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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Welcome to our RefleXion Community.  The Lord is with you!

I’m reading a bit of the Tao Te Ching, which was probably written about 2500 years ago, probably by a man named Lao Tzu who may have lived about the same time as Confucius. The Tao Te Ching is roughly translated, “The Way of Integrity.” It’s a slow read.   As I read this chapter by this ancient Chinese philosopher, something connected in me.  I’m sharing “The Uses of Not.” 

THE USES OF NOT

            Thirty spokes meet in the hub.

            Where the wheel isn’t is where it’s useful.

            Hallowed out, clay makes a pot.

            Where the pot’s not is where it’s useful.

            Cut doors and windows to make a room.

            Where the room isn’t, there’s room for you.

            So the profit in what is in the use of what isn’t.

We make a bowl, but it’s the hollowed-out space that’s useful.  We build a room, but it’s the space inside the room that we enjoy.  We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, and it’s the space inside the temple that’s the sanctuary of our souls.  The actual temple structure in the Bible was a place where God’s people could go to be in his presence, preparing them to become that holy presence on earth.  It played a crucial role in God’s plan to dwell with humanity.  If we identify as Holy-Spirit-filled Christians today, our role is the same.  We spend time in God’s presence and become his holy presence on earth.  Do you remember that Jesus said that he would destroy the temple (the earthly temple) made with hands and would build another, not made with hands.  He was speaking about the temple of his body.  And you’ve heard it said that we are his body. Paul says that we are the temple if God’s Spirit dwells in us. We are the spiritual temple consisting of the saints of all ages joined together by and in Christ. 

And, back to Lao Tzu’s idea.  More than being the temple, it is the space provided by the temple that matters.  How will we engage the Holy Spirit in His dwelling place in us? 

I wanted to read the entire passage from 1 Kings 8:22-53, when Solomon was dedicating the first temple: it’s beautiful, but long.  But I’ll share these verses:  Solomon asks in prayer: “ Is it true that God will live upon the earth? The heavens and even the highest heaven are not big enough for You, so how will You live in the house I have raised? Please listen to the prayer and humble request of Your servant today, Eternal One my God, that Your gaze might fall upon this temple all night and day, that You might look upon the place about which You said, “My name will be there,” and hear the humble request of Your servant when he prays in the direction of this place.”   And then he prays:   ^“Whenever a foreigner, a person who is not a part of Your community of Israel, comes from a distant land in honor of Your name (for everyone will hear about Your great reputation, mighty actions, and outstretched strength), when he prays in the direction of this temple; then You will hear in heaven where You dwell and grant the foreigner’s requests. (he is praying for us!)  This is so Your reputation will spread all throughout the earth and so all may live in awe and fear of You.” And let me make the last part of his prayer our prayer this morning.  Join me:

O Eternal One, there is no other God who compares to You in heaven or on earth. You have guarded Your covenant and revealed Your loyal love to those who serve You with all their being.   Let your gaze fall upon us night and day, that you may look upon us and say, “My name is there.”   We add our prayer, Lord Jesus, that you will fill the temple of our hearts today. Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.” Matthew 15:21-28

Intro: I begin my talk this morning with a confession

I’m stalling for time . . .
– because I’m not ready for where we’re going next week
• I am referring to the scariest and most confusing book in the Bible
• WARNING: I won’t be teaching it like anything you’ve heard about it in the past
– that’s all I have to say for now – except,
• I may chicken out and not start next week, but sometime later

Today’s story is challenging and difficult to understand

It turns everything we think we know about Jesus on its head
– it involves a foreigner in a different region of the map
• the setting for the life of Jesus is mostly in Israel
◦ he passes through Samaria, and briefly sets foot in Gadara
◦ but in this story he goes north – the one and only time
• it is most likely that Jesus wanted to get away from the crowds
◦ to be someplace where he and his crew could rest
He “went away from there and withdrew”
In Mark’s telling of this story, we read, “And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know” (7:24)
◦ the last think Jesus needed during this break was one of the locals coming to him with a consuming need
– And behold – ta da! – the “behold” indicates a shift in the point of view
• away from the storyteller’s perspective, to those in story
◦ and then that becomes our point of view
• we see a woman coming to where Jesus is, and making a lot of noise
Listen to her loud, desperate cry:
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon”
◦ she demonstrates great respect for who Jesus is and his destiny (Lord and Son of David)
◦ “oppressed” softens the Greek word which means demonized or possessed

What happens next is totally out of character for Jesus

He has never denied anyone’s request for help or healing
– not even a Roman centurion who came to him (Mt. 8:5)
• the centurion was also a foreigner, stationed in Capernaum
◦ but when this woman came crying for Jesus’ attention and help,
he did not answer her a word–not a word!
• Jesus went silent, unreachable, unresponsive
– we know what this is like! What we ask of God is not given instantly
• every prayer is immediately followed by silence
◦ we may eventually come to trust the silence
– even appreciate the break from all the noise in our head (once we’ve prayed it out)
◦ still we know God is at work – he doesn’t need to tell us
• however, the Lord’s silence here is the worst
◦ when Jesus has nothing to say to a person, it can mean they’re doomed–cf. Luke 23:8-9
◦ Jesus had nothing to say to this woman, because he had nothing for her

Although Jesus could calmly ignore her, the disciples could not
– it wasn’t because they were more caring than Jesus
• after all, they did not ask Jesus to grant her request, but to send her away
Helmut Thielicke, “They can’t take the woman’s misery. But that doesn’t make them one bit more merciful. . . . the disciples are not at all merciful when they give in to her cry for help. They just have weak nerves.”
• so, first Jesus is silent – but that’s not the worst of it
◦ when he speaks, it’s to the disciples – he gives them the explanation
◦ “I’m not here for her. She’s not on our list”
– the people of Israel were like lost sheep – when Jesus sent the disciples on their first mission, he told them:
Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter now town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mt. 10:5-6)
• there were insiders and outsiders
◦ Jesus had his eye out for his own people
When he saw the crowds he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Mt. 9:36)
• let’s pause here and take a breath

It is looking hopeless for this woman – but she’s sharp!
– she knows an opening when she sees it
• though Jesus was not talking to her, she jumped in
But she came and knelt before him
• she made it past the Lord’s bodyguards – got to HIM
◦ she shortens her pray to three words, “Lord, help me”
• I pray that, a lot!
◦ Peter’s prayer in the previous chapter is also just three words, “Lord, save me” (14:30)
◦ short prayers work as well as long prayers!

Since she’s now made it to Jesus, everything should be alright

However, this is the worst moment of all – Jesus rebuffed her
– I wanted to use a different word besides rebuff, which means:
“to reject someone or refuse a request in an abrupt or ungracious manner”
• and that is a perfect description of how Jesus treated her
• what I find most distressing is his analogies!
– the people of Israel belonged to a household;
• they were family; they were children; they were lost sheep
• but weren’t this desperate woman and her daughter lost sheep too?
◦ No! They were dogs
◦ a dog might be a pet and eat table scraps, but it’s not family
– she is a dog – so the door inside is closed and locked to her
• she and her daughter will never evolve into “children”
Jesus came for Israel’s sheep, not Gentile dogs

The way I see this, Jesus was playing with her

I don’t mean he was toying with her or teasing her
– that would be a cruel way to deny her request,
• like a cat playing with a mouse before killing it
◦ if so, there would be no depth or meaning to the story
◦ he was not having fun at her expense
• I read something yesterday that speaks to this:
James Brownson, “You cannot violate the honor of another [person] and also love that person.”
◦ what I believe is that Jesus was guiding her to a deeper level of interaction,
◦ as if he were inviting her to play a game of chess
– I’m convinced Jesus determined to grant her request from the moment he first saw her
• then, did he want to test her? I don’t think so
◦ I think he knew already she would fight for what she wanted
• did he want to see how creative or clever she could be?
◦ again, I don’t think so
◦ and I don’t think he was trying to see how much faith she had

What was Jesus’ purpose in this quirky story?

First, he ignored her; next, he defined the parameter of his ministry;
– then he disqualified her from receiving her help
• Jesus made it difficult for her to get what she wanted
◦ in fact, he placed obstacles in her way
◦ now I ask you, Is it ever easy?
– how often do we see immediate answers to our prayers?
• do we ever feel ignored?
• do we ever feel that God is giving us the silent treatment?
• do we ever feel rejected?
◦ in the next chapter, Jesus will call Peter “Satan” — that would make me feel like a reject
• did Jesus ever make it easy for his disciples?
◦ prayer is not sending letters to Santa Claus
• a motto of the Benedictine order is ora et labora, “work is prayer”
◦ they also teach the reverse: prayer is work
◦ we learn from this story, that this is normal; prayer is work

What Jesus put her through would make anyone want to give up
– but not her! The lesson she learned is a lesson for everyone
• give prayer all you’ve got and don’t ever give up
◦ keep working at it
And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart (Lk. 18:1)
• we can use God’s own words to wiggle our way into his presence
◦ “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs”

A few years ago, my cousin, Chuck Fromm, was playing doubles tennis with my dad. One of Chuck’s greatest interest was people. He always wanted to talk with, learn from, and bond with people he cared for or admired. During the match, Chuck was trying to continue a conversation with a man on the other side of the net. It wasn’t an involved conversation, merely light chatter. At one point Chuck missed a shot he should have had, and my dad–ever the intense competitor–growled at him,
“Get your head in the game, Fromm!”

• I think that is what we can take from this story
◦ we’ll do well in prayer if we get our head in the game Jesus wants us to play

Conclusion: Each time the woman spoke to Jesus, she called him Lord

Even in last round, when she uses his own analogy on him “Yes, Lord”
“I’m willing to be a dog, if I can eat up the scraps under your table”
She played his game, and she won!
“O woman, great is your faith” — Jesus never said this to one of his disciples
(he did tell them they had “little faith”)
“O woman, great is your faith”
And right then, the miracle occurred
The woman and her daughter became sheep,
They became family,
They became children,
and demon was gone!

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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Welcome!  The Lord is with you!

Last week I mentioned the Father’s love and its importance in my own life.  I’d like to offer a few more thoughts about receiving the Father’s love.  I’m reading here a quote from Richard Rohr:  “This whole human project pivots around Divine Love. Because our available understanding of love is almost always conditioned on “I love you if” or “I love you when,” most people find it almost impossible—apart from real transformation—to comprehend or receive Divine Love. In fact, we cannot understand it in the least, unless we “stand under” it, like a cup beneath a waterfall. When we truly understand Divine Love, our politics, our anthropology, our economics, and our movements for justice will all change.”

We’ve been with Jeremiah and Chuck in the Old Covenant, which some people would say, “that’s when we had an ‘Angry God.’” I hope that we have seen that God does not love His people if they change, but so that they can change.  The Father’s Love is not a reward for good behavior, as we might fear.  Again, from Rohr, “It is a larger Life, an energy and movement that we can participate in—and then, almost in spite of ourselves—we behave differently.”

How can we participate in it?  I had some thoughts about that this week.  I’ll share them, and you can see what you think. 

In a love relationship, one party declares their love for the other.  Then the other declares their love in return.  This creates a possibility for relationship and intimacy.  If our Heavenly Father declares His love for us, what must we do to participate in that love relationship?  We must say “I love you too.” In a wedding ceremony, one party says, “I do,” and the other party must also say, “I do.”  Have you ever told someone “I love you” and not gotten a response?  That’s the worst, right? 

