Recent Sermons
“WHEN YOU WERE BAPTIZED....” (Rev. Bob Kaiser)
Date: Jan. 11. 2009
Text; Isaiah 43: 1-5; Matthew 3: 13-17
Those of us who work with computers or have one at home are aware of how fast the technology changes. A computer can become obsolete in three or four years. Theology, as you might expect, isn’t “new” every three years but down through the decades certain themes come to the forefront that previously were not given much attention. Such is the case with the doctrine of baptism. Whereas twenty years ago little was being written on the subject today a growing number of theologians point to baptism as a defining moment, not only in Jesus’ life, but our own. Thus, it is no accident that the lectionary, an ecumenical listing of scripture readings for each Sunday, includes the story of Jesus’ baptism on the second Sunday of January every year. Baptism needs to be looked at as a possible foundation post for daily living as at the beginning of 2009 we talk about getting “our spiritual act together.”
Let us return to our morning text and Jesus’ baptism by John in the River Jordan before we consider the meaning of our own baptism. Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this experience, which suggests how important the event was for the early church. There is a lurking question in the Gospel accounts. Why did Jesus choose to be baptized? John preached repentance, the need for cleansing from sin. Traditionally, the Church has seen Jesus to be without sin so why was this baptism necessary or even prudent?
The response down through the centuries has been that in this act Jesus identified fully with each and every one of us, with the human condition. It was an initial declaration that “I truly will walk with you.” In Philippians 2 the writer using the words of a Christian hymn of the lst Century declares, “Jesus emptied himself (of divine attributes) and was born in the likeness of human beings.” One of the early Church Fathers, St. Athanasius declared, “The Son of God became what we are in order that He might make us what He is.” A Chinese doctor put it in lay terms: “He took my sickness into his own heart and made me whole.”
As remembered in the early faith community, two things happened at the Jordan River. First, Jesus was endowed with the Spirit of God in a very unique manner. All people as God’s children share in a partnership with their Maker but clearly in this moment the early Church declared that God and Jesus were uniquely intertwined. At Jesus’ baptism the Incarnation, “God pitching his tent in our midst” to use the symbolism of last Sunday, begins to become a reality.
Secondly, his baptism was a commissioning moment; an ordination event such as we will have in a few weeks when new officers are installed. Jesus was thirty years old. Little is known regarding his childhood but clearly this experience marks the beginning of our Lord’s ministry.
How many of us have been baptized (raise hands)? What is the meaning of our own baptism? As I said last week before the communion service, in the Reformed tradition a sacrament is defined as “an outward sign of an inward happening,” something that God is doing for us. In baptism, whether it is a child or an adult, and Presbyterians celebrate both, God pours forth his love. If an infant, it doesn’t matters that the child knows little of what is going on because the focus is on God and His action. This is more than a cute baby or a family gathering; this is God reaching out and putting his seal upon someone’s life!
After the baptism, the elder declares, “This child or adult now belongs to the holy catholic church. See what love God has for us that we should be called children of God and we are!” The use of the word “catholic” bothers some people but used with a small “c” it means “universal.” The individual now belongs to God and to God’s community, the Church. This idea of belonging to the universal church is taken very seriously and stands behind the Presbyterian tradition, unlike some others, that no one ever needs to be baptized a second time.
The seal of this belonging is water, an ancient sign used to symbolize cleansing and new life. Some faith communities believe a person must be immersed but our tradition is that the amount of water does not matter though one could choose to be immersed if one so desired. The water is a symbol of God’s love pouring into the life of that individual. The sign of the cross is made and that sign symbolically remains forever.
You raised your hand and declared that you had been baptized. Does that mean that God’s seal is upon you and that you belong to God no matter what? Now that’s something to think about. A little boy understood the power of his baptism in this story. It seems that he had done something wrong and was confronted by his father with the threat of punishment. The young boy drew himself up to his full four feet in height and proudly announced: “You can’t touch me, I’m baptized!” I doubt if that saved the child from his fate but he did understand the nature of the sacrament
I realize that day in and day our baptism probably doesn’t hold that kind of power for us. We wander, we forget, we distort and yet that seal of God has been put upon us and sometimes deep within there stirs a feeling about the need for connection with our Creator. I have seen people long absent from church who still wrestle with inner spiritual tuggings and who sometimes decide that life is not complete until they begin to fulfill their baptism. Read the words of Isaiah 43 over again and think about the deep waters of your life, the barren lands, all that is happening. As you ponder and struggle, as Jesus did himself throughout his life, there will come upon you a strong and abiding feeling that truly there is One who stands with you in all that life is about.
A pastor once told this story about visiting a Mexican-American congregation on the Texas border.
The people said, “There’ll be a baptism while you are here. Do you mind?”
