Rev. Eric Dillenbeck 

1-5-14

Isaiah 60:1-6 & Matthew 2:1-12

“Lift Up Your Eyes”

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. ²For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and The glory of the Lord will appear over you. 

³Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 

⁴Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 

⁵Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. ⁶A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. 

They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 

³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 

⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ⁶‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 

⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 

⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 

¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God

“Lift Up Your Eyes”

Pigeons, everywhere you go, you will find pigeons.  Usually they, along with seagulls, are the cause of much consternation to those perfectly coifed pedestrians who must walk from place to place.  But really, pigeons are pretty amazing.  

Pigeons have this amazing ability.  They always know where they are and where they are going, no matter where you bring them.  Pigeons have saved lives because of this ability.  

In 1943, a pigeon named GI Joe saved the lives of thousands of British soldiers.  The British had just liberated a small Italian village from the Germans in the 2nd World War.  

Thinking the Germans were still in control of the village the Americans were scheduled to bomb the town.  

The base where the American’s were located was 20 miles away and the British didn’t have a way to let them know of the turn of the events.  

It all depended on GI Joe, the pigeon.  The amazing part, the pigeon, was in a box for the whole journey.  But the British tied a life-saving note to his feet and let him fly.  

Over mountains and through valleys he had never seen GI Joe flew.  He went right to his home on that base just in time to call off the arial assault of that small Italian village.  

Researchers are still not sure how pigeons find their way home, but I am guessing the Wise Men would have really enjoyed having a pigeon from Bethlehem with them on their travels so long ago.  

These Wise Men were probably not kings as we often see the story told, but rather priestly sages from Persia.  These priests were important people in Persia who, judging from the gifts they bring, obviously had access to immense wealth.

They were trained in astrology and spent much of their time studying the stars and interpreting their findings for those who would come to learn from them.  

I imagine at some point one of them noticed something new in their skies.  He sought out the others, and when they confirmed the arrival of this new star they sat together to divine it’s purpose.  

Somehow they seemed to know that this star signified the birth of the new King of Jews.  We aren’t privy to how they came to this discovery, but we do know that the news called them to leave the comfort of their homes to travel to the place where the light shined brightest.  They needed to pay homage with gifts fit for a king.  

I bet following a star in the sky is not easy work.  I bet they would have really enjoyed a nice pigeon to lead their way through the deserts.  

I imagine they are road weary as they approached Jerusalem, working hard to keep their eyes on the light of the star.  But Bethlehem is so close to Jerusalem it must have been easy to confuse the destination.  

Plus, Jerusalem is the seat of power, the natural place to find a kingly child.  

As I read it, they enter the Holy City with no thought about the sitting king.  The text tells us they come to the city during the time of King Herod, not that they seek him out first, which makes sense because they were not kings.  

Kings would immediately seek out kings, but wise sages would go to other wise men, they would go to other priests, they would go to the faithful who gathered for worship. 

It is to these that the Wise Men present themselves asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?”

For an Occupied people living in perilous times those words must have been a mixed blessing.  They all yearned for the King of the Jews, for the Messiah to come and bring about redemption and freedom from Rome.  

But at the same time, these words would have filled them with fear because they knew the current King, Herod, who was appointed by Rome, would not like the news.  

When he hears the murmurs of the wise men he pulls together his “Think Tank” which included the Chief Priests and scribes of the people, the ones who would know of the Prophecies concerning the Messiah. The words from the poem in Isaiah would surely have been hanging in their ears.  

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”  

The poem describes the moment when the people of God will be caught off guard, when all of a sudden God’s light will shine upon them and the wealth of the nations will stream to Israel in recognition.  

But it is to the Prophet Micah that these Biblical scholars point, saying “‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Once Herod knows the answer, he calls for the Magi.  He doesn’t want everyone to remember the prophecy so he calls for them secretly.  

He tells them what he knows but only after they tell him how long they have been traveling and then he sends them off to Bethlehem.  

I imagine the relatively short journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem was eye opening.  Once they got outside the glow of self importance cast by Jerusalem they encountered once more the Bright Light of God’s star beckoning them to lift up their eyes to what was always right in front of them, to look and see how God’s light was leading them forward.  

As they journeyed by camel down that road, leaving the fear and pretension of Jerusalem behind they come upon the humbleness of Bethlehem and they wonder, how can a king be born here?  How can God’s Messiah come from a place like this?  

