute instructions include fund-raising for Jerusalem, his own itinerary, Timothy’s visit, Apollos would not be visiting them, and various greetings
• we are looking for a precious gem here or there
◦ same sort of spiritual insights we have found shining through Paul’s ordinary language
– from the start, we’ve listened to Paul as our Spirit-teacher
• like the Corinthians, we become preoccupied with our culture and church issues
◦ in response, Paul has taught them to learn to use their new eyes and ears
◦ to deepen their new awareness of God, who is present at all times and in all situations
• that is why I have called our perusal of 1 Corinthians “A Primer In Things Unseen”
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

Paul was in a situation that was “almost” ideal (vv. 8-9)

Any minister or missionary would be excited regarding this prospect,
– a wide door for effective work has been opened
• if that were all Paul had to deal with, the situation would have been ideal
• but the truth is, no situation on earth is ideal — at least not for very long
– the kind of work God has us doing in the world will always entail many adversaries
• sometimes strangers, sometimes people on our own team
◦ most often, our adversaries and adversities come from our circumstances

There is a reason Paul had to write a chapter that is all business
– it is because we will always have to deal with the stuff of physical world
• it will always be a source of distraction, hindrance, frustration
• there was a reason why monasteries were built far from cities
– why couldn’t there just be the wide door for effective work?
• why must there be many adversaries?
1. because that is where we find our work; that is, where the need is great
2. because adversity is what makes our lives a story
◦ a series of events is not a story (e.g., “This happened, then this happened, then this . . .)
◦ adversity creates a plot – and suspense, and the need for God to work
• I read this chapter last June – I’ll share a bit of what I wrote back then:
“The lesson here is the same one we learn from Jesus’ Transfiguration. I doubt the disciples ever experienced a fuller revelation of God than on that mountain. But they had to come back down to the mundane world. And there waiting for them was a heated argument and a demon-possessed boy.
“We want the new perspective the disciples had, the greater awareness of God’s immediate presence, the peace we receive from our conscious connection with a larger reality. But all of that is given us to serve one purpose; to be God’s agents of redemption in the world. We need Paul’s “heavenly vision,” for sure! How else will we escape our own worldly entanglements? But we also need to take care of business. These closing words of Paul advise us how we are to go about doing that.”

Here is the kind of insight we had hoped to find in this chapter
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. I Corinthians 16:13-14

“Be watchful” (or stay awake, or wake up)– Jesus taught this to disciples in critical moments
– at end of the era in which they were living — they would need to watch, to stay awake:
when they would be in danger of being led astray, and many would fall away – and betray one another and hate one another – and many false prophets would arise – and the love of many would grow cold (Mt. 24:4, 10-12)
• then again in the Garden of Gethsemane,
◦ when Judas was at the gate with a crowd that was armed with swords and clubs
• then Jesus’ message to church in Sardis, wake up (Rev. 3:2)
◦ Paul also stressed waking up:
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand (Ro. 13:11-12)
– Paul explained that reality is more than our 4-D universe
• that the dimension of God’s Spirit cannot be seen or heard
◦ yet that is the dimension that defines our Christian lives
◦ and though hidden from our senses, we can become aware of it experientially
• we have to wake ourselves up!
◦ I need to be reminded of this every day
◦ I constantly fall asleep and lose awareness of God’s presence
– how can we wake ourselves up?
• constantly return to scripture – listen to God in it
• as you listen, do something – pray it, sing it, bow
• walk in nature – remind yourself of the mystery hidden in it
• nurture reverence – say, “I don’t know” and allow yourself to recover awe and wonder
• acknowledge yourself of the ways you numb your mind – your diversions
• do one thing every day, fully present
• whenever something surprises you, use the surprise to wake you up
• ask, “What am I missing?” Then look around
◦ perhaps you’ll begin to see differently

“Stand firm in the faith”
– when we wade in the ocean, even small waves move us
• it takes effort to resist the pressure of water rolling in and receding
◦ avoid getting into anything over your head
• we need to keep our feet planted in the faith
◦ faith is what connects us to the mystery; faith is our spiritual sight