It’s not a love relationship yet if we say, “I’ll love you if” or “I’ll love you when.”  And that’s not how God loves us. As we spend time standing under God’s love, like a cup beneath a waterfall, can we feel the invitation to participate?  And what do we believe we’re participating in?  A love relationship with the Divine – what will that be like? Oh, there will be many times we’re invited to participate:  in the next moment, the next movement, the next season or stage of our relationship with God.  Our “yes (you are my God)” our “I do (love you)” will carry us across each threshold.

Will you pray with me: 
Father, thank you for your love.  We receive it, as much as we are able.  We say yes with each step where we find our willingness.  Let the Spirit carry us where we are willing but not able to move.  We lean in to your Divine Love, a love that is for us, an empowering Presence.  In this next hour, may we be receptive to your invitations to enter a deepening relationship with you.  Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: The stories we hear today will serve as an illustration

They illuminate a line from the prayer Jesus taught us
– you know it and you’ve prayed it–maybe many times
• it is one-third of a petition
“hallowed [revered] be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:9-10)
• it is that last line I hear in these two stories
◦ one teaches us what happens when we resist God’s will and the other when we surrender to his will
– I don’t expect you to remember the names of the characters, so I’ll give their brief biographies
• the three key figures are Jeremiah the prophet and the two kings Jehoiachin and Zedekiah

Zedekiah played a major role in the last days of Judah

He was the last king of Judah, and we’ve met him before
– for instance, last week we learned that:
• he first allowed Jeremiah to be left to die in a cistern,
• but then he allowed Ebed-melech to rescue Jeremiah
◦ Ebed-melech was a foreigner, an Ethiopian Eunuch who took seriously the word of God through Jeremiah
– we pick up the story after Jeremiah was lifted out of the pit

Immediately, Zedekiah summoned Jeremiah for an interview
– the king thought he wanted to hear from God
Zedekiah: (began the interview with a condition) “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me. Give it to me straight”
Jeremiah: (skeptical) “Why should I? If I give you an answer, you’ll order my execution. Besides, you won’t listen to my counsel or accept my advice.”

Zedekiah: swore an oath to Jeremiah that he wouldn’t be harmed
Jeremiah: “Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live” (Jer. 38:17)
– That was the first half of God’s word to Zedekiah, but there was also a second half
• if the king did not surrender, Jerusalem would be leveled and he and his family would not escape
• Zedekiah had asked for it, and Jeremiah answered
◦ the choice was clear, and the right response was straight forward
– however, Zedekiah had a concern
• there were Jewish citizens who opposed the war
◦ especially those living outside Jerusalem and most vulnerable to the enemy’s invasion
◦ they had nothing to gain and everything to lose from the current war
• these people had already gone over and joined Babylon
◦ Zedekiah feared, if he surrendered, they would have access to him and assassinate him

This is a common reason why people resist God’s will

We’re afraid it might be something awful, afraid of what it might cost us
– that’s a valid concern – when Jesus prayed, “Not my will,” it cost him his life
• on the other hand, before Jesus taught us to pray “your will be done,” he taught us to begin with, “Our Father”
• and Jesus was constantly revealing the Father’s heart in the way he treated the lost, and broken, and possessed
– whenever I pray, “your will be done” I feel hope
• living in the world as it is, the idea of God’s will transforming it comforts me
• but I admit, sometimes I fear what his will may be for me, now
(However, I’m more afraid of my own will, because that is what will ruin me)

Jeremiah assured Zedekiah, he did not have to worry
“You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the LORD in what I say and it shall be well with you and your life shall be spared. But if you refuse to surrender [here’s what will happen: defeat and disgrace]” (Jer. 38:20-23)
– from Jeremiah chapter 7 and on, at least fifteen times, God tells his people, “obey my voice”
• a voice is more personal and present that “commandments”
• to ignore his voice is different from rolling through stop signs or driving five miles an hour over the speed limit
◦ my parents would sometimes refer to my behavior as “direct disobedience”
◦ they meant that I had intentionally disregarded them
◦ that is what obeying God’s voice is about — to hear it and then disregard him is direct disobedience
– what did Zedekiah decide to do regarding God’s will?
• Zedekiah’s reign over Judah is summed up in 2 Chronicles
He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel (2 Chr. 36:12-13)
• when the Babylonians breached the wall of Jerusalem,
◦ Zedekiah and some of troops escaped through a secret door through the city wall
◦ he was captured in plains of Jericho and taken to Nebuchadnezzar, who
passed sentence on him – slaughtered his son before his eyes – put out his eyes – took him to Babylon (where he was in prison until his death; Jer. 52:9-11)

Zedekiah did not have to suffer these tragic losses
– his future was not inevitable, it had not been written in stone
• there was a moment when he was given a choice
– I wonder if during his imprisonment, he ever regretted not listening to God’s voice and not surrendering to God’s will

Prior to Zedekiah, there was a lesser known king: Jehoiachin

His rule lasted for only three months – and like Zedekiah,
he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD (2 Ki. 24:9)
– there is one significant difference between him and Zedekiah
• Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem during his reign too, but,
Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials (2 Ki. 24:12)
◦ the gave himself up translates same word for ‘surrender’ in Jeremiah 38:21
• like Zedekiah, he was also taken to Babylon and imprisoned there,
◦ however, neither he nor those with him were killed
◦ and neither Jerusalem nor the temple were destroyed
– Jehoiachin spent more than three decades in prison
• it was not a pleasant or easy life and we’re not told what sort of effect it had on him
• perhaps he repented and returned to the LORD, the God of Israel

There is one other fascinating development of Jehoiachin’s story
– the last sentence of Jeremiah chapter 51 reads:
The words of Jeremiah end here (Jer. 51:64, GNB)
• that means, the last chapter–chapter 52–is a postscript
◦ and it is taken directly from Israel’s history books
◦ the end of the postscript contains a surprising footnote:
And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah . . . [the] king of Babylon, in the year he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived (Jer. 52:31-34)
• his story ends very differently from Zedekiah’s
◦ and it is because Jehoiachin surrendered – to the king of Babylon and he surrendered to God

I’ve been reading in Genesis, and yesterday came to the story of Joseph

He also spent some time in prison – in Egypt
– in fact, a long stretch of his life could be described as being “in the pits”
• his brothers threw him into a pit hoping he would starve to death (Gen. 40:15)
• later his prison is referred as the pit (the same Hebrew word; 41:14))
– there are two other similarities:
1. in both stories there is mention of someone’s head being lifted up (in Jer. 52:31 translated “graciously freed”)
2. in both stories, when the hero leaves prison he puts off his prison garments
• from the jailhouse jump suit to clothing fit for a king
• this represents a change of status – and this is how God’s will works when we surrender to it
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me . . .
to grant to those who mourn in Zion–
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit . . . . (Isa. 61:1-3)
– God had appeared and spoken to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob
• he revealed to them his will for their lives and the future of their descendants
◦ but God never appeared to or spoke to Joseph
• Joseph was given an ability to interpret dreams,
◦ but the interpretation of his own life was hidden from him
◦ until by time his brothers arrived in Egypt–and then it all made sense
(see Genesis 45:5-8, where Joseph tells his brothers, “God sent me before you . . . God sent me before you . . . for it was not you who sent me here, but God”

Conclusion: Few people know God’s will for certain

Many find themselves later in life in a place where they say, “I never saw this coming”
We don’t have to worry about, or fear God’s will
We don’t have to know every moment exactly what is his will for us

God’s will finds us where we are

God’s will is finding you right now and right where you are

We discover God’s will for our lives as it unfolds
What matters most, is that we surrender to it
What matters is that even to our last breath we can pray, “Not my will, but Yours”

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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Welcome to the RefleXion Community!          The Lord is with you!

Last week, Chuck taught from the book of Haggai, a prophet who was on the scene after the Babylonian exile, when the Israelites were returning and rebuilding the Temple. Remember how Haggai saw that they were slacking off and prioritizing building their own houses instead of the house of God.  Haggai tells them “Consider your ways.”  There was more than one time in Biblical history that the temple fell into disrepair and had to be cleansed and repaired.  At one earlier time, there began a restoration under King Hezekiah.  First, there was the building of an altar and setting up the temple foundations  And then there needed to be cleansing by removing all the things the priests had stored there. I was thinking how in the New Testament, Paul tells the Corinthians that we are His temple, if the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us. We may have set up our altar and laid the foundations of our faith.  And now there’s more work to be done; we, too, must “consider our ways.”

While we prioritize our time with God, we give him all our hindrances. We notice things that need to be repaired or carried out in our temple.  We invite Him to make it His dwelling place.   Maybe it is obvious what doesn’t belong in here, we think of bad behavior, immorality, addictions; but maybe there are some big bricks that we’ve been sitting on, calling them stones of remembrance, that block and distort the Spirit’s way in us.

I brought another book today, The Father Loves You, by our friend, Ed Piorek.  Though I might not resonate with everything here, it held some gifts for me.  Many years ago, when I was in a spiritual leadership program, we were asked to sit with a scripture passage about our Father in heaven.  I recall we were given hours to ponder our earthly fathers and our Father in Heaven. Many participants returned to the group with stories about their own fathers—punitive, passive, demanding–“father issues” abounded.  When my turn came, I said, “Well, my biological father was an alcoholic and my mother left him when I was five.  She remarried my stepfather who never had a hand in my development, never spoke into my life.  I didn’t really have a father, so I don’t have father issues.”  Wow, yes, I got some serious pushback.  I had to deal with my broken lenses, how I had been protecting myself from deep pain and rejection, what unbelief and shame I had been carrying that distorted my relationships.  Reading Piorek’s book reminded me of those days when I identified  that I did, indeed, have father issues.  Maybe you do too.  Anyway, I’m passing the book along to whoever wants to pick it up. We look at what we’ve stored in our temple, not to blame but to unearth, to allow cleansing and repair.  Jesus came expressly to reveal the Father and His great love for us.  Knowing our Father’s love is critical to our spiritual progress.