“Mind? Oh no. I can hardly wait. Who is the child?”
“His name is Ricardo. His parents were born in Mexico.”
The pastor went on: “I’d never been to Mexico. It was eleven miles to a border town. I went there to buy the baby a pair of scandals for his baptism. I saw the ones I wanted. As I paid the woman she asked about his age. ‘Newborn,’ I said, “These are for a ten year old,” she commented.
But I liked them and told her of Ricardo’s baptism.
“Don’t worry,” she replied. “He will grow into them.”
“Baptism,” the pastor went on, “is a pilgrimage of growth. Baptism is a line, a way of life, not just a dot. The little child will grow into those scandals.”
Two months later he revisited the congregation and heard that there was to be another baptism.
“Lisa will be baptized next Sunday. She’s Ricardo’s cousin.”
“So I went shopping in Mexico again. I fell in love with a cute pair of booties. As I paid for them, the woman asked, ‘how old is she?’
“Very little,” I replied. “Three months.”
“They are too small,” she said.
I told her they were for Lisa’s baptism.
“Don’t worry,” she counseled. ‘Tell her to hang them on the wall to remind her that she was baptized.”
All people are children of God but in baptism that relationship is taking one step further. Every baptism is like hanging two pairs of shoes on the wall: one pair small and the other big, the smaller pair reminds us of who we belong to, the bigger pair encourages us to grow in our partnership with our Creator. They are a constant reminder of our baptism and the path of spiritual growth that life is to follow. Again and again we need to be reminded just who we are. It is sometimes difficult in modern life, amidst conflicting claims and confusion of names to remember that we belong to our Maker. We are forever answering to some false name, forever misunderstanding who we are and by whom we have been named. It’s easy to forget but this service is a reminder that you are a child of a Loving Creator who loves you so much He sent Jesus to show us how not just to live but how to “live abundantly.”
DON’T FORGET WHO YOU ARE....MONDAY. DON’T FORGET WHO YOU ARE...TUESDAY. DON’T FORGET WHO YOU ARE...WEDNESDAY. DON’T FORGET WHO YOU ARE....EVER!
"CHRISTMAS FROM JOSEPH’S PERSPECTIVE"
Date: Dec. 21, 2008
Text: Matthew 1: 18-25
While shopping recently at one of the malls, Marilyn pointed out to me a scene that probably is all too typical. A woman was seriously engaged in looking at some jewelry as her husband leaned against a pillar, obviously anxious to get home. The wife found something attractive and was telling him about the discovery. He nodded but clearly had little or no interest in what his wife was exclaiming over. Is it too much of a generalization to say that in many cases men are on the fringes of the Christmas scene?
That certainly could be said for Joseph, the father of Jesus, couldn’t it? He is pretty much the forgotten character in the Bethlehem saga. Magnificent music proclaims Mary’s story. Children all around the world love to portray the shepherds and wise men. Joseph seemingly tagged along like the man at the mall and is not heard from again throughout the rest of Jesus’ life. Some Third and Fourth Century traditions suggest that he was much older than Mary, had children by a previous marriage and died while Jesus was growing up but none of that is in the Bible. All that we know is what we learn from the first two chapters of Matthew. If you stop and think about it, Matthew presents the annunciation through the experience of Joseph while Luke tells it from Mary’s point of view.
Matthew described him as a carpenter and "a just man." This sense of fairness comes through in the story. In ancient Hebrew culture, parents often arranged engagements while the children were quite young; when they were older the couple would become betrothed for a period of twelve months during which time they would be treated as husband and wife. After the year they were married and lived together. If the man should die during betrothal the woman was regarded as a widow. Mary’s pregnancy would have been considered infidelity and treated as adultery. Joseph lived by the law and thus planned to divorce his wife-to-be, which was customary under the circumstances, but he also was a kind person so wanted to do it quietly.
Then he had a dream. In Biblical narrative "an angel of the Lord" generally described a sense of divine presence. Here’s an interesting Biblical point: Only in late Old Testament times were angels perceived as separate entities and still later that they were given wings and pictured as they are today. Whatever happened, Joseph felt that God wanted him to marry Mary.
How do you suppose that Joseph was feeling throughout this experience? It is a question that has intrigued me all week for I sense that his response to what God was doing may help us understand our own attitudes toward this coming Christmas. The narrative relates that after Joseph awoke he fulfilled the dream. I don’t know about you but when I have a dream, especially of some magnitude, I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning with all kinds of thoughts racing through my mind. What do you think went through Joseph’s mind as he contemplated God’s call to play a role in the life of the Coming Messiah?