“Act like men”
– I really do not like this phrase – “Real men don’t cry”
• the same word is found in the Greek translation of the Old Testament
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD! (Ps. 27:14)
• courage is a determination to do what has to be done,
◦ even in the face of danger, difficulty, or discomfort
– there are different degrees of courage,
• and some people have more than others
• each one of us will have to find our own way to do this
◦ I find that the courage of others inspires me

“Be strong”
– Paul is not saying, Be muscular or, Be aggressive, or abrasive
• in this regard, his prayer for the Ephesians was that God
according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge [and] be filled with all the fullness of God (Ep. 3:14-19)
• this kind of strength is like the deep roots of a tree
◦ it’s the strength of good health that produces stamina
◦ it’s the strength that supports courage

“Let all that you do be done in love”
– we’ve been taught, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, do not say anything at all”
• but what Paul says goes way beyond that
◦ first, it’s not just what we have to say, but all that we do
◦ second, the alternative is not “do nothing at all”
–there is no alternative; we have to do something and do it in love
Jesus: So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Mt. 7:12)
• we refer to this as “The Golden Rule” –
◦ however, Jesus referred to it as the “narrow gate”
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those that find it are few (Mt. 7:13-14)
– if Christianity fails at love, it is then a total failure

Every once in awhile, in our Lexio Divina meeting, everyone will talk at once
– we’re meeting electronically, so it becomes a mess of noise
• but it is also a joyful sound,
• because it only happens when everyone is expressing their love to one individual

I admit that I’m interpreting this next verse out of context
The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord 1 Corinthians 16:19

Is there a “church” in your hoouse?
– a specific place where you meet with God
– a space where you invite others to sit and share conversations regarding your lives with God?
I will leave you to explore the question for yourself

Conclusion: And now the verse that holds the key to open every door
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you 1 Corinthians 16:23

God’s grace makes everything impossible for us possible
– God’s grace fills the gap between where I am and where I could be
– grace is not like God’s Spirit, a source of energy or power
Rather, it is God’s attitude toward us –
his joy in giving us everything we do not deserve
The grace of Jesus is what wakes us up,
enables us to stand firm in the faith,
gives us courage,
makes us strong,
and carries us down the hard way and through the narrow gate of love

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

Intro: The Corinthians wrote to Paul to get his help

They were dealing with a few issues they had not been able to resolve
– so far, their concerns were mostly practical
• but now we come to a new sort of problem
• it is theological – and Paul takes it very seriously
– Paul takes them all the way back to the beginning
• when he first came to Corinth with a message he calls “the gospel”
◦ they received it, stayed with it, and were being saved by it
• notice, it’s a process – that’s because it’s a lifetime project
◦ it is not merely a free pass to heaven, it is bringing our broken lives to spiritual wholeness
◦ and progress in it is conditional — if you hold fast to word I preached to you

When Paul outlines the gospel message, it is all about Jesus

Imagine you had to write an essay on what it means to be a Christian
– there are lots of things you could put down
• our sins are forgiven, we are made better people than we were, we have a Savior and Lord,
◦ we have specific beliefs about God, the world, and life, and so on
• is there one defining characteristic?
– the Christian is a person who knows Jesus Christ and is known by him
• through Jesus we know God and he knows us as his own
• Jesus Christ is the beginning and end of our faith; the alpha and omega

Paul zeroes in on one of the points he makes about Jesus
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 1 Corinthians 15:12
– this is one of the main tenets of our faith
• so it surprises us to learn, some people can believe in our same God, but not believe in the resurrection
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit . . . (Acts 23:8)
• I think the Sadducees’ and Corinthians’ beliefs had been influenced by intellectualism
◦ before Corinth, Paul had addressed philosophers in Athens, where we read,
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked – then the meeting broke up and Paul went out of their midst (Acts 17:32-33)
◦ intellectuals assume it is human emotion that makes people feel they need to believe in resurrection
– recently a few Christian theologians and leaders have abandoned the resurrection–or diminished it
• for some, there is no continuation of an individual self after death
◦ we cease to exist and are somehow amalgamated into God,
◦ ultimately, we are told, God will be one undifferentiated, universal Self
• but Paul’s long discussion of resurrection points us to a different future