Join me to pray will you:  Thank you, Father God, for your original and eternal love.  Heal us and help us to realize it.  We turn our attention to you this morning, trusting that you know what we need to hear about your love.  We welcome you; we welcome each other, and we trust in your faithful love for us.    In Jesus’ Name.  Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin Jeremiah 36:1-3

Intro: I decided to continue in Jeremiah for another week

There are two stories we will consider that I’ve always enjoyed
– one reason they appeal to me is because they’re interesting
• another reason is that they are meaningful
• although the main character in each story is connected to Jeremiah,
◦ they have nothing else in common
– both stories have two parts, found in two different places
• so we will begin with the first part of each story, and then move to the second part
• I hope you enjoy them as much as I do,
◦ and that we get something worthwhile from them

Baruch’s (Jeremiah’s sidekick) story begins during the reign of King Jehoiakim

The timestamp in this verse is important for two reasons:
– first, there was still hope for Judah
It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that everyone may turn from his evil way . . . (v. 3)
It may be that their plea for mercy before will come before the LORD, and that every one will turn from his evil way (v. 7)
• unfortunately, there was no change of heart
• as we’ll see, Jehoiakim rejected God’s message–defiantly
– second, it was at this time that Babylon first became a threat
• when Babylonian army arrived, Judah surrendered without a fight
◦ but three years later Jehoiakim rebelled
• the nation was quickly torn to pieces
◦ troops from Babylon began to make raids on Judah,
◦ and forces from three other nations also crossed Judah’s border to attack and plunder
– eventually, Babylon’s entire army returned and took Jerusalem
• after eleven years on throne, Jehoiakim died
◦ his son’s reign lasted only 3 months
◦ the king of Babylon carried him off to Babylon,
◦ and with him, the temple treasures, many aristocrats, and many skilled workers (those they did not kill)
• at that point, Zedekiah became Judah’s last king

So here we are in the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign
– Jeremiah received instructions to compose a prophetic message
• but he couldn’t read it himself
Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD that he had spoken to him. And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the LORD, so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the LORD’s house you shall read the words of the LORD from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. . . .” And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the LORD in the LORD’s house Jeremiah 36:4-8
(Forgive me, but I think it’s funny to hear Jeremiah say, “I’ve been banned from going to the house of the LORD.” It is as if he is saying, “Yeah, I sort of stirred things up, angered some priests, and they said I could not come back to the temple.” My new beatitude: “Blessed are the troublemakers, who do not allow us to destroy ourselves without fair warning.”)
◦ when Baruch read the scroll, it caught the attention of a court official
• he reported it to the king’s secretary and the other officers who were present
◦ they called for Baruch and had him read Jeremiah’s prophecy to them
◦ then they panicked, ordered Baruch to get Jeremiah and hide, and then carried the scroll to the king
– Jehoiakim was in his winter house, where a fire warmed room
• someone began reading from the scroll (which was either a parchment made from reeds or animal hide)
◦ after reading three or four columns, the king cut them off the scroll and threw them into the fire
• then Jehoiakim gave orders to seize Baruch and Jeremiah
◦ but they weren’t able to find them (the LORD hid them, v. 26)

That is part one of Baruch’s story

The hero of the second story is Ebed-melech

He’s an interesting character – we do not know his actual name
(Ebed-melech is a title that means “servant to the king”)
– he was an outsider – an Ethiopian and a eunuch
• in other words, he had no skin in this game — nothing to gain from getting involved
◦ and there was a potential downside
• but even still, he did get involved

Zedekiah was the last king of Judah
– when Babylon was waging its final siege on Jerusalem,
• God’s message through Jeremiah warned the people:
◦ anyone who held-out in the city would die
◦ but whoever went out of the city and surrendered to Babylon would live
• this angered the army’s officers and other leaders
◦ they went to Zedekiah and told him to have Jeremiah executed
◦ Zedekiah capitulated to their demand
So they took Jeremiah and [threw] him into a cistern . . . letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud (Jer. 38:6)
– that is when Ebed-melech stepped up
• he went to the king to argue on Jeremiah’s behalf
“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city” (Jer. 38:9)
◦ Zedekiah commanded him to take thirty men and rescue Jeremiah
• Ebed-melech first went to a storehouse and grabbed worn-out clothes
◦ he lowered them to Jeremiah by a rope, and told him to put rope around him and the clothes under armpits
Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard . . . . until the day that Jerusalem was taken (Jer. 38:13 and 28)

So these two accounts are the first part of each story

Ebed-melech reappears in chapter 39
The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. But I will deliver you on that day, declares the LORD, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in m, declares the LORD” Jeremiah 39:15-18

Ebed-melech was rewarded, because he put his trust in Yahweh
– where does his trust appear in the story?
• when he rescued Jeremiah from the cistern
• trust is not only security that holds us through difficult times
◦ trust is dynamic – it is a motive that results in action
◦ trust cannot stand by in the face of injustice — trust in God drives people to intervene
– the reward Ebed-melech received was his life
• “prize of war” translates the Hebrew word for plunder or loot
◦ what we know as “the spoils of war”
• this is a precious gift when the whole world is on fire

Baruch reappears in chapter 45
The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, ‘Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’ Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the LORD. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go” Jeremiah 45
(Previously, we were not told about Baruch’s emotional state at that time)

Baruch’s whining is reminiscent of Jeremiah’s complaints
– and God responds to him in the no-nonsense way as he did Jeremiah
• there’s always something bigger than prophet’s well-being
• big enough that is does not matter if we have to take up our cross to follow Jesus
– the entire nation was on the verge of collapse
• everything God had built over hundreds of years was coming down
• every time I read this, the effect I feel is personal
◦ I find this to be a challenging question: And do you seek great things for yourself?
◦ I think it was in 1986 that I wrote this:
My meditation: “Baruch’s desire to seek greatness was not unusual. His problem was his timing. Everything he knew in the world was about to go up in smoke. Gates would be burned to the ground, buildings torn down, and the nation’s leaders disappear. To seek great things in that moment would be like trying to be the most attractive person on the Titanic.”
◦ then in 1991
My meditation: “I don’t think there is anything wrong with seeking great things. We were made for greatness. But to be running around looking for loot or seeking great things for myself, especially in a doomed society, is problematic. For us to seek great things for ourselves is placing the weight of our lives on too small a goal. We were made for God and others, not our little selves.”

As different as they were, Baruch and Ebed-melech received the same promise
“I will give you your life as a prize of war”

Conclusion: Suppose God is saying something like this to us

“You have your life–I have given it to you. It is a resource.
What are you going to do with it?”

Am I going to look for the beauty that lies in every day?
And if I can’t find beauty, will I make beauty?
Poetry and painting – music and song – kindness and generosity

Will I add goodness to the world?
Will I practice friendliness wherever I go?

Will I search for truth? Will I embrace it when I find it?
Will I speak and advocate truth?
Will I be true?

We have these choices,
these opportunities
and this one lifetime

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?”
Mary Oliver, from “The Summer Day”

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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Good morning and welcome to the RefleXion Community.  The Lord is with you!

We’ve been celebrating Advent for the last four Sundays (and thank you so much for the beautiful opening meditations and prayers we received from Jim, Karyn, Christine, and Barbara).  Advent is often reduced to preparation for Christmas, yet it also  points toward and prepares us for Epiphany.  In many Christian traditions Epiphany is celebrated on January 6, celebrating the “wise” men who recognized the Light that had entered the world. We believe that they were witnessing the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 60:1–3  “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.  For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” The magi sought out Jesus and so they were called the wisemen. If we want to become wise, we too can seek Jesus.  And so, this day is called  the Feast of Epiphany, Theophany, or Three Kings’ Day.

The word Epiphany is defined as “a revelatory manifestation of a divine being, or a sudden insight or intuitive understanding.” And we deeply desire those personal epiphanies for ourselves and to really be impacted by them.  Epiphanies transform how we see; they are a gift of wisdom.

Did you know that Chuck wrote a book called Epiphany?  Chuck is a reliable witness of how regular Bible reading can enrich our spiritual life.  For months Chuck has been sharing his notes and journaling over years of studying and pondering scripture…remember Mark?  How rich that was.  In this book Chuck offers several ways of paying attention to gain these riches and to develop a love for the Bible.  Lectio Divina is one way we as community make space for epiphany–the appearance, or manifestation of something from God.  If you’re not yet involved in a Lectio Divina group, I encourage you to do so.  We use scripture, yet this is not Bible study but a prayerful, receptive way of listening to God through scripture (scripture as a door) with the Holy Spirit’s escort, of course.

Turning the page to a new year, many of us are discerning what God is doing in our lives, what He is inviting us to, and what practices we will include to support our journey.  Whatever practices you include in 2024, I hope you will include space for epiphanies.  Study the Word, Sit with the Word, and make Space to be changed by the Word.  May this next season be one of our realization of the Light that has come.  May we become wise. 

So, we pray:  O Jesus, let your Light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD God rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night may cover all the nations of the earth, but your Glory is our doxology.  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.  We praise you; we bless you; we adore you; we glorify you; we give you thanks for your great glory,  Heavenly King, may nations come to your Light and all earthly kings make way for You, the King of Kings.  Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr

Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD’s message, “I am with you, declares the LORD.” And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people Haggai 1:13-14

Intro: The two chapters of Haggai are about putting God first

Israel had been driven from the land of Judah for seventy years
– on returning to their homeland, one of their priorities was to rebuild the temple,
• but there was a lot of work to be done, few workers, and limited resources
◦ they also had to construct homes for themselves
• after awhile, a few setbacks, and discouragement,
◦ they began to slack off and, instead, they were making improvements to their own homes
◦ the danger of not having the temple was the possibility of losing the nation’s spiritual center
– two times in both chapters of Haggai, God challenged them to “consider”
Consider your ways (Hag. 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18)
• first, they were to consider their shortages
You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes (Hag. 1:6)
◦ it must have been similar to our frustration with inflation — at the grocery store, we’re paying more, but buying less
• second, they were to consider what was going to happen next, after they put God first
◦ he would turn things around
“from this day on I will bless you” (Hag. 2:19)

I also want to point out–because it’s important to me–that two times in Haggai, once in each chapter,
– God tells them, “I am with you”
Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts . . . . My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not (Hag. 2:4-5)
• this could be our reminder for the New Year
• whatever happens, God is with us
◦ the more we own and internalize this promise,
◦ the greater our confidence and security will be in difficult times
– but that is not what my talk is about – instead, I am focusing on Haggai 1:14
And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel . . . and the spirit of Joshua . . . and the spirit of the remnant of the people
• in a year that will likely be disruptive for our entire nation, I hope we will discard complacency,
◦ I hope God will be stirring up our spirits toward his will

We make a big deal about New Year’s Day, don’t we?

The crowd in Times Square, the parties and parades, the noise
– but the whole idea of a “New Year” is fake
• there’s nothing in the laws of nature that indicates a new year begins on the first day of January
◦ in many ancient cultures, the New Year began in the spring
• in Judaism, there are two New Year days
◦ the religious New Year begins in spring with Passover
◦ the civil New Year begins in the fall with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
– think about it. What really changes between December 31 and January 1?
• unless we’re traveling on January 1, we will wake up in same house,
• begin our day with the same routine, and, other than having Monday off, our week will be like any other week this past year

I think we enjoy the illusion of annually starting a New Year
– we welcome it as a fresh start – the chance to have a do-over
• wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have a fresh start at the beginning of every year?
◦ if all debts were erased? – if we were caught up on all our projects?
◦ if all wars and oppression ended in last hour of 2023?

If we could drop all that has held us back, we could make resolutions that would really stick
– Jonathan Edwards is known mostly for his sermon, “Sinners In the Hand of An Angry God”
• but he had a more positive influence on Christianity in America
◦ he was one of our nation’s most insightful theologians
◦ he laid a foundation for Biblical Theology, which did not become popular until the 20th Century
◦ he was a central figure in a widespread revival known as the Great Awakening
• Edwards wrote the longest list of resolutions I’ve ever seen
◦ one of his biographers wrote:
“Mr. Edwards was too well acquainted with human weakness and frailty. He therefore looked to God for aid, who alone can afford success in the use of any means. This he places at the head of all his other important rules, that his dependence was on grace . . . .”
◦ Edwards wrote:
“Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.”
Then above his list of resolutions:
“REMEMBER TO READ OVER THESE RESOLUTIONS ONCE A WEEK”
There were sixty-seven resolutions in his list!