But they follow the light and encounter at its resting place the Joy of the world.  They see in Mary and the Christ Child, the future God has in store for all people and they paid him homage, offering him gifts, granted they were not child-friendly gifts; they were gifts fit for a king.  

In this moment Isaiah’s words were never more true.  “Arise, Shine; for your light has come, and the Glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”  

That light shines so brightly in them that the Magi see new roads that lead to different lives lived in joy.  

But not everyone sees that same light when they hear the good news of this birth.  In the text that follows we see the powers of Herod have not waned; we see how his fear and insecurity block the light and end up chasing Jesus and his family from Israel into Egypt.  

That same kind of fear and insecurity lives and breathes in us today.  

Our minds might be living in Jerusalem as we worry about our jobs, about our homes, about our communities, about how we will get everything done.  

Our hearts might be living in the darkness of fear because those we love are ill  

or in the shadows of grief because our loves ones or friends have died.  

We yearn to follow the Magi out into the world, to search out God’s Gift for our lives but in this world of Google we yearn for more information, for more certainty, for a better idea of what’s in store for us.  

There are many things in our lives that keep us from feeling and seeing this Light but Isaiah speaks to us saying, “Lift up your eyes and look around.” 

The story of Jesus’ life tells us that fear and insecurity do not win; 

Jesus’ life and light beckon us to follow, 

beckon us to leave our comfortable places in order that we might find new and joy-filled pathways to God’s peace.  

Lift up your eyes and look around…the Glory of God is upon us. 

May it fill our hearts and change our lives so that we may be God’s light for others this day.  

CHARGE AND BLESSING:

Lift up your eyes and look around…The light of God’s love is already leading us toward the gift of joy.  May we be bold enough to follow.

may the grace of JC, the Love of G and the communion of the HS surround you on your journey this day and everyday.  

Pastoral Prayer from 12-22-13

When indicated by “In your mercy Lord” please respond with “hear our prayer”

O God of pregnant expectation, we eagerly look for signs of you in our lives.  In the crowded markets in which we live it is easy to miss the signs of you at work in and around us. 

-         Angry honks of frustration from people looking for the closest spot drown out the sounds of joy coming from relieved parents whose children will receive gifts in your honor;

-         Long receipts filled with evidence of the things that will surround our trees distract us from the time we have to spend with those we love.

 Help us to pause in the midst of the chaos to breath in your goodness, to absorb the grace, to fully experience your presence at work in our lives so we are able to see you more easily and to hear you calling our names. 

In your mercy Lord                        Hear our prayer

We pray for your Beloved children everywhere who are wandering on roads, looking for shelter from the storms of life; may they feel your guidance and may our eyes be opened so we can hear you calling them beloved.

In your mercy Lord                        Hear our prayer

O Light who shines in the darkness, we pray for those whose grief clouds out the joy, for those who experience the longest night every day; may the warmth of your light surround our brothers and sisters and help them to know you sure presence and comfort. 

In your mercy Lord                        Hear our prayer

Oh Child of Peace, into a world filled with violence, we pray you would come once again…too many places know war…too many people have lost loved ones to gun violence…too many people live in fear…Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom this world from our captivity to carnage and intimidation…Come, O Come Emmanuel and with you bring the light of love once again that we see the harmony of our differences fill the world with your peace.

In your mercy Lord                        Hear our prayer

 

Mission Study Leave

In keeping with Session’s desire to develop a greater focus for our mission activity the Session, acting on a recommendation from the Personnel Committee, has granted me a month long Mission Study Leave and resources from a special fund to travel and visit with congregations around the country who are doing interesting mission programs. 

I will be away from Fairmount from Monday, January 20th - Friday, February 14th.  During that time I will be visiting congregations in San Francisco, CA, Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, Ashville, NC, Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, and Philadelphia, PA, and Youngstown, OH.  I will also be spending some time with the Presbyterian Hunger and Peacemaking programs at our national headquarters in Louisville, KY.  

The point of these visits isn’t to get blueprints for what works in other congregations, but to gain insight into methodologies and best practices used to identify congregational mission efforts and to engage members in living out the mission of Jesus Christ in our own context.  I will make an brief initial presentation during the Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 2nd at which time I will invite all who are interested to gather for a more detailed presentation about the results of my conversations with these other congregations and to begin a wider conversation about where we feel the Spirit of Christ calling us to make a difference in the world. 