Remember, our purpose has been to observe Paul as a spiritual guide

Christian mentors move at the pace of the disciple
– they listen, observe, and discern the student’s need
• they offer suggestions and perhaps recommend the practice of a spiritual discipline
◦ the purpose is to lead the student to the next door
◦ which is a door to deepened awareness – of God, one’s self, others, the world–everything
• there are basic truths every student needs to integrate into into his or her faith
◦ at first, the disciple may not appreciate value of each truth
◦ but as awareness develops, the truth becomes radiant
– the Corinthians were ready for a fuller awareness of resurrection
• so that is where Paul takes them

Wake up from your drunken stupor as is right and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame 1 Corinthians 15:34
All of us are aware of moving between two mental states:
– our normal “waking consciousness” and our dream state
• in reality, in waking consciousness we’re not fully awake
Arthur Deikman refers to this as “The Trance of Ordinary Life”
• much of our daily actions and reactions are automatic
◦ because we have specific notions of what needs to be done,
◦ our awareness is constricted to a narrow field
Deikman, “When we suddenly shift from such preoccupations to a full, vivid awareness of the world, the contrast is so great we may describe ourselves as ‘coming to’ or ‘waking up.’”
– resurrection awakens us to a reality larger than the lives we’re living
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raided in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body 1 Corinthians 15:43-44
• we have come across these words before, natural (soulish, psychikos) and spiritual (pneumatikos) 1 Cor. 2:14-15
◦ Paul provided the Corinthians an analogy of a seed and then the plant it becomes
◦ similarly, our (current) natural body is like a seed and our (future) spiritual body is the plant
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of the dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have born the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
• our physical life, this mortal existence was not designed to last forever
◦ it is fragile, susceptible to injury and disease, perishable
◦ but we are more than these temporary bodies
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling . . . . He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee (2 Cor. 5:1-5)
– here is how I understand this (and what I suggest may be only an analogy or perhaps nothing)
• we were given these four dimensional bodies to exist in a four dimensional universe
◦ but the universe includes a dimension that is hidden from us
• our resurrection bodies will not be merely 4-D, but that and more
◦ Paul refers to this as the “spiritual body”
◦ it is not perishable, but eternal

If possible, our awareness must develop to include resurrection

We have beliefs that are no more than ideas
– that’s because we have no experience of them and can’t imagine them
• but there’s a place in our minds where beliefs are more than ideas
◦ let’s call it the “Reality Central Department”
◦ in it there’s all the stuff we bump into every day
• I think we need to get the resurrection into Reality Central
◦ in fact, I believe that’s why Paul spends so much time on defending and describing the resurrection
William James, “. . . in the distinctively religious sphere of experience, many persons . . . possess the objects of their belief, not in the form of mere conceptions which their intellect accepts as true, but rather in the form of quasi-sensible realities directly apprehended. As his sense of the real presence of these objects fluctuates, so the believer alternates between warmth and coldness in his faith.”
– if we let go of the resurrection, we lose our connection with the spiritual dimension
• the dimension we will one day fully enter in our spiritual bodies
• we do not live for the moment, our orientation is toward the future – to eternity

Who are you? What determines who you are?
– identity is a combination of history and destiny
Jesus, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going . . .” (John 8:14)
• he could faithfully represent himself, because he knew who he was
◦ and he knew who he was, because he knew where he was from and where he was going
• if we let go of the res, we lose our destiny and our identity
– resurrection is hope
• hope of a fullness unattainable in this life
• hope of completing a long, difficult, and exhausting journey
• hope of arriving home and seeing our heavenly Father “face to face”