The most typical resolutions people make today are self-improvement goals
– diet and exercise, limit or stop drinking or smoking, work at better mental health, spend more time with family; that sort of thing
• we know the changes we need to make–but life gets in the way
– I dial back to the Christmas story, where the shepherds had a radical experience
• angels appeared to them – they received the revelation regarding Jesus – they ran off to Bethlehem and found him – they told others about their experience, and those people witnessed their excitement
• and then!–they returned to their sheep and went back to work
◦ no more angels, just the same old environment
• but did they take something new with them?
◦ a new awareness of God perhaps? Or a new sense of what is possible?

Can we carry Advent into the New Year?

In the past four weeks we have focused on the Advent themes of Hope, Joy, Love and Peace
– can we continue to pursue these qualities?
• make them our normal response to life circumstances?
◦ to the mundane and routine? to the crises? to other people?
• I am not asking if we can make resolutions
◦ it’s not about what we can do,
◦ but about what kind of people can we be?
– the most natural way to make important changes is as a response to something that stirs us
• that either excites us or disturbs us
◦ or a desperate need we have, a severe physical pain, mental anguish, or a relentless desire
• we call this experience of being driven to action “motivation”

Jesus was intent on affecting the motivation of his followers
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you (Jn. 6:27)
– he urged people to question themselves regarding what was behind their words and actions
• he asks them, “Why do you?” or “Why did you?”
• he was asking, “What was your purpose and what was its motivation?”
– Jesus also exposed our wrong motivations – for instance:
Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them (Mt. 6:1)
• I am usually the center of whatever motivates me
◦ I want to be healthy and fit, to be liked or admired, to be well off
• Jesus tells me to surrender those motives – if I want to see the kingdom of God
◦ when we’re no longer dominated by the motivations of the ego-self,
◦ we acquire a new perception of the world and our place in it

God stirred up the spirit of the leaders and the people

I am not going to try to stir up your spirit
– I can’t even stir up my own
• too many preachers today are trying to stir people up
◦ with fears related to Jesus’ soon return and hell-fire if they’re not ready
◦ with conspiracy theories or inflammatory political rhetoric
◦ or to enhance their self-interest, their image, or acquiring wealth
• I want to discover what God is stirring up in us
– I have an idea what that might be
• we can join protests against atrocities in our world or pending legislation
◦ we can send email to our state and national representatives
• but our one voice and participation will not end any war, act of aggression, or change any law
◦ the effect we have on the world will be closer to home

Conclusion: I’m going to suggest a place where we begin

As far as we are concerned with motivation and changing the world,
let us stir up one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24)

This is a consistent emphasis in our Reflexion community
To love God with our whole being
and to love our neighbors as ourselves
Thirty or forty people doing little things can make a large impact in the world – it’s the domino effect
◦ Working with, or supporting charitable organizations
◦ Showing mercy to people who need forgiveness rather than lectures
◦ Handing a few dollars to a homeless person
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10)
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone (1 Thes. 5:15)

We can love, rejoice, hope, be at peace and bring peace . . . and we can pray

The people who disparage “thoughts and prayers” underestimate how great God is,
how responsive he is to people who have no money, power, or influence,
and how prayer really can make a miraculous difference
One of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century, Karl Barth, wrote:
“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”
Perhaps a small beginning at first;
nevertheless, a beginning

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Welcome and Prayer: Barbara Dahl

For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Col 1:19-20).  I am very thankful that my sin is no longer a barrier preventing relationship with God, that I am reconciled with God and I have his peace in my life.  Probably like most Christians, that personal peace is what comes to mind most often when we talk about God’s peace. But that’s not what I am wanting to talk about.

This Advent, like previous years, we have received cards and greetings that include the message of “peace on earth, goodwill to men.”  It’s a beautiful scene from the Christmas story – the nighttime sky over the fields outside Bethlehem with the shepherds and a host of angles singing praises to God. I believe that, one day, when Jesus returns there will truly be peace on earth. Yet when I look around at our world now, I see war, violence, so much anger and hatred, prejudice, broken families, broken lives, a broken world. To be sure there are voices for peace and reconciliation, but the voices of conflict and division speak much louder.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor and theologian during the 1930s-40s.  He spoke out early and publicly against Hitler.  For his part in the resistance he was arrested, imprisoned and executed in 1945.  In 1934, he gave a sermon at an ecumenical conference in Denmark.  In it he said “Peace on earth is not a problem but a commandment given at Christ’s coming.”  I first read that sentence last fall and it gave me pause.  The idea that we are commanded to be agents of peace, like we’re commanded to love one another, and that it would require something of me is a thought has stayed with me. I realized I viewed God’s peace as a force that exists on its own and to share it with others, I just need to passively get out the way and let it flow to whoever it in its path.  (I no longer think of peace that way. )

Bonhoeffer gave his sermon to church leaders, advocating for a strong stance for peace in response to what was occurring in Germany.   My sphere of influence is obviously much, much smaller – my family, friends, acquaintances. I have been considering what it would look like, as an individual, to obey a commandment of peace – everyday – when we all seem to be getting along fine, not just when discord or conflict exist.  Relationships run into problems typically as a result of small fissures over time, a person feels judged, not heard, not valued. And so, I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my words, actions and attitudes – do they speak love and grace or are they conveying (even unintentionally) judgment, resentment, impatience.  When I confront someone with an issue, what are my motives – do I want peace or am I looking to feel the satisfaction of putting someone in their place? In this polarized climate, when discussing issues with someone who does not share my views, are we looking for better understanding, perspective or just venting, encouraging each other to become more intractable in our positions with the result of making it easier to write off those who don’t share our views.   

There is no playbook for how to pursue peace.  Paul in Romans 12 says, “As much as possible, be at peace with all men.”  I love that he said “As much as possible” because I am flawed and I’ll never be a perfect agent of peace.  More importantly, as much as possible because sometimes the reasons for a relationship fracturing mean reconciliation will be a tough road or maybe that its not wise to seek reconciliation. Like loving others, walking the path of peace can be hard and it requires prayer for wisdom and guidance.  Also intertwined in peace is love and hope; hope that reconciliation is always possible and joy, sharing in the joy or good pleasure God has with reconciliation.

This Advent season has been different for me.  As I’ve read Peace on Earth in a Christmas card, I’ve heard it as a personal message – to continue to allow God to transform me to someone less self-serving and someone whose will is more aligned with God’s will and purposes.  And a message to consciously, intentionally and humbly walk the path of peace.

Almighty God,  Heavenly Father,

Please pour out your peace into our hurting and broken world.  We remember those who are suffering from the result of war or violence. We pray for their healing and comfort and ask that you be their safe refuge.  Bless those individuals and organizations working to provide aid, comfort and healing to those impacted by violence. May their efforts bear much fruit, provide them with strength and encouragement in their work. We pray for our leaders, inside of government and out.  Grant them wisdom and inspire them to work towards peace. For each of us, let your love guide our words and actions so that we also are agents of your peace and reconciliation. 

Let your kingdom of peace reign on earth as it does in heaven. 
In the name of Jesus, our lord and savior and our Prince of Peace.  Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is well pleased” Luke (2:8-) 14

Intro: Even in infancy, people discerned that Jesus was extraordinary

Simeon, a righteous and devout man, was led by God’s Spirit into temple
– there he encountered Mary and Joseph and their baby
• taking Jesus into his arms, he prophesied over him
– then the elderly widow, Anna–who was herself a prophet,
• she also encountered the holy family in the temple
And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of [Jesus] to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel (Lk. 2:38)
– both of these people were keen on God’s will,
• and looking for God’s revelation
• so there’s no surprise they would discern God’s timing; they were primed for this moment
– but the shepherds–were they righteous? were they devout? were they even religious?
• yet it was to them the angels came
◦ they were first to receive the news
• the shepherds were chosen and given this privilege
◦ that’s my first impression–God blessed these nobodies with a heavenly revelation
◦ in my meditation on this passage earlier this month, I noted:
My med: “We can sit in silent prayer waiting for the slightest movement of God, hoping to catch a glimmer of light or discern the sound of a gentle whisper, yet never enjoy the certainty of a divine visitation. Our hunger for God, our devotion to prayer, our desperate seeking for a vision will not make it happen. God chooses when, where, and to whom.
But we are given revelations in which God does present himself to us. What he told to the shepherds, they told to others, and they told others, and eventually it was told to us. If God continues to speak to me through the Scriptures, that is where I will draw close to him and listen. He does visit us in his word.”

My thoughts this morning, aren’t about the shepherds

I won’t ignore them, because they illustrate an important feature of the Christmas story
– note where this chapter begins – with the emperor
• Caesar Augustus issued a decree and all the world jumped
• the center of world power was far from Bethlehem
◦ but this small village could not escape its political force
– the shepherds were at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of wealth, status, and power
• they were among the poorest and least important members of society
• remember that!
◦ they had no vote, no rights, and no influence
◦ but God recruited them for his public relations team

The angels’ message of “peace on earth” is often mocked

2,000 years later, humankind has advanced in so many ways!
– in knowledge, food supply, health care, technology, and innumerable luxuries
• but we have hardly made any progress toward peace
• we wonder how that can be in societies so advanced,
◦ the Scriptures have something to say about that
What causes war and combat among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel (Jas. 4:1-2)
– James tells us that our warfare is first of all personal and internal
• millions of desperate people, driven by starvation and disease
◦ and billions more driven by envy and greed
• it shouldn’t surprise us that big, powerful nations
◦ invade and exploit the resources of smaller, weaker nations
◦ it’s what happens on the playground every day

To make sense of “peace on earth,” we must listen carefully

First, the angels are not making a promise
– they’re not saying Jesus is going to bring world peace
• their announcement is more like a doxology or benediction
◦ Greek word for “glory” is doxa – doxologies usually contain this word and are praise to God
(there are several doxologies in the New Testament
◦ a benediction is the pronouncement of a blessing
• so “peace on earth” is not a promise, but a possibility

Secondly, the possibility is selective and conditional
– it is possible that the second stanza of their praise should be translated
peace among those of good will
Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that the driving force of all human behavior was what he termed,
“the will to power”
• now that is a recipe for war
• there can be another driving force for human behavior:
◦ “the will to good”
◦ it is the will to good that qualifies those on earth who receive and promote peace

When Jesus sent out teams of disciples, one of his instructions was,
Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace be to this house!” And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you (Lk. 10:5-6)
– “son of” is a Hebrew idiom that means having the character of
• it is like DNA or a family resemblance
– this is the condition for receiving peace, it being a person devoted to peace and good will

I think it makes sense, that:

If someone is not a good person, he or she should not be at peace
– the person who hates others, intentionally hurts others, who ridicules, insults, and blasts others,
• ought to be troubled about their behavior
“the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
There is no peace” says my God, “for the wicked” (Isa. 57:20-21)
– peace is a gift – and it is also a responsibility
Strive for peace with everyone (Heb. 12:14)
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all (Ro. 12:18)
So then let us pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding (Ro. 14:19)

It seems obvious now that “peace on earth” begins in our hearts

If we can’t find peace, we can’t make peace!!!
– we need to bring our restless souls to God – you know these verses already:
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:6-7)
• Paul told the Colossians,
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body (Col. 3:15)
• this, then, is the challenge – to let the peace of Jesus rule in our hearts!
◦ in life’s complex structure, nothing comes easy
– can we find authentic peace?
• I can do things to ease my conscience, but that’s not the peace of Christ
• I can do things that gives me temporary relief;
◦ for instance, diversions like entertainment, exercise, food–but that is not the peace of Christ
• I can do things to make me feel better about myself
◦ there are lots of ways to soothe myself (“thumb-sucking” behavior)
◦ but not the same as being at peace with God, within ourselves, with others, and with the world
Peace I leave with you; Jesus told his disciples, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (Jn. 14:27-28)
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (Jn. 16:33)

I’ll share with you what works for me

When I settle into prayer – or when I sense that I’m uptight
– if I take a slow, deep breath and say to myself “here” (as I inhale) and “now” (as I exhale),
• and focus my awareness on the experience of being in this moment
◦ immediately I sense God’s Spirit around me, calm down, and I’m at peace
• after his resurrection, the first words Jesus spoke to disciples were, Peace be with you (Jn. 20:19, 21, 26)
◦ peace is not the absence of problems, it’s the presence of Jesus
– when Jesus exhaled his breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit,”
• do you think maybe the disciples inhaled his Spirit? (Jn. 20:22)

Conclusion: Psalm 34 tells us to seek peace and pursue it (v. 12)

So, tonight–if that is your tradition–or tomorrow look under the Christmas tree for this gift
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts

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Welcome and Prayer: Christine

1. The angels said to the shepherds,
   “I bring you good news that will cause GREAT JOY for ALL people.” (Luke 2:10-11)

(Hence: the Advent candle for JOY is called the Shepherd’s candle.)

When we look back over time, at the sacred, historic event of the first Christmas, the coming of Jesus Christ to live on this planet with us and showing His great love for us, we can’t help but to REJOICE.

• In the now, sometimes it is difficult to rejoice.

The Bible says, “REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS!” (Phil. 4:4)

• Experiencing conflicting emotions, that seem to be diametrically opposed to JOY can make it difficult to rejoice.
  It’s normal to feel conflicting emotions like depression, grief, sadness, etc.
  Perhaps you feel far removed from JOY right now.

• What does being JOYFUL look like to you?

To me, in the past, I had a one-dimensional perception of JOY.
It looked like exuberance, all smiles, laughing, positive in all circumstances, etc.

• In fact, I definitely felt like being joyful was a Christian obligation.

I was told in the past to be sure not to be caught frowning on stage (while in choir) because what if the camera focused in on my frown, then perhaps people would not want to become Christians. No pressure.

• As I matured, I realized that I have an array of emotions that God is well aware of and His love for me is not affected by my “negative” emotions.

• Even in the Bible, conflicting emotions are recorded. For example, the Bible records that the women felt fear and JOY simultaneously after seeing Jesus appear at the tomb.
  “The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great JOY…” (Matthew 28:8)

• Fearful AND filled with great joy.
  It’s very normal to feel different emotions this time of year.

• Recently, thinking deeply on JOY, the first few words of a Christmas carol (written in 1719 and based on Psalm 98) really penetrated my heart and challenged me.

• “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”

I suddenly realized that JOY came to the earth. Jesus is JOY. He lives in us. Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:20). So, JOY is inside of us. Joy lives right in our hearts. He’s not far away. Joy is not far away. Whether we feel it or not. We don’t have to manufacture it. We may not be tapping into it, but we can…

• How might someone who is really down and depressed express their joy?

I picture a woman who feels desperate and utterly hopeless. She is crawling on the ground and using all her strength to crawl over to a pink stone. This pink stone symbolizes joy. (And I found out later that pink is the liturgical color for joy.) She is embracing joy. She is moving toward joy, despite her circumstances.
We need to embrace a broader definition of JOY.

It’s not as much about the outward expression of joy, as the inward embracing of joy.

Jesus lives right here in our heart, and we can embrace Him. We can embrace JOY.

• Simple gesture: I put my hands on my heart. It’s grounding. It helps me remember that He actually does live in me. JOY lives in me.

• Let us pray:

Dear Lord,
Just like it says further on in that same Christmas carol,
“Let earth receive her King.”
“Let every heart, prepare Him room.”

Lord, we want to receive you as King into our hearts.
Maybe some of us have never invited you into our hearts. Maybe we have never welcomed you into our hearts. And we do invite you.
And those who have had you in our hearts for many years, we want to welcome you more. We want to make our heart more welcoming for you.
Lord, we welcome you and we thank you that you live in us and your joy lives in us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Morning Talk: Jim Calhoun

Luke 2:8-19, King James Version

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

This is how I first heard the Christmas story.
King James original from Linus van Pelt (from the Peanuts comic strip).
I can’t say it makes me sad.
It was a fine way to be introduced to Christmas.

Later, when I was 11 or 12, I found our family Bible, my grandmother’s Bible and read it for myself. King James again. I loved this story but I didn’t much understand it yet. That was still a few years away. Then I found myself, my life in this story.

I want to go through it today and point to some of the parts that still hold my attention, my affection. Things that continue to make this story so compelling to me.

Shepherds abiding in the field

• The idea that shepherds were shiftless bottom of society seems to come to us from Aristotle.
• He thought that shepherds had it too easy
• “the laziest are shepherds, who lead an idle life, and get their subsistence without trouble from tame animals; their flocks wandering from place to place in search of pasture, they are compelled to follow them, cultivating a sort of living farm.”
• But Abraham, Moses and David had all been shepherds
• The basic expression of human vulnerability
• Often living exposed to the elements
• Often the youngest boy of the family
• Protecting their sheep from lions, bears, cheetah, leopard, wolves
• Ensuring they have sufficient food and water
• Enormous responsibility, few resources a matter of life and death.
• This is the human condition writ large
• Fragile, finite, flawed
• It is in this context of being human that our deepest longings are born
• The deep desires that drive our lives. Of love, of connection, of meaning, of significance , of safety, of peace
• A couple of weeks ago Chuck and I spoke on hope
• I talked about bringing an optimist but not holding that as a virtue
• Chuck talked about how depression dampens his intuitive hopes
• He also said, and I think he was right, that because hope is difficult for him, then he may be best suited to talk about holding hope.
• Afterwards we talked and I lamented that we didn’t have a bit of a public discussion of our differences and our similarities with hope.
• Had we chatted in that setting I would have wanted to point to our shared longing in our hearts and how those deep longings are our hopes.
• One day, in some way, we do not currently understand, or deepest longings will be fulfilled.
• Our faith shared, and worked out individually according to our own capacity and needs, is that Jesus will satisfy our hopes, our deepest longings.

And they were sore afraid

• And into this community of men and boys, as unlikely as it seems, an angel appears
• The glory of the Lord surrounded them.
• I can guess what that was like, but I don’t know.
• It seems that one of the layers was pulled back for a moment
• A part of the mystery was revealed, made plain
• And they were sore afraid.
• Of course they were
• They had seen nothing like it before and we have seen nothing like it since.
• Wonderful, awesome, disorienting, shocking, scary. So very scary. Good tidings of great joy
• Immediately the angel addressed the shepherd’s fear and reassured them.
• Calming them, soothing them with a convincing, compelling “fear not.”
• When My daughter was little, and sometimes even today I offer her my own fear not in many forms. It isn’t surprising we need this since like the shepherds we are also fragile, finite and flawed. Exposed and vulnerable. All of us.
• The angel hasn’t come with a terrible swift sword of judgment and destruction
• But instead with good tidings of great joy.
• Great joy is quite the promise
• Joy usually defined makes us think of happiness and pleasure
• In this case though I think it means something more.
• In this case I see joy being the fulfilling of our hopes, our deepest longings.
• Even when it is just a glimmer. Even when it is just the tiniest taste.
• Then Joy wells up in us. Swells. Nourishes our hope that it wasn’t wasted. Deepens our lives immeasurably.

For all people

• And this joy is for all people.
• These good tidings of great joy are for all people. Today. All people. Today. Really.
• The temptation in this era of polarity, conflict, and division is to withhold this great joy from one of our neighbors instead of living it our freely just as we have received it.
• Can we bring good tidings for all of our neighbors , our transgender neighbor, our Spanish speaking neighbor (or Arabic or mandarin), or our Muslim neighbor, or cranky old man neighbor, or black neighbor, or Sheik neighbor, or neighbor who monitors and judges our every move, our neighbor without a home, our indigenous neighbor, our neighbor who fell off the wagon again, our super rich neighbor, or anxious neighbor, our neighbor who left their manners at home when they got behind the wheel. All of them and all the rest.
• All of them. Good tidings of great joy for all of our neighbors. Everyone.
• But we can afford to freely give truly good tidings. Far more important than a “Merry Christmas” will be our smile, patience, gentle look, our kindness. Our little contribution to offering to them that their deepest longings will one day be satisfied.

This shall be a sign to you

• So the angel tell the shepherds that there is cause for great joy for all peoples.
• But it isn’t left there. The Angel gives them a sign. A baby in a manger. If they see this sign then they will know, deep down, that the angel is telling the truth.
• That their peace on earth is here
• That goodwill to human kind is present
• That their deepest longing will be fulfilled and their hearts filled with joy.
• And then there were more angels. And the skies were filled with phrases to God for all of this.
• And then it was over. The angels went away. All at once or one by one, it doesn’t say.
• And the veil was returned to and the window into another realm was closed.
• And it was over. Let us now go
• The boys, being boys seemed to come to their senses, gathered themself up, and then, as boys will do, decided to see for themselves.
• And they saw the baby in the manger.
• Then the boys, as boys will do, proceeded to tell anyone who would listen. Probably for the rest of their lives.
• “I was in the fields with the sheep. This angel came in the sky. The whole place was glowing. Jacob was there ask him. And the angel told us about a baby in a manger not far away. And there were more angels. Like you can’t imagine. So many. And they were singing to Gods glory. And we went. Not far. And there was a baby in the manger just as the angel said. It must of been from God.”

All they that heard it wondered

• Not wondered like are there guys for real?
• But full of amazement hoping their deepest longings might be fulfilled.
• Maybe already swelling with Joy that just the thought of such an event was proof that their hopes would be satisfied.
• Maybe placing a rudimentary faith in the baby they say or the baby their heard about hoping their deepest longing would be satisfied.

Mary kept all these things

• The section finishes with Mary holding all these things in her heart.
• To remember and rehearse them.
• To recall her own joy and the answers to her own deepest longings.
• We find her doing this in other places in Luke and I am charmed by it. I can see it and feel it.
• It is unlikely that the heavens will open up for any of us today.
• It is unlikely that an angel will speak to us or that we will be surrounded by a glorious glow.
• I never expect you to be caught up into something so big.
• That suits me just fine.
• But remember, the shepherds weren’t at a prayer meeting asking for that.
• They were going about their life, fulfilling their responsibilities like any other day.
• The same for Mary. It came how and when God brought it.
• And they were receptive.
• I want to be like that.
• There may well be a time in the next few days that a tiny corner of the veil between heaven and earth is pulled back. The littlest tiniest bit.
• There will be signs for me as well if I am listening, open.
• These signs can take many shapes. Beauty in a sunrise or a song. A moment of connecting with a mate or a child or a friend. A deep and welcomed laugh. Maybe even a good cry. There are so many things that will point us to the truth of the universe: that God really does love us and is making us whole.

Last week, while Chuck was talking, I heard a low hum quietly vibrating. I rather enjoyed the droning sound of it, but was curious whether it was intentional, someone’s cell phone, or something else. It turned out that the hum was coming from Grendal’s amplifier, and it continued as he was trying to figure out what was causing it.

Songs of liquid days: changing opinion
Gradually
We became aware
Of a hum in the room
An electrical hum in the room
It went mmmmmm
We followed it from
Corner to corner
We pressed out ears
Against the walls
We crossed diagonals
And put our hands on the floor
It went mmmmmm
Sometimes it was
A murmur
Sometimes it was
A pulse
Sometimes it seemed
To disappear
But then with a quarter-turn
Of the head
It would roll around the sofa
A nimbus humming cloud
Mmmmmm
Maybe it’s the hum
Of a calm refrigerator
Cooling on the big night
Mmmmmm
Cooling on the big night
Maybe it’s the hum
Of our parents’ voices
Long ago in a soft light
Mmmmmm
Long ago in a dimmed light
Mmmmmm
Maybe it’s the hum
Of changing opinion
Or a foreign language
In prayer
Mmmmmm
Or a foreign language
In prayer
Maybe it’s the mantra
Of the walls and wiring
Deep breathing
In soft air
Mmmmmm
Deep breathing
In soft air
Mmmmmm

I want to be:

• Becoming aware of these moments. And practicing them
• Becoming aware that the bottom line isn’t really the bottom line but it is just easier to measure.
• And for you too. Little things that will point to your deepest longings
• I want to be there for that.
• I want to be receptive and ready
• I want to know the joy of my deepest longings being satisfied. A bit now and fully in time.
• And like Mary I will hold them close and rehearse them, ponder them. Embrace my joy
• Knowing that what the shepherds saw and what Mary held in her heart and the baby in a manger began a long series of something that will one day make real on earth, peace and goodwill to humankind .

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Welcome and Prayer: Karyn Jones

The LORD be with you:

This week’s advent candle represents LOVE.  A couple weeks ago I was at a memorial service and during the photo slideshow, the background song “What the World Needs Now, is Love Sweet Love” came up. Because of all the turmoil that was going on in the world (and still is), especially the conflicts in Israel and Gaza, this song really hit me. I remember thinking, “YES”, this is the answer.  There was this simple moment of clarity and peace. The world truly needs LOVE. “Love is the Answer” And  If we could all just act in love, the entire world could be at peace. (so simple, right?  haha)

A few weeks back in Lectio, the phrase that spoke to me was “believe my works” (from John 10:38) As I pondered these words, what I was hearing Jesus say instead was “believe my LOVE”.  Works are often the fruit or acts of a person’s LOVE. When God sent Jesus into this world, he was sending LOVE.  John 3:16 tells us “For God so LOVED the world, that he sent his only son . . . .”

So, how do we practice LOVE this holiday season (and always).  It’s not like it comes easily and we just spew out rainbows and sunshine everywhere we go.  It can be hard!  But for me, remembering Jesus’ words “Believe my LOVE”, reminding myself of his infinite LOVE for me, helps me to “BE his LOVE”.  Words can be powerful, but showing love by our actions/our works can be more powerful.  Anything from a smile, to a hello, to just listening to a person share their story.  

Once a month, a few of us from Reflexion do something called “Laundry Love”, which is where we go to the local laundromat and pay for the laundry of people in need (a ministry Reflexion supports). What has struck me the most isn’t so much the appreciation that their laundry is getting paid for (though they are), but that they have someone to talk to. We have made connections with many of the regulars, and they feel comfortable sharing their stories–their heartaches and struggles, as well as when good things happen.   

BEING God’s love to others is truly the only part we can play in making this weary world a little better. 

Will you pray with me?

LORD- thank you for Jesus.  Thank you for loving us so much that you would send your only son in the form of a precious little baby. Open our hearts to however you want to present your LOVE to us today. May we feel the immense, incomprehensible love you have FOR us, so that this week, we can go out and BE your love to others. Bless this weary world and all those who are in conflict. And encourage those who are out there on the front lines, being your love.  Allow us today, to take a breath, a pause, and trust that one day there will be “Peace on Earth, Good Will toward men”

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: The Christmas story is compressed into a few pages in New Testament

For instance, no sooner do the birth announcements arrive than the babies are born
– first John and then Jesus
• in Luke chapter 2 Jesus is born, and by end of the chapter he’s already twelve years old
◦ though the magi are often pictured alongside the shepherds at the stable,
◦ when they actually arrived in Bethlehem, Jesus was already two years old
• through all the personal and political movement going on during this time,
◦ a variety of human emotions surface
– shame was a factor and fear was frequently present or assuaged
• more than once, someone was troubled, and Herod was furious
◦ but there is also joy and rejoicing, and people are blessed
• but in all these alternating feelings and emotions, there is no mention of LOVE!
– the main characters in the story are husbands and wives, facing challenges together
• they were two couples, blessed with miraculous pregnancies and births
• and still, there is no mention of LOVE

So how did we get an Advent Sunday whose theme is love?
– we have to look elsewhere in the New Testament to find that Christmas theme
• and especially in the writings of John
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which we are forgiven.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
We love because he first loved us (1 Jn. 4:9-10, 16, and 19)

One Sunday early in October, Ed Piorek came and spoke to us

His talk was about God’s love – do you remember?
– it wasn’t like he was teaching or preaching, but more like he was opening his heart,
• and allowing the thoughts to flow out of him
• since then, I read his book, The Eclectic Contemplative
– just the title resonated with my own experience
• to be fully devoted to a life of contemplative spirituality,
◦ we would have to live in monastery or convent
• for us normal folks, our spirituality must be a blending of contemplative practice and active participation in daily duties
Ed Piorek, “If there is one thing that I have become more aware of in recent years, it is how big the love of God is. Although I can’t quite get my mind around the magnitude of this love, somehow my heart is becoming more and more aware of it through contemplation. It seems that once my heart was secured in the Father’s love, I was freed from frenzied efforts to earn love, and from a newfound place of calm I embarked on a great spiritual exploration of what I now call ‘Big Love.’ . . . It was this Big Love that inaugurated the Creation of all things, both in heaven and on earth, and is actively redeeming it from its fallen state.”
“Paul prays for the Ephesian believers to fully experience the Big Love of God. A love that flows out of the Father’s riches, is appropriated by faith in Christ, and is empowered by the Spirit. . . . This love that permeates the very universe itself, this profound mystery of the vastness of love is somehow understood by the soul that searches for it in contemplation. Making this heart connection has beautiful and profound results.”

This is Advent love

God’s infinite love, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger
– Christmas is the incarnation of love – love made flesh
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son (Jn. 3:16)
• now that Jesus has come and revealed the love of the Father, God has never turned off the tap
. . . God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Ro. 5:5)
– Christmas is our reminder of God’s infinite and eternal love
• that love enters our lives, then moves outward to others
• at least, that is what is supposed to happen
(In the 1960’s Dionne Warwick sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” Here in 2023, that is what the Church needs!)

The season of Advent was put on the calendar in the 4th century

Initially, it was observed like the season of Lent, with prayer and fasting
– people used that time prepared spiritually themselves to observe the arrival of Jesus–past, present, and future
• they did this in the same way that the forty days of Lent prepared them to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus
• from the 17th to 19th centuries, the observance of Advent began to shift: from holy days to holidays
• it was in 20th century that Christmas became totally commercialized
– now, like archeologists, we have to di g through all the ornaments and colored lights to find the Christ child
• some of us have memories of people being extra polite around Christmas time
◦ extra friendly and nice to their neighbors and strangers
◦ now we expect crowded malls, frenetic freeways, and a large assortment of worries
(especially over gifting and debt)

It took our modern era to commodify Christmas and create The Holiday Blues
– there shouldn’t be any such thing as Holiday Blues
– the Advent themes are Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace
• perhaps now, we need not so much to celebrate them,
• as to work to recover the reality of these Christmas gifts and live in them

I read a love story this week in the Gospel According to Luke

Jesus had performed a notable miracle–he raised a dead boy to life
– Luke says that those present,
glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” (Lk. 7:16)
• sometime later, a Pharisee whose name was Simon invited Jesus into his home
• perhaps he heard what the crowd had proclaimed and wanted to see for himself,
◦ whether Jesus was a prophet
– you remember, Pharisees were those rigid, uptight believers
• for them, everything was by the book
◦ they had a long list of rules – and made many more rules about their rules
• while sitting at table together, a woman entered the house
◦ she was a local, and Simon recognized her for her rotten reputation
– at first, she stood behind Jesus and started weeping
• when her tears fell on his feet, she let down her hair to dry his feet
◦ then she started kissing his feet
◦ she brought with her a jar of scented oil, which she opened and poured over Jesus’ feet
• this woman’s public display offended and displeased Simon
◦ he started thinking to himself,
“If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner” (Lk. 7:39)
Then they had a conversation that went like this:
Jesus: Simon, I have something to tell you
Simon: Tell me, Teacher
Jesus: There were two debtors who both owed money to a creditor; one owed five hundred dollars ad the other owed fifty dollars, but neither one of them was able to pay off the debt. So the lender cancelled both debts. Which of those two debtors will love the lender more.
Simon: The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt
Jesus: Do you see this woman? (Of course we know that Simon did see her.) When I came in, you did not show the common curtesy to give me water to wash my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You did not greet me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with scented oil. So I am telling you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.” (Lk. 7:47)

In the story Jesus told, there was a real difference between debtors
– but between Simon and the woman, there was only a perceived difference
• we have no idea how great Simon’s sins actually were
◦ we know that Jesus took a dim view of self-righteousness and judgmental attitudes
• in light of Jesus’ ministry, Simon’s need was as great as hers
◦ but Simon didn’t think he needed much forgiveness
◦ in fact, Simon didn’t even know that he needed Jesus
• do I know how much I need forgiveness?
◦ if so, I can sense how great God’s love for me must be
◦ how could I not love Jesus, who loves and accepts me as I am? Who forgives my many sins

As I read this story, I was stung by something in it
– Jesus compares forgiveness to cancelling debts
• I think I’ve forgiven people, but have I cancelled their debt?
◦ or, in the back of my mind, do I still think they owe me?
• if God’s Big Love embraces me, if it permeates me, cancelling debts will be one of the ways I love others
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 Jn. 4:7-8)

Conclusion: In their last evening together, Jesus told his disciples, “the Father himself loves you” (Jn. 16:27).

Ed Piorek says that God internalizes this truth in contemplative prayer
That our heart receives what our minds cannot comprehend
If that is so, then the Father’s Big Love truly can transform our lives

I have a friend with whom I’ve been meeting for several years
For the last two or three years I’ve been visiting him in his home
Whenever I’m there, his Bible is always on a stand next to his chair
Each time I’m there, he picks it up and says, “Chuck, I love the Bible”
Then he asks, “What’s your favorite verse?” (It’s always a different verse for me)
He says, “Mine is in 1 Corinthians 13” – and he reads:
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:13)

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Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

 Advent

I’m an optimist
I’m inclined to believe it is all going to be okay.
It isn’t like I am endlessly happy.
I know disappointment, tragedy, loss
I know betrayal, broken relationships
I know insecurity, uncertainty and fear.
I am worn down and worn out by the normal experiences of life.
I am worn down and worn out by difficult relationships and the stories of my friends and their difficult relationships.
I am worn down and worn out thinking about the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and the endless war of words in our country.
I grieve, I weep, I lose sleep.
But being an optimist I let these things run their course, have a good meal, get some sleep, and in time I am back to the sense that everything will be okay.
Maybe in a short time.
Maybe after a longer time.
That is my set point.
Optimism is not a virtue,
Optimism is a psychological trait.
It probably has a genetic element.
It isn’t anything to brag about.

Christian hope is different
Christian hope is rooted in our understanding of who God is and what God intends for us.
Christian hope is available to all despite our psychological traits.
It is available to optimists and pessimists alike.
In advent we celebrate the coming and the coming again of Jesus. It is our hope.
But what do we hope for?
My favorite part of the Christmas story is the angels proclaiming “Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth, goodwill to humankind.”
Christian hope is the notion that God will make all things right. True, good and beautiful
That all shall be well.
We have old theological words that capture the flavor of this hope. Salvation, redemption, transformation, the forgiveness of sin, holiness, and sanctification to name a few. All of these point to hope that I will be better person less inclined to hurt others with my ignorance, arrogance, fearfulness, resentments or selfishness. They all point to a world where these qualities are tamed and replaced for each of us.
My favorite theological term for this is shalom. A Hebrew word meaning peace. But more than peace. More like wholeness. Over time we become increasingly whole and so we bring greater wholeness to others as well.
It works like this, God brings wholeness to us in the form of loving us. In time we, bit by bit, become more whole. Less hurtful.
Less self-absorbed. Lest toxic. And we bring this into our communities to our families and to our neighbors. This is the way we are part of the coming of Jesus and the coming again.

Let’s pray;
Come Lord and join us here today.
Fill our hearts with a longing for wholeness.
And cause us to be your instruments of peace and hope in our circles with our families, our neighbors and in our communities.
Thank you
Amen.

Morning Message: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: A few months ago, my grandson Calum began telling me what he wanted for Christmas

Do you remember when it took forever for Christmas to get here?
– now it’s like, “Is it that time again already?”
• I used to be amused by people who left Christmas lights up all year
• now I get it – they’re not lazy, they’re just old
– we’re about to complete another lap around the sun
• we pull out the old boxes, look at our bank statement to see what we can afford, and I take us back to the familiar story
◦ of angels and shepherds, mother and child, magic and miracles

This week I began reading through Luke’s Gospel again

So deciding which Christmas story to tell was easy
– it was right there in the episode with Zechariah and Elizabeth
• they are like the Abraham and Sarah of the New Testament
◦ the history of Israel begins with that old, childless couple
• similar to them, Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were also old and childless
◦ and the history of the Christian church begins with them
– being a priest, it was Zechariah’s turn to light incense in temple
• Matthew and Luke are only writers who tell us the Christmas story
◦ they each emphasize different details, but both emphasize worship
◦ worship is the only correct way to approach the birth of Jesus
with prayer and praise, with songs of thanksgiving, with lifted hands or bent knees
• Elizabeth’s neighbors and friends came to celebrate the birth of their miracle baby
◦ that’s when she and Zechariah gave him the name John
(John is a translation of the Greek word. The Hebrew name combines two words: the name of God and grace or favor)
◦ at that moment, the old priest became a prophet
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace Luke 1:68-79

Christmas is God’s answer to a problem

For centuries, Israel had lived as an oppressed people
– now, at long last, God was again “visiting” Israel
• that is, he was coming to redeem them as he had when they were slaves in Egypt
◦ Zechariah’s prophecy celebrates this great event
◦ and he especially celebrates the role his son will play (v. 76)
• John the Baptist would prepare God’s people,
◦ for the arrival of Jesus

Okay, I’ve brought you this far to get to these beautiful verses (vv. 78-79)
– what is at work here is the tender mercy of our God
• what that does is bring the sunrise for which we’ve been waiting
• at last we are given light to find our way
to guide our feet into the path of peace
– the theme for this first Sunday of Advent is hope
• hope arrives with the dawning of a new day
• hope arrives with the coming of Jesus into our world

I did not want to give this talk today

I’m the last person to present myself as an expert on hope
– before Luke, I had read through the Gospel of John
• last Tuesday morning I was feeling hopeless when I began reading John chapter 19

My meditation: “Here in John’s story, from the cross Jesus speaks in short, clipped sentences. I imagine that his intense pain, brutalized body, and dehydration made speech extremely difficult. Now at the end of his mission, with shallow breaths he takes care of the last bit of family business. Seeing his disciple standing beside his mother, Jesus commits Mary to John’s care: ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ and to John he says, ‘Behold, your mother!’
The next words from his lips were, ‘I thirst.’ Then, after a sponge of sour wine was pressed to his lips, John tells, ‘he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit’ (Jn. 19:26-30).
My meditation today is morbid. I wish I could right now say, ‘I’m done,” bow my head, and let go of my life.’ I just don’t have it in me to go on.”

• of course, things got better as the day went on
– then Friday I was here in Luke chapter 1, reading,
“to give light to those who sit in darkness”
and my meditation was: “It is not strange to sit in literal darkness. Safer to sit than to move around, trip and fall. But it is strange for me that I would sit in my psychological darkness. This is something I should want to escape. I should want to turn to an uplifting or joyful activity. But instead, the darkness incapacitates me, death casts its shadow over me, immobilizing me. There is so much that needs to be done, and plenty that I could be doing, but–well, it’s just too dark to do anything. I sometimes push myself to go for a run. However, if I just go for a walk, I tend to take my despair with me.
Jesus is daybreak–always and forever. ‘God is light,’ John says, ‘and in him is no darkness at all’ (1 Jn. 1:5). I choose today to turn toward the light of God in Jesus. I choose to do as Peter instructs us, to ‘pay attention [to the prophetic word] as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in [my heart]’ (1 Pe. 1:19).”

Conclusion: Maybe I am the person to talk about hope

Not because I have so much of it,
but because I have to work at it–every day
Hope is critical for me
My mind is often caught in a riptide of despair
and every morning I have to fight my way to the surface
So I know something about hope
I know where to find it

The old priest prophesied that the light would
“guide our feet into the way of peace”
That’s what hope does,
it gets us on our feet and then gets us moving

Hope is Christmas morning
It’s a warm fire in the dead of winter
Hope is the sun
Still rising on the coldest day of the year
We do not journey to its light;
we do not travel east looking for the sun or trying to make it rise
The light of dawn comes to us
Hope is spiritual energy
It’s the smile that comes naturally when we greet a stranger
It’s the feeling that tomorrow is going to be better
It’s the life of Jesus Christ made real to us,
because we are not alone
not forgotten
not unloved

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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Welcome RefleXion Community!           The Lord is with you!

My husband and I recently watched this teen movie—you know where troubled teens have an adventure together and end up falling in love?  There was a line in the movie that was woven in again and again:  “There will always be somebody somewhere who is happy that you were born.”  This week as I was remembering what I was thankful for, I remembered that line, but saying it to myself seemed harder than I would have thought.  Who is happy that I was born?

We may remember that during one period of his life, Jeremiah was so unhappy that he didn’t even want his parents to be glad he was born!  Jeremiah 20, vv. 14-15:  Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed!  Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, “A son is born to you.” But we are glad that Jeremiah was born and for the faithful life he lived.  There are periods where we can’t see the whole picture and can’t recognize the others who have benefited from our lives.  We can always know that God is happy that we are born and has a wonderful plan for our lives.  At any time, I think we can ask God to remind us why He is glad we were born.  And then, to live life so He continues to be glad that we were born!

It’s good to remember to tell others that we are not only thankful for what they have done for us, but for who they are–especially children.  Words spoken to us as children have stayed with us a long time, haven’t they?  I think we all find that being deeply known and deeply loved is so important, and just the best gift.  Let’s be mindful to love people in a way that will make them grateful for their lives and for God’s purposes for them.

And while we’re at it, be grateful for your own gift of life; be grateful for yourself.  Be grateful that’s there’s more to come, and believe that somebody, somewhere is happy that you were born.

Will you join me in prayer?

Father of us all, thank you for life and for your enduring love.  May we learn to number our days, each one bringing gladness to your heart.  Thank you for gathering us here.  Let us rejoice in our new covenant and for your faithful presence.  Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Intro: Chapter is not what we’ve come to expect from Jeremiah

It is a short piece of autobiography,
a personal episode in the life of the prophet
Background
King Zedekiah was the end of the line for the kings of Israel and Judah
And he was in the last full year of his reign
Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, was under siege
the army of Babylon was at their gates
Meanwhile, Jeremiah was behind bars “in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king”
King Zedekiah placed him there after interrogating him
“Why do you prophesy our defeat? Why did you say I would be handed over to the King of Babylon?”

While sitting in prison, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah
Not like any time before–at least not at first
This word was not a prophecy like the others.
It was a personal prediction with instructions regarding a family matter
Jeremiah’s cousin, Hanamel, needed to sell a property
God told Jeremiah that Hanamel would come and ask Jeremiah to buy it
Jeremiah had the “first right of refusal”
As Robert Alter said, if Jeremiah purchased the property, that would keep it in the family
While Jeremiah was musing over this message from God, Hanamel arrived and his question was almost word-for-word what God had told the prophet
“Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD”

Jeremiah walks us through the transaction:
Hanamel counted out the money – Jer. signed the deed – then sealed it – rounded up witnesses
Then he gave the paperwork to Baruch (his sidekick) “in the presence of Hanamel my cousin, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard” (Jer. 32:12)
Jeremiah told Baruch to put documents in earthenware jar, “that they may last for a long time”
(the Dead Sea Scrolls were preserved in earthenware jars for almost two thousand years)
“For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land” (Jer. 32:15)

Soon Jeremiah was left alone again in his confinement

And then he prayed
“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you” (Jer. 32:17)

This sounds like the beginning of a very reverent prayer
Jeremiah praises God who made the heavens and the earth,
and who had revealed himself through history;
a God who shows kindness and mercy to thousands, but who is also a God of justice
Then Jeremiah’s prayer retraces Israel’s history from Egypt
Through signs and wonders, God set his people free from slavery,
he brought them to the land he promised Abraham, and settled them there
But the sad news is that they turned away from their God–generation after generation
Eventually, their sins caught up to them, and that led up to their current situation
At that moment, the Babylon army was piling up dirt against the city wall
“Behold the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans” (Jer. 32:24)
It was all happening just like God had said it would

Now comes a twist – beginning with the word “Yet”
“Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for money and get witnesses–though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans” (Jer. 32:25)
Jeremiah’s prayer is done – there’s nothing else to say
He just leaves his complaint hanging in the air
What use was it to purchase property and file a deed if the people of Judah were soon to be removed and the land was going to be taking over by Babylon?!
The impression I get from Jeremiah’s prayer that it is like saying:
“Lord, I just received word that the Titanic is sinking,
but You’re telling me to go buy stock in the company that built it!”