I am deeply grateful for this time, for the opportunity I will have to enjoy a different pace and to engage in different kinds of conversations that will fill me up for our road ahead.  We will have a lot to talk about after I get back.  I look forward to those conversations I hope will help us to be the difference Cleveland needs right now.  

"The Return of the King" - a sermon preached on 11-24-2013

Rev. Eric Dillenbeck

Colossians 1:11-20 & Jeremiah 23:1-6

“The Return of the King”

November 24, 2013

Colossians 1:11-20

¹¹May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from Christ’ glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Creator, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³The Lord has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins  ¹⁵Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; ¹⁶for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him ¹⁷Christ himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰and through him God was pleased to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. 

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord ²Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. ³Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ⁴I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. ⁵The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

“Return of the King”

“The Game of Thrones” an HBO series based on books written by George Martin is wildly popular.  The show earns huge ratings and has won many Emmy awards.  It tells the story of the land of Westeros,  a land of 7 kingdoms that were united under one throne, the Iron Throne, by the power of dragons.  

When the story begins the dragons are long gone and only humans remain.  The current king, Robert Baratheon, is a self-centered and foolish man who cares more about his own desires than the needs of his family or his kingdom.  But the story proves to the reader that he is not alone.  All of those around this king are desperately flawed in their own ways.  After the king is killed, war rips apart the seven kingdoms.  The intrigue unfolds as Cersye, the Queen Regent, tries to protect her illegitimate son’s claim to the throne.  

Filled with horror, the reader can’t help but keep turning the pages as the common people in the story suffer as those who rule the land scramble to protect their own interests.  The players in Martin’s books don’t know how to rule!  It’s all a game of thrones to them.  It’s all about collecting power and using that power to further their own purposes.  

Unfortunately this kind of leadership is not only found in the pages of fiction.  If you change the characters and context just a little you could easily be reading a history textbook.  Something tells me that the Prophet Jeremiah knows a thing or two about the kinds of rulers found in the Game of Thrones.   

Jeremiah, was a prophet’s prophet.  Frederich Buechner says, “There was nothing in need of denunciation that Jeremiah didn’t denounce.”  Speaking in God’s name Jeremiah confronted kings and clergy, he confronted the rich for exploiting the poor and the poor for doing nothing but complaining.  He denounced the many false gods and practices that tended to distract the Israelites.  And when he was tired of always being so critical Jeremiah even denounced God for calling him to be a prophet.  

Like I said, Jeremiah was a Prophet’s prophet.  He was a cultural critic who wasn’t afraid to hold his people accountable.  I imagine he wasn’t a very popular figure in Jerusalem.  When people saw him coming I bet they groaned and quickly discovered they had plans that called them to be somewhere else. 

He might have made people uncomfortable, but that didn’t make his prophetic speech wrong.  In today’s passage, Jeremiah once again challenges the powers of his world.  By this time the kingdom of Israel has already been divided into two kingdoms:

the Kingdom of Israel which was in the North and the Kingdom of Judah in the south, which included Jerusalem.  

Jeremiah was called to speak for God to the Southern Kingdom of Judah during a time when the power of the Assyrian empire was waning and the Babylonian empire was growing.  In the face of these global threats the kings of Judah repeatedly demonstrated how their greed for power and wealth lead them away from their call to provide God’s Justice for their people.  If you look back at chapter 21 Jeremiah clearly outlines their failures and his frustrations.  

But here in the 23^rd chapter it is clear Jeremiah is tired of seeing God’s people suffer as the kings of Judah play their version of the Game of thrones.  “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!, says the Lord”

When you look back in the preceding chapters you can see that when Jeremiah uses the term “shepherd” he is not talking about those working the fields, he is talking specifically about the pastoral role of God’s monarchs.  These leaders represented God to the people and were supposed to tend to the welfare of God’s people, but by every measure they failed.  

But in the face of their failure God is faithful still.  Speaking through Jeremiah, God says to the people “Don’t worry, I’ve got you! I’m going to attend to those who scattered you.  Don’t worry, I will gather you home.  You will once again prosper and have no reason to fear.  Don’t worry, I know there all these empires that surround you, but they will mean nothing to you because the days are surely coming when a Righteous branch of David, (not these pathetic saplings you have had lately, but a good strong branch) shall reign over you and protect all my people, even your brothers and sisters in Israel. 