Last Monday I was reading in Mark 12

The Sadducees brought a resurrection riddle to Jesus that they assumed could not be solved, but he answered them,
Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? (Mk. 12:24-27)
– Jesus gave them two examples:
• one example illustrated how they did not know scripture
(how God identified himself to Moses from the burning bush)
• the other example illustrated how they did not know power of God — look at this:
For when they rise they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven
◦ this bothered me because I assumed what Jesus meant by “power” was the magnitude of God’s might
◦ but how is that revealed in his description of those who are resurrected?
◦ what Jesus was saying about God’s power was more like this:
You do not even know what God’s power is; you do not know its nature. It is not like the forces you know in the 4-D universe; it belongs to another realm–the realm of angels in heaven
– I realized that Jesus was explaining their ignorance
• they had no awareness of the realm of the spirit
◦ so they were unable to read the Scriptures with awareness-insight
◦ and they were unable to imagine or believe in the resurrection
• those belonged to a spiritual dimension of which they had no awareness
◦ it is the dimension Paul was trying to open the Corinthians to all through his letters

Whatever problems we may have with the resurrection and life after death,
– it stems from our unawareness
– and Paul is telling us, “Wake up!”

Conclusion: In verse 2, Paul made that unsettling statement,
. . . unless you believed in vain

The Greek word translated “vain” means “without purpose,” “without having any effect”
– in v. 10, the grace God had showered on Paul was not in vain
• the Greek word there means futile or useless
• that word appears two more times in verse 14
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain
– but when the same word appears in verse 58, it is full of hope
Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain

Resurrection to life with God himself makes every instance of
trust,
endurance,
good deeds,
devotion,
and worship,
to be meaningful,
fruitful,
and worthwhile
One day we’ll see
none of these hardships and heartaches,
none of the hard work and backaches
that we live through in this world
will have been in vain

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Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church 1 Corinthians 14:1-4

Intro: You have heard something about the Jesus’ Movement

But a few years prior, there was another religious explosion
– it began with a husband and wife – John and Joan Baker
• a Christian couple who were Episcopalians
◦ they heard Pentecostal preacher teach on the baptism in the Spirit and speaking in tongues
◦ they wanted to have that experience – and they did!
• they told their Episcopalian pastor and he went to his colleague, Dennis Bennett
◦ they had little knowledge, and no experience of these things
◦ both priests also experienced the infusion of Spirit and speaking tongues
– this was the humble birth of the Charismatic Movement
• it spread rapidly through mainline churches and the Roman Catholic Church
◦ many of these people had not known an experience of God like this was possible
◦ the excitement was palpable and contagious
• but it also rattled a lot of people and religious hierarchies

Joan Baker learned about a Pentecostal minister in Riverside county
– he was gaining a reputation as a gifted Bible teacher
• friends of hers visited his church and after hearing him,
◦ invited him to teach a Bible study in their home
◦ (until then, not a lot of Episcopalians were interested in Bible Studies)
• that minister was my dad
– you wouldn’t know it, but when he was younger, he was a lot like me
• always looking for trouble
• Dad wasn’t thrilled about his Pentecostal roots
◦ he considered Pentecostalism excessively emotional – “charismaniacs”
◦ but–he loved teaching the Bible,
◦ so for a few years he taught the Bible in several homes

Dad was correct regarding the excesses
– and there were more issues than emotionalism
• a lot of silliness was tolerated, a lot of ego, and a great deal of greed
◦ at times Charismatic meetings were a spiritual circus, a free-for-all
• when people go wild and blame it on the Holy Spirit,
◦ it is inevitable that others will be abused
– some the Corinthians were infected with Charismatic craziness
If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? (v. 23)
• Paul wanted to pull in the reins, slow them down, and redirect them
. . . all things should be done decently and in order (v. 40)

Where Paul begins
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts (v. 1)

Paul said the same thing, basically, at the end of chapter 12
. . . earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31)
– earnestly translates Greek word zelote, zeal or zealous
• I get the appeal for spiritual fireworks
◦ it’s a heady experience to see God work signs and wonders
◦ we’re tempted to think, “At last! God is doing something”
• but we are human, and often zealous for the wrong reasons
◦ an ego need, or a need to feel empowered, or a need for acceptance and belonging
– what would Paul classify as the “higher gifts”?
• perhaps what he describes in verse 3 — gifts that have value for other people
◦ encouragement and consolation
• whatever reason I have for wanting a spiritual experience,
◦ or to be spiritually gifted, it must be in the pursuit of love
◦ so whatever good I can do is to promote growth and healing in the lives of others