If I had been Joseph, I would have been asking myself whether I really wanted to go that far with my religious convictions. After all, it is one thing to have faith and quite something else to play a major part in God’s plan. Joseph was a keeper of the law and a good man but this would be going way beyond the bounds of normal involvement. I can imagine him saying, "Gee, God, I would like a son who grows up to be a hero but can’t it happen as with everyone else."
Some years ago in the local paper, there was a cartoon that portrayed an angel with a trumpet and a banner. The banner declared "Peace on earth (between 6 a.m., Dec. 24th and 6 a.m., Dec. 26th). Good will toward men...synchronize your watches." That’s how we prefer to treat our faith response, isn’t it? - keeping it within the narrow confines of convenience and acceptability. We like to have God available in times of need then assume He will fade into the background.
Joseph must have known, however, that this time God was not going to play a secondary role. This time God was going to be front and center and Joseph was to be right with him! And is that not the meaning of Christmas 2008? Christ comes to announce that God no longer is on the back shelf in the store of life but is in the front window for all to see and we are asked to join him!
There actually are two Christmas celebrations each year as Raymond Brown, the Biblical scholar, reminds us. There is a child’s holiday in which we still share: cards, parties, exchanging gifts. Then there is an adult Christmas in which instead of looking for Barbies or Guitar Heroes 2 we search our inner selves. We bring not just gifts but our whole lives: our hopes, our values, our problems and anxieties to the manger. Not everyone wants to deal with an adult Christmas. Usually we can avoid the issue and just keep busy with the more surface celebration but there are times when, like Joseph, we are brought up short. God wants to share in our lives not just on certain days and at certain times but on a regular basis.
What makes this announcement so scary is the realization that the greater the gift the greater the obligation in return. I do not speak in monetary terms but of what goes into giving. If God is going give His Son that we might have life and have it abundantly, what then will be expected of us in return? Nothing less than a commitment to share this love, to be compassionate to all people, to work for an end to oppression and to bring peace at every level of life. Clearly Joseph knew that God expected something more of his life than merely going through the ritual of law keeping, so too God expects something more from us.
If I had been Joseph my tossing and turning would have increased as morning came closer and a decision had to be made. I would begin to visualize what this commitment to God might mean. I can imagine Joseph mumbling to himself "I’ll go for coffee at Tim Horton’s and tell the guys that Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Oh boy, I can just hear their snickers. As soon as I leave, they’ll be saying ‘Old Joe must be working too hard or celebrating too early’."
Will Joseph be willing to stand against the crowd? Are we willing to make an adult commitment to hold fast to love, justice and mercy even when it may mean swimming against the stream? Joseph, I am sure, must have been scared as he pondered what it was that God was calling him to do. So we too may be scared when we consider the implications of an adult Christmas and turning over our lives to God’s control. All that went through Joseph’s mind races through ours.
Before, however, we back off and accept something less than the entire Good News hear again what the writer of Matthew is trying to tell us. The first and second chapters present a capsule review of Hebrew history. Joseph, the father of Jesus, follows the footsteps of the Old Testament figure of the same name who went into exile in Egypt and had dreams about God taking care of his people. The bondage that Moses delivered the people from relates to the bondage that Christ frees us from. Jesus is the new "Moses." He is called "Emmanuel" or "God with us." At the end of Matthew’s gospel, right after the resurrection, the story becomes complete when Jesus tells his friends, "I will be with you always."
Our God is a God who has led us in the past; our God gives us Christ in the present; our God will be with us always. Joseph, having a sense of all that God had done and will do, opened his heart and followed. It was God who empowered him, Mary and the Shepherds and later Peter and Paul, and it is God who will empower us if we will only let this be an adult Christmas.
"The Question of Every Christmas" (Rev. Bob Kaiser)
Date: Dec. 14, 2008
Text: Isaiah 35; Matthew 11: 2-11
Would you agree that the Christmas story is so familiar that there is a danger as Dec 25th approaches we hear the carols and we see the manger scenes but very little is internalized? The message of the season stays on the surface and never gets into our hearts and minds! To avoid this possibility, I like to look at the birth of Christ from a different perspective. The story just read from Matthew 11 enables us to come to Bethlehem from another direction. In many ways, you will recognize that this passage from Matthew builds upon last week’s sermon on "The Peaceable Kingdom."
"ARE YOU THE ONE?" That’s the question of Matthew 11. Sometimes we forget in all the hustle and bustle of this season that people continue to ask that question. They may be rushing from store to store in the mall trying to get gifts for everyone on their list when they come upon a nativity scene. Suddenly and surprisingly they wonder to themselves: could Jesus be the one to bring peace, joy and hope? Could he be the one to answer the inner cravings of all humankind? John the Baptist and his followers desperately want to know.
The lst Century in Israel found a heightened expectation that God would send someone to lead his people to a new day. Many prophets and teachers attracted large crowds with the hope that they might be the one to lead the nation out of Roman captivity. None attracted more attention than did John the Baptist. His lifestyle, living in the wilderness, his strident teaching, "repent now you brood of vipers!" suggested that he might be the bearer of a unique message.
Herod, the Roman leader, was so upset by John’s message especially when it related to the king’s moral conduct that he had the prophet thrown in jail. John recognized that his death was imminent. His followers, some of whom would later become Jesus’ disciples, shared his distress. Was all their work to be for naught? Or could it be that they were preparing the way for someone who would pick up the ball and carry on? Perhaps Jesus was that individual. At least they ought to go and find out.
Hence, they went and asked Jesus about his intentions. Jesus, as was generally the case, did not give a straight "yes or no" answer. Instead he said that his teaching and his miracles were meant to be signs pointing to the power of the Almighty. Jesus wanted no personal praise unlike many of the TV evangelists of our day. All he sought was to have people seek again a relationship with their Creator. How often the focus is upon some individual, even ourselves, whereas in scripture the spotlight always is upon God.
Our Lord’s reply was "Go and see for yourself, the blind, the deaf, the invalid, all have good news … are not glorious things happening in God’s world?" His response captured the hopes and dreams of the people expressed in Isaiah. Back then the prophet had said that a time was coming when "the wilderness and dry land shall be glad and the desert shall rejoice and blossom… and the lamb and the lion would lie down together." Clearly Jesus spoke in messianic terms of such a time when God would establish a new kingdom. He went on to say that if people looked closely the signs of that kingdom were beginning to break through in his ministry.
What are we to make of the response of Jesus to John’s question, which basically is this: are you the one to make sense of my life? It’s crucial in the midst of all that is going on during this season of the year that we get a handle on Jesus’ reply. What I am suggesting in today’s sermon is that, perhaps, the answer comes as we look at life through a different lens. William Sloane Coffin, former Yale chaplain and pastor of Riverside Church in NYC, said that when we arrive in heaven, God would not greet us like an accountant with a ledger book of rights and wrongs in hand but instead He will say, "Let’s see the slides." I have heard Coffin, who died two years ago, speak several times and can imagine him saying, "Don’t bore me with a lot of clichés or religious jargon, just show me what you have been about in the name of Christ. Come on, show me the slides of your faith endeavors." Those words were spoken some thirty years ago and we would have to update them. "Show me your computer print-out or your digital pictures of what you have been doing" might be more appropriate today but you get the idea. Or in words from last Sunday sermon "where do we see the lion and the lamb lying together?"
We have to look toward those of whom Jesus spoke and for whom he had the greatest concern. We need to look to the lonely, the handicapped, and the oppressed if we are serious about seeking visual signs of God’s love being revealed in Christ. One year as happens in many churches a group went caroling. They stopped to sing at the home of an elderly member of the church. After they were done, she told them: "Thank you so much. In 85 years no one has ever come caroling before." That’s what Coffin means about "show me the slides." I am sure that some of the people for whom we are caroling this Friday will be equally appreciative.
I hope that in the brief time we have shared together that you recognize how very important it is to ask the right faith questions as we search and seek for that Star in the sky. It also is essential that even while we search our daily ways reflect a movement in the right direction. I read this statement in a church bulletin: "Begin today! No matter how feeble you may think your light is, let it shine as best as it may. The world may need just that quality of light which you have." Certainly the history of this congregation and your faithfulness through good times and not so good makes for a great faith slide.
A parishioner once said to me, "If Jesus is right in all he said I guess I had better rethink all of my ways." Christians need to continually ask themselves about how much they are growing in their faithfulness. Are the pictures the same as 5 or 10 years ago or is there significant change in how much prayer, study and the pursuit of love and justice are part of the picture? Are conversations still centered around the weather, the Buffalo Bills, where to get the best clothing buys or are you better able to talk about the resurrection and what it means personally to believe that the baby Jesus grows up to the Living Christ?
All of which leads to a very specific question: Where do scripture, faith and daily living intersect for us as we think ahead to the New Year? Think of the corners of existence where some slides need to be taken: pictures of reconciliation with a member of the family, a reduction in pent up anger, moving from selfish pursuits to thinking more of others, reaching out more to those in need. Coffin keeps reminding us to "show God the slides of your faithful living."
One time a small child was late returning from a friend’s house. She explained to her worried parents that her friend had dropped her beloved China doll and it had smashed to bits on the sidewalk. "Oh," said her father, "You stopped to help her pick up the pieces." "No," the girl answered, "I stopped to help her cry."
The baby Jesus grows up and stops to help us cry and to laugh. He asks us to do the same: to keep company with the fallen, to pause to cry with the anguished of the world, to smile with those who are rejoicing, to try to pick up the pieces of whatever happens to be falling apart in our corner of the world.
This holiday let’s get out our spiritual slides. See what Christ has done in our lives. See what he can help us do for others. Look at the slides and know that truly he is the One to bring to fulfillment all the hopes and dreams of humanity. Then we will find the answer to the question: are you the One?
"THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM" (Rev. Bob Kaiser)
Date: December 7, 2008
Text: Isaiah 11: 1-9
Edward Hicks, a Pennsylvania Quaker artist, was so enthralled with Isaiah’s description of the peaceable kingdom found in chapter 11 that he painted the scene over 100 times, one of which is in the museum at Cooperstown. One critic, not favorably impressed, commented: "Hicks borrowed animals from Bible illustrations, children from engravings done after Raphael, the background scene from a reproduction of Benjamin West’s ‘Penn’s Treaty with the Indians’ and the Natural Bridge in Virginia from another popular print. Only the oddities of American culture can explain the painting’s popularity."
I am one of those "odd" Americans who like Hicks’ painting and I think I know why. Doesn’t the scene portraying unity between people and nature symbolize a dream of a better world, a dream of harmony among individuals, nations and the environment?
Indeed the greatest Christmas present I could imagine would be the reality of "the peaceable kingdom." It is a glorious dream that Isaiah sets forth. He knew of the evils and travails of life and he longed for a better world. Perhaps it was the coronation of a new leader that got him thinking about what might be: The hope that God would send someone to fulfill the promise of David, the greatest king of Israel. The prophet probably was not predicting the coming of Jesus but it was not surprising that the early Christians came to see Jesus as the One who would initiate "the peaceable kingdom."
Consider what the Coming One of Isaiah’s dream would accomplish.
- He would not judge by appearances
- He would defend the rights of the poor
- He would rule with justice and integrity
Isn’t this exactly the kind of world that we all seek? A way of life that transforms every layer of living: we would be known for our inner selves and not judged by outward appearances, the poor would have rights, there would be justice and integrity at every level of existence.
Now can you see why, though panned by critics, Hicks’ work has been so popular down through the years? It captures a hope for peace at every level of life that runs deep within all of us. I recall reading some place about a pastor who was visiting another pastor and his family in the Czech Republic. At the end of the visit, he wanted to take a picture of the family to share with friends back in the States. The European pastor had 3 boys who were handsome, strapping, athletic teenagers and another son who was mentally limited. As the family started to line up for the picture, the pastor said, "wait just a minute" and he went and got the handicapped son who was in the corner playing with some toys. "Now," he said, "This is our whole family." Such is the dream of Isaiah, of Hicks and it is shared by so many today: that all will be included in the picture and none will be left out.
Of course, the skeptics will say, "let’s get real. In our kind of world there never will be a time when people can live in such harmony." The New Testament confronted similar skepticism given that conditions were harsh for the Israelites under Roman rule and prospects for better times not encouraging. People were becoming increasingly discouraged around the time of Jesus. Thus, they began to look to the distant future and to a new world order. God would break into history "to create all things new" as it says in the Book of Revelation. Nevertheless, the New Testament is more than just eschatology or "end times" predictions. The writers declare in the strongest possible terms, and this is what Advent is all about, that the signs of this new kingdom are not just in the future but begin with Christ’s resurrection and continue through every generation.
Next time you are in the library or on the web take the time to see if you can find a copy of Hick’s painting. Look at the natural enemies lying together. "The Peaceable Kingdom" - it’s a dream and yet there are signs of its possibility if only we will look. Jesus was fond of saying "He who has eyes to see and ears to hear look closely at what God is doing in your midst." This Christmas season with all the hustle and bustle we need to be attuned to the small things in life that point to the new world that Christ envisioned: a kind, sensitive word in an unexpected moment: teenagers and parents beginning to understand one another; someone struggling with addiction being helped by a friend. The question might be, in keeping with Isaiah 11, where do we see "the lambs and lions of life" sharing together?
It’s not enough just to look for signs during Advent 2008. Always action on our part is called for if our own lives begin to reflect something of this hope in "the peaceable kingdom." Gandhi expressed this thought beautifully: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Think back to the description of the Coming One: not judging by outward appearances, defending the poor, standing for justice and integrity These are characteristics around which to shape our lives. In this season of the year when the rallying cry of all the ads seems to be "gratify your own desires," we can look in another direction for the coming kingdom. We can be among those who truly are the "peacemakers " that Jesus praised in the Sermon on the Mount. Of course we always say to ourselves "Yes but what can one person do." Let me answer that question with a true story. In the early ‘80's a woman from the congregation I was serving approached me with an idea that she had. She was excited about the possibility of creating a children’s chorus in Rochester that would sing of peace. Children from all over the area gathering in a time of nuclear build-up would sing of people getting along with one another. I must confess it was late August and I was wrapped up in getting the Fall church program together so I simply offered modest encouragement. A few months later she returned with even more enthusiasm: there was interest in the community and some funding. "The Peace Child" chorus was organized and for 15 years did sing of peace, several times meeting with children from Russia to share their common dream. For our youngest son, the privilege of singing in the chorus was a formative part of his teen years. One woman on fire with a dream and something quite wonderful was the result. So the next time you sit in church and say to yourself "Wouldn’t it be wonderful if..." maybe you should go on to say, "Hey, I might give that a shot and see what happens." Just imagine what would happen to the ministry of East Bethany if we all took that approach
There is a Simon and Garfunkel song that always reminds me of Hicks’ painting and Isaiah 11. At the beginning we hear the soothing words of "silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright." Just as a feeling of peace and serenity spreads over us, news of the world breaks in with increasing intensity in the background. Disturbing words breaking the mood. The six o’clock news: (updating the song)
"Thousands of children will be born with crack addition, people are starving to death in the Congo...Silent Night...AIDS will kill vast numbers in 2008 especially among minorities...Holy Night...lay-offs put more on the unemployment lines...All is Calm...somebody shot someone else in an argument...All is bright." Finally, the news is so loud the moving words of the carol are lost.
That’s the way life is, isn’t it? We sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and then we leave to deal with the realities of the 6 o’clock news. But it doesn’t have to be that way if we take Christ’s coming seriously. I have a dream and it is that as more and more people commit themselves to the Jesus way of life instead of the news getting louder and the carol softer it would work the other way.
Sure you can point to a lot of bad things right now but there are efforts to create a more just society; people are helping in soup kitchens around the country; some are working for peace in their families; some are visiting those in prison or nursing homes. Listen closely: can’t you hear the beautiful words and meaning of "Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright" despite all the negative stuff?.
"THE DESERT WILL BLOSSOM, THE SUN WILL SHINE....EVEN IN EAST BETHANY!" (Reverend Bob Kaiser)
Date: December 2, 2007
Text: Isaiah 35
Has anyone said to you recently, "Boy, I am glad I am not in President-elect Obama’s shoes? The world is a mess, the economic crisis is scary, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t seem to have easy endings and what can he do about our health care needs?" More than one person has made that comment to me in casual conversation. I also have heard a lot of people expressing great concern about their savings and what the future may hold.
Do you share this feeling to any degree? If so, then Isaiah 35 may be just "what the doctor ordered." The Good News translation declares in the 6th verse of this powerful chapter that "God is coming to your rescue." God is coming to rebuild and restore, to make things right at every level of life. The prophet was looking ahead to some future time, which the early Church associated with the coming of Christ. God was going to fulfill this Biblical promise through the Incarnation, the sending of someone who will dwell among us and show us the way. Now we need to be very careful in following up on the promise of Isaiah. We don’t want to say that God is going to come in and make everything perfect or that this will happen just at end times as some Fundamentalists claim. What we do need to say is that God always is a presence in our lives and can help us see beneath the surface of whatever is going on. Then we can shape and mold our lives to move in new directions.
The imagery of Isaiah 35 that describes this great hope in God’s action emerged out of a very concrete historical situation during the prophet’s time around 742 B.C. The people of Israel felt they were on shaky ground just as many do today. They were in captivity in Babylon where the king had just decided to release them. Still to make their way home they would have to cross numerous deserts. It could be a taunting task but the prophet assured them that instead of it being a trek across a barren wilderness the desert would be in blossom and there would be a pathway set among the crooked hills. The exodus and Moses leading his people to freedom served as a point of reference for the prophet. Once again God would deliver his people out of captivity and this new exodus would be even more extraordinary.
Before we go any further with the imagery of Isaiah we need to look a little more closely at the holiday coming up on December 25th. Did you know that the first Christians did not celebrate Christmas at all? Easter and the resurrection was the key holiday in the beginning. Interest in Jesus’ birth grew in the 2nd and 3rd Century with the growth of Christianity. At the same time, there was a desire to have a festival that would diminish the importance of the pagan holiday based on the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, usually Dec. 2lst. It is interesting to note that every culture has some mean of dealing with the dark, long days of winter. Thus in the northern part of the world there are celebrations this time of the year proclaiming that the darkness will end and there shall be light once again. It’s not just people in Upstate NY who get the blahs!
Specifically, the early Church saw the coming of Christ as an answer to the Roman festival of the 2nd Century, which honored the "Unconquered Sun." The celebration came right after the winter solstice and proclaimed that more light would be coming each day. Therefore, the intent of the original Christian festival on the 25th was to proclaim that Jesus offers "light" far greater than the sun. Instead of longer days as a sign of hope, there was one born in Bethlehem who brought new light and promise into the world. It was in this context and a great sense of expectation that the early Church looked at the promise of Isaiah 35 and other Old Testament passages with new understanding and appreciation.
Now think of their journey home as similar to our journey to Christmas. "A highway for the lost, strength to the tired, comfort to the discouraged…" How does this promise strike you as Christmas 2008 approaches? Is there not a particular message for all who are apprehensive and even fearful with continuing news of recent unsettling developments weighing heavily upon them? Listen to the words of the prophet in the modern translation of Eugene Peterson in "The Message" as to what God will do.
Energize the limp hands,
Strengthen the rubbery knees,
Tell fearful souls,
Courage! Take heart!
God is here, right here.
On his way to put things right
And redress all wrongs,
He is on his way. He’ll save you!
Think of what those words will mean when applied directly to your life and those around you. To the parents who often say "I am ready for bed long before my kids;" to the retirees who now find their retirement package worth much less than they thought it would be; and how about those who have lost loved ones or going through tough times and for whom the holidays are really difficult? Do you see how Isaiah 35 is such a wonderful passage to live with during this Advent season?
Can the rough places of your life and mine become smooth as 2008 comes to a close and we look ahead to 2009? To put it another way, the early Christians had to ask if the true promise of Christmas offered more hope than the Roman celebration of the lengthening of the rays of the sun. Today the question is: can anything in those stores that opened at midnight on Thanksgiving night and will continue to bombard us with ads for the next four weeks match the greatest gift of all, divine love coming in the birth of Christ? The early church in the third and fourth century seemed to sense intuitively that Christians in future generations2008 would need a time of preparation for this miracle that the Almighty would bring. Hence, the season of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, was set-aside for Christians to prepare themselves for the celebration of December 25th. And isn’t this time of preparation so important in the midst of an enormous display of commercialism that plagues us at this time of the year?
I do not remember how old I was but my first exposure to the wonders of modern photography came in seeing the Disney film "The Living Desert." To watch the barren desert slowly turn into a wonderland of flowers after a downpour was awesome. The camera caught individual flowers gradually opening into blossom and, as you can tell, the beauty of that scene continues with me. I always think of this movie when Isaiah 35 is read because for me the imagery of the "Living Desert" is akin to the way our lives are changed with the coming of Christ. The Jesus who grows up to give his life for us offers power, hope and love. Like an unfolding precious blossom, tired hands receive strength, weak knees are made firm and discouraged hearts are uplifted.The time between now and Dec. 25th will be extremely busy for most of us. It will be easy to lose our way and take the wrong path so keep on remembering the words of the prophet and focus each day on all that God has done. These days when we awake darkness is all around us. The Bible says that darkness also can be in our hearts. How do we overcome this darkness or what we call the blahs? When it comes down to a foundation for daily living which would you rather have: the Roman celebration of the "Unconquered Sun" or the birth of One who comes bringing the love of God?
People in Upstate NY are famous for complaining about the weather but we always need to remember that "THE DESERT WILL BLOSSOM, THE SUN WILL SHINE....IN EAST BETHANY AND IN OUR HEARTS!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?" (Rev. Bob Kaiser)
Date: November 23, 2008
Text: Luke 17: 11-19
The passage just read from Luke about Jesus healing ten lepers and only one returning to give thanks is one of my favorites especially as Thanksgiving approaches.
Leprosy is a dreaded skin disease, still prevalent in many parts of the world. It affects the circulation to the extremities of the body and causes sores to appear, particularly on the nose, hands and feet. Lepers in biblical times were totally ostracized and compelled to live in isolation. What would the 10 do in their time of crisis? Almost always, people turn in time of need to the Almighty. "God get me through this mess" is the poignant cry. The lepers, acting in similar fashion, cried out, "Master, have pity on us." Then Jesus gave them instructions which when obeyed led to their healing.
Can we put ourselves in their shoes? Or maybe we can think of others who have been or are "in the valley of the shadow" to use the words of the 23rd psalm. Every year there seem to be numerous events and personal happenings that connect with Biblical experience. Little can compare with the physical and emotional agony of leprosy but this year there have been wild fires in California, the on-going wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the economic crisis and each of us could add some personal stuff whether it be health issues or family tensions. Isn’t there much today that weighs upon human existence like an ancient plague? And what is our reaction of people in November 2008? We too call upon ‘the name of the Lord."
I have used it numerous times as a sermon text. Any idea why it is so appealing? For me it is such a striking passage because the behavior of the ten lepers is so much like the actions and attitudes of people today. Let’s look at the text more closely and see if you agree with me.God does not take away problems in quite the miraculous manner recorded in Luke. Sadness, loneliness, illness remained and yet a new dimension can be added to daily living which enables families to pass through "the valley of the shadow." God strengthens and comforts as only He can do. Is that not the greatest miracle of all - the power of the Almighty so filling a life that one can survive even against unbelievable odds? Repeatedly individuals who have received comfort and strength from our Maker tell friends: "God must have been with me or I never would have made it."
Men and women are truly grateful. It is a time of thanksgiving, much like we are sharing this week. Because God has done so much, serious promises might be made to live lives of gratitude in coming days and weeks. Each family might think of living out their appreciation in ways that would be pleasing to God: going to worship, helping out with Habitat for Humanity, forgiving a neighbor, making a commitment to support the church in the new year. Certainly reports indicate that after Sept. llth people sought out religious sanctuary. It would appear that through tragedy and circumstance people would be entering a deeper relationship with their Creator.
It seemed that way! Unfortunately the spell does not last. In the story, good intentions were not followed by concrete actions. Oh, the lepers didn’t consciously push God aside. Life was busy and they just slipped back into the old routine. I want to stress that this lack of gratitude was not intentional. Aren’t those in the story who were comforted by the Almighty very much like us? Life moves on and when the crisis has passed the need for God drifts into the background. As an example, a clergy friend told me that the Sunday after the terrorist attack on 9/11 it was standing room only in worship but now attendance has returned to 90 faithful. In the story, only one person remembers and tries to live each day in such a way that his actions bring glory to the Almighty.
Only one out of ten stayed around to say "thank you." Only one! Is that too far fetched? Don’t’ we all tend to take God’s blessings for granted? Do you begin to see why I said at the beginning that the text fascinates me because it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the lst Century or the 21st human behavior remains the same?
There is an old legend that tells of the angels in heaven discussing human nature and the matter of gratitude. As an experiment, 2 angels were sent down to earth as a new day began. One carried a basket deep and wide, the other a small one by her side. The one with the big basket spoke, "Oh, but this is wonderful! If it were not for heaven, I’d be content to dwell on earth forever. My basket is large, I’ll soon gather people’s thanks and pack them in." Said the other, "I’ll help when I get done. I’m to get their wants in this little one, and the sighs and murmurs of those who pout - but it’s large enough without a doubt. God’s bounties are scattered on every side, you’ll need your basket deep and wide." Away they went and, as darkness came, they met again but not the same. Both were weary, both were sad; they found so little to make them glad. Said he with the big basket: "My heart is heavy. It makes me weep. Look in my basket - you’ll discover that thanksgivings barely cover the bottom." "While I," said the other, "have made 3 trips with the wants and complaints from people’s lips!"
Men and women back then and now would be horrified to think that the legend applied to them yet God’s bounty has been scattered in our midst and some can think only of their wants. As said before, few are intentionally ungrateful. No one intends to slight the Creator any more than the 9 lepers meant to ignore Jesus. Yet this was exactly the outcome of such actions. A sense of thanksgiving is limited to a certain time or place or situation. It never becomes a way of life as God had hoped
But let us not dwell on the 9 who were neglectful for the story actually focuses on the one who did approach each day as a day of thanksgiving. A remarkable comment was made to the one grateful leper in the story in Luke. Jesus said, "Your faith has made you whole." An intriguing observation. Were not the other 9 men whole? Apparently Jesus did not think so. They had been healed of outward ailments but every human being is more than just a physical body. Nothing had really happened to make the lives of these 9 any different inside.
The individual who was grateful for God’s blessings in times of crisis and times of good fortune as well received an extra gift. He was made "whole." "Wholeness" is a Biblical synonym for "salvation." To be saved is to have one’s total self healed and put back together. The person who is out of equilibrium, who no longer lives as his Creator intended, is incomplete in terms of what life was meant to be as designed by our Maker.
Gratitude, waking up each day with the words of the Psalmist – "This is the day the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad," creates an entirely different perspective on daily affairs. It is more than just calling upon God in emergencies; rather it is a style of daily existence in all of life’s circumstances, the good days and the bad, in which the individual is aware of all the blessings that God has made possible. The more we sense and appreciate the Divine Presence in our lives the richer life becomes and not in terms of material pleasures but something much deeper.
Thanksgiving weekend is coming up. Families will gather, students are home from college, food will be in abundance. After the holiday Advent approaches when we will focus on the greatest of all of God’s blessings. There is much to be thankful for. It’s the perfect time to ask the question: if the angels in the legend came again would they be loading up baskets of complaints and wants or baskets of overflowing with gratitude?