Jeremiah, don’t forget, is talking to the people of Judah, but it is clear from his words that God has not forgotten his children in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Having grown up in the south, I can’t let it pass that these promises of God went first to those in the south, but the truth of the matter is, these promises were never limited. They were always for ALL of God’s children.   

But we don’t have kings!  Our world doesn’t work that way anymore, right?  My guess is, we can relate more than we care to admit to the life and times of the Prophet Jeremiah.  

We know what it is like to live in a time when multiple world powers are on the rise around us.  We know what it is like, especially as we move into this crazy holiday shopping season,  to have many different cultural powers trying to define us, trying to claim us as their own.  We know what it is like to watch as powerful private interests continue to shape the public good.  We know what it is like to watch as leaders forsake the call to work for the justice of all in an effort to maintain a sense of power and prestige.  We know what it is like.  

On Christ the King Sunday, we gather to give thanks for the Righteous Branch who came as a babe placed in a manger; we gather to give thanks for the person that baby grew to be, for the ways he embodied God’s love, for the ways we have been gathered into the kingdom of the beloved son by his life-giving death and resurrection.  We gather because we know the powers of this world are fickle, not strong enough to claim us, not powerful enough to define our lives and worth. We gather to give thanks because in the person of Jesus Christ the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile all things.  

Confident of Christ’s reconciling power in the world, we like Jeremiah, are called to go out to confront the powers that fail to work for Justice for all God’s people. We are called to speak truthfully to our brothers and sisters, saying, “Don’t worry, God is here!  Don’t worry, God is gathering us in, as no one else can.” 

We have done that in the past.  When this community recognized a pressing need for a safe place of nurture for the children and youth of Cleveland Heights, we leveraged our power in Christ to create the Heights Youth Club. When powerful interests in the city were opposed to the idea, we stood up and said, “Don’t worry, God is here to gather us in.”  And now we support a program that is packed with children and youth every day.  

Through the Greater Cleveland Congregations we are still involved in this work.  Together with other Christian, Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters we are confronting the powers of this world that seek to define us and separate us.  We stand together and cry out for justice; we stand together and serve as a vehicle for the power of God to work out reconciliation and peace.  We stand together, trusting that God’s promise was not only for us, but for everyone.  

Let us give thanks for Christ our King, the Righteous branch of David in whom we live move and have our being.  

Thanks be to God.  

Ready and Waiting - a sermon from 12-1-13

Rev. Eric Dillenbeck 
“Ready and Waiting”

Isaiah 2:1-5

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. ²In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. ³Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that The Lord may teach us God’s ways and that we may walk in God’s paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ⁴The Lord shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

⁵O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Matthew 24:36-44

³⁶“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, ³⁹and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 

⁴⁰Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 

⁴²Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God

“Ready and Waiting”

“Dad, wake up, the guests are almost here?”

“Honey, it’s 7:00, they won’t be here until 1:00.”

“Dad, when are they going to be here?”

“Honey, we still got a few more hours…why don’t you help Bubba get ready.”

“Dad, when are they going to be here?  I just can’t wait.”

“I don’t know honey…when they get here. Why don’t you set the table while you wait?”

“Dad, when are they going to be here?”  

“Soon, Sarah…Why don’t you clean the windows on the door while you wait.”

Welcome to our house on Thanksgiving.  Every time we turned around our youngest, Sarah, was there.  She knew her aunts and uncles were coming and most importantly, she knew her cousins were coming, and she just couldn’t wait to see them.  We tried to keep her busy as she waited, which helped for a little while, but she was always back with excitement and frustration in her voice.  “When will they be here?”

Those who read the Gospel of Matthew for the first time knew something about this kind of expectation and frustration.  The Gospel of Matthew was written about 40 years after Jesus’ death.  When he died the disciples were under the impression that he was going to come again soon, that they would see him again within their lifetimes. They went out into the world telling the stories of Jesus’ life, telling new believers to watch for his imminent return.  

As they are watching, these first readers of Matthew’s Gospel see all kinds of things.  They see those closest to Jesus begin to die, they see the Jew’s rebel against the Roman empire and they watch as Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed by Titus. They have been watching for Jesus’ return and they are asking, “When is he coming back? Will he be here soon? Is he coming at all?”

To these first hearers and to the impatient 6 year olds in each of us Matthew writes his Gospel message.  