Entering the realm of things unseen
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but i will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also 1 Corinthians 14:14-15

This is the thread of Paul’s thought that we’ve been tracking
– God has equipped us with two separate ways of knowing
• the one we’re most familiar with he refers to here as “mind”
◦ how we know world through our senses and rational thought
• the other way of knowing he refers to as “spirit”
◦ an awareness awakened and enlightened by God’s Spirit
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit . . . . (1 Cor. 2:12-13)
– these are two levels of awareness and action – think of it like this:
• with our minds, we can be aware of another person in a room
◦ we can communicate that experience to other people,
◦ and they will understand us, know what we mean
• with our spirits, we can become aware of God’s presence in the room
◦ we can try to explain that to someone else,
◦ but they won’t understand if they’ve never experienced it
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14)
– Paul is saying he can pray in both in both levels of awareness
• typically when we pray with mind, we are engaging an active mode
• when we pray with spirit, we engage a receptive mode
◦ our mind is still conscious, but it is “unfruitful”
◦ that is, the mind is not doing anything or perceiving what is happening
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks . . . utters mysteries in the Spirit (v. 2)

A key statement of the chapter is made in verse 12
So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church

Translators supply the word “manifestations” – it is not in the Greek text
– it could just as easily be translated “spiritual experience”
• and again, “eager” is “zealous”
• they were zealous for spirituality, but Paul’s does not say, “Drop it. Move on. Study theology”
◦ rather, “Be zealous, but zealous for the building up the church community”
◦ the building up theme is emphasized by its repetition
builds up the church (v. 4), so that the church may be built up (v. 5), the other person is not built up (v. 17), Let all things be done for building up (v. 26)
– it used to be that we imagined the Christian monk or mystic,
• as someone who lived away from the world
◦ kept their distance from its demands and influence in order to be free
• for Paul, freedom from the world comes by not being conformed to it (Ro. 12:2)
◦ Paul’s spiritual awakening did not take him out of world, but into it — and around the world
◦ his total identification with Jesus is what freed him from the world
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14)

The more a Christian enters the realm of things unseen,
– the more valuable that person becomes to the church and society
• both the church and the world need these many more of these free-spirited people
– remember that Paul has given us the illustration of a body
• the spiritual community is an organism that nourishes itself
• it is equipped with systems that enable the body to heal itself
. . . speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ep. 4:15-16)
– this happens each week in our Lexio Divina meetings
• Henri Nouwen relates a story about a deep conversation he enjoyed with a friend
◦ his description of it it reminds me of what I experience in Lexio Divina
Henri Nouwen, “I feel grateful for these insights, which emerged from our discussions. Thinking alone is so different from thinking together. As we return [to] tomorrow, there will be much good to remember”
• we can engage in serving each other like this all the time
◦ it does not have to be in formal meetings
◦ our casual conversations – our private prayers – phone calls and emails

Conclusion: I am slowly reading through Mark’s gospel

Wednesday morning I came again to one of my favorite stories
Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember . . . ? (Mk. 8:17-18)
– it was the word perceive that stood out to me
• much of Jesus’ ministry was devoted to helping us with this
◦ to create in us a new perceptive ability
◦ a perception of the kingdom of God – of things spiritual
• a hardened heart is one that cannot change
◦ its perspective, categories, beliefs, prejudices, and values are fixed and inflexible
– “having eyes” he asked – “having eyes” he asked
• Jesus had recently healed a deaf man, and he would soon heal a blind man
• the blind man had eyes and the deaf man had ears – but those eyes and ears didn’t work
◦ Jesus touched them and made them work

Eyes, ears, heart–
these are our organs of perception
This is what Jesus is doing for us–
he is making them work with his touch
And in the process,
he’s cracking open our hardened hearts