At that point, God takes over the conversation

He begins with a line from Jeremiah’s prayer

Jeremiah (in verse 17): “Nothing is too hard for you”
God: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
That is the first “behold” – it begins the introduction to his answer
The word Behold is always an invitation to the reader, to enter the story as if we were there,
and to look, see, and feel the scene for ourselves
There will be two more “beholds,”
both of them will introduce two parts of God’s speech

The “Behold” in verse 28 begins a section of God’s complaint
It is a list of all of Israel’s violations against the Lord,
beginning from the time they entered the land to the present
His accusations culminate in what may be their worst atrocity;
offering their children as sacrifices to the god Molech, which God says,
“though I did not command them, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do this abomination” (Jer. 32:35)

The third “Behold” appears at a turning point in God’s speech
“Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them . . . . I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people and I will be their God” (Jer. 32:37-38)
God follows that promise with a series of “I will” promises:
“I will give them one heart and one way”
“I will make with them an everlasting covenant”
“I will put the fear of me in their hearts”
“I will rejoice in doing them good”
“I will plant them in this land in faithfulness”
“I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them”
I want to make a quick stop here
– when God said he would “plant them in the land in faithfulness”
• he added, “with all my heart and soul”
• here in our little group, we like to emphasize the two greatest commandments
◦ first, love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Mt. 22:37)
◦ second, love your neighbor as yourself (Mt. 22:38)
– so to hear that God acts on behalf of his people, with all his heart and soul, affects me in a special way
• it tells me that God is all-in the way he wants me to be all-in

Back to the story
The chapter ends with God saying,
“Fields shall be bought in this land . . . . Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed”
The land deal that Jeremiah negotiated was a prophetic drama
It portrayed a scene of future real estate deals
The fall of Jerusalem was not the end of Israel!
After the tragedies of war, after the loss of their nation, after the long exile,
God would restore the land to his people,
and restore his people to himself

Chapter 33 continues the same theme regarding the future

There would be a national restoration,
– but first God would bring a spiritual restoration
• in verse 6, God promises to bring “health and healing” and in verse 8 he says,
“I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.”
• God is fixing the problem (that Israel could never fix within themselves)
– the last line of chapter 32 is the theme of chapter 33
“I will restore their fortunes”
Robert Alter, says this phrase is “More literally, ‘restore the former state.’”
• in verse 7, “restore” has to do with rebuilding the nation (cities and villages and their repopulation)
• in verse 11, “restore” refers to the joyful sound of celebration and worship
“The voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the LORD . . . .”
(Remember, these are precisely the sounds that had been banished previously–7:34; 16:9; & 25:10)
• in verse 26, “restore” is applied to the government under Israel’s ultimate and perfect King

Conclusion: When God told Jeremiah to buy that field,

It seemed a ridiculous thing to do while his entire world coming down around him
– Israel was losing its independence, their land, their homes, and their temple
• but they were not losing God — the Babylonians could not defeat or abolish him
• and God’s plan for Israel and all humankind was not abandoned, just postponed

What might God be saying to us?
The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard (Jer. 33:1)
Jeremiah was “shut up” but the word of the LORD was not confined
God’s word found Jeremiah where he was
Paul knew this same liberty that God’s word has everywhere and all times
“Because I preach the Good News, I suffer and I am even chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not in chains” (2 Tim. 2:9 GNB)

I can imagine that next year will bring a pandemic of insanity
– people on the political right will fear that the continuation of a Democratic president will take the nation on a downhill slide into communism
– people on the left will fear that a return of a former Republican president will the day after his election result in the Constitution being scrapped, a new autocratic government, and the president’s vowed revenge on all those he feels have betrayed or opposed them (lining them up against the wall)
But no matter how dark our world gets, there is always an “after this”
That’s the lesson Jeremiah learned when he purchased real estate that was doomed to foreign occupation

We may be confined temporarily to our present circumstances,
but we have a destiny that reaches far beyond them
We can find peace even in the furor of political instability and possible collapse
We know how to turn from the world’s distractions to the ever-present Spirit of God
Frank Tuoti wrote, “How we respond [to distractions] will determine whether or not we progress in prayer and advance along the spiritual journey.”

What might God be saying to us?
Take slow, gentle breaths
Gratefully receive the word of the LORD as it comes to us
(listening closely for that still, small voice
God tells us,
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known (Jer. 33:3)
This how we survive – and thrive – and overcome the world

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Welcome and Prayer: Nancy Lopez

Good Morning, Friends.  Welcome to RefleXion!  The Lord is with you.

I was thinking about gratefulness this week, not so much the act of giving thanks, but the heart posture of being grateful.  I remembered a book that I had read years and years ago titled, “Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer, an Approach to Life in Fullness,” by Brother David Steindl-Rast.  In it, there’s a wonderful chapter on Prayer and Prayerfulness, and I want to share some of the ideas found there.

We’ve all probably had moments that just stopped us, where we were caught up in the present moment, in awe, in recognition, in gratitude; would you call those moments prayer?  Well, we weren’t “saying prayers.”  Br. David speaks of both saying prayers and prayer. 

In meditation, for example, we concentrate/focus on a word or a phrase, an image.  In our prayers we also focus on our praise, our petitions….and those types of practices are intended to focus one thing and eliminate all else.  It narrows our field of attention; we might say it’s like a magnifying glass or a flashlight.  And when we are meditating or saying our prayers, we want it to be that way. 

Prayer as a state of prayerfulness, the fullness of prayer, is wholehearted attention; it is concentration without elimination because it is concentration plus wonderment, Br. David says (we might call it awe).  Well, that makes no sense to our rational mind…a paradox our head cannot hold, yet our heart can.  The eyes of our heart can see something we can’t see with a flashlight.  Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened, enabled by another kind of light, by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.    

We can get a little lost with all these words, which of course are only concepts, attempting to describe the indescribable.  My understanding is that my life of prayerfulness is a life of presence, a wholehearted awareness where gratefulness comes naturally.  It is God’s gift to me.   My prayers (me “saying my prayers”) are my gift to God because God gives me faith so I can pray, recognizing my dependence on Him.  We offer our prayers to God; we receive our prayerful life in God.  May we recognize His Presence in awe and gratitude, especially this week.

Our opening prayer today is a prayer of thanksgiving from The Book of Common Prayer.  Please join me.

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things.  Amen.

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say “He who scattered Israel with gather him,
and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”
For the LORD has ransomed Jacob
and had redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall be like a watered garden,
and they shall languish no more.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
declares the LORD Jeremiah 31:10-14

Intro: Two weeks ago, I pointed out a shift in Jeremiah’s prophecies

Until now, his message was a reminder to Israel of all their failures
– they had turned from their God and were rushing downhill
• so Jeremiah delivered a message of condemnation, rejection, of doom and gloom
• but now a light breaks through the dark passages
◦ there is hope for Israel after all
– but if God made it possible for his people to return,
• could they maintain a relationship with him this time?
◦ their history had indicated otherwise
◦ was it enough for God to say, “Come home. I forgive you?”
• something had to happen that would change his people
◦ something radically new in the history of Israel

The idea of an “Israel,” a people of God, began in Genesis

There we meet Abram, who later became Abraham
– he lived in a world filled with gods
• in fact, prior than his encounter with Yahweh, Abraham and his family “served other gods” (Jos. 24:2)
◦ but the God who has revealed himself in Genesis spoke to Abraham
◦ he was to leave his family and travel to a new land with God’s blessing
• at this point, Abraham doesn’t know God’s name
◦ unlike all the other deities in the nations around him
◦ later, Abram’s God is referred to as El Elyon, God Most High (but it’s a title, not a name)
◦ sometime after that,
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty . . .” El Shaddai (Gen. 17:1)
• other titles were added as Abram discovered new dimensions of God
– when God made promises to him, Abraham asked for a guarantee
O Lord God, how am I to know . . . ? (Ge. 15:8)
• God told him to fetch a calf, a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon
◦ he was to cut all but the birds in half and lay them out in two rows
◦ that night God restated his promises, and caused a “torchlight” to move through the path between the severed animals
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram (Ge. 15:18)
• the strange ritual was how covenant agreements were ratified
◦ in fact, the Hebrew words translated “made a covenant” literally mean “cut a covenant”
◦ covenants created a relational bond
– in Genesis 17, God extended the covenant to include Abraham’s descendants
I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you (Gen. 17:7)

Leaving Abraham, we come to Moses

The mission God gave Moses was based on his previous covenant
I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them . . . . I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel . . . and I have remembered my covenant (Ex. 6:4-5)
– at Mt. Sinai, God presented his covenant to the nation
Now therefore, if you will . . . keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine (Ex. 19:5-6)
• now this is important–it’s the essence of God’s covenant — the reciprocal relationship:
I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God (Ex. 6:7)
◦ the core of Israel’s relationship with God was the covenant
◦ and the heart of the covenant was mutual belonging
– do you know what a sinkhole is?
• an underground vault created by water erosion
◦ the surface area sometimes becomes so thin that it collapses
• I sometimes think of my mental state as a sinkhole
◦ it may not show on the surface, but it’s liable to give way
◦ Israel’s sinkhole was an internal weakness
◦ when God laid out his covenant with the people, they responded with enthusiasm
Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say, and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it (Deut. 5:24)
◦ God’s response:
And the LORD said to me, “I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them . . .” (Deut. 5:28-29)
– Israel’s sins against the Lord their God were a relational failure
• that’s why prophets referred to it as adultery and prostitution
The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers (Jer. 11:10)

In spite of Israel’s disloyalty, God hangs onto his covenant

It was not merely a matter of him being faithful to his word or his vows,
– it was his crazy love for his people – he could not let go
• listen to how God describes the situation:
I have heard Ephraim grieving,
[now Ephraim speaks] “You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,
like an untrained calf;
bring me back that I may be restored,
for you are the LORD my God.
For after I had turned away, I relented,
and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh;
I was ashamed, and I was confounded,
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.”
[God speaks] “Is Ephraim my dear child?
Is he my darling child?
For as often as I speak against him,
I do remember him still.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him,”
declares the LORD (Jer. 31:19-20)
◦ God expresses himself in a similar way in Hosea
How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath (Hos. 11:8-9)
• God’s love is not fickle or transient – 31:2-3
– but what hope is there for a covenant relationship, when God cannot trust his people?
• when their promises are empty, and their revivals are short-lived?
• since Israel is incapable of permanent devotion,
◦ God has to provide the solution

Although this is a short passage, it is among the most critical in all of scripture
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more Jeremiah 31:31-34

God presented Israel with a new covenant
– the first covenant was written to them, engraved in stone
• the new covenant will be written within them, on their hearts
– this is a profound revelation
• people would no longer be dependent on others–priests, scribes, or prophets–,
• because everyone would know him
◦ this relational knowing would be inserted into every heart

This is a new and improved covenant
– the writer of Hebrews explains,
Christ has obtained a ministry that is much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises (Heb. 8:6)
– it’s at this point that we enter the story

Conclusion: We join Jesus and disciples in their last meal together

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you for this is my blood of the covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. . . .” Matthew 26:26-28

When we receive the bread and the cup, we are entering this new covenant with God
Jesus provides us the means to say “Yes” to God’s invitation
From this point on, we belong to God
I want this bond with our Lord Jesus
I want this everlasting love of the Father

Here is what we need to know:

God, in his crazy love for us, offers us a covenant relationship with him

The ritual of the bread and the cup seal the relationship

We do not have to be righteous people to say yes to God
Jesus came to invite sinners into relationship with God

By receiving the bread and cup, we allow God to enter us
There he works in our hearts and minds –
To know him
And to receive his Spirit,
who brings God’s will into our hearts
God himself enables us to keep covenant with him

Through this covenant ritual, God becomes ours and we become his
So we can sing, “I am my Beloved’s and my beloved is mine”