We have to listen carefully though to hear the message because the real gift of this passage is often lost in the white noise of the little apocalypse and overwhelmed by our schedule laden lives.  I find that many people have a hard time hearing any kind of good news from this “Little Apocalypse,” that is what scholars call this section from Matthew, because it is filled with descriptions of the way things will be when Christ comes again.  

“⁴⁰Then two will be in the field; one will be taken; ⁴¹Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken; ⁴²Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

Those who read the Bible literally tremble when they read these words and those who make every effort to read scripture critically, still have a hard time getting past the imagery to heart of the message.  

We see references to the times of Noah and we remember all of the people who were living their normal, everyday lives that didn’t get invited onto the ark.  Then we hear about how some will be “taken” and some will be “left,” and we wonder where is the grace.  But when we look beyond those illustrations, which are used to grab people’s attention and inspire faithfulness not fear, we see the promise clearly outlined.  

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

The Son of Man IS COMING AGAIN!  

“Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again”

We sing those words whenever we celebrate communion and we don’t spend much time thinking about them as we move through the communion liturgy, but they proclaim a belief that Christ, who was born of a woman, lived for us; his love-filled life challenged the powers of this world to the point that they killed him and when all the hope in the world was gone, God acted again to call forth Christ from the clutches of death.  Not too long after his resurrection, this Child of Love ascended into heaven with the promise that he would come again.  

We live in the light of that promise and as we enter  the Advent Season, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the One who came so long ago, we are reminded to keep our eyes peeled for the Light of the One who has promised to come again. Matthew does us the crazy making favor of reminding us that we don’t know exactly when he is coming though.  We can’t put the date and time into our calendars which drives us insane.  

I mean, since I have been preaching this sermon my iPad, phone and computer have dinged at me three times to remind me of appointments and things I have to do today and in the coming days.  

That’s how we live.  Our calendars are FULL of important things that demand our attention and focus; things that are important and life-giving and things that drain and distract us.  Matthew’s timetable drives us crazy because we want to make sure our schedules are free, that we are open and ready when Christ makes his next appearance.  But scripture is vague about the topic because Matthew knows us better than we know ourselves.  

What happens if Christ’s coming just happens to coincide with something flagged as important on our calendars?  “Oh, I have tickets to see Wicked that night…; Ewww, Sorry, that’s my daughter’s scheduled due date…; Uuph…That’s my busy season at work…”

“That is why Jesus will come back like a thief in the night: so that we don’t have time to lock him out.”

I think it’s safe to say we wouldn’t do it on purpose. We just wouldn’t step back long enough from our overcrowded lives to make space for Christ’s arrival.  Just like those early Christians we want Christ to come again, but we want him to come on our terms; we want him to meet our expectations; we want him to fit our schedules.  Because that’s what he did the first time.  Being born to an unmarried teenager in the barn outside of an overcrowded inn is exactly what the world was looking for in the first coming of the Messiah.

Matthew tells us that Christ will come again, but we need to stay awake and be ready because the coming of the Son of Man is going to be unexpected.  Matthew invites us to live a life of expectancy for the day when Christ will come and once again judge between the nations, and arbitrate for many peoples.  We are called to live a life of watchfulness for the day when we shall beat our swords into plowshares, our spears into pruning hooks, when nations shall not lift up swords against nations and we won’t learn war anymore.

We are called to stand on our doorsteps, with our faces pressed against the glass searching for signs of the one who is to come.  But more than that, our wakefulness and our expectancy need to be shaped by practices that will help us reflect the warm glow of God’s future in our present reality so that all people may walk in the light of the Lord!

This Advent season your Fairmount community is trying to embody practices that will help us stay awake to the possibilities of God in the world.  In your bulletin you will find an insert with daily scripture readings and guiding questions that we hope will create in you an expectancy for Christ’s coming again.  Throughout Advent we have opportunities for worship and community that will help us embody the peace Christ yearns to see in the world so that we can be more mindful of ways we can share Christ’s peace with others.  

May the light of this candle of hope burn brightly in our hearts this day, burning away our domesticated expectations, so that we may live life in the light of the new gifts that God is about to give.

Amen!

Just beginning

Well, I have never blogged before and am not really sure who would care to read my thoughts and ramblings, but here goes. I want this to be a place where I can "talk" out loud about my ministry, my family and my faith and hopefully have conversations with folks about all of it.

So, here's to trying something new and for branching